Abstract: The invention concerns a catheter guide (1) comprising a wire (2) having a proximal part (6) of approximately constant cross section and a tapered distal part (8) and a supple protective sheath (4) formed by a helicoidal spring extended at least around the length of the tapered distal part (8) the wire (2) being fixed to the sheath (4) by at least the free end of its proximal part by means of a first solder joint (10) at a proximal part (12) of the sheath, the free end (14) of the distal part of the sheath (4) being provided with a second solder joint (16) forming a rounded end, wherein the spring forming the sheath comprises, along its entire length, a first strand (18) wound with a first pitch for forming a series of first windings S18 and at least a second strand (20,22,24) wound with a second pitch of a value slightly greater than that of the first pitch for forming a series of second windings (S20,S22,S24) such that the first windings (S18) exert a compressive force on the second windings (S20, S22, S24)

Abstract: A catheter guide support is provided having a wire with a proximal region, of substantially constant cross-section, a distal tapered region and a flexible protecting sheath which extends at least along the length of the distal region of the wire. The wire is constructed integral with the sheath only at the free extremity of its distal region by means of a first weld forming a rounded end, said support also having a tube extending over the whole region of the wire not covered by the sheath, one extremity of the tube simply abutting against the proximal region of the sheath whereas the opposite extremity of the tube is fixed to the proximal region of the wire by means of a second weld.

Abstract: The method of conditioning an article of shape memory metallic alloy having a double-action shape memory in accordance with the invention comprises the operations offorming at ambient temperature the article to the shape constituting a first shape memory state,mechanically maintaining the article in its first shape memory state and heating the mechanically held article to a temperature to transform it into a state of the austenitic crystallographic phase,suddenly lowering the mechanically held article to a selected temperature and subjecting it to thermal stabilization treatment while still preserving its austenitic state, andsubjecting the article to an education process in order to shape it into the second shape memory state.