Patent ID: 7713215
Filing Date: 2010-05-11
Classification: A61B,A61M

Abstract:
1. A guidewire assembly providing the means of being introduced into the vasculature of the body percutaneously, steered by an operator located outside the body, moving intravascularly without injury to the vascular walls and, moving extravascularly, by piercing vascular walls and tissue surrounding said vasculature, thus creating extravascular pathways, and further enabling retrieval of said guidewire assembly should it break in the body, comprising, a. a flexible tube of metal, carbon fiber or other material in a coil or with cut slots having a proximal end and a distal end with lumen therebetween and with a section near said distal end being biased to assume a curved shape that returns to the original radius of curvature after being deviated and said lumen can carry contrast fluid, b. a stylet wire made of stainless steel, nickel titanium alloy or other alloy, disposed in said lumen, and having a distal end with a sharp point, proximal end extending beyond said proximal end of said flexible tube, and with said distal end being extensible into said curved shape and beyond said distal end of said flexible tube to pierce tissue or other substances, c. a ribbon wire disposed in said lumen of said flexible tube with a distal end attached to said distal end of said flexible tube on the side of said flexible tube farthest from the center of curvature of said curved shape, and continuing proximally beyond said proximal end of said flexible tube so as to be accessible to said operator to pull to increase the radius of curvature of said curved shape or relax to allow the said curved shape to return toward the un-deviated radius, and provide for retrieving said guidewire assembly should it break in the body, d. a hollow tip of metal or polymer with a proximal end and distal end and lumen therebetween, said proximal end being attached to said distal end of said flexible tube by such means as welding or brazing, said lumen being a slidably larger exit tunnel for said stylet wire and including a cross sectional shape like that of said stylet wire where it fits through said exit tunnel, e. at least one hanger for holding said ribbon wire having the same shape and slidably larger than the ribbon wire attached to the proximal end of the flexible tube; whereby said guidewire assembly can be steered by said operator in the direction said distal end of said flexible tube is pointed by means of(a) advancing said stylet wire in said curved shape thus tending to increase said radius of curvature, and withdrawing said stylet wire in the proximal direction thus allowing the distal end section to return to the biased curvature, (b) pulling said ribbon wire thus tending to increase said radius of curvature toward straight, and (c) rotating said stylet wire in said hollow tip, with both of similar cross section, efficiently delivers rotational torque from proximal end of said guidewire assembly to said distal end of said guidewire, thus rotating the plane of curvature of said curved section in the direction said operator wishes to steer said guidewire assembly, and further stiffening said curved section by advancing said stylet wire in said curved section and by keeping said stylet wire from twisting outside the plane of curvature thereby causing more of the force applied on said proximal end to be delivered in the desired forward direction, thus piercing said tissue more easily to create said extravascular pathway where percutaneously introduced grafts may subsequently be placed without surgery, and said ribbon wire providing a means of retrieving said guidewire assembly should said flexible tube break in said body.