Variable stiffness guide wire
First Claim
1. A variable stiffness vascular guide wire for use with a flexible catheter, comprising an elongated flexible closely helically wound wire coil, an elongated stiffness control means comprising a series of core wires connected at one end to the wire coil adjacent the distal end of the guide wire and extending through substantially the entire length of the interior of the wire coil to the proximal end of the guide wire, and actuator handle means secured at said proximal end to one end of the wire coil and to the other end of the wires of the stiffness control means, said guide wire having unrestricted flexibility in bending when the wires of said stiffness control means are axially unstressed and having increasing inflexibility in bending as axial tension in said wires is increased within the confines of said wire coil, said actuator handle means including means for adjusting the relative axial displacement of the one end of the wire coil with respect to the other end of the wires of the stiffness control means to vary the tensional force in said stiffness control means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A guide wire capable of being adjusted to provide variable stiffness for catheterizing arterial branches comprises an elongated helical wire coil with a plurality of core wires contained within and joined to the outer wire coil at their distal ends; at their proximal ends there is a handle having two elements which are movable relative to each other connected respectively to the inner core wires and to the wire coil to vary the extent to which the coil may be flexed, by tensioning the core wires and limiting the longitudinal expansion of the coil.
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Citations
16 Claims
- 1. A variable stiffness vascular guide wire for use with a flexible catheter, comprising an elongated flexible closely helically wound wire coil, an elongated stiffness control means comprising a series of core wires connected at one end to the wire coil adjacent the distal end of the guide wire and extending through substantially the entire length of the interior of the wire coil to the proximal end of the guide wire, and actuator handle means secured at said proximal end to one end of the wire coil and to the other end of the wires of the stiffness control means, said guide wire having unrestricted flexibility in bending when the wires of said stiffness control means are axially unstressed and having increasing inflexibility in bending as axial tension in said wires is increased within the confines of said wire coil, said actuator handle means including means for adjusting the relative axial displacement of the one end of the wire coil with respect to the other end of the wires of the stiffness control means to vary the tensional force in said stiffness control means.
- 11. A variable stiffness vascular guide wire for use with a flexible catheter, comprising an elongated flexible helically wound wire coil, a plurality of twisted core wires extending internally through said wire coil, the distal ends of said core wires and said wire coil being joined together, and means at the proximal end of said wire coil to vary the relative positions of the proximal ends of the core wires with respect to the proximal end of said wire coil to change the tension in the core wires to vary the stiffness of the guide in either direction while in place.
Specification