A catheter has excellent torque transmissivity and excellent flexibility, thus enabling easy insertion of the catheter into a blocked portion of a blood vessel. Additionally, the catheter easily restores to its original form even when the catheter is curved and deformed a large amount. Thus, a break at a border area between a catheter main body part and a distal end tip is prevented when the catheter is bent and deformed. This improves the operability of the catheter with a combination device such as a guide wire. The catheter includes a hollow coil body formed of at least one helically wound stranded wire. The at least stranded wire includes a plurality of wires wound into a helical structure.

An imaging guidewire comprises a first hypotube assembly that forms a guidewire body comprised of a first hypotube, a window attached to the first hypotube, and a flexible tip attached to the window. A second hypotube assembly forms an imaging core comprised of a second hypotube, one or more optical fibers arranged along an inner surface of the second hypotube, and a proximal connector attached to a proximal end of the second hypotube. The proximal connector is configured to connect the imaging core to a patient interface unit, wherein the second hypotube is nested inside the first hypotube, such that to acquire an image of a vessel region, the second hypotube is pulled back and pseudo rotated, or only pulled back, with respect to the first hypotube, while the one or more core optical fibers scan the vessel region with light of one or more wavelengths transmitted through the window.

A catheter assembly is disclosed, which includes a catheter, a catheter hub, a guide wire, and a guide wire hub. The guide wire has a guide wire rigidity changing portion that gradually decreases in rigidity from a proximal side toward a distal side, and the catheter has a catheter rigidity changing portion 85 that gradually decreases in rigidity from a proximal side toward a distal side. In the catheter assembly, the catheter hub and the guide wire hub are connected to each other in a state where the distal side of the guide wire is exposed from a distal end of a lumen of a shaft portion and a guide wire rigidity changing point and a catheter rigidity changing point are aligned with each other in an axial direction.

A guide wire is disclosed, which is capable of reducing an unintended deviation in a guide wire position while preventing an occurrence of discomfort with respect to usability. The guide wire has a flexible core wire, and has a distal core portion, a main body portion, and a rigidity changing portion that gradually decreases in rigidity from the main body portion toward the distal core portion. The rigidity changing portion includes a first tapered portion continuous with a distal end of the main body portion, a second tapered portion continuous with a distal end of the first tapered portion, and a third tapered portion continuous with a proximal end of the distal core portion. A boundary portion between the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion is located in a range of 300 to 400 mm from a foremost distal end of the distal core portion.

A catheter insertion device and method for insertion. The catheter insertion device can include a housing, a needle attached to a needle carrier, a catheter including a catheter shaft attached to a catheter hub, and a guidewire. The guidewire can include a coil tip positioned in a lumen of the needle. The method for insertion can include inserting a distal end of the needle and the catheter shaft into a blood vessel of a patient, advancing the coil tip out of the needle lumen and into the blood vessel, advancing the catheter over the guidewire, and withdrawing the guidewire and the needle from the catheter. The coil tip can include a straightened configuration and a coiled configuration. The coil tip can transition from the straightened configuration in the needle lumen to the coiled configuration in the blood vessel.

In one exemplary embodiment, an endovascular device may include a hollow shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, and sized for insertion into a blood vessel. The endovascular device may also include a control line having a proximal end and a distal end, and extending through the hollow shaft. The endovascular device may also include an actuatable working element located proximate the distal end of the hollow shaft, and configured to receive an actuation force transmitted via the distal end of the control line. The endovascular device may further include an actuator configured to exert the actuation force on the proximal end of the control line, to thereby cause relative movement between the control line and the hollow shaft and to actuate the working element. The hollow shaft may also include a cable formed of a plurality of wound wires and including a proximal segment, at least one transition segment, and a distal segment. The proximal segment, at least one transition segment, and distal segment may include different numbers of wires.

n endovascular device including a hollow shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, and sized for insertion into a blood vessel, may be provided. The endovascular device may also include a control line configured to extend through the hollow shaft and an actuatable working element situated distally from the distal end of the hollow shaft and configured to receive an actuation force transmitted via the control line. The endovascular device may further include an actuator configured to exert the actuation force on the control line to cause relative movement between the control line and the hollow shaft and to actuate the working element. The endovascular device may also include a rotation restriction element configured to substantially impede the control line from rotating relative to the working element, while permitting relative axial movement between the control line and the hollow shaft.

Medical devices are described and illustrated herein. In particular, steerable guide members and catheters useful in the identification and treatment of bodily passages are provided. Methods of identifying and treating bodily passages are also provided.

A catheter insertion device and method for insertion. The catheter insertion device can include a housing, a needle attached to a needle carrier, a catheter including a catheter shaft attached to a catheter hub, and a guidewire. The guidewire can include a coil tip positioned in a lumen of the needle. The method for insertion can include inserting a distal end of the needle and the catheter shaft into a blood vessel of a patient, advancing the coil tip out of the needle lumen and into the blood vessel, advancing the catheter over the guidewire, and withdrawing the guidewire and the needle from the catheter. The coil tip can include a straightened configuration and a coiled configuration. The coil tip can transition from the straightened configuration in the needle lumen to the coiled configuration in the blood vessel.

The present disclosure pertains to delivery devices for prosthetic heart valves, components for such devices, and methods for manufacturing and delivering such components and devices.