Patent ID: 8850676

Claim:
An apparatus to aid in inserting a guidewire into a guidewire lumen of a catheter, the apparatus comprising: a pliable loading coupler having a catheter insertion end, a guidewire insertion end, and a continuous lumen extending therebetween, the continuous lumen including a guidewire receiving portion, and catheter receiving portion, and a middle portion disposed between the guidewire receiving portion and the catheter receiving portion, wherein in the guidewire receiving portion the lumen tapers from the guidewire insertion end towards the middle portion to receive and direct an end of the guidewire into the apparatus, wherein in the catheter receiving portion the lumen tapers from the catheter insertion end towards the middle portion to receive and couple with a correspondingly tapered distal tip of the catheter, wherein a protrusion extends from an interior surface of the catheter receiving portion of the lumen and is configured to mate with a corresponding groove in an exterior surface of the catheter, and wherein in the middle portion the lumen has a constant diameter to straighten and stabilize the guidewire received from the guidewire receiving portion of the lumen prior to entry of the guidewire into the guidewire lumen of the catheter being held in the catheter receiving portion of the lumen; a longitudinally-extending area of weakness formed along a length of the pliable loading coupler; and a tab radially extending from the pliable loading coupler, wherein the tab is adapted to be gripped by a user in order to remove the pliable loading coupler from the catheter via the area of weakness.