Stiff catheter guidewire with flexible distal portion
First Claim
1. A guidewire comprising:
- a) an elongated corewire formed from a first material; and
b) an elongated sleeve secured to the corewire such that at least a majority length of the sleeve surrounds at least a portion of the corewire, the sleeve formed from a second material having a relatively greater stiffness than the first material.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A catheter guidewire has a relatively flexible distal portion to facilitate the steering of the guidewire through the cardiovascular system of a subject and the capability of the guidewire to reach a deposit region within a relatively tortuous portion of the cardiovascular system. The guidewire also has a relatively stiff proximal portion to facilitate the pushing of the guidewire through the cardiovascular system from an entry point of the subject. For one embodiment, the guidewire includes a corewire and a sleeve secured to the corewire such that the sleeve surrounds a proximal portion of the corewire. The sleeve is formed from a material having a relatively greater stiffness than the material for the corewire. The sleeve may be formed from stainless steel, for example, to provide for a relatively stiff proximal portion of a corewire formed from a material exhibiting superelastic properties, such as a nickel-titanium or Nitinol alloy for example.
201 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A guidewire comprising:
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a) an elongated corewire formed from a first material; and b) an elongated sleeve secured to the corewire such that at least a majority length of the sleeve surrounds at least a portion of the corewire, the sleeve formed from a second material having a relatively greater stiffness than the first material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A guidewire comprising:
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a) an elongated corewire formed from a first material that exhibits superelastic properties, wherein the corewire includes a proximal segment and at least one segment that tapers toward a distal end of the corewire; and b) an elongated sleeve secured to the corewire such that at least a majority length of the sleeve surrounds at least a portion of the proximal segment of the corewire, the sleeve formed from a second material having a relatively greater stiffness than the first material. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for fabricating a guidewire, comprising the steps of:
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a) providing an elongated corewire formed from a first material; b) providing an elongated sleeve formed from a second material having a relatively greater stiffness than the first material; c) surrounding at least a portion of the corewire with at least a majority length of the sleeve; and d) securing the sleeve to the corewire to fabricate the guidewire. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification