Patent ID: 7713261

Claim:
A tubular instrument arranged to be used with a guide-wire or other elongated guide member, the guide-wire or other elongated guide member having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, the distal end portion of the guide-wire or other elongated guide member being arranged to be extended to some interior position within a lumen in the body of a living being, with the proximal end portion being located outside the body of the being, said tubular instrument having an end portion arranged to readily connect said instrument to said guide-wire or other elongated guide member so that said tubular instrument can be guided to a desired position within the body of the being along the guide-wire or other elongated guide member, said tubular instrument having an integral connector at said distal end, said connector comprising a helical wire having a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end being fixedly secured to said distal end of said tubular instrument, said proximal end of said helical wire being free and spaced from said tubular instrument, said helical wire extending outside and about a portion of said distal end portion of said tubular instrument to establish a path into which a portion of the guide-wire or other elongated guide member can be inserted from a lateral direction by a twisting action without requiring access to either end of the guide-wire.