Guidewire

• US 8,608,670 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asahi Intecc Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Asahi Intecc Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Satoru, Takahashi, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDENBURG, MAX F
• Application Number:
  US12/977,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20110160703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 600/585
• US Class Current: 600/585
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09083 having a coil around a core
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09133 having specific material compositions or coatings; Materials with specific mechanical behaviours, e.g. stiffness, strength to transmit torque
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09175 having specific characteristics at the distal tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/09 Guide wires

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a guidewire having high safety and improved flexibility and rotation followability, and capable of directing a catheter with ease. A guidewire of the present invention has an inner coil that surrounds a distal side portion of a core shaft, and an outer coil that surrounds the inner coil and the distal side portion of the core shaft. The core shaft has a second flat part in flattened shape in substantially contact with an inner peripheral surface of the inner coil. With this configuration, the distal side portion of the guidewire is protected by a double coil structure, while having high torsional stiffness. This leads to improvement in safety and rotation followability, while allowing a catheter to be directed with ease.

Claims

1. A guidewire comprising:

a core shaft;

an inner coil that is formed by winding at least one strand, and surrounds a distal side portion of the core shaft;

an outer coil that is formed by winding at least one strand, and surrounds the inner coil and the distal side portion of the core shaft;

a flat part in flattened shape, which is provided in the distal side portion of the core shaft, expands in width toward a distal end of the distal side portion, and is in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the inner coil at least at the distal end of the distal side portion of the core shaft so as to form a gap between the inner coil and the outer coil;

a tip joint that joins a distal end of the outer coil and a distal end of the inner coil to a distal end of the flat part of the core shaft;

an outer proximal end joint that joins a proximal end of the outer coil to the core shaft;

an inner proximal end joint that joins a proximal end of the inner coil to the core shaft on a distal side of the outer proximal end joint; and

a coil joint that is located between the tip joint and the inner proximal end joint, and joins the inner coil to only the outer coil so as to form a gap between the inner coil and the core shaft.

2. The guidewire according to claim 1, wherein the inner coil is a hollow stranded coil formed by stranding a plurality of strands.