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 extends into the tube structure. The tube structure includes a plurality of bypass cuts formed tangentially within the tube structure to increase the flexibility of the tube structure and to reduce the tendency of resilient forces from the tube structure to disrupt a shaped distal tip of the guidewire device.

A looped wire is provided for placing an endograft into a blood vessel. The looped wire comprising a flexible guidewire with one or more loops distributed along its length. The one or more loops have an inner diameter that is larger than the thickness of a suture or wire for threading the suture or wire through. The one or more loops is adapted for sliding along the suture or wire. Endograft system comprising the looped wire, and methods of using the looped wire are also provided.

A delivery member is provided for delivering and deploying an intravascular medical device. The delivery member includes a flexible distal portion including a wound wire coil surrounded by a flexible sleeve and inhibited from extending lengthwise by a stretch resistant member positioned through the lumen of the coil. The delivery member can include hypotubes positioned on either side (distally and proximally) from the wound wire coil to which the stretch resistant member and the wound wire coil can be attached.

Systems and methods for providing a blood pump system having a variable stiffness distal extension are disclosed. A variable stiffness distal extension may have at least one section of continuously varying stiffness, resulting in a stiffness profile that decreases in a distal direction along a length of the distal extension. The varying stiffness may be accomplished by varying one or more radial dimensions of the extension. For example, in some implementations, an outer diameter of a distal extension may decrease along at least a portion of a distal extension. The distal extension may include a lumen configured to receive a longitudinally extending element.

A medical tube includes an inner tube shaft which has a proximal end portion and a distal end portion formed at a distal end side of the proximal end portion. The distal end portion has an outer diameter that is smaller than an outer diameter of the proximal end portion, and has on a surface thereof a slit extending in a first direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the medical tube. The medical tube also includes an outer tube shaft that covers an outer periphery of the distal end portion of the inner tube shaft and has on a surface thereof a slit extending in a second direction crossing the first direction.

A guidewire torquer comprising a handling body for handling of the guidewire torquer and guidewire holding surfaces oriented for engaging the guidewire from mutually opposite sides of the guidewire and holding the guidewire in an elastically tensioned, bent guidewire shape providing frictional fixation of the guidewire relative to the handling body. The guidewire holding surfaces project from an abutment plane defined by at least one abutment surface. A guidewire trajectory of the bent guidewire shape extends along and touches the guidewire holding surfaces is accessible from a direction in which the at least one abutment surface is facing. At least portions of the guidewire holding surfaces lean over towards or face the abutment plane for holding the guidewire adjacent to said abutment plane, and the guidewire holding surfaces are part of a single, rigid body portion.

Apparatus, including a guidewire having a distal end, that is configured to be inserted into proximity with a nasal sinus of a patient, the guidewire having a lumen. The apparatus also includes an optic fiber, traversing the lumen, configured to illuminate the distal end, and a coil, wound around the optic fiber and located within the lumen at the distal end, configured to generate a signal in response to a magnetic field interacting with the coil. A processor is configured to receive the signal and to evaluate a location of the distal end in response to the signal.

Medical systems, including guide wires and guide wire assemblies 1100, 2100, 3100 that are configured such that a flexibility of the guide wire can be changed or modified. In various embodiments, the flexibility of the guide wire can be changed or modified in-situ. The guide wires and/or guide wire assemblies of the disclosed medical systems may include materials having material properties that can be modified in association with exposing one or more portions of the medical system, such as one or more components of the guide wire or guide wire assembly to electric current.

A guide wire of the present disclosure includes a core shaft having a distal end portion decreasing in diameter, a coil body wound to cover the distal end portion, and a distal end fixing portion fixing the core shaft and the coil body to each other. The distal end portion includes a small diameter portion, a large diameter portion, and a tapered portion between the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion. The core shaft and the coil body are fixed at a portion excluding the tapered portion. A first bending rigidity FR1 of the large diameter portion, a second bending rigidity FR2 of the small diameter portion, and a length L of the tapered portion satisfy the following expressions (1) and (2). In the following expressions (1) and (2), the unit of L is mm (millimeter).

(FR1/FR2)/L10(1)

1L3(2)

A guide wire of the present disclosure includes a core shaft having a distal end portion reducing in diameter, a coil body wound to cover the distal end portion, and a distal end fixing portion fixing the core shaft and the coil body to each other. The distal end portion includes a small diameter portion, a large diameter portion, and a tapered portion between the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion. The core shaft and the coil body are fixed at a portion excluding the tapered portion. A first bending rigidity FR1 of the large diameter portion, a second bending rigidity FR2 of the small diameter portion, and a length L of the tapered portion satisfy the following expressions (1) and (2). In the following expressions (1) and (2), the unit of L is mm (millimeter).

FR1/FR210(1)

1L3(2)