Technologies

• Guidewire with safety features to prevent unintended passage of guidewire into the lumen
• Needle with a docking structure to secure the guidewire
• Separable needle for commencing intraluminal procedures
• A catheter with a temperature-sensitive exoskeleton to facilitate delivery without dilators and/or sheath

Use of endovascular or interventional radiology procedures using the Seldinger technique (catheters passed over guidewires) has exploded in the past twenty years. When used by properly trained professionals, the Seldinger technique is safe and effective.

However, this technique has spread from the operating room, procedure room, and catheterization laboratory to inpatient care units and even the outpatient setting. It is increasingly used by mid-level providers with varying levels of training and experience, in addition to use by physicians. In these less controlled settings various adverse events and technical malfunctions occur with greater frequency.
One such malfunction is loss of control of the guidewire during the initial placement of catheters or during the exchange of catheters. This malfunction usually necessitates a secondary procedure to retrieve the guidewire so as to avoid long-term problems.

While makeshift solutions, such as using a clamp to secure the guidewire, are widely used, products engineered for safety and ease would be useful to experienced users as well as those with more moderate training.