Patent ID: 7048695

Claim:
A guiding aid for an instrument to be advanced within a vascular system comprising: a flexible shapeable shaft including: a distal tip; a first bent section having a first curvature K 1 ; a second bent section proximal the first bent section, having a second curvature K 2 , wherein the radius of the first curvature K 1 of said first bent section is smaller than the radius of the second curvature K 2 of said second bent section; a first axis extending from the distal tip of the guiding aid along a straight line in the direction in which the distal tip of the guiding aid is pointing; a straight intermediate section between the first and second bent sections, with a second axis along the straight intermediate section; a straight proximal section proximal the second bent section with a third axis along the straight proximal section; and an angle α 1 between the first axis and the second axis and an angle α 2 between the second axis and the third axis; with said bent sections of said shaft having the same sign of curvature and being located substantially in the same plane; wherein both α 1 and α 2 are obtuse angles.