Patent ID: 7758564

Claim:
A medical instrument comprising: a) a flexible catheter having a distal end portion which has a substantially bullet-nose shape, which is insertable into a body lumen of a patient, and which has at least one guidewire passageway opening; b) a medical guidewire having a working portion extendable beyond the at-least-one guidewire passageway opening, wherein the working portion is extendable as a loop track beyond the at-least-one guidewire passageway opening, and c) a mechanized guidewire drive assembly, wherein the working portion includes first and second segments, wherein the second segment includes a repetitive series of spaced-apart surface elevation features adapted for operable engagement with the mechanized guidewire drive assembly, and wherein the mechanized guidewire drive assembly includes a surface-elevation-feature engaging component disposed within the catheter toward the distal end.