Low-friction catheter guide

Abstract

Abstract A low-friction catheter guide for facilitating the insertion of catheters into the vascular system of human beings or animals, especially where insertion through relatively long lengths of blood vessels is involved. Friction is minimized by forming a catheter guide over which the lumen of the enclosing catheter passes and contact between the two is reduced to a series of point contacts. The guide is formed in such a fashion that a series of radial extensions or protuberances constitute the contact areas. A preferred method of forming the guide is by winding a wire upon a non-circular mandrel and permitting the coil to unwind slightly after it is removed from the mandrel. The unwinding or springback results in adjacent convolutions of the coil being rotated slightly with respect to each other.

Inventors

• 👤 N Mageoh

Bibliographic Details