May 30, 2008 - St. Jude Medical Inc. launched the TigerWire Steerable Guidewire, designed to enhance physicians' ability to steer through challenging peripheral arteries, as the company extends its GuideRight portfolio of steerable guidewires.
The TigerWire Steerable Guidewire is a thin, flexible wire that physicians use to help guide and steer a catheter (a flexible tube) through the arteries. Catheters are used to assist in diagnosing and treating blockages caused by a build-up of plaque inside artery walls.
The TigerWire Guidewire's tip is designed with enhanced flexibility to aid in navigation through the vessels. Its supportive design provides distinct zones of flexibility that make it easier for physicians to track and position the guidewire through challenging anatomy.
The insertion of a guidewire is a first step in interventional procedures in which physicians thread catheters through the arteries to diagnose the severity of disease or deliver treatments, including devices such as stents that open blockages and restore blood flow.