Guidewires and methods of use of guidewires having improved atraumatic tips that can distribute force to lessen trauma as well as anchor the guidewire to facilitate improved catheter exchange.

A guide wire in which a housing of a sensor is easy to be curved and a slit is hard to fracture. The guide wire includes a core wire, a first helical body, a second helical body, a housing attached to the first helical body and the second helical body, and a pressure sensor located in an internal space of the housing. The housing has slits penetrating a peripheral wall and extending in helices. One of the slits has a central portion extending in the helix in an extending direction and an end portion bent with respect to the central portion along a bending direction.

An introducer assembly can include an introducer and an access guidewire disposed therein. An introducer needle of the introducer can include a needle shaft having a needle slot extending from a proximal portion of the needle shaft through a distal needle tip. An introducer sheath of the introducer can include a sheath body over the needle shaft sealing the needle slot thereunder but for a sheath-body opening in a proximal portion thereof. The access guidewire can include a distal-end portion disposed in the introducer having an outer diameter greater than a proximal-end portion of the needle slot such that the proximal-end portion of the needle slot catches the distal-end portion of the access guidewire preventing proximal withdrawal of the access guidewire from the needle shaft. A method can include inserting a rapidly insertable central catheter into a blood-vessel lumen of a patient with the introducer assembly.

A coil structure used in an endoscope includes a coil tube formed by densely winding a wire rod, both ends of the coil tube being fixed, a first contact surface formed on one surface of the wire rod on a distal end side, and a second contact surface formed on the other surface of the wire rod on a proximal end side, the first contact surface coming into contact with the second contact surface. The first contact surface is formed as a convex curved surface arcuate in cross section, a curvature center of which is located further on an inner side than an outer circumferential portion of the coil tube. For the convex curved surface, a curvature radius larger than a radius of the coil tube and smaller than a curvature radius during maximum bending of an insertion section is set.

A medical device may comprise a shaft, an articulation wire extending through at least a portion of the shaft, and a handle, including a handle body having an outer surface that defines a channel. A distal portion of the shaft may be received within a first portion of the channel. A distal portion of the articulation wire may be received within a second portion of the channel. A control member may be movable relative to the handle body to move the distal portion of the articulation wire relative to the distal portion of the shaft.

[Problem] To provide a guidewire that has good operability and that can perform procedures efficiently. [Solution to Problem] A guidewire is for guiding insertion of a medical appliance into a subject. The guidewire includes an inserting portion and an observation optical system. The inserting portion has a first part and a second part that has higher flexibility than the first part, and the inserting portion is to be inserted into the subject. The observation optical system is provided to the inserting portion, and the observation optical system is provided for observing inside the subject.

A guide wire is disclosed for guiding a tubular elongated body to be inserted into a living body can include: an elongated shaft portion that has flexibility; a puncture portion that is disposed at a distal end portion of the shaft portion and forms a hole in a biological tissue; and a cover portion that is formed of a wire member wound in a spiral shape, has a contraction portion that is contractible, and covers the puncture portion. The contraction portion is capable of causing the puncture portion to protrude from the cover portion by contracting the contraction portion in a linear state. When the contraction portion is in a curved state, the contraction portion is restricted in contraction so that the puncture portion does not protrude from the cover portion by contact of adjacent wire members on a concave side.

A method for measuring a distance in a body vessel and introducing an implant into the body vessel, the method comprising: providing a guide wire, wherein the guide wire comprises a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the distal end comprises a spiral which has at least two adjoining spiral sections as markings, wherein at least a surface of one spiral section comprises a first material and at least a surface of the second spiral section comprises a second material, and further wherein the first material is different than the second material; inserting the guide wire into the body vessel; measuring the distance in the body vessel using the markings on the guide wire; and delivering the implant over the guide wire to the body vessel.

A steerable endovascular catheter which can be used and for diagnosis and endovascular treatment of vascular diseases. Methods of diagnosis and endovascular treatment comprising steering the catheter through vasculature of a patient.

A guidewire having a proximal core wire formed from a first metal alloy is connected to a distal core wire formed from a second metal alloy. A tubular member is sized to receive an end of the proximal core wire and an end of the distal core wire in a butting configuration. The tubular member is attached to the proximal core wire and the distal core wire to form a joint connecting the two wires together.