Guidewire with variable flexibility due to polymeric coatings
First Claim
1. A guidewire section for use with a catheter comprising an elongated, flexible wire core having a polymeric tie layer coaxially located about a length of the wire core surface, said tie layer having at least two axially spaced tie layer sections, each of said tie layer sections being of a different flexibility than a axially adjacent tie layer section, and at least a portion of said polymeric tie layer having an exterior coating of lubricious material.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention is a guidewire for guiding a catheter and is used for accessing a targeted site within a lumen system in a body. The guidewire or guidewire section has a wire core, a distal tip region, a polymeric tie layer, and a lubricious coating. The tie layer is preferably constructed to provide for sections of varying flexibility along the length of the guidewire. Variations of the tie layer provide for axially spaced sections of varying flexibility, radially layers of varying flexibility of both. In a special variation, the tie layer is constructed with at least one section providing increased stiffness distally.
603 Citations
23 Claims
- 1. A guidewire section for use with a catheter comprising an elongated, flexible wire core having a polymeric tie layer coaxially located about a length of the wire core surface, said tie layer having at least two axially spaced tie layer sections, each of said tie layer sections being of a different flexibility than a axially adjacent tie layer section, and at least a portion of said polymeric tie layer having an exterior coating of lubricious material.
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5. A guidewire section for use with a catheter comprising an elongated, flexible wire core having a polymeric tie layer coaxially located about a length of the wire core surface, said tie layer having at least:
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(a) a proximal tie layer section having the lowest flexibility; (b) a middle tie layer section having the highest flexibility; (c) a distal tie layer section having a flexibility lower than that of said middle tie layer; and
at least a portion of said polymeric tie layer having an exterior coating of lubricious material. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A guidewire for use with a catheter or the like comprising an elongated, flexible metal wire core having a flexible, torqueable proximal section, a more flexible intermediate section, and a most flexible distal section, said distal section having a polymeric tie layer having a proximal tie layer section and at least one distal tie layer section, each of said sections being more or less flexible than adjacent sections, and at least a portion of said tie layer having an exterior coating of lubricious material;
wherein said proximal tie layer section and said distal tie layer section or sections are comprised of polyurethane, the polyurethane of each of said tie layer sections having a hardness different than that of adjacent tie layer sections. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
- 11. A guidewire section for use with a catheter or the like comprising an elongated, flexible metal wire core having a composite polymeric tie layer coaxially located about a length of the wire core, said polymeric tie layer having a substantially continuous first layer and a second layer having at least two sections, each of said second layer sections being more or less flexible than adjacent second layer sections.
- 22. A guidewire section for use with a catheter comprising an elongated, flexible wire core having a polymeric tie layer coaxially located about a length of the wire core surface, said tie layer having at least two axially spaced tie layer sections, one of said tie layer sections having a variable thickness along its length, and at least a portion of said polymeric tie layer having an exterior coating of lubricious material.
Specification