Devices, methods and systems are provided for delivering a guidewire to a target location within an anatomic structure. In one embodiment, a guidewire includes a guidewire body and a deployable guidewire end portion. The deployable guidewire end portion is coupled to a distal end of the guidewire body, the deployable guidewire end portion having a self-expandable structure moveable between a constricted position and an expanded position. With this arrangement, the guidewire end portion, in the expanded position, includes a distal most side surface sized and configured to a traumatically position and brace the guidewire end portion against tissue at the target location.

The embodiments presented herein relate to concepts designed to eliminate the gap between a catheter and guide wire that can otherwise contribute to a catheter getting stuck within the vasculature.

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.

The invention relates to evaluation of maturity of arteriovenous (AV) fistula using guidewires that measure intravascular blood flow and/or pressure. The invention provides methods of evaluating AV fistula maturation using an instrumented guidewire to measure intravascular flow and/or pressure. By using a small diameter guidewire that does not interfere substantially with the flow, an accurate measurement can be made that is useful for identifying when a fistula is mature and therefore ready to be used for hemodialysis. The flow of blood through the fistula is measured using the guidewire and the measured flow and/or pressure of blood is used to determine if the fistula is mature.

A guidewire for use in penetrating through complex and stenosed lesions. The distal tip of the guidewire has a roughened surface to increase frictional engagement with calcified and fibrous tissue to increase the penetration of the distal tip and the guidewire into and through the lesion and reduce the likelihood of deflection of the guidewire tip. The average surface roughness of the distal tip is in the range from 1 micron to 200 microns.

Disclosed is a pericardiocentesis needle component (10), comprising a guide wire (13) and a puncture needle (12). The guide wire (13) extends into and through the puncture needle (12), and the guide wire (13) comprises a bent section (32) at the distal end and a straight section at the proximal end. The bent section (32) at the distal end is formed by bending the guide wire (13), and the end of the bent section is a pointed-shape structure. The guide wire (13) is made of a highly elastic material. The pointed end rotates at least 90 degrees within a range of no more than 3 mm starting from the pointed end at the bent section (32) of the guide wire. The pericardiocentesis needle component (10) of the present invention is less likely to damage a heart during a pericardiocentesis procedure.

A guide wire configured for intravascular insertion includes a core wire having a flattened portion configured to allow the core wire to preferentially bend in at least one plane that passes through a longitudinal axis of the core wire. A distal most end of the flattened portion is spaced from a distal most end of the core wire. The guide wire may further include a sensor element configured to measure a physiological variable in a living body and a coil surrounding a portion of the core wire.

A system for ablating internal heart tissue in an ablation pattern on a surface of the tissue within the heart. The system includes an ablation catheter with a distal end having an ablating tip portion operative to allow selective ablation of tissue. A guiding device is engageable with the ablation catheter and includes a tissue anchoring portion operable to engage with tissue proximate to the tissue to be ablated so as to temporarily anchor the guiding device relative to the tissue. Engagement of the guiding device with the ablation catheter operates to assist with guiding the ablating tip portion in moving along the pattern. Various devices and methods of use are further disclosed.

A guide wire includes a wire main body that has a plate-like portion in a distal end portion of the wire main body and a reinforcement portion that is provided on at least one surface of the plate-like portion and reinforces the plate-like portion. The reinforcement portion is made up of two wire rods, and both end portions of the reinforcement portion are fixed to the plate-like portion. The plate-like portion is formed in a ribbon shape, and the reinforcement portions are diagonally provided on the same plane of the plate-like portion, and intersect each other. The guide wire has a coil that covers the plate-like portion and the reinforcement portion.

A catheter assembly for navigation including a flexible catheter having a proximal portion adjacent a proximal end and a distal portion adjacent a distal end and defining a longitudinal axis, the flexible catheter defining a lumen extending therethrough along a longitudinal axis and configured to enable translation of an instrument from the proximal end to the distal end. The flexible catheter defines a compound curve formed on the distal portion, wherein the compound curve includes an elbow bend and a radially curved portion. The elbow bend deflecting the distal portion of the flexible catheter from the longitudinal axis, while the radially curved portion extends from the elbow bend farther deflecting the distal portion about a center point. The catheter guide assembly for navigation includes a control handle disposed at the proximal end of the flexible catheter and is configured to advance and rotate the flexible catheter within a luminal structure.