Patent ID: 6905477

Claim:
A catheter and guide wire exchange system comprising: an elongate flexible catheter shaft having proximal and distal shafts and first and second lumens extending there through, the first lumen being open at the catheter distal end and being sized and shaped to slidably receive a guide wire; a longitudinal guide way formed in the proximal shaft to enable transverse access to the first lumen through the proximal shaft, the guide way extending along a major portion of the length of the proximal shaft from a location adjacent a proximal end of the proximal shaft to a distal terminal end proximal of a distal end of the proximal shaft, thereby defining an uncut distal segment of the proximal shaft; a stop located on the proximal shaft at the distal terminal end of the guidewire; a balloon mounted about a distal segment of the distal shaft, the balloon being in fluid communication with the second lumen; a guide member mounted on the proximal shaft and having a catheter passageway extending there through for slidably receiving the catheter shaft and a guide wire passageway for slidably receiving the guide wire for merging the guide wire and the catheter by guiding the guide wire transversely through the guide way and into the first lumen and for separating the guide wire and catheter by guiding the guide wire transversely out of the first lumen through said guide way; and a transition segment between the proximal shaft and the distal shaft, the transition segment comprising the proximal shaft having a cut back section adjacent the first lumen at its distal end and a non cut back section at its distal end, the distal shaft having an outer tube and an inner tube, the distal shaft outer tube abutting the proximal shaft at the cut back section and overlapping the non cut back section of the proximal shaft distal end and the distal shaft inner tube inserted in the first lumen in the proximal shaft.