Patent ID: 8308723

Claim:
A patient treatment system, comprising: a tissue-penetrating guidewire, including: an elongated flexible segment having a distal portion and a proximal portion; a penetrating member at the distal portion, the penetrating member including four orthogonally-oriented blade segments, each blade segment having a generally ellipsoidal outer peripheral surface and first and second oppositely-facing sidewalls extending inwardly from the outer peripheral surface to a blade root, with a width of each blade segment between the oppositely-facing sidewalls at the blade root that narrows in a distal direction, the four blade segments meeting at a distal end of the penetrating member to form a blunt, generally ellipsoidal tip, each blade segment having a first generally sharp edge between the first sidewall and the outer peripheral surface and a second generally sharp edge between the second sidewall and the outer peripheral surface; an electrical current source electrically connected to the flexible segment to deliver RF current to the penetrating member; and a patient treatment device slideably positioned along the guidewire.