Method of manufacturing a differentially heat treated catheter guide wire

摘要

A catheter guide wire is provided for guiding a catheter into a body cavity such as a blood vessel. The base material constituting the wire is made of an elastic alloy wire and subjected to a heat treatment such that its flexibility is sequentially increased from its proximal to distal end portions. A thermoplastic resin or/and a coil spring can be applied to at least the distal end portion of the wire base material. A method of manufacturing the catheter guide wire is also provided. The method is characterized in that the leading end side of the base material is divided into a plurality of areas and subjected to a heat treatment by changing the heat treatment temperature and the time conditions in units of the areas so that the flexibility of the base material is sequentially increased from the proximal to distal end portions of the leading end side.