Guidewire with distal expansion feature and method for enhancing the deliverability and crossability of medical devices
US8142468B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 22, 2005 |
| Grant date | Mar 27, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 17, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61M2025/09125
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A guidewire navigable through body vessels of a human subject for delivery of a catheter or the like is provided. The guidewire includes an expandable segment movable between a collapsed state and an expanded state. If the catheter encounters resistance in a vessel and cannot be advanced further, the medical professional can move the expandable segment to the expanded state in which the expandable segment engages an inner surface of the catheter. The expandable segment locks onto the catheter, which allows the guidewire and catheter to be advanced through the vessel together as a single unit. An inflatable balloon catheter movable along the guidewire requires only a single tube and is sealed by the expandable segment of the guidewire for subsequent inflation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.