Guidewire with tracking member and catheter exchange system
First Claim
1. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and being further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the indwelling device being adapted to be positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
- an elongate, flexible guidewire body having proximal and distal ends;
a tracking member which is selectively movable to engaged and disengaged positions disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body, the tracking member in the engaged position extending transversely of the length of the guidewire and being adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device in parallel to the body of the guidewire, said tracking member being slidable along the length of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device, the tracking member in the disengaged position being adapted for release from the shaft of the indwelling devicesaid tracking member including at least one loop which extends radially outwardly from the guidewire body; and
means for retracting said loop to draw it radially inwardly to reduce its profile.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A guidewire and method of using same for tracking an indwelling device such as a catheter previously positioned within a body lumen. The guidewire includes an elongate flexible body shaft having proximal and distal ends, and a tracking member disposed at the region of the distal end. The tracking member defines an opening passable over the shaft of the indwelling device. During use, the tracking member is slid along the indwelling device toward its distal end to enable the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device. The indwelling device then may be withdrawn from the patient'"'"'s body lumen and an over-the-wire catheter may be threaded onto and advanced along the guidewire into the patient'"'"'s body lumen. The tracking member is retractable within and removable from the guidewire. The invention is useful particularly in catheterization procedures where it is desired to exchange an over-the-wire catheter for a catheter having a fixed or integral guidewire.
86 Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and being further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the indwelling device being adapted to be positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
an elongate, flexible guidewire body having proximal and distal ends; a tracking member which is selectively movable to engaged and disengaged positions disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body, the tracking member in the engaged position extending transversely of the length of the guidewire and being adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device in parallel to the body of the guidewire, said tracking member being slidable along the length of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device, the tracking member in the disengaged position being adapted for release from the shaft of the indwelling device said tracking member including at least one loop which extends radially outwardly from the guidewire body; and means for retracting said loop to draw it radially inwardly to reduce its profile. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. A guidewire for tracking an indwelling device having a shaft with the proximal end and a distal end, the distal end being adapted to be positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising an elongate, flexible guidewire body having proximal and distal ends;
- and a tracking member disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body and defining an opening adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device, said tracking member being slidable in a distal direction along the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device;
said tracking member including at least one loop which extends radially outwardly from the guidewire body; means for retracting said loop to draw it radially inwardly to reduce its profile; said guidewire body defining a lumen; and said means for retracting including a pull element passing through said lumen, the pull element being accessible at the proximal end of said guidewire body. - View Dependent Claims (4)
- and a tracking member disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body and defining an opening adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device, said tracking member being slidable in a distal direction along the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device;
-
5. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the indwelling device being adapted to be positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
an elongate, flexible guidewire body having proximal and distal ends; a tracking member which is selectively movable to engaged and disengaged positions disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body, the tracking member in the engaged position extending transversely of the length of the guidewire and being adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device in parallel to the body of the guidewire, said tracking member being slidable along the length of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device, the tracking member in the disengaged position being released from the shaft of the indwelling device; said tracking member including at least one loop which extends radially outwardly from the guidewire body; and further including means for withdrawing said loop inside of said guidewire body through an opening defined by said guidewire body. - View Dependent Claims (6)
-
-
7. A guidewire for tracking an indwelling device having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end being adapted to be positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising an elongate, flexible guidewire body having proximal and distal ends;
- and a tracking member disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body and defining an opening adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device, said tracking member being slidable in a distal direction along the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device;
said tracking member being established by the distal end of a wire element which emerges through an opening in said guidewire body and forms a plurality of loops about said guidewire body. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- and a tracking member disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body and defining an opening adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device, said tracking member being slidable in a distal direction along the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device;
-
13. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and being further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a proximal end and a distal end positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
an elongate tubular shaft having a distal end and a proximal end; a tubular sleeve having proximal and distal ends and being connected to the distal end of said tubular shaft; a helical coil spring having proximal and distal ends, being connected to the distal end of said sleeve, and defining an opening proximally of its distal tip; a wire element emerging transversely through the opening in said coil spring to form a tracking member having at least one loop which is engageable for receiving and is slidable along the outside of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device; and further including means, attached to the proximal end of said wire element, for retracting said tracking member to decrease its profile, said means for retracting extending proximally through said coil spring, said sleeve, and said tubular shaft and being accessible through the proximal end of said shaft. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and being further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a proximal end and a distal end positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
an elongate tubular shaft having a distal end and a proximal end; a tubular sleeve having proximal and distal ends and being connected to the distal end of said tubular shaft; a helical coil spring having proximal and distal ends, being connected to the distal end of said sleeve, and defining an opening proximally of its distal tip; a wire element emerging transversely through the opening in said coil spring to form a tracking member having at least one loop which is engageable for receiving and is slidable along the outside of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device wherein said wire element terminates in a blunt tip and in which said blunt tip is an enlarged, substantially spherical ball.
-
-
19. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and being further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a proximal end and a distal end positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
an elongate tubular shaft having a distal end and a proximal end; a tubular sleeve having proximal and distal ends and being connected to the distal end of said tubular shaft; a helical coil spring having proximal and distal ends, being connected to the distal end of said sleeve, and defining an opening proximally of its distal tip; a wire element emerging transversely through the opening in said coil spring to form a tracking member having at least one loop which is engageable for receiving and is slidable along the outside of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device; wherein a region of said helical coil spring is expanded to provide a space between the coils of the spring to define the opening through which the wire element emerges.
-
-
20. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and being further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a proximal end and a distal end positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
an elongate tubular shaft having a distal end and a proximal end; a tubular sleeve having proximal and distal ends and being connected to the distal end of said tubular shaft; a helical coil spring having proximal and distal ends, being connected to the distal end of said sleeve, and defining an opening proximally of its distal tip; a wire element emerging transversely through the opening in said coil spring to form a tracking member having at least one loop which is engageable for receiving and is slidable along the outside of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device; wherein a plurality of coils of said helical coil spring are expanded to provide gaps between the coils in an expanded region, the wire element forming a plurality of loops about said coil spring, and the expanded region being at least as long as the length of said tracking member loops. - View Dependent Claims (21)
-
-
22. A guidewire, of a type insertable in a guidewire lumen of an over-the-wire catheter, for tracking an elongate indwelling device having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
a guidewire body having proximal and distal ends; a tracking member disposed at the distal region of said guidewire body, means for configuring the tracking member alternately in a first expanded configuration defining an opening passable over the shaft of the indwelling device thereby to enable said tracking member to track the path of the indwelling device and a second, contracted configuration for enabling an over-the-wire catheter to be guided along said path by following along the guidewire.
-
-
23. A method of tracking an indwelling device having a shaft with a proximal portion exposed externally of a patient'"'"'s body and a distal end positioned at a selected site within a body lumen, comprising:
-
providing a guidewire adapted to be received within the lumen of a medical catheter, the guidewire having a guidewire body and a retractable tracking member disposed at the region of the distal end of the guidewire body; passing the exposed proximal portion of the shaft of the indwelling device through the retractable tracking member; advancing the guidewire into the body lumen, the tracking member sliding along the indwelling device towards its distal end to enable the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device; withdrawing the indwelling device after the distal end of the guidewire is positioned at the selected site; further including retracting the retractable tracking member to decrease its profile after the tracking member is positioned distally relative to the distal end of the indwelling device. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the indwelling device being adapted to be positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
an elongate, flexible guidewire body having proximal and distal ends; and a tracking member which is selectively movable to engaged and disengaged positions disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body, the tracking member in the engaged position extending transversely of the length of the guidewire and being adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device in parallel to the body of the guidewire, said tracking member being slidable along the length of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device, the tracking member in the disengaged position being released from the shaft of the indwelling device wherein said tracking member is fully removable from the guidewire body.
-
-
29. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the indwelling device being adapted to be positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
an elongate, flexible guidewire body having proximal and distal ends; a tracking member which is selectively movable to engaged and disengaged positions disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body, the tracking member in the engaged position extending transversely of the length of the guidewire and being adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device in parallel to the body of the guidewire, said tracking member being slidable along the length of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device, the tracking member in the disengaged position being released from the shaft of the indwelling device; wherein said tracking member includes at least one loop which extends radially outwardly from the guidewire body and wherein said tracking member is fully removable from the guidewire body.
-
-
30. A guidewire adapted to be received within a lumen of a medical catheter and further adapted for tracking an indwelling device having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the indwelling device being adapted to be positioned within a body lumen, the guidewire comprising:
-
an elongate, flexible guidewire body having proximal and distal ends; a tracking member which is selectively movable to engaged and disengaged positions disposed in the region of the distal end of said guidewire body, the tracking member in the engaged position extending transversely of the length of the guidewire and being adapted to receive the shaft of the indwelling device in parallel to the body of the guidewire, said tracking member being slidable along the length of the indwelling device for enabling the guidewire to track the path of the indwelling device, the tracking member in the disengaged position being released from the shaft of the indwelling device, wherein said tracking member includes at least one loop which extends radially outwardly from the guidewire body, wherein said loop is formed of a wire, and wherein said tracking member is fully removable from the guidewire body.
-
Specification