Abstract

A guide wire handle for selectively stiffening a guide wire and releasably locking the guide wire in a stiffened condition that includes a main body that can be held by one hand and has a rectangular opening in which there is mounted a slide member that is movable between a guide wire datum position and a guide wire stiffened position. The main body and slide member have elongated linear slits and bores with or without metal plate extended therein. A sleeve on the core wire proximal end abuts against the slide member plate and the proximal end of the coil spring abuts against the main body plate such that as the slide member a plate is moved away from the body plate, the coil spring is compressed and the core wire is placed in tension to stiffen the guide wire. The slide member and main body include cooperating locking parts for releasably retaining the slide member in the guide wire stiffen condition and is operable by the same hand holding the handle to an unlocked condition whereby the guide wire moves the slide member relative to the main body to the guide wire nearly fully relaxed condition. The slide member also includes a spring part to resiliently retain the slide member in a datum position while permitting movement against the resilient action to facilitate loading the handle with the guide wire.