Medical devices that can be delivered in a first, flexible configuration and subsequently locked into a second, rigid configuration are provided. The device comprises an elongate body having a plurality of slots openings along a bending portion of the body. Using a tension member to shorten the distance between two points along the elongate body causes the device to curve. The device can be locked into the curved configuration.

A guidewire for guidance of a catheter or of a catheter introducer sheath into a human patient. The guidewire has, when in untensioned condition, a curved deflection section at its distal end and a shaft with one or more curved steering sections proximal of a straight section proximally neighboring the deflection section. This facilitates steering a guidewire to a predetermined location inside the patient.

The present disclosure describes devices, systems, and methods for intravascularly delivering an implantable device to a targeted anatomical site such as the mitral annulus. A delivery system includes a delivery member coupled to a handle assembly and extending distally from the handle assembly. A delivery catheter is concentrically positioned within an outer member and configured to advance the intravascular device relative to the outer member. The delivery catheter includes a distal can structure configured to house at least a portion of the intravascular device in a compressed, pre-deployed position.

A trans-atrial septal catheter system for delivery of a steerable sheath into the left atrium contains three components. The first component is a three-segmented needle-guide wire composed of a distal needle designed to flex sharply in relation to the conjoined looped guide wire segment after fossa ovalis puncture and needle advancement. The distal guide wire loops are advanced into the left atrium maintaining the angled needle in a central location relevant to the loops for preserving an atraumatic position while stabilizing the loops in the left atrium. The elongated proximal extra stiff guide wire segment is conjoined to the looped segment which crosses the fossa ovalis and extends proximally to become externalized to the femoral vein. This segment is extra stiff and significantly elongated to permit catheter and device exchanges. The guide wire serves as a support rail over which the dilator and sheath can be advanced into the left atrium. This transseptal system is uniquely forward looking and permits cautious and iterative delivery of the dilator into the fossa ovalis for “tenting” by way of a proximal sheath activator that interacts with the dilator. The proximal externalized GW is then advanced to permit puncture of the fossa ovalis. After puncturing a precise location of the fossa ovalis, the needle and coiled guide wire loops are further advanced into the left atrium. With the proximal activator, the dilator is advanced across the fossa ovalis into the left atrium using single-handed maneuvering for separate dilator advancement and steering of the sheath by way of turning or actuating the sheath handle.

A guidewire assembly configured to be deployed from an ancillary assembly. The guidewire assembly has a distal puncture tip extending from a deployed distal-shaped section configured to mitigate piercing tip touch back on a biological wall after the elongated guidewire assembly is deployed from the ancillary assembly, and the distal puncture tip crosses a biological wall.

Medical devices as well as methods for making and using medical devices are disclosed. An example medical device may include a core wire having a proximal shaft portion and a distal shaft portion coupled to the proximal shaft portion. The proximal shaft portion may include a first material. The distal shaft portion may include an inner shaft formed from a second material and an outer shell disposed along an outer surface of the inner shaft. The outer shell may be formed of the first material.

One aspect is a method of forming a wire, including providing a first wire section comprising a first material, providing a second wire section comprising a second material different from the first material, cooling a joining section that comprises a superelastic material, inserting the first and second wire sections into the joining section, and allowing the joining section to warm such that it compresses on to both the first and second wire section thereby joining them together.

A guide wire in which a distal end portion of the guide wire can be easily bent in a specific plane direction in shaping, is provided. A guide wire includes a core shaft having a maximum diameter in a cross section orthogonal to an axial direction of the core shaft and an orthogonal diameter in a direction orthogonal to a direction of the maximum diameter, the core shaft includes a first specific portion located on a distal end side of the core shaft and having an oblateness between 7% and 35%, where oblateness is defined as the difference between the maximum diameter and the orthogonal diameter divided by the maximum diameter. The first specific portion of the core shaft can be 5 mm or more in the axial direction.

A reentry catheter for crossing a vascular occlusion includes an elongate flexible tubular body, having a proximal end, a distal end and at least one lumen extending there through. A reentry zone on the tubular body includes at least two and preferably three sets of opposing pairs of axially spaced exit apertures in communication with the lumen. The apertures are rotationally offset from each other and aligned in a spiral pattern around the tubular body. A method of crossing a chronic total occlusion includes the steps of advancing the reentry catheter across the occlusion via a channel formed in the subintimal space, and advancing a guidewire via a selected exit port into the native lumen distally of the occlusion. The catheter may be removed, leaving the guidewire across the occlusion to guide further interventional devices.

Intravascular catheters with fluoroscopically visible indicium of rotational orientation. The catheter includes an elongate flexible tubular body, having a proximal end, a distal end and a tubular side wall defining at least one lumen extending therethrough. At least first and second opposing pairs of radiopaque rings are embedded in the side wall, spaced axially apart from each other. A first transverse axis extending through the first pair of rings is rotationally offset from a second transverse axis extending through the second pair of rings. The rings may be supported by a subassembly integrated into the wall of the catheter. The subassembly may include a tubular body having a plurality of aperture portions connected by intervening hinge portions. In one implementation, the catheter is a reentry catheter.