Below is an educational, technical answer to a question many patients and clinicians ask. 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. 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. These tools are applied across endovascular, neurovascular, and urological interventions, from crossing coronary and peripheral lesions to accessing the urinary tract.
What is a CTO or recanalization guidewire?
A chronic total occlusion (CTO) guidewire is designed to cross vessels that are completely blocked by long-standing occlusion. CTO-focused tip designs are intended to help negotiate hard, resistant lesions during recanalization. INVAMED's InWIRE 0.014" & 0.018" CTO / Recanalization Guidewires provide these diameters with CTO-focused tip designs. The selection of a CTO wire is made by the interventionalist based on the lesion characteristics.
What This Means in Practice
Tip shape, coating, core material, and support characteristics are selected to fit the specific navigation, crossing, or delivery task. All INVAMED catheter and guidewire devices are intended for use by trained clinicians under appropriate imaging guidance and per the IFU. Device sizing across French, inch, and centimeter units must be matched to the vessel, the access site, and the devices being delivered, as determined by the clinician.
Key Considerations
- Tip shape, coating, core material, and support characteristics are selected to fit the specific navigation, crossing, or delivery task.
- Product specifications and dimension ranges are provided in INVAMED documentation and reflect device design rather than guaranteed clinical outcomes.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the GuideX guide extension catheter?
GuideX is INVAMED's mother-and-child guide extension catheter, which is the subject of a randomized clinical trial versus the Launcher guiding catheter in PCI (GUIDEX_FR, NCT06009757).
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.
Does the Invaducer sheath set include accessories?
Yes. The Invaducer Introducer Sheath Set includes a dilator, guidewire, syringe, and sheath, with a hemostasis valve and side port at the proximal end.
Clinical and Technical Context
Catheters and guidewires are the working tools of minimally invasive procedures, used to gain vascular access and navigate to a target inside the body. Sheath inner and outer diameters carry different implications for device compatibility and access, and should be confirmed in product documentation. Access is commonly established with an introducer sheath, which creates a stable, valved entry point through the vessel wall for exchanging devices. InWIRE Peripheral Guidewires provide 0.035 inch and 0.038 inch options with a choice of nitinol or stainless steel cores. INVAMED offers a steerable support catheter with a deflectable tip and a re-entry system within its catheter portfolio. InWIRE NEURO Neurovascular Guide Wire features flexible atraumatic distal tips with high torque response. 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. InWIRE 0.014" & 0.018" CTO / Recanalization Guidewires provide these diameters with CTO-focused tip designs.
Related on INVAMED
- Comprehensive Catheter & Guidewire Systems — product category
- 0.014 and 0.018 inch CTO Guidewires: How It Works and Why It Matters
- What guidewire lengths are available?
- Neurovascular Microcatheters and Distal Access Explained — A Technical Guide
Important Disclaimer
The information here is provided for educational purposes and to describe device technology; it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Only a licensed healthcare provider can determine whether a given procedure or device is appropriate for a specific patient. INVAMED products are restricted to use by qualified professionals following the official IFU. Regulatory clearance and labeling differ between regions, and not all products or indications are available in every market.
Reviewed by the INVAMED Medical Affairs team. Content is educational and technical in nature.