Steerable guidewire having electrodes for measuring vessel cross-section and blood flow
First Claim
1. A steerable guidewire comprising:
- an elongated shaft having a distal end and a proximal end, said shaft being sufficiently torsionally rigid along its length for controllably transmitting to the distal end substantially all of the rotation applied to the proximal end, said shaft including a first electrical conductor and a second electrical conductor insulated from said first electrical conductor, said electrical conductors extending from the distal end to the proximal end of said shaft; and
a tip attached to the distal end of said shaft, said tip adapted to be bent to a desired curve, said tip being sufficiently flexible so as to adapt to and follow the contours of a blood vessel, said tip including a distal electrode electrically connected to one of said conductors and a proximal electrode electrically connected to the other of said conductors, said electrodes being axially spaced apart on said tip by a predetermined distance, said distal electrode comprising a distal, conductive, helically-wound spring and said proximal electrode comprising a proximal, conductive helically-wound spring, said tip including a tapered distal region of said second conductor passing through said proximal spring at and least a portion of said distal spring and electrically connected to said distal spring.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A small diameter steerable guidewire that is used to guide a catheter in transluminal coronary angioplasty is provided with a pair of electrodes for measuring the cross-sectional area of a blood vessel and for measuring blood flow. The guidewire includes a shaft and a tip attached to the distal end of the shaft. The shaft is torsionally rigid along its length and includes a conductive tube and a wire extending through the tube. The tip, which can be bent to a prescribed curve when relaxed, is sufficiently flexible to adapt to and follow the contours of a blood vessel. The tip includes a tapered extension of the wire in the shaft. A proximal electrode and a distal electrode are coaxially mounted on the tapered wire and are electrically connected to the tube and the wire, respectively. The electrodes are axially spaced apart by a predetermined distance. Each electrode is preferably a conductive, helically-wound spring. The outside diameter of the steerable guidewire preferably does not exceed about 0.020-inch for coronary use.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A steerable guidewire comprising:
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an elongated shaft having a distal end and a proximal end, said shaft being sufficiently torsionally rigid along its length for controllably transmitting to the distal end substantially all of the rotation applied to the proximal end, said shaft including a first electrical conductor and a second electrical conductor insulated from said first electrical conductor, said electrical conductors extending from the distal end to the proximal end of said shaft; and a tip attached to the distal end of said shaft, said tip adapted to be bent to a desired curve, said tip being sufficiently flexible so as to adapt to and follow the contours of a blood vessel, said tip including a distal electrode electrically connected to one of said conductors and a proximal electrode electrically connected to the other of said conductors, said electrodes being axially spaced apart on said tip by a predetermined distance, said distal electrode comprising a distal, conductive, helically-wound spring and said proximal electrode comprising a proximal, conductive helically-wound spring, said tip including a tapered distal region of said second conductor passing through said proximal spring at and least a portion of said distal spring and electrically connected to said distal spring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A small diameter steerable guidewire comprising;
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a main conductive tube having a proximal end and a distal end; a conductive wire extending through said tube and having a tapered distal region extending beyond the distal end of said tube, said wire being electrically insulated from said tube; a distal, conductive, helically-wound spring receiving at least a portion of the distal region of said wire, said distal spring constituting a distal electrode and being electrically connected to said wire; a proximal, conductive, helically-wound spring having the distal region of said wire extending therethrough, said proximal spring constituting a proximal electrode and being electrically connected to said tube; and means for spacing said distal and proximal electrodes by a predetermined distance on the distal region of said wire. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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- 23. A steerable guidewire as defined in claim 23 wherein the materials of said proximal electrode and said distal electrode are selected to approximately equalize the electrical resistances of the electrodes.
Specification