Methods and apparatus for protecting the proximal end of a medical device

摘要

Medical devices are provided with either a back end coil support or a sleeve support to prevent kinking of an inner wire used with the medical device. The medical device generally comprises an elongate tubular body having a lumen and an inner wire extending within the lumen. An expandable member is connected to the distal end of the tubular body. In one embodiment, a coil extends over the inner wire at the proximal end thereof. In another embodiment, the inner wire at its proximal end has at least one taper that increases the diameter of the inner wire to a size larger than the diameter of the lumen of the hypotube through which it extends. In another embodiment, a proximal hypotube is attached to the proximal end of the inner wire.