Medical tube

Abstract

To provide a medical tube suitable for attaining both of kink resistance and flexibility.SOLUTION: A medical tube 100 comprises a cylindrical braided body 10 and a coil 20 which covers an outer peripheral part 10s of the braided body 10. The braided body 10 has grooves 11 provided in the outer peripheral part 10s. The coil 20 is disposed so as to engage with the grooves 11. At least a part of an inner peripheral part 20s of the coil 20 may be in contact with the grooves 11. The grooves 11 may be formed spirally along a longitudinal direction of the braided body 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medical tube, and more particularly to a medical tube used in a medical device such as a catheter. [Background technology]

[0002] Catheters are used to treat or examine lesions such as stenosis and obstruction in tubular organs of the human body, such as blood vessels and digestive organs. Catheters are required to have various mechanical properties to improve operability. Examples of the main mechanical properties required for catheters include kink resistance (resistance to twisting) and flexibility. Conventionally, a catheter tube has been known that includes a braided body formed into a cylindrical shape by braiding metallic wires having mechanical strength, and a coil body provided so as to cover the braided body (see, for example, FIG. 8 of Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-146968 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In catheter tubes that have a structure that combines a braided body and a coiled body, the double structure of the braided body and the coiled body makes the entire tube thicker. Therefore, although the kink resistance of the tube is improved, there is a problem that the flexibility is reduced. Since there is a trade-off between kink resistance and flexibility, it has been difficult to achieve both until now.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a medical tube that is suitable for achieving both kink resistance and flexibility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, firstly, the present invention provides a medical tube comprising a braided body having a cylindrical shape and a coil body covering an outer periphery of the braided body, the braided body having a groove portion provided on the outer periphery, and the coil body being arranged so as to engage with the groove portion (Invention 1).

[0007] According to this invention (Invention 1), the braided body has a groove provided on its outer periphery, which improves flexibility, and the coil body is arranged to engage with the groove of the braided body, which improves kink resistance. Thus, this invention (Invention 1) is suitable for achieving both kink resistance and flexibility.

[0008] In the above invention (Invention 1), it is preferable that at least a part of the inner periphery of the coil body contacts the groove (Invention 2).

[0009] According to this invention (Invention 2), the kink resistance can be further improved.

[0010] In the above inventions (Inventions 1 and 2), it is preferable that the groove is formed in a spiral shape along the longitudinal direction of the braided body (Invention 3).

[0011] According to this invention (Invention 3), it is possible to further improve kink resistance and flexibility.

[0012] In the above inventions (Inventions 1-3), the braided body includes a first metallic material and the coil body includes a second metallic material, and the first metallic material may be different from the second metallic material (Invention 4).

[0013] According to this invention (Invention 4), various rigidities can be imparted to the medical tube.

[0014] In the above invention (Invention 1-4), the groove located on the tip side of the braided body may be filled with a resin material (Invention 5).

[0015] According to this invention (Invention 5), it is possible to further improve the flexibility of the distal end side of the medical tubing while ensuring kink resistance. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, the braided body has a groove provided on its outer periphery, thereby improving flexibility, and the coil body is arranged so as to engage with the groove of the braided body, thereby improving kink resistance. Thus, the present invention is suitable for achieving both kink resistance and flexibility. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of a medical tube according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a braided body. [Diagram 3] 13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of a medical tube according to a modified example. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and the described embodiment is merely an example for explaining the technical features of the present invention. Furthermore, the shapes and dimensions shown in each drawing are shown only to facilitate understanding of the contents of the present invention, and do not accurately reflect the actual shapes and dimensions.

[0019] In this specification, the term "distal side" refers to the direction along the axial direction of the medical tube, for example, the direction in which a catheter using the medical tube advances toward a target site. The term "base end side" refers to the direction along the axial direction of the catheter, for example, the direction opposite to the distal side. Furthermore, the term "distal end" refers to the distal end of any member or site, and the term "base end" refers to the proximal end of any member or site. In the longitudinal cross-sectional views shown below, the left side of the figure is the "distal side" that is inserted into the body, and the right side is the "base side" that is operated by the operator.

[0020] [Medical tubing] Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the schematic structure of a medical tube 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The medical tube 100 according to this embodiment includes a cylindrical braided body 10 and a coil body 20 covering an outer periphery 10s of the braided body 10. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the schematic structure of the braided body 10. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the braided body 10 has a groove portion 11 provided in the outer periphery 10s. The coil body 20 is arranged so as to engage with the groove portion 11.

[0021] In medical tubing 100, coil body 20 is arranged so as to engage with groove portion 11 of braided body 10, thereby preventing the overall thickness from increasing. According to medical tubing 100, braided body 10 has groove portion 11 provided in outer circumferential portion 10s, which makes the portion having groove portion 11 easier to bend, thereby improving flexibility. In addition, coil body 20, which is arranged so as to engage with groove portion 11 of braided body 10, imparts rigidity, thereby improving kink resistance. In this way, medical tubing 100 is suitable for achieving both kink resistance and flexibility.

[0022] 2, the braided body 10 is a member having a long cylindrical shape extending along the axial direction X. The braided body 10 is formed into a cylindrical shape by braiding a plurality of elemental wires 12. The braided body 10 may have a mesh-like structure in which the plurality of elemental wires 12 are braided so as to cross each other.

[0023] The wire 12 may be, for example, a solid wire or a stranded wire having a structure in which a plurality of strands are twisted together.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the coil body 20 is a member having a long cylindrical shape extending along the axial direction X. The coil body 20 is formed into a cylindrical shape by winding the wire 21 in a spiral shape. The coil body 20 may be a single wire coil (single wire coil) in which one wire 21 is tightly wound, or may be a multi-wire coil in which a plurality of wires 21 are arranged to form a strip and then tightly wound. That is, the number of wires 21 constituting the coil body 20 is not particularly limited. A multi-wire coil tends to have better rotational properties than a single wire coil. The coil body 20 may be a multi-wire coil. When the coil body 20 is a multi-wire coil, the number of wires 21 constituting the coil body 20 may be, for example, six.

[0025] The wire 21 may be, for example, a solid wire or a stranded wire having a structure in which a plurality of strands are twisted together.

[0026] The groove portion 11 provided in the outer circumferential portion 10s of the braided body 10 may be formed by removing or notching a portion of the wire 12, or may be formed by deforming a portion of the wire 12 in the direction of the axis X.

[0027] In medical tubing 100, it is preferable that at least a portion of inner periphery 20s of coil body 20 contacts groove portion 11. With such a structure, coil body 20 is more likely to exhibit kink resistance. Therefore, the kink resistance of medical tubing 100 can be further improved.

[0028] It is preferable that groove 11 is formed in a spiral shape along the longitudinal direction of braided body 10. Such a structure allows braided body 10 to exhibit greater flexibility. In addition, since wires 21 of coil body 20 can be engaged with spiral groove 11, coil body 20 is more likely to exhibit kink resistance. This allows medical tubing 100 to have greater kink resistance and flexibility.

[0029] It is more preferable that the wires 21 of the coil body 20 are arranged so as to engage with the spiral grooves 11. In other words, it is more preferable that the pitch of the grooves 11 of the braided body 10 and the pitch of the wires 21 of the coil body 20 are the same width. With such a structure, the kink resistance and flexibility of the medical tubing 100 can be further improved.

[0030] A metal material can be used for the wires 12 of the braided body 10 and the wires 21 of the coil body 20. That is, the braided body 10 and the coil body 20 may contain a metal material. Examples of metal materials include stainless steels such as SUS304 and SUS316, platinum, tungsten, and resin materials such as reinforced plastics.

[0031] The metal material contained in the braided body 10 may be the same as or different from the metal material contained in the coil body 20. When the metal material contained in the braided body 10 is different from the metal material contained in the coil body 20, a variety of rigidities can be imparted to the medical tubing 100. Therefore, excellent rigidity can be imparted to the medical tubing 100, despite the overall thin-walled structure.

[0032] For example, the rigidity of the metal material contained in the coil body 20 may be greater than the rigidity of the metal material contained in the braided body 10. This may adjust the rigidity imparted to the medical tubing 100. The rigidity of the metal material contained in the braided body 10 may be greater than the rigidity of the metal material contained in the coil body 20.

[0033] A resin material may also be used for the wires 21 of the coil body 20. As the resin material, engineering plastics are preferable, and among them, those called super engineering plastics, such as polyaryl ketone resins (PEK, PEEK, PEKK, PEEKK), polyarylene sulfone resins (PPS, etc.), polyimide (PI), polyetherimide (PEI), polyamideimide (PAI), etc. are preferable.

[0034] A resin material may be used for the wires 12 of the braided body 10, and a metal material may be used for the wires 21 of the coil body 20. This may allow the rigidity imparted to the medical tubing 100 to be adjusted.

[0035] In general, the rigidity of a solid wire is higher than that of a stranded wire. For example, stranded wire may be used as the wires 12 of the braided body 10, and solid wire may be used as the wires 21 of the coil body 20. This allows the rigidity imparted to the medical tubing 100 to be adjusted. A solid wire may be used as the wires 12 of the braided body 10, and stranded wire may be used as the wires 21 of the coil body 20.

[0036] When the wires 12 and / or the wires 21 are solid wires, the diameter thereof may be, for example, about 0.15 mm. When the wires 12 and / or the wires 21 are stranded wires, the stranded wires may be formed by twisting together, for example, seven strands each having a diameter of about 0.05 mm.

[0037] The coil body 20 may be disposed continuously from the base end to the tip end of the braided body 10. In other words, the entire length of the coil body 20 and the entire length of the braided body 10 may be the same.

[0038] The coil body 20 does not have to be disposed continuously from the base end to the tip end of the braided body 10. In other words, the overall length of the coil body 20 may be shorter than the overall length of the braided body 10.

[0039] [Manufacturing method for medical tubes] Next, a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned medical tube 100 will be described.

[0040] The manufacturing method for medical tubing 100 includes the steps of braiding a plurality of wires 12 into a cylindrical shape to obtain a pre-braided body (Step 1), forming grooves 11 on the outer periphery of the pre-braided body to obtain braided body 10 (Step 2), and arranging coil body 20 so that it engages with grooves 11 to obtain tube body (medical tubing) 100 (Step 3). According to this manufacturing method, a medical tubing 100 that is suitable for achieving both kink resistance and flexibility can be manufactured.

[0041] In step 1, a pre-braid is formed by braiding a plurality of wires 12 into a cylindrical shape. The pre-braid may have a mesh-like structure in which the plurality of wires 12 are braided so as to cross each other.

[0042] The pre-braid may be formed on the outer periphery of an elongated core that may serve as the shaft of a guidewire. The outer periphery of the core may be coated with a PTFE resin.

[0043] In step 2, grooves 11 are formed on the outer periphery of the pre-braided body. The grooves may be formed by cutting such as laser processing or polishing, wet etching such as electrochemical etching or chemical etching, or dry etching such as photoetching. By using wet etching or dry etching, grooves 11 can be easily formed on the outer periphery of the pre-braided body.

[0044] In step 2, it is preferable to form a groove 11 in a spiral shape along the longitudinal direction of the pre-braided body.

[0045] In step 3, the coil body 20 is positioned so that it engages with the groove portion 11. This results in a tube body (medical tube) 100. In step 3, it is preferable to position the coil body 20 so that at least a portion of the inner peripheral portion 20s of the coil body 20 contacts the groove portion 11. By positioning the coil body 20 in this manner, the kink resistance and flexibility of the resulting medical tube 100 can be improved.

[0046] In step 3, it is preferable to arrange coil body 20 while spirally winding wire 21 so as to engage with groove portion 11. By arranging coil body 20 in this manner, the kink resistance and flexibility of the resulting medical tubing 100 can be further improved.

[0047] (Modification) 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of a modified medical tube 101. The modified medical tube 101 has the same structure as the above-described medical tube 100, except that groove 11 located on the distal end side of braided body 10 is filled with resin material 30. Therefore, elements common to medical tube 100 will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0048] In medical tubing 101 according to the modified example, stress is easily alleviated by resin material 30 filled in grooves 11 at the tip side of braided body 10, so flexibility can be improved while ensuring kink resistance. Furthermore, resin material 30 can improve surface properties such as lubricity against the inner walls of tubular organs such as blood vessels at the tip side of medical tubing 101.

[0049] The range of the groove portion 11 on the tip side of the braid 10 filled with the resin material 30 can be appropriately set as necessary.

[0050] The resin material 30 may be continuously filled in the grooves 11 located on the tip side of the braided body 10, and the coil body 20 may be continuously arranged in the grooves 11 located on the base end side of the braided body 10. The coil body 20 may be continuously arranged in the grooves 11 other than the grooves 11 located on the tip side of the braided body 10. In other words, the resin material 30 and the coil body 20 may be continuously arranged from the base end to the tip of the braided body 10.

[0051] The resin material 30 may be formed of a hydrophobic resin material, a hydrophilic resin material, or a mixture thereof. Examples of the hydrophobic resin material include silicone resin, polyurethane, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, polypropylene, polyamide, polystyrene, polyolefin elastomer, polyester elastomer, polyamide elastomer, and polyurethane elastomer. Examples of the hydrophilic resin material include starch-based materials such as carboxymethyl starch, cellulose-based materials such as carboxymethyl cellulose, polysaccharides such as alginic acid, chitin, chitosan, and hyaluronic acid, natural water-soluble polymeric materials such as gelatin, and synthetic water-soluble polymeric materials such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and water-soluble nylon. When a hydrophilic resin material is used, it becomes swollen when it contains water, and therefore the slipperiness and the prevention of thrombus adhesion can be improved compared to a hydrophobic resin material.

[0052] A medical tube 101 according to this modified example can be manufactured by filling the grooves 11 located on the distal end side of the braided body 10 with resin material 30 in the manufacturing method for medical tube 100 described above.

[0053] Although the catheter according to the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and various modifications can be made. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 100,101 Medical tube 10 Braid body 10s outer periphery 11 Groove 12 Wire 20 Coil body 20s inner circumference 21 Wire 30 Resin materials X-axis direction

Claims

1. A braid having a cylindrical shape; A coil body covering an outer periphery of the braided body, The braid has a groove provided on the outer circumferential portion, The medical tubing, wherein the coil body is positioned so as to engage with the groove portion.

2. The medical tubing according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of an inner periphery of the coil body is in contact with the groove.

3. The medical tubing according to claim 1 , wherein the groove is formed in a spiral shape along the longitudinal direction of the braided body.

4. the braid includes a first metallic material; the coil body includes a second metallic material; The medical tubing of claim 1 , wherein the first metallic material is different from the second metallic material.

5. The medical tubing according to claim 1 , wherein the groove located on the distal end side of the braided body is filled with a resin material.

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