Medical connector and manufacturing method of medical connector

Abstract

To provide a medical connector in which a wire is firmly fixed to a holding part while suppressing poor connection of the connector and problems such as occlusion of a flow channel.SOLUTION: A connector 1 is a tubular medical connector including a flow channel 31 extending in an axial direction α, and includes a wire 40 inserted into the flow channel 31 and a holding part 50 formed in the flow channel 31 for holding the wire 40. The wire 40 includes a large diameter part 42 formed at one end in a lengthwise direction. The holding part 50 includes a stopper for fixing the wire 40 sandwiching the large diameter part 42 from both sides in the axial direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to medical connectors and methods of making medical connectors, and more particularly to medical connectors with wires. [Background technology]

[0002] Catheters are used to deliver nutrients, medicines, etc. directly into the body. A connector with a wire is used to enable smooth insertion of the catheter and to stabilize the shape of the catheter. The connector with a wire is generally called a stylet connector, and is connected to a male connector provided at the base end of the catheter. When the stylet connector is connected to the catheter, its wire is inserted into the catheter tube, stabilizing the shape of the catheter tube.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a stylet connector including a female connector portion, a male connector portion, a flow path formed so that the two connectors communicate with each other, a wire inserted into the flow path, and a holding portion that holds the wire in the flow path. In the connector of Patent Document 1, the wire is inserted into the inner cavity of the wire holding portion that opens toward the tip of the female connector, and is fixed to the holding portion via an adhesive that fills the inner cavity. In this case, it is necessary to fill the inner cavity of the wire holding portion with adhesive so that there are no gaps. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-115969 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a connector equipped with a wire, the wire needs to be firmly fixed to the wire holding part so that the wire does not come off during use. On the other hand, when a large amount of adhesive is used to fix the wire, as in the stylet connector of Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the adhesive will spill and adhere to the inside of the connector. If the adhesive adheres to the inside of the connector, the tapered surfaces of the connectors will not adhere completely to each other, which may cause problems such as liquid leakage. It is also expected that the adhesive may block the flow path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The medical connector of the present invention is a tubular medical connector including a flow path extending in the axial direction, and is equipped with a wire inserted into the flow path, and a holding portion formed in the flow path and holding the wire, wherein the wire has a large diameter portion, and the holding portion has stoppers that clamp the large diameter portion from both sides in the axial direction to secure the wire.

[0007] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the wire can be stably fixed by the large diameter portion of the wire and the stopper that sandwiches the large diameter portion. For example, since there is no need to use adhesive to fix the wire, the wire can be reliably fixed to the holder while preventing problems such as poor connection of the connector and blockage of the flow path.

[0008] In the medical connector according to the present invention, it is preferable that a portion of the stopper is formed by melting and solidifying the holding portion, in which case the large diameter portion of the wire is more reliably fixed to the holding portion.

[0009] The manufacturing method of a medical connector according to the present invention is a manufacturing method for a tubular connector including a flow path extending in the axial direction, and is characterized in that it includes the steps of: preparing a wire having a large diameter portion; preparing a connector body having a retaining portion having a through hole formed in the flow path along the axial direction and having an inner diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion; inserting the wire into the through hole of the retaining portion; melting the retaining portion to block at least a portion of the opening of the through hole, and fixing the wire by clamping the large diameter portion on both sides in the axial direction.

[0010] According to the above manufacturing process, the wire can be fixed to the holding portion without using adhesive, which prevents problems caused by the use of adhesive, such as poor connection of the connector and blockage of the flow path. In addition, the holding portion is melted to close the opening of the through hole into which the wire is inserted, so that the large diameter portion of the wire can be easily and reliably fixed to the holding portion.

[0011] In the method for manufacturing a medical connector according to the present invention, it is preferable to insert an ultrasonic horn through the base end opening of the flow channel to melt the holding portion and fix the wire. In this case, the holding portion can be reliably melted in a short time. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defective products in which the wire is not sufficiently fixed, and the productivity is improved by shortening the processing time. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a medical connector in which the wire is securely fixed to the holding portion while preventing problems such as poor connection of the connector and blockage of the flow path. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view of a medical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention connected to a catheter. [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a state in which a wire of a medical connector according to an embodiment is attached to a catheter. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of a medical connector according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the medical connector taken along an axial direction. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a part of a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing a medical connector according to an embodiment, showing a step of inserting a wire into a through hole of a holding portion. [Figure 7]13 is a diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of a medical connector according to an embodiment, showing a state in which a wire is inserted into a through hole of a holding portion. FIG. [Figure 8] 11 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing a medical connector according to an embodiment, showing a step of melting the retaining portion to fix the wire. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a medical connector and a manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. In addition, configurations obtained by selectively combining the respective components of the multiple embodiments and modified examples described below are included in the scope of the present invention.

[0015] The medical connector according to the present disclosure is applied to a stylet wire (stylet connector), but can also be applied to a guide wire. A guide wire is used to inject a drug such as a contrast agent while remaining inserted in a catheter. A stylet wire is inserted to stabilize the shape of the catheter, and is removed after the tip of the catheter reaches the affected area. Due to this difference in usage, a stylet wire generally has a larger outer diameter than a guide wire, and the outer circumferential surface of the stylet wire is close to the inner circumferential surface of the catheter. Therefore, when the stylet wire is removed from the catheter, the frictional force is larger than that of a guide wire, and a more stable fixing force is required between the wire and the connector.

[0016] Fig. 1 shows a medical connector 1, which is an example of an embodiment, connected to a catheter 60. As shown in Fig. 1, the connector 1 has a cylindrical male connector portion 10 and a cylindrical female connector portion 20, and has a structure in which the male connector portion 10 and the female connector portion 20 are integrally formed. The connector 1 is used together with the catheter 60, and is mainly used to stabilize the shape of a flexible catheter tube 62 and smoothly guide the tube 62 to a target location in the body (e.g., an affected area).

[0017] The catheter 60 comprises a tube 62 and a connector portion 61 attached to the base end of the tube 61. The female connector portion 20 of the connector 1 is connected to the connector portion 61 of the catheter 60. In this state, the wire 40 of the connector 1 (see FIG. 2 etc. described below) is inserted into the tube 62. The tube 62 is composed of a long thin pipe made of resin. Since the tube 62 has a small diameter and is soft, the wire 40 of the connector 1 is guided to the affected area by inserting it into the tube 62. A cap 63 is attached to the connector portion 61, and the opening of the connector portion 61 can be blocked as necessary.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing how the connector 1 is connected to the catheter 60. As shown in Fig. 2, the connector 1 includes a connector body 30 including a male connector portion 10 and a female connector portion 20, and a wire 40 fixed to the connector body 30 and extending from the tip of the connector body 30. The wire 40 is inserted from the connector portion 61 toward the tube 62 in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The connector 1 is connected to the catheter 60 by inserting the wire 40 into the tube 62 and engaging the female connector portion 20 with the connector portion 61.

[0019] The female connector portion 20 of the connector 1 and the connector portion 61 of the catheter 60 are connected by connecting a male lure and a female lure that pairs with the male lure. The shapes of the male lure and the female lure are shapes defined by the ISO standard. Both the male connector portion 10 of the connector 1 and the connector portion 61 of the catheter 60 have male lures, and the female connector portion 20 of the connector 1 has a female lure. Therefore, the female connector portion 20 of the connector 1 can be connected to the connector portion 61 of the catheter 60. In this embodiment, a lock nut 64 is provided on the connector portion 61, and a thread 22 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the female connector portion 20. Therefore, the thread 22 of the female connector portion 20 fits into the thread groove of the lock nut 64, so that the connector 1 can be stably fixed to the catheter 60.

[0020] Furthermore, it is also possible to connect another connector having a female lure to the male connector portion 10 of the connector 1. For example, a syringe having a female lure can be connected to the male connector portion 10 of the connector 1 connected to the catheter 60, and a medicinal liquid or the like can be injected from the syringe into the tube 62 via the connector 1, or bodily fluids can be aspirated from the tip of the tube 62. Specifically, in order to confirm the placement position, after connecting the syringe, it is also possible to aspirate bodily fluids (for example, gastric juice) or to flush air.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the connector 1 as viewed from the female connector portion 20 side (tip side). As shown in Fig. 3, the connector 1 has a connector body 30 formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole. The connector body 30 has the female connector portion 20 formed on the tip side and the male connector portion 10 formed on the base end side, with the base end side having a larger diameter than the tip side. The connector 1 has a structure in which a wire 40 extends from inside the cylinder of the connector body 30. The connector body 30 is an integrally molded member manufactured by, for example, injection molding or the like.

[0022] The male connector portion 10 is provided with a lock nut 12 having a thread formed on its inner peripheral surface. The lock nut 12 is formed so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the male luer 11 (see FIG. 3 etc. described later). The outer peripheral surface of the lock nut 12 is formed with a plurality of anti-slip ridges 13 extending in the axial direction α of the connector 1. As described above, the outer peripheral surface of the female connector portion 20 is formed with two threads 22. The threads 22 are formed at the tip of the female connector portion 20 and engage with the thread groove of the lock nut 64 of the catheter 60.

[0023] The internal structure of the connector 1 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a cross section of the connector 1 cut along the axial direction α. ​​Fig. 5 is a cross section taken along line AA in Fig. 3, showing an enlarged view of the holding portion 50 and its vicinity.

[0024] 4 and 5, the connector 1 has a structure in which one end of the wire 40 in the longitudinal direction is fixed inside a cylinder of the connector body 30. The wire 40 is sufficiently long compared to the connector body 30, and most of the wire 40 extends from the connector body 30. The connector body 30 is a cylindrical body including a flow path 31 extending in the axial direction α. ​​The flow path 31 communicates from an opening 21a of the female connector portion 20, which is an opening on the tip side of the connector body 30, to an opening 11a of the male connector portion 10, which is an opening on the base side of the connector body 30, and penetrates the connector body 30 in the axial direction α.

[0025] The connector 1 includes a wire 40 inserted into the flow path 31, and a holding portion 50 formed in the flow path 31 to hold the wire 40. As will be described in detail later, the wire 40 has a large diameter portion 42, and the holding portion 50 has stoppers that sandwich the large diameter portion 42 from both sides in the axial direction α to fix the wire 40. Since the wire 40 is fixed to the holding portion 50 without using an adhesive, in the connector 1, problems caused by the use of an adhesive do not occur, and the wire 40 is stably fixed to the holding portion 50.

[0026] The male connector portion 10 has a cylindrical male lure 11 extending in the axial direction α. ​​The male lure 11 has an opening 11a formed at the base end of the connector body 30, and a flow path 32 extending in the axial direction α is formed in the cylinder. The male lure 11 has a tapered surface 11b that complies with the ISO standard, and the outer diameter of the male lure 11 gradually decreases toward the base end of the connector body 30. As described above, the male connector portion 10 has a lock nut 12 formed in a cylindrical shape so as to cover the tapered surface 11b (outer peripheral surface) of the male lure 11. A screw groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lock nut 12, and a space into which a syringe or the like can be inserted is formed between the tapered surface 11b of the male lure 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the lock nut 12.

[0027] The female connector portion 20 has an opening 21a formed at the tip of the connector body 30, and a flow path 33 extending in the axial direction α is formed inside the cylinder. The female connector portion 20 has a tapered surface 21b that complies with the ISO standard, and the inner diameter of the female connector portion 20 gradually increases toward the tip of the connector body 30. The female connector portion 20 is connected to the connector portion 61 of the catheter 60 as described above. At this time, the wire 40 extending from the opening 21a of the female connector portion 20 is inserted into the catheter tube 62 via the connector portion 61.

[0028] The male connector portion 10 and the female connector portion 20 are arranged side by side in the axial direction α and are integrally molded to form the connector body 30. The flow path 32 of the male connector portion 10 and the flow path 33 of the female connector portion 20 communicate with each other, forming a flow path 31 that is continuous from the opening 11a on the base end side of the connector body 30 to the opening 21a on the tip end side.

[0029] One end in the length direction of the wire 40 inserted into the flow path 31 is fixed to a holding portion 50 formed in the flow path 31. In this embodiment, the holding portion 50 is formed so as to ensure a communication structure between the flow paths 32 and 33 and not to block the flow path 31. The holding portion 50 is formed in a location slightly away from the base of the male lure 11 in the flow path 33 of the female connector portion 20. The wire 40 and the male lure 11 are disposed in the radial center of the connector main body 30, and the wire 40 is disposed in a position overlapping with the flow path 32 in the axial direction α, but the holding portion 50 is separated from the base of the male lure 11 to ensure a communication structure between the flow paths 32 and 33.

[0030] The wire 40 is a bendable metal wire, and is inserted into the tube 62 of the catheter 60 to serve as a guide when guiding the catheter 60 to the affected area. The wire 40 is preferably made by twisting a plurality of wires into one. The material of the wire 40 is not particularly limited, but a suitable example is stainless steel. The wire 40 is preferably held so that its central axis coincides with the central axis of the female connector portion 20. In this case, when the connector 1 is connected to the catheter 60, the central axis of the wire 40 and the central axis of the connector of the catheter 60 also coincide. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wire 40 from coming into contact with the inner surface of the connector portion 61 of the catheter 60, which would cause the connector portion 61 to be worn or damaged.

[0031] The wire 40 has a shaft portion 41 and a large diameter portion 42 formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion 41. As described above, the large diameter portion 42 is used to fix the wire 40 to the holding portion 50. The large diameter portion 42 is formed, for example, by melting one end in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion 41 and shaping it into a spherical shape. Alternatively, the large diameter portion 42 can be formed by welding a metal ball to one end in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion 41. Since the wire 40 is formed by twisting a plurality of wires together, the surface of the shaft portion 41 has minute irregularities, but the diameter of the shaft portion 41 is approximately constant along the longitudinal direction. The diameter (maximum diameter) of the shaft portion 41 is smaller than the inner diameter of the catheter 60, for example, 0.5 mm to 1.1 mm.

[0032] The diameter of the large diameter portion 42 is preferably 1.2 times or more, more preferably 1.3 times or more, the diameter of the shaft portion 41. As will be described in detail later, the wire 40 is inserted into the flow path 31 from the opening 11a of the male connector portion 10 in the manufacturing process of the connector 1. For this reason, the diameter of the large diameter portion 42 is smaller than the inner diameter of the flow path 32 of the male connector portion 10, and is preferably 1.7 times or less, more preferably 1.6 times or less, the diameter of the shaft portion 41. If the diameter of the large diameter portion 42 is within this range, the connector 1 in which the wire 40 is stably fixed to the holding portion 50 can be easily manufactured. It is also possible to form the large diameter portion 42 in a portion away from one end in the length direction of the shaft portion 41, and for example, the shaft portion 41 may be present extending from the large diameter portion 42 to one end in the length direction at a length that does not interfere with the use of the connector.

[0033] The retaining portion 50 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 33 so as not to block the entire flow path 33 of the female connector portion 20. The retaining portion 50 has a retaining hole 51 formed in the radial center of the female connector portion 20, into which the wire 40 is inserted. The retaining portion 50 is formed, for example, in a rectangular prism shape from the vicinity of the base of the male lure 11 to the axial center of the female connector portion 20, and is formed across the flow path 33 in a direction perpendicular to the line AA in FIG. 3 in the radial direction of the female connector portion 20. On the other hand, in the direction along the line AA, a gap is formed between the retaining portion 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 33, ensuring a communication structure of the flow path 31.

[0034] The shape of the holding portion 50 is not limited to a quadrangular prism, and may be any shape that can hold the wire 40 without blocking the entire flow channel 33. The holding portion may be formed, for example, in a cross shape.

[0035] The holding part 50 is formed at a position away from the opening 21a of the female connector part 20 in order to ensure the depth of the tapered surface 21b of the female connector part 20. On the other hand, since a predetermined length is required as a fixing part for the wire 40 and a communication structure of the flow paths 32 and 33 needs to be ensured, as described above, the holding part 50 is formed from a position slightly away from the base of the male lure 11 to the axial center part of the female connector part 20. The length of the holding part 50 along the axial direction α is, for example, 5% to 40% of the length of the flow path 31, and preferably 10% to 25%.

[0036] The holding hole 51 formed in the holding portion 50 includes a first region 51a having a first inner diameter and a second region 51b having a second inner diameter. The first region 51a is formed closer to the opening 21a of the female connector portion 20 than the second region 51b. The first inner diameter is smaller than the second inner diameter, larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 41 of the wire 40, and smaller than the diameter of the large diameter portion 42. On the other hand, the second inner diameter is larger than the diameter of the large diameter portion 42. Therefore, a wall 52 on which the large diameter portion 42 is caught is formed at the boundary between the first region 51a and the second region 51b. This wall 52 prevents the large diameter portion 42 from moving toward the tip side of the connector 1.

[0037] A lid portion 53 is formed at the end of the second region 51b opposite to the first region 51a. The lid portion 53 is made of the same resin as the first region 51a and the second region 51b, and is formed to block at least a part of the opening on the base end side of the holding hole 51, and prevents the large diameter portion 42 from moving toward the base end side of the connector 1. The lid portion 53, together with the wall 52, functions as a stopper that clamps the large diameter portion 42 from both sides in the axial direction α to fix the wire 40. That is, there are no openings that allow the large diameter portion 42 to pass through at both ends of the second region 51b in the axial direction α, and the large diameter portion 42 does not come out of the second region 51b of the holding hole 51. This allows the wire 40 to be stably fixed to the holding portion 50.

[0038] The periphery of the opening of retaining hole 51 of lid portion 53 extends radially inward of retaining hole 51, closing at least a portion of the opening of retaining hole 51. There need only be no opening at the base end of retaining hole 51 through which large diameter portion 42 passes, but lid portion 53 may close the entire opening, and the base end of retaining hole 51 may be completely closed. The opening on the tip side of retaining hole 51 has a size that allows shaft portion 41 of wire 40 to pass through. The inner diameter of first region 51a of retaining hole 51 is, for example, substantially constant along axial direction α.

[0039] The shortest length from lid portion 53 to wall 52 along axial direction α may be slightly larger than the diameter of large diameter portion 42 or may be substantially the same as the diameter of large diameter portion 42. If the length from wall 52 to lid portion 53 is too large compared to the diameter of large diameter portion 42, the length that wire 40 can move in axial direction α becomes large, so in consideration of the operability of connector 1, it is preferable that the length be 1.5 times or less the diameter of large diameter portion 42. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a gap exists between large diameter portion 42 and lid portion 53, but wall 52 and lid portion 53 may be in contact with large diameter portion 42.

[0040] A part of the stopper of the holding part 50 is preferably formed by melting and solidifying the holding part 50. Here, melting and solidifying the holding part 50 means that after the wire 40 is inserted into the holding hole 51, a part of the holding part 50 is melted and solidified again. In other words, the melting and solidifying of the resin when the holding part 50 itself is molded is not included in the melting and solidifying of the holding part 50 when the stopper is formed. The lid part 53 can be formed by a resin member that is press-fitted or screwed into the opening on the base end side of the holding hole 51, but from the viewpoint of the fixing strength of the wire 40, the productivity of the connector 1, etc., it is preferably formed by melting and solidifying the holding part 50. The wall 52 is formed during the injection molding of the connector body 30.

[0041] In this embodiment, the retaining hole 51 is formed in the radial center of the connector body 30. The wire 40 fixed to the retaining portion 50 extends straight in the axial direction α, and the central axis of the wire 40 substantially coincides with the central axes of the male connector portion 10 and the female connector portion 20. In other words, the retaining portion 50 (retaining hole 51) is formed so that the central axes of the wire 40 and each connector portion (connector body 30) coincide with each other.

[0042] An example of a method for manufacturing the connector 1 having the above configuration will be described below with reference to Figures 6 to 8. Figures 6 to 8 are enlarged views of the base end side portion of the holding portion 50, and show the step of inserting the wire 40 into the holding hole 51 (Figures 6 and 7) and the step of forming the lid portion 53 (Figure 8).

[0043] The connector 1 is manufactured, for example, through the following manufacturing process. (1) A step of preparing a wire 40 having a large diameter portion 42 formed therein (2) A step of preparing the connector body 30 including the retaining portion 50 in which the retaining hole 51x (see Figs. 6 to 8) having an inner diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion 42 is formed in the flow path 31 along the axial direction α. (3) Step of inserting the wire 40 into the holding hole 51x of the holding portion 50 (4) A process of melting the holding portion 50 to close at least a portion of the opening of the holding hole 51x, and clamping the large diameter portion 42 from both sides in the axial direction α to fix the wire 40.

[0044] As described above, the wire 40 is a metal wire and is manufactured by twisting a plurality of wires into one. The large diameter portion 42 can be formed by melting one end of the wire 40 in the longitudinal direction and shaping it into a spherical shape. The connector main body 30 can be manufactured by injection molding. The holding portion 50 having the holding hole 51x is formed in the cylinder of the female connector portion 20 by injection molding, but the lid portion 53 is not formed before the wire 40 is inserted into the holding hole 51x. The holding hole 51x is a through hole penetrating the holding portion 50 in the axial direction α, and the opening on the base end side of the holding hole 51x has a size that allows the large diameter portion 42 to pass through.

[0045] 6 and 7, the wire 40 is inserted into the holding hole 51 from the base end side of the holding portion 50 through the flow path 32 of the male connector portion 10. The holding hole 51x has a first region 51a whose inner diameter is smaller than the large diameter portion 42 and a second region 51b whose inner diameter is larger than the large diameter portion 42, and the wall 52 is formed before the wire 40 is inserted into the holding hole 51x. Therefore, when the wire 40 is inserted into the holding hole 51x, the large diameter portion 42 is caught on the wall 52, and the wire 40 is held in the holding hole 51. On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 7, the wire 40 comes out to the base end side of the connector main body 30, so it cannot be said that the wire 40 is fixed to the holding portion 50.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 8, after inserting the wire 40 into the holding hole 51x, an ultrasonic horn 70 is inserted into the connector body 30 to melt the holding portion 50, forming a lid portion 53 (see FIG. 5, etc.), and the wire 40 is fixed to the holding portion 50. The lid portion 53 closes at least a part of the opening on the base end side of the holding hole 51x, and prevents the wire 40 from moving toward the base end side of the connector body 30. It is preferable that the lid portion 53 is reduced inward in diameter to such an extent that the width of the opening is smaller than the width of the shaft portion. As described above, the lid portion 53 functions as a stopper for the large diameter portion 42 together with the wall 52, and this allows the wire 40 to be stably fixed to the holding portion 50 without using an adhesive. Note that the means for melting the holding portion 50 is not limited to the method using the ultrasonic horn 70, but this method is preferable from the viewpoint of productivity, etc.

[0047] The ultrasonic horn 70 is inserted from the base end opening of the flow path 31. That is, the ultrasonic horn 70 is inserted into the connector body 30 to a position where it contacts the base end of the holding part 50 through the flow path 32 of the male connector part 10. A protrusion 55 extending in the axial direction α may be formed on the base end part of the holding part 50. The protrusion 55 is, for example, a part that melts to become the lid part 53, and is formed in a ring shape along the periphery of the base end side opening of the holding hole 51x. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the gently curved tip surface of the ultrasonic horn 70 abuts on the protrusion 55 and melts the protrusion 55. The base end part of the holding part 50 including the protrusion 55 melts to close the opening, and then cools and solidifies to form the lid part 53.

[0048] According to the connector 1 manufactured by the above method, the wire 40 can be fixed to the holding portion 50 without using adhesive, and therefore, problems such as poor connection of the connector and blockage of the flow path caused by the use of adhesive can be prevented. In addition, the holding portion 50 is melted to close the opening of the holding hole 51x into which the wire 40 is inserted, so that the large diameter portion 42 of the wire 40 can be easily and reliably fixed to the holding portion 50. In addition, the ultrasonic horn 70 is inserted from the base end side of the connector main body 30 to melt the holding portion 50, so that the holding portion 50 can be reliably melted in a short time. As a result, the occurrence of defective products in which the wire 40 is not sufficiently fixed can be suppressed, and the productivity is improved by shortening the processing time.

[0049] The above embodiment can be appropriately modified in design without impairing the object of the present invention. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, a protrusion 55 is formed on the base end portion of the holding portion 50, but the entire base end portion may be melted to form the lid portion 53 without providing the protrusion 55. Alternatively, after inserting the wire 40 into the holding hole 51x, a resin member that fits into the base end opening of the holding hole 51x or engages with the base end surface of the holding portion 50 is inserted, and the resin member is melted to be integrated with the holding portion, or the holding portion is melted to cover the resin member and fixed to form the lid portion 53. When the resin member is melted to be integrated with the holding portion, it is preferable that the resin member and the holding portion are made of the same resin that has high compatibility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 connector, 10 male connector part, 11 male luer, 11a opening, 11b tapered surface, 12 lock nut, 13 convex portion, 20 female connector part, 21a opening, 21b tapered surface, 22 threaded portion, 30 connector body, 31, 32, 33 flow path, 40 wire, 41 shaft portion, 42 large diameter portion, 50 holding portion, 51 holding hole, 51a first region, 51b second region, 52 wall, 53 lid portion, 55 protrusion, 60 catheter, 61 connector part, 62 tube, 63 cap, 64 lock nut, 70 ultrasonic horn

Claims

1. A tubular medical connector including an axially extending flow passage, a wire inserted into the flow channel; a holding portion formed in the flow path and holding the wire; Equipped with The wire has a large diameter portion, The medical connector, wherein the holding portion has stoppers that clamp the large diameter portion from both axial sides to secure the wire.

2. The medical connector according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the stopper is formed by melting and solidifying the holding portion.

3. A method for manufacturing a tubular medical connector including an axially extending flow path, comprising: preparing a wire having a large diameter portion; preparing a connector body including a holding portion having a through hole formed in the flow path along the axial direction and having an inner diameter smaller than that of the large diameter portion; inserting the wire into the through hole of the holding portion; a step of melting the holding portion to close at least a portion of an opening of the through hole and sandwiching the large diameter portion from both sides in the axial direction to fix the wire; A method for manufacturing a medical connector, comprising:

4. The method for producing a medical connector according to claim 3 , further comprising the step of inserting an ultrasonic horn into a base end opening of the flow channel to melt the retaining portion and fix the wire.

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