Below is an educational, technical answer to a question many patients and clinicians ask. Catheters and guidewires are the working tools of minimally invasive procedures, used to gain vascular access and navigate to a target inside the body. As a medical device manufacturer, INVAMED develops technologies in this area; the information here is educational and not medical advice.
Background: Endovascular, Neurovascular and Urological Access and Delivery
Catheters and guidewires are the working tools of minimally invasive procedures, used to gain vascular access and navigate to a target inside the body. A guidewire is a thin, steerable wire that a clinician advances first to establish a path, over which catheters and other devices are then delivered. INVAMED offers a comprehensive catheter and guidewire portfolio spanning sheaths, guidewires, guiding and support catheters, microcatheters, and retrieval devices.
What guidewire lengths are available?
Guidewire length is chosen so the wire is long enough to reach the target and, when needed, to exchange catheters over it. Exchange-length wires are longer to allow a catheter to be removed and replaced while maintaining wire position. INVAMED's InWIRE Peripheral Guidewires are offered in varied lengths from short peripheral to exchange-length. The length used is selected by the clinician based on the anatomy and whether device exchanges are planned.
What This Means in Practice
Product specifications and dimension ranges are provided in INVAMED documentation and reflect device design rather than guaranteed clinical outcomes. Sheath inner and outer diameters carry different implications for device compatibility and access, and should be confirmed in product documentation. Tip shape, coating, core material, and support characteristics are selected to fit the specific navigation, crossing, or delivery task.
Key Considerations
- Tip shape, coating, core material, and support characteristics are selected to fit the specific navigation, crossing, or delivery task.
- For a device under active study such as the GuideX guide extension in the GUIDEX_FR trial (NCT06009757), any comparative claims are for the trial to establish.
- Sheath inner and outer diameters carry different implications for device compatibility and access, and should be confirmed in product documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the regulatory status of these catheter and guidewire devices?
Device availability and regulatory status vary by country. Please contact INVAMED or your authorized local distributor for current regulatory information applicable to your region.
What guidewire diameters does INVAMED offer?
INVAMED's InWIRE range includes 0.014 and 0.018 inch CTO / recanalization wires and 0.035 and 0.038 inch peripheral wires, plus a dedicated neurovascular guidewire; the choice is made by the clinician.
Who selects the appropriate catheter or guidewire?
A trained clinician selects devices based on the anatomy and procedural task; this content is educational and not a treatment recommendation.
Clinical and Technical Context
Sheath French size and length are matched to the intended devices and access site by the clinician. Coating, core, diameter, and length are selected by the clinician for the specific task. Use of steerable or re-entry devices is determined by the interventionalist based on the crossing strategy. The JaGuar Guiding Sheath uses braided construction for kink resistance, while the Jaguar Braided Long Sheath adds a coil-reinforced shaft, a radiopaque marker, and an approximately 5 cm hydrophilically coated distal tip. The Zebra Guidewire for Urological Procedures features a high-visibility striped coating and a flexible atraumatic tip, complementing INVAMED's broader urology guidewire range. Tip shape, coating, core material, and support characteristics are selected to fit the specific navigation, crossing, or delivery task. InWIRE Peripheral Guidewires are available with nitinol or stainless steel cores in 0.035 inch and 0.038 inch diameters. Which diameter is used depends on the vessel, the devices being delivered, and clinician preference.
Related on INVAMED
- Comprehensive Catheter & Guidewire Systems — product category
- 0.035 and 0.038 inch Guidewires: How It Works and Why It Matters
- Introducer sheath or Guiding catheter? A Technical Comparison
- Neurovascular Guidewires: How It Works and Why It Matters
Important Disclaimer
This content is educational and technical in nature and must not be interpreted as medical advice or as a promise of any clinical outcome. Individual results depend on many factors and can only be evaluated by a treating physician. Figures attributed to INVAMED reflect manufacturer or published data and are not a guarantee of results. All INVAMED devices are to be used by trained clinicians per the approved IFU, and availability is subject to local regulatory status.
Reviewed by the INVAMED Medical Affairs team. Content is educational and technical in nature.