Patent ID: 7731669
Filing Date: 2010-06-08
Classification: A61M,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A composite guidewire comprising: a proximal wire segment having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal end and the distal end, the distal end of said proximal wire segment comprising a first tongue having a first flat planar bonding face which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis, said proximal wire segment having a first elasticity and being formed out of a first material having a first ultimate tensile strength; a distal wire segment having a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal end and the distal end, the proximal end of said distal wire segment comprising a second tongue having a second flat planar bonding face which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis, said distal wire segment having a second elasticity and being formed out of a second material having a second ultimate tensile strength, wherein the second material is different than the first material, and further wherein the second ultimate tensile strength is different than the first ultimate tensile strength; wherein the second flat planar bonding face of said second tongue of said distal wire segment is formed complementary to the first flat planar bonding face of said first tongue of said proximal wire segment; wherein said proximal wire segment is joined to said distal wire segment by bonding the first flat planar bonding face of said first tongue of said proximal wire segment to the complementary second flat planar bonding face of said second tongue of said distal wire segment in an overlapping manner; wherein said first tongue and said second tongue have complementary but dissimilar cross-sections; and further wherein the cross-sections of said first and second tongues are set in relation to each other such that a break load of said first tongue is equal to a break load of said second tongue throughout lengths of the bonding faces of said tongues.