Devices And Methods For Guide Wire Placement
A guide wire that has an atraumatic and flexible loop that expands within a vessel, with indicators that indicate the degree of expansion. The indicators are used to determine the degree of expansion through the use of radio-opaque markers, hydraulic, and electrical signals. The guide wire enables safe passage into target vessels while providing user feedback on inadvertent passage into side branches and diseased segments.
1 . A device for interventional vascular procedures comprising:
a guide wire having a distal region and a proximal region;
a flexible mechanism disposed along said distal region of said guide wire;
a plurality of sensors disposed along said distal region of said guide wire and associated with said flexible mechanism;
said plurality of sensors configured to generate signals correlating to spatial positional changes of each of said plurality of sensors when said distal region is present in a vessel.
2 . A device according to claim 1 , further comprising external equipment for receiving said signals and formulating a diameter of a vessel based on said signals.
3 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is a loop structure of a distal end of said guide wire.
4 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is constituted by at least two flexible structures.
5 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of sensors are sensors for determining electrical resistance of applied current.
6 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of sensors are sensors for determining a change in inductance of said flexible mechanism.
7 . A device according to claim 6 , wherein said flexible mechanism is a tapered coil.
8 . A device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sheath for housing said guide wire.
9 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of said at plurality of sensors are configured to generate signals for determining a diametral change of said flexible mechanism and at least two of said plurality of sensors are configured to generate signals for determining a length change of said flexible mechanism.
10 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is an expandable strutted structure.
11 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is a plurality of loops disposed on said distal region of said guide wire.
12 . A device according to claim 11 , wherein said loops are each of different size.
13 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is non-linear structure.
14 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is coil.
15 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is a combination of a spiral structure and a loop structure.
16 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is a combination of a spiral structure and a coil structure.
17 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is an oval-shaped coil structure.
18 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is an expanding wire structure.
19 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is an expandable wire mesh or braided structure.
20 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is a strutted open-ended structure.
21 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible mechanism is an inflatable balloon structure.
22 - 35 . (canceled)