Patent ID: 7803142

Claim:
A medical device comprising: a tapered guide wire comprising a first length and a second length, wherein said first length has a diameter and said second length has a diameter that is larger than said diameter of said first length; and a medical needle adapted to access the interior of a patient's vessel by insertion of the medical needle therein and facilitate insertion of said tapered guide wire into the interior of the patient's vessel, the medical needle comprising a substantially rigid tapered tube portion having a first end, a second end, and a channel extending therethrough between said first end and said second end, said channel having a first diameter at said first end of said substantially rigid tapered tube portion, wherein said first diameter of said channel allows for at least a portion of said first length of said tapered guide wire to be passed through said channel while substantially maintaining said first diameter of said channel, said substantially rigid tapered tube portion comprising: a sharpened distal end portion disposed at said first end of said substantially rigid tapered tube portion, said sharpened distal end portion defining a cutting surface adapted to create an incision in a vessel wall of a subject to facilitate insertion of said sharpened distal end portion into the interior of a patient's vessel, wherein said channel extends through said sharpened distal end portion to define an opening therein, wherein at least a portion of said first length of said tapered guide wire can be passed through said channel, through said opening in said sharpened distal end portion, and introduced into the interior of the patient's vessel while said channel substantially maintains said first diameter at said first end; one or more slots adapted to facilitate radial expansion of said channel from said first diameter of said channel to at least said diameter of said second length of said tapered guide wire to enable advancement of at least a portion of said second length of said tapered guide wire through said channel, through said opening in said sharpened distal end portion, and into the interior of the patient's vessel without using a separate introducer or dilator.