Patent ID: 7740644

Claim:
An embolic protection filtering assembly, comprising: a guidewire having a distal region; a filter wire assembly including an elongate filter wire having a distal end and a tubular member disposed distally adjacent the filter wire distal end, wherein the tubular member has a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending therethrough that can accommodate the guidewire, wherein the distal end of the filter wire is fixedly coupled to the tubular member proximate the proximal end of the tubular member, said embolic protection filtering assembly having a first configuration in which the guidewire and the filter wire assembly are separated and a second configuration in which the guidewire is slidably received within the lumen of the tubular member, further wherein in the second configuration the tubular member has a first position about the guidewire and removed from the distal region of the guidewire and a second position about the guidewire within the distal region of the guidewire, said tubular member being moveable from the first position to the second position in response to translation of the filter wire parallel to the guidewire; and an embolic protection filter coupled to the filter wire assembly, wherein the tubular member extends at least in part through the filter.