Guiding catheter with sealing cap system for reducing blood loss when inserting guiding catheters

摘要

The invention is a system for reducing blood loss when placing a guiding catheter into an artery of a human subject. The system consists of a guiding catheter, a sealing means to be placed on the guiding catheter's proximal end and a guide wire that can be placed through both the guiding catheter and the sealing means to assist in placing the guiding catheter into a specific artery. The sealing means is typically a cap consisting of a male Luer lock fitting that includes a hemostasis valve that is designed to seal around the guide wire. The cap can be a separate component or it can be joined to the guiding catheter's proximal end by means of a flexible hinge. After the guiding catheter has been placed at a desired location in the arterial system, the cap and guide wire can be removed and a "Y" adaptor would then be placed onto the guiding catheter's proximal end. If desired the flexible hinge could also be removed from the guiding catheter.