Guidewire having flexible floppy tip

Claim 1

A guidewire for use with a medical device catheter, comprising: a longitudinally extending core wire having a distal tip portion and an elongated body portion proximal of said distal tip portion, said longitudinally extending core wire being readily bendable from an original configuration to another configuration without kinking, including returning to the original configuration without kinking, said core wire being an alloy including nickel and titanium as the principal components, said alloy having austentic properties selected to substantially preclude temperature-induced shape changes during normal use temperatures, said properties including having an A f temperature, at which reversion to an austentic state is complete, of greater than about 10° C. and not greater than about 20° C.; a ribbon tip at the distal end of said distal tip portion, said ribbon tip being generally rectangular in transverse cross-section to define a ribbon tip width and a ribbon tip height, said ribbon tip height being less than said ribbon tip width and being the smallest transverse cross-sectional dimension along the distal tip portion of the longitudinally extending core wire; and a coil substantially coaxial with said distal tip portion, said coil extending from said ribbon tip and in a proximal direction along said distal tip portion, said coil substantially surrounding said ribbon tip, said ribbon tip and said coil being secured together.