A guide wire (1) for use with a catheter comprises a core wire (3) terminating in a distal portion (18) of flat ribbon-like construction having respective opposite major surfaces (29,30). A spring (24) is brazed to a distal end (27) of the distal portion (18) and to the core wire (3) at a tapering portion (14). A reinforcing member (38) extends axially along the distal portion (18) from a proximal end (26) of the distal portion (18) to a location (40) for reinforcing the distal portion (18) for in turn increasing its torsional rigidity in order to minimize axial twisting of the distal portion (18). A guide portion (42) of the distal portion (18) between the location (40) and the distal end (27) is provided to be bent at a desired set curved configuration for offsetting a distal tip (9) of the guide wire (1) from a central axis (8) thereof, so that by rotating the guide wire (1) at its proximal end (5) the distal portion (18) is also rotated for aligning the distal tip (9) with a branched vessel into which it is desired to direct and urge the guide wire (1).

A guide wire includes a core shaft, a coil body that covers the core shaft, and a distal end side joint part that joins the distal end of the coil body and the distal end of the core shaft. The distal end side joint part has a substantially truncated cone-shaped outer diameter decreasing portion whose outer diameter decreases toward the distal end direction, and a substantially spherical segment-shaped most distal end portion at the distal end of the outer diameter decreasing portion and whose outer diameter decreases towards the distal end direction. Height r1 of the most distal end portion, outer diameter r2 of the bottom surface of the most distal end portion, and height r3 of the outer diameter decreasing portion satisfy the following equations (1) and (2).

[00001]$0.33\text{}<\text{}\text{r1}\text{}/\text{}\text{r2}\text{}<\text{}0.63$

[00002]$2.5\text{}<\text{}\text{r3}\text{}/\text{}\text{r2}\text{}<\text{}3.8$

An apparatus and method of manufacture includes a helical wire coil and a core wire. The core wire has a first wire portion and a second wire portion. The first wire portion of the core wire extends through the helical wire coil. The second wire portion of the core wire is intertwined with the first helical wire coil to fixedly secure the core wire relative to the first helical wire coil. The core wire is formed from a first material that is non-extensible. The core wire is fixedly secured relative to a distal portion of the helical wire coil such that the core wire inhibits longitudinal elongation of the helical wire coil along a longitudinal coil axis.

One aspect is a medical guidewire including a core wire with a proximal end extending out to a distal end and a resilient portion coupled to the distal end of the core wire at a distal tip section of the guidewire. The resilient portion includes a superelastic material.

A urinary catheter is readily removed and replaced with a second urinary catheter without introducing foreign matter or contaminants into the bladder. The first urinary catheter includes an extra lumen that houses a sheath therein to seal an opening or third hole at or near the tip of the catheter so that fluids do not enter the extra lumen. After the sheath seal is broken and the sheath is extracted from the catheter, a guidewire is threaded through the extra lumen and into the patient's bladder. The first urinary catheter is withdrawn from the patient, leaving the guidewire in the patient. A second urinary catheter is inserted into the patient over the guidewire, with the guidewire present in the urine lumen of the second urinary catheter. The guidewire then is extracted from the patient.

A sensor guide wire device (200) for intravascular measurements of a physiological variable in a living body is disclosed. The sensor guide wire (200) may comprise a sensor element (213) and a connector unit (220). The connector unit (220) is attachable to a signal converting device (310). The sensor element (213) provides the signal converting device (310) with a signal indicative of a physiological variable sensed by the sensor element (213). Furthermore, the connector unit (220) comprises a battery (222). A system (300) comprising the sensor guide wire device (200) and the signal converting device (310) is also disclosed.

A guide wire capable of exhibiting improved penetrability for penetrating a stenosis without degradation of passing performance of the guide wire. A guide wire includes a wire main body formed into a linear shape, a distal end portion of the wire main body is formed into a curved shape by a top portion that forms an extreme distal portion and a surrounding portion that makes the top portion continuous with a peripheral surface of the wire main body, a plurality of recesses are formed in the distal end portion, and the recesses are formed in the top portion and the surrounding portion, respectively.

A method of re-canalizing a vascular occlusion using a guidewire comprising a core wire which terminates at its distal end in a terminal member. The terminal member tapers to a distal leading edge which is urged through the occlusion.

A guide wire includes: a core shaft; an engagement part provided in outer circumference of the core shaft; a cylindrical body provided in an outside of the core shaft and movable along an axis line direction of the core shaft; and an engaged part that is provided in the cylindrical body, and engages with the engagement part when the cylindrical body moves in a first direction along the axis line direction of the core shaft to regulate further movement of the cylindrical body in the first direction.

An introducer apparatus includes an outer sleeve and an inner cannula received within the lumen of the outer sleeve. The outer sleeve has a profile such that at least a portion of the distal end of the outer sleeve tapers in the distal direction at an angle not exceeding about 2° relative to a longitudinal axis of the apparatus. The distal open end of the outer sleeve has a wall thickness not exceeding about 0.003 inch. The inner cannula includes a tapered distal end portion. The tapered distal portion of the inner cannula extends distal to the distal open end of the outer sleeve, such that a generally smooth diametrical transition is provided between the outer sleeve tapered portion and the open distal end of the inner cannula.