Angioplasty dilating guide wire

Abstract

Abstract A dilating guide wire (12) for use in percutaneous transluminal angioplasty has a very small outside diameter which permits it to be used advantageously with a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) catheter for treatment of very tight stenoses in the coronary arteries that cannot be treated by conventional PTCA catheters alone. The dilating guide wire (12) is small enough to pass through the lumen of the PTCA catheter and extend beyond the distal tip thereof for predilating the stenosis to open it sufficiently for subsequent crossing and dilation by the PTCA catheter. The small dimensions of the vent path (16) in the core (14) result in self-sealing of the vent (16) with respect to inflation fluid. A control handle (65) is provided for selectively imparting an axial force to the balloon (20) of the dilating guide wire (12) to cause axial stretching thereof, thereby reducing its profile and facilitating withdrawal of the balloon (20).

Inventors

• 👤 Lloyd K. Willard
• 👤 Charles L. Euteneuer

Bibliographic Details