A guidewire providing imaging and light for photoactivation of therapeutic agents. Using optical fibers with Bragg gratings, electromagnetic waves are coupled to photoacoustic materials thereby providing acoustic energy for imaging tissues. The reflected acoustic waves can be sensed with photoreflective materials coupled to different optical fibers. Additional optical fibers allow photoactivated therapeutics to be activated in proximity to the imaged tissues. The photoactivated therapeutics may be administered intravenously or with a drug-delivery catheter.

Guidewires useful for cooperating with catheters may be actively steered and/or provide adjustable stiffness. Angle or curvature of a guidewire, and/or flexural modulus of a guidewire, may be adjusted at one or more locations between ends thereof. Variable stiffness segments may include electrically operated compressible and/or extensible materials. Multiple tensile elements may terminate at different body elements to adjust angle or curvature at multiple locations. Multiple circumferentially and/or radially contractible fiber regions may be provided and distributed over a length of a guidewire. Adjustable flexure elements arranged in or along a guidewire may be electrically operated. A flexible core member may be centrally arranged in a tubular body. A flexible guide wire or track may cooperate with electrically operable motor units.

The present disclosure describes delivery cables for delivering a medical device. In one embodiment, a delivery cable includes a flexible inner core, a proximal outer coil, and a distal outer coil. The proximal outer coil has a first rigidity. The distal outer coil surrounds at least a portion of a distal section of the flexible inner core and has a second rigidity less than the first rigidity thereby, thereby reducing bias placed on the medical device by the delivery cable.

The present disclosure relates to guidewire devices having shapeable tips and effective torquability. A guidewire device includes a core having a proximal section and a tapered distal section. A tube structure is coupled to the core such that the tapered distal section of the core extends into and distally beyond the tube structure. The portion of the core extending distally beyond the tube forms a shapeable tip. A polymer covering encompasses the tip. The tip is configured to reduce the tendency of resilient forces from the tube structure to disrupt a customized shape of the tip.

A medical elongated body includes a tube shaped body provided with a spiral slit. The tube shaped body has a pair of opposing surfaces, on both sides of the slit, opposing surfaces have a first side and a second side, a first convex portion protrudes from the first side and a second convex portion protrudes from the second side, the first convex portion and the second convex portion are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the tube shaped body, and base portions of the first convex portion and the second convex portion are located on a common first spiral.

Polymeric tubing, for use with catheters or other medical devices, where the polymeric tubing can have regions of customized properties including, but not limited to, durometer, torque control, flexibility, axial strength, stiffness, etc. One variation of the device allows for transitions between regions to be configured such that there can be gradual or customized transitions between various regions such that the structural characteristics differential between the regions selectively designed. Additional variations include outer layers having a plurality of material sections extending in a spiral direction along the axial length to form a continuous wall of the outer layer. In certain variations, the structural characteristic differential is minimized or eliminated as compared to conventional catheters.

A heart vent catheter includes an elongate, flexible tube that defines a first passageway. The catheter has a distal end, a central portion, and a proximal end. A balloon is included as part of the distal end and surrounds at least a portion of the tube. A plurality of first openings are formed in the tube adjacent the balloon on the forwardmost side of the balloon. A plurality of second openings can be formed in the tube adjacent the balloon on the proximal side of the balloon. After the distal end has been inserted into a desired part of a patient's heart, such as the left ventricle, the balloon can be inflated so as to engage a part of the heart such as the mitral valve and thereby prevent undesired withdrawal of the catheter. The proximal end includes a formation that can be connected to a vacuum source. The openings in the tube in the distal end permit blood, other fluid, debris and/or air to be withdrawn from the heart through the first passageway under suction. After the surgical procedure has been completed, the balloon can be collapsed and the catheter can be withdrawn from the heart.

A method of treating a patient includes providing a guidewire having an elongate body defining a proximal end and a distal end, the elongate body including a shapeable portion disposed proximate the proximal end, the shapeable portion being malleable so as to be shaped into a shape and remain in the shape until reshaped. The distal end of the elongate body is advanced into a vasculature of the patient. The shapeable portion of the elongate body is shaped into a first shape that prevents advancement of the guidewire further into the vasculature of the patient.

A method of treating an occlusion in a body lumen of a patient is described. The method uses advancing a first end of a wire guide through the body lumen of the patient from an entry point towards a first side of an occlusion. The method also advances the first end of the wire guide through the occlusion to a second side of the occlusion. The method further advances the first end of the wire guide through a second entry point and out of the lumen. The method involves removing a portion of the first end of the wire guide extending outside the second percutaneous entry point to expose a modified terminal end of the wire guide.

The present disclosure provides an improved guidewire assembly including a sensor disposed on a distal portion thereof and a proximal connector disposed on a proximal portion thereof for electrically coupling the guidewire assembly to an external device. The proximal connector comprises at least one proximal contact and at least one reflowed insulative element disposed adjacent the at least one proximal contact.