Patent ID: 8668657

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a guidewire, comprising: feeding a first end of a core wire into an extrusion device, the core wire comprising: a first end section having a first diameter; a second end section having a second diameter opposite the first end section; and a tip section having a third diameter disposed between the first end section and the second end section; a tapered section disposed between the first end section and the tip section; wherein the second diameter is greater than or equal to the first diameter and the third diameter is less than the first diameter; and wherein the second end section is detachably connected to a distal end of the tip section; translating the core wire through the extrusion device; extruding an extrusion jacket comprising extrusion material onto an outer surface of the core wire as the core wire is translated through the extrusion device; removing the second end section from the core wire to define the distal end of the tip section having the third diameter as a distal tip of the guidewire.