Guide for medical devices

Abstract

A guide for controlling the orientation of a medical device includes a cannula having a lumen therein for the medical device, and a guide member having a passage therein for receiving and directing the medical device, the guide member being movably mounted in the cannula for movement. The guide member can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field, or can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field when a magnetic medical device is in the passage, and/or it can be mechanically responsive.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A magnetically operated guide for controlling the orientation of a medical device, the guide comprising: 
 a cannula having a lumen therein for the medical device;    a magnetic guide member having a passage therein for receiving and directing the medical device, the guide member being movably mounted in the cannula for movement in response to an applied magnetic field, to selective change the orientation of the passage, and a medical device passing therethrough.    
     
     
         2 . The magnetically operated guide according to claim I wherein the magnetic guide member is generally spherical.  
     
     
         3 . The magnetically operated guide according to claim I wherein the magnetic guide member is a permeable magnetic material.  
     
     
         4 . The magnetically operated guide according to claim I wherein the magnetic guide member is a permanent magnetic material.  
     
     
         5 . The magnetically operated guide according to claim I wherein the magnetic guide member is a composite of permanent magnetic material and permeable magnetic material.  
     
     
         6 . The magnetically operated guide according to  claim 1  wherein the cannula has a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein the guide member is located generally adjacent the distal end.  
     
     
         7 . The magnetically operated guide according to claim I wherein the cannula has a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein the guide member is located intermediate the proximal end and the distal end.  
     
     
         8 . A magnetically operated guide for controlling the orientation of a medical device, the guide comprising: 
 cannula having a lumen therein for the medical device;    guide member having a passage therein for receiving and directing a magnetic medical device, the guide being movably mounted in the cannula to move in response to a magnetic field applied to the magnetic medical device in the passage, to selective change the orientation of the passage, and a medical device passing therethrough.    
     
     
         9 . A guide for controlling the orientation of a medical device, the guide comprising: 
 a cannula having a lumen therein for the medical device;    a guide member having a passage therein for receiving and directing the medical device, the guide member being movably mounted in the cannula for movement; a mechanism for selectively moving the guide member to selectively change the orientation of the passage, and a medical device passing therethrough.