Catheter guidewire with varying radiopacity

• US 4,922,924 A
• Filed: 04/27/1989
• Issued: 05/08/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Ave Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Crittenden, James F., Gambale, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAY, RANDY CITRIN
• Application Number:
  US07/344,018
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 128/657, 128/772, 604/164, 604/170, 604/280, 604/282
• US Class Current: 600/585
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09166 having radio-opaque features
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09175 having specific characteristics at the distal tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/09 Guide wires

Abstract

A guidewire for use with a catheter has segments of varying radiopacity. The guidewire includes a coil assembly at its distal end, the coil assembly being formed from a highly radiopaque coil and a non-radiopaque coil, arranged in bifilar arrangement to define a moderate radiopacity section in which the radiopaque and non-radiopaque segment alternate and a highly radiopaque section composed solely of the highly radiopaque coil.

Claims

1. A guidewire comprising:

an elongate flexible shaft;

a flexible coil assembly on the distal end of the shaft, the coil assembly being formed from a first coil formed from a highly radiopague material which extends the full length of the coil assembly and a second substantially non-radiopaque coil, shorter than the first coil, and interposed in bifilar configuration between some of the turns of the first coil to define a less radiopague segment of the coil assembly.

2. A guidewire as defined in claim 1 wherein the less radiopague segment is located at the proximal end of the coil assembly.

3. A guidewire as defined in claim 2 further comprising:

the proximal end of the first and second coils being adhesively connected to each other and to the shaft.

4. A guidewire as defined in any of claims 1-3 wherein the highly radiopague first coil is formed from metal and the non-radiopague second coil is formed from a polymeric material.

5. A guidewire as defined in claim 4 wherein the polymeric second coil is of a larger diameter than the metal first coil.

6. A guidewire as defined in any of claims 1-3 wherein one of the coils is larger than the other, the larger coil being, at least at its surface, lubricious.

7. A guidewire as defined in claim 6 wherein the larger coil is formed from a low friction polymer.