Guidewires useful for cooperating with catheters may be actively steered and/or provide adjustable stiffness. Angle or curvature of a guidewire, and/or flexural modulus of a guidewire, may be adjusted at one or more locations between ends thereof. Variable stiffness segments may include electrically operated compressible and/or extensible materials. Multiple tensile elements may terminate at different body elements to adjust angle or curvature at multiple locations. Multiple circumferentially and/or radially contractible fiber regions may be provided and distributed over a length of a guidewire. Adjustable flexure elements arranged in or along a guidewire may be electrically operated. A flexible core member may be centrally arranged in a tubular body. A flexible guide wire or track may cooperate with electrically operable motor units.

A guidewire (10) is provided including a core wire (12), a resin layer (14) at least partially surrounding the core wire, and a coil wire (16) external to the resin layer. The resin layer extending over and along the core wire may comprise a series of windings, which may have a constant or variable pitch, or may comprise a sleeve. By applying a heat treatment to portions og the guidewire, the resin layer may be selectively melted to form a bond between the core wire and the coil wire. This technique may be used to provide the guidewire with a desired strength profile, without the need for tapering the ends of the core wire.

A guide wire having a shaping property capable of shaping into a desired shape and a shape retaining property of retaining a shape at a time of shaping against an external force applied in a blood vessel, thereby allowing a procedure to be easily performed while maintaining high operability and blood vessel selectivity; and a method of manufacturing a guide wire. The guide wire includes an elongated core component including a flat portion at a distal end of the elongated core component. The flat portion is formed of a Ni-Ti alloy having an elastic portion of total indentation work of 46.0% to 59.5% and having a Martens hardness of 1300 N/mm.sup.2 to 3000 N/mm.sup.2, more preferably having a Martens hardness of 1300 N/mm.sup.2 to 2120 N/mm.sup.2.

One aspect provides a medical guidewire including a core wire extending from a proximal tip of a proximal end section to a distal tip of a distal end section. A polymer layer covers a perimeter surface of at least a portion of the distal end section, the polymer layer covering the distal tip and extending proximally to a proximal end portion defining a proximal edge. A strengthening feature is disposed about a perimeter surface of at least the core wire at the proximal end portion of the polymer layer, the strengthening feature beginning at a location proximally spaced from the proximal edge of the polymer layer and extending distally at least until the proximal edge of the polymer layer, the strengthening feature to prevent damage to the proximal end portion of the polymer layer.

A guidewire formed from drawn filled tubing having an inner core member encased in an outer layer. The inner core member is formed from a linear elastic or superelastic material and the outer layer is formed from a metal alloy such as 35N LT. A portion of the outer layer is ground down to form a feather edged joint between the outer layer and the inner core member.

Guidewires useful for cooperating with catheters may be actively steered and/or provide adjustable stiffness. Angle or curvature of a guidewire, and/or flexural modulus of a guidewire, may be adjusted at one or more locations between ends thereof. Variable stiffness segments may include electrically operated compressible and/or extensible materials. Multiple tensile elements may terminate at different body elements to adjust angle or curvature at multiple locations. Multiple circumferentially and/or radially contractible fiber regions may be provided and distributed over a length of a guidewire. Adjustable flexure elements arranged in or along a guidewire may be electrically operated. A flexible core member may be centrally arranged in a tubular body. A flexible guide wire or track may cooperate with electrically operable motor units.

Guidewires useful for cooperating with catheters may be actively steered and/or provide adjustable stiffness. Angle or curvature of a guidewire, and/or flexural modulus of a guidewire, may be adjusted at one or more locations between ends thereof. Variable stiffness segments may include electrically operated compressible and/or extensible materials. Multiple tensile elements may terminate at different body elements to adjust angle or curvature at multiple locations. Multiple circumferentially and/or radially contractible fiber regions may be provided and distributed over a length of a guidewire. Adjustable flexure elements arranged in or along a guidewire may be electrically operated. A flexible core member may be centrally arranged in a tubular body. A flexible guide wire or track may cooperate with electrically operable motor units.

Rapidly inserted central catheters (RICC), and methods thereof. A RICC can include a catheter tube including a first section in a distal-end portion of the catheter tube, a second section in the distal-end portion of the catheter tube proximal of the first section, and a junction between the first and second sections of the catheter tube. The first section of the catheter tube can be formed of a first material having a first durometer. The second section of the catheter tube can be formed of a second material having a second durometer less than the first durometer. The first and second sections of the catheter tube can have a column strength sufficient to prevent buckling of the catheter tube when inserted into an insertion site and advanced through a vasculature of a patient.

A medical device, including an elongate catheter body defining a proximal segment, a distal segment, and a first lumen therethrough; a tube attached to the distal segment of the catheter body, the tube defining a proximal end, a distal end, and a second lumen therethrough; wherein the proximal end of the tube is attached to the catheter body at a first joint; wherein the distal end of the tube is attached to the catheter body at a second joint; and wherein a portion of the tube extending between the first and second joints is movable with respect to the catheter body.

Medical systems, including guide wires and guide wire assemblies 1100, 2100, 3100 that are configured such that a flexibility of the guide wire can be changed or modified. In various embodiments, the flexibility of the guide wire can be changed or modified in-situ. The guide wires and/or guide wire assemblies of the disclosed medical systems may include materials having material properties that can be modified in association with exposing one or more portions of the medical system, such as one or more components of the guide wire or guide wire assembly to electric current.