Patent ID: 7278974

Claim:
A medical guide wire in which a flexible elongated core member has a diameter-reduced front end portion and a hand access portion diametrically greater than said diameter-reduced front end portion, and a helical spring secured at both ends to said diameter-reduced front end portion; said helical spring being a radiopaque helical spring and a radiotransparent helical spring in turn arranged from a front end portion to a rear end portion of said helical spring so that said helical spring provides a unitary single helical configuration of different metal wires; said diameter-reduced front end portion being at least one of diametrically decreased progressively toward a front end of said diameter-reduced front end portion or tapered-off toward said front end of said diameter-reduced front end portion; said helical spring and said core member being spaced to form a non-integral zone extending at least 20 mm from said front end of said diameter-reduced front end portion; an inner circumference of said helical spring and an outer circumference of said core member being secured to form a plurality of securement points aligned in a lengthwise direction of said core member at regular interval spans arranged from said non-integral zone to a rear end of said helical spring, said securement points being formed from a radiopaque metal; and said spans of said securement points being located within a range of 50 mm to 140 mm from said front end of said diameter-reduced front end portion; and a length of said radiopaque helical spring being equal to an integral multiple of a span between neighboring ones of said securement points aligned within the radiotransparent helical spring.