Patent ID: 8043232

Claim:
A high performance wire guide including a wire guide proximal end, a wire guide distal end, and a wire guide body portion extending therebetween, the wire guide comprising: a core wire having a core wire proximal end, a core wire distal end, and a core wire body portion extending therebetween; and an outer coil forming an outer coil lumen, the outer coil disposed about the core wire and the core wire disposed in the outer coil lumen, the outer coil having a cross-section formed of a single layer of wire around the outer coil lumen, the outer coil having an outer coil proximal end disposed about the core wire proximal end defining the wire guide proximal end, the outer coil extending continuously along the core wire body portion to an outer coil distal end disposed distally beyond the core wire distal end, the wire guide distal end defined by the outer coil distal end extending beyond the core wire distal end, wherein the outer coil is disposed about the core wire in an interference fit therewith along the wire guide proximal end and the wire guide body portion, wherein the outer coil includes a first portion having a first radial stiffness and a second portion having a second radial stiffness less than the first radial stiffness.