In one representative embodiment, a gripping and pushing device for a medical instrument comprises an elongated main body defining a lumen. The elongated main body comprises one or more deflectable portions that can be pressed radially inwardly toward a shaft of the medical instrument extending through the lumen. One or more elastomeric gripping layers can be secured to the inner surface of a respective deflectable portion at axially spaced apart attachment locations. The one or more gripping layers are axially deformable relative to the one or more deflectable portions between the attachment locations when manual pressure is applied to the one or more deflectable portions to press the one or more gripping layers against the shaft and move the shaft longitudinally into a patient's body.

A guidewire kit including a guidewire with a shaft having a curved steering section and including a straightener bounding a lumen for straightening at least the curved deflection section of the guidewire extending into the lumen for insertion of the tip and the curved deflection section of the guidewire into a needle inserted into a vessel of a patient. The straightener is of a length of at least 8 cm for obtaining an improved and more reliable steering effect of the curved steering section.

Systems and methods are disclosed that include a guide catheter apparatus insertable through an external body passage of a subject. The guide catheter apparatus includes a substantially rigid shaft and a handle. The shaft has a proximal opening, a distal opening, and a lumen extending between the proximal opening and the distal opening. The handle has a structure to allow a position of the guide catheter to be controlled by some or all of three fingers of one hand of an operator of the handle. The structure of the handle is adapted to permit the operator to position a thumb and index finger of the hand to manipulate a working device inserted into the lumen of the guide catheter, where the working device is manipulable via a portion of the working device immediately adjacent to the handle.

A device that includes a body having an opening through which a wire is configured to extend; a channel defined by an upper wire guiding portion and a lower wire guiding portion; and a wire locking feature configured to immobilize a section of the wire. The channel is configured to guide the wire along a path between the body and the wire locking feature.

The invention relates to a device for transanally introducing an infusion into the rectum or colon of a patient, said device comprising a catheter with a catheter shaft wherein, to ensure the most practicable catheter insertion possible, the catheter shaft is equipped in the proximal, preanal region with gripping depressions to accommodate the fingers gripping the catheter during insertion.

A guidewire manipulation device includes a housing configured to be supported by the hand of a user, the housing having a distal end and a proximal end, the housing configured to allow a guidewire to be placed therethrough and extend between the distal end and proximal end, a drive system carried by the housing and configured to drive rotation of the guidewire, and a manual input module carried by the housing, the manual input module configured to allow one or more fingers of the hand of the user to manually stop or slow the rotation of the guidewire while the housing is supported by the hand of the user.

The present disclosure describes devices, systems, and methods for intravascularly delivering an implantable device to a targeted anatomical site such as the mitral annulus. A delivery system includes a delivery member coupled to a handle assembly and extending distally from the handle assembly. A delivery catheter is concentrically positioned within an outer member and configured to advance the intravascular device relative to the outer member. The delivery catheter includes a distal can structure configured to house at least a portion of the intravascular device in a compressed, pre-deployed position.

A steerable guidewire. The steerable guidewire is fabricated includes an outer tube, an inner tube, a hub, and a distal articulating region. The steerable guidewire hub can be removed to permit advancement of catheters over its proximal end followed by re-attachment of the hub to permit deflection of the distal end of the steerable guidewire.

A torque device useable in some embodiments in an endovascular procedure. The torque device is connectable to catheter end to provide an interlocked torque-device/catheter that can be mounted to, and slid over, a guidewire as a unit. A spring arm extends from a main body section of the torque device and can be depressed into the main body section so that the spring arm and main body section can be secured in position with respect to each other. In one embodiment, the depressed spring arm and main body section are mountable to an end of a catheter to secure them in position and to the catheter. Alternatively, the torque device can be mounted to a guide wire by depressing the spring arm, and releasing the spring arm can cause torque device to grip the guide wire and allow the operator to turn or move the torque device and gripped guide wire. Some embodiments provide a torque device through which material may be injected into a catheter to which the torque device is connected.

A device for one-handed insertion of a hollow needle and a guidewire, includes a grip, a hollow needle, an actuator carriage, a plunger with a guidewire passage through said plunger, the actuator carriage having a trigger, the actuator being coupled with the plunger wherein the plunger is disposed such that the guidewire passage is co-linear with said hollow needle. A wire guide feed mount is mounted on said actuator carriage and has a guide fitting adapted to couple with said plunger and direct the guidewire into the guidewire passage through the plunger. The device further includes a wire feed surface. The grip, the trigger and the wire feed surface are disposed such that when the grip is engaged by digits of one hand, a digit of said one hand is able to advance the guidewire through the plunger by engaging the guidewire between the digit of said one hand and the wire feed surface, sensing a degree of resistance encountered by a tip of said guidewire, with another digit of said one hand being able to urge the trigger of said actuator carriage rearwardly and/or forwardly, drawing said plunger rearwardly and/or forwardly while said digits of said one hand continue to engage said grip.