Patent ID: 7744545

Claim:
A guide wire comprising: a wire body having a tapered portion disposed on a distal end portion of the wire body and having an outside diameter progressively reduced toward a distal end of the taper portion, the tapered portion possessing an outer circumference; a coil disposed in covering relation to the distal end portion of the wire body and comprising a helically shaped wire possessing a diameter; wherein the helically shaped wire includes an increasing wire-diameter portion at which the diameter of the wire increases continuously in a direction toward a distal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion; the increasing wire-diameter portion being disposed in covering relation to the outer circumference of at least a portion of the tapered portion in a longitudinal direction; and the helically shaped wire comprising a constant wire-diameter portion where the diameter of the wire is constant, the constant wire-diameter portion being positioned adjacent to a proximal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion, the constant wire-diameter portion extending in a proximal direction from adjacent the proximal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion.