Medical probe

Abstract

To eliminate the need for preparing a large number of probes different in the size (swelling amount) of a swelling part and to select the swelling part of a size fitted to the inner diameter of a blood vessel even after a catheter is inserted into the blood vessel in a medical probe provided with the swelling part at the tip part of a shaft.SOLUTION: A plurality of swelling parts 3 are provided in a row on the axis of the tip part of a shaft 2, and the swelling amount in the radial direction of the plurality of swelling parts 3 is set so that the swelling amount of the swelling part 3 positioned on the most tip side of the shaft 2 becomes the minimum, and the swelling amount is sequentially increased as the swelling part 3 is separated from the tip of the shaft.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of a medical probe having a bulging portion that bulges out in the radial direction at the tip of a flexible shaft. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, medical probes such as a lumen-maintaining catheter for vascular suturing, which has a bulging portion that bulges out radially at the end of a flexible shaft, are known as one type of medical device (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Such medical probes (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "probes") are inserted into blood vessels during surgery and are used to maintain the lumen at the vascular suture site, measure the inner diameter of the blood vessel, measure the position of the stenosis site, stop the blood flow to the anastomosis site, etc. Patent Document 1 describes a probe with one bulging portion formed at the tip of the shaft, and Patent Document 2 describes a probe with one bulging portion formed at each end of the shaft. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6469814 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 1992 / 19161 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When performing procedures such as vascular suturing using the aforementioned medical probe, it is necessary to use a probe with a bulging portion of a size (amount of radial bulging) that matches the inner diameter of the blood vessel. However, because the probe described in Patent Document 1 has only one bulging portion, a large number of probes with bulging portions of different sizes must be prepared, and the probe with the matching bulging portion size must be selected from among these many probes. This requires preparing a large number of probes with bulging portions of different sizes. Furthermore, it may be found that the selected size does not fit after being inserted into the blood vessel. In such cases, the inserted probe must be removed from the blood vessel and a probe of a different size must be reinserted, which increases the procedure time. In contrast, the probe described in Patent Document 2 has one bulge at each end of the shaft, which reduces the number of probes that need to be prepared by half. However, if the size of the bulge inserted into the blood vessel does not match, the inserted bulge must be removed from the blood vessel and a bulge of a different size must be reinserted into the blood vessel; this is the problem that the present invention aims to solve. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention was created in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances and with the aim of solving these problems. The invention of claim 1 is a medical probe having a bulge portion at the tip of a flexible shaft that bulges radially along the shaft, wherein the bulge portion is arranged in a line on the axis of the tip of the shaft, and the radial bulge amount of these bulge portions is set so that the bulge amount of the bulge portion located closest to the tip of the shaft is the smallest, and the bulge amount of the bulge portion further away from the tip of the shaft becomes gradually larger. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] By using the invention of claim 1, even with a single probe, it is possible to select and use a bulge portion with a bulge amount that suits the inner diameter of the blood vessel and the purpose from among multiple bulge portions with different bulge amounts, and the bulge portion can be selected while the probe is being inserted into the blood vessel, which not only reduces the number of probes that need to be prepared but also minimizes the need to reinsert the probe due to incompatible bulge amounts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medical probe. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the main part of the medical probe. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of use of a medical probe. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of use of a medical probe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a medical probe (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a "probe"), which comprises a flexible, long shaft 2 with a circular cross section, and a plurality of bulging portions 3 provided at the tip of the shaft 2 and bulging in the radial direction of the shaft 2.

[0009] The shaft 2 is solid and made of a flexible material. Specific examples of the material include synthetic resins such as fluororesin, polyurethane, and polypropylene. The shaft 2 may also be multi-layered by coating the outer surface. The total length of the shaft 2 is, for example, approximately 150 mm, but can be any other length.

[0010] The shaft 2 may be provided with appropriate graduations so that the insertion depth into the blood vessel can be easily visually confirmed. Furthermore, the cross section of the shaft 2 does not necessarily have to be circular, and it may be, for example, elliptical or oblong.

[0011] At the tip of the shaft 2, a plurality of bulging portions 3 (in FIGS. 1 to 4, four bulging portions 3A to 3D) are arranged in a row on the axis of the shaft 2 with a slight interval from each other. Each bulging portion 3 bulges in the radial direction of the shaft 2 and has a teardrop shape or an elliptical shape when viewed from the front and a circular shape when viewed from the plan view. However, the amount of bulging in the radial direction of these bulging portions 3 is set such that the amount of bulging of the bulging portion 3 located at the most distal end side of the shaft 2 is the smallest, and the bulging portions 3 away from the tip of the shaft 2 gradually increase in order. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, when four bulging portions 3 are provided, if they are the first, second, third, and fourth bulging portions 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D in order from the tip side of the shaft 2, the outer diameter Da of the first bulging portion 3A at the most distal end side is the smallest, and the outer diameters Db, Dc, Dd increase in order for the second, third, and fourth bulging portions 3B, 3C, 3D (Da < Dd < Dc < Dd).

[0012] The bulging portion 3 may be, for example, injection molded together with the shaft 2 or may be connected to the shaft 2 as a separate member. The material of the bulging portion 3 may be the same as that of the shaft 2 or may be a different material. Further, the shape of the bulging portion 3 is not limited to a teardrop shape or an elliptical shape, and may be spherical or may be a hook shape that bulges only in one direction in the radial direction. However, considering insertion into the blood vessel, a shape that can smoothly insert and remove the stylet 1 without damaging the blood vessel is preferable.

[0013] The bulging portion 3 functions as a support for the blood vessel by being disposed in the lumen near the anastomosis site during vascular anastomosis, allowing only one wall of the blood vessel to be sewn up. When checking for vascular stenosis, the bulging portion 3 abuts against the stenosis site, creating resistance to the insertion of the probe 1 or preventing further insertion. It is also used to stop blood flow to the anastomosis site or to measure the inner diameter of a blood vessel. When used for these purposes, the probe 1 is inserted into the blood vessel from the distal end side of the shaft 2 on which the bulging portion 3 is provided. In this case, one of the multiple bulging portions 3 (first to fourth bulging portions 3A to 3D in this embodiment) provided at the distal end of the shaft 2 can be used, with the bulging portion 3 having the amount of bulging appropriate for the blood vessel's inner diameter and intended use. For example, when anastomosis is performed between a blood vessel X (donor blood vessel) and a blood vessel Y (recipient blood vessel), if the probe 1 is inserted into the blood vessel X to maintain the lumen of the blood vessel X, if the inner diameter of the blood vessel X is small, a bulging portion 3 with a small bulging amount (first bulging portion 3A in FIG. 3) can be used, as shown in Fig. 3, and if the inner diameter of the blood vessel X is large, a bulging portion 3 with a large bulging amount (fourth bulging portion 3D in FIG. 4) can be used, as shown in Fig. 4. In this case, while inserting the probe 1 into the blood vessel X, a bulging portion 3 with a bulging amount that matches the inner diameter of the blood vessel X can be selected.

[0014] In the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the medical probe 1 includes a flexible shaft 2 at its distal end, and a plurality of bulging portions 3 bulging radially along the shaft 2. The bulging portions 3 are arranged in a line on the axial direction of the distal end of the shaft 2. The bulging amounts of the bulging portions 3 are set so that the bulging portion 3 located closest to the distal end of the shaft 2 has the smallest bulging amount, and the bulging portions 3 further away from the distal end of the shaft 2 have successively larger bulging amounts. This allows a single probe 1 to be used by selecting from among a plurality of bulging portions 3 with different bulging amounts the bulging portion 3 with the bulging amount appropriate for the inner diameter of the blood vessel or the intended use. The selection of the bulging portion 3 can be performed while the probe 1 is being inserted into the blood vessel. This reduces the number of probes 1 required before a procedure such as vascular suturing, and minimizes the need to reinsert the probe 1 due to an incompatible bulging amount.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in the above embodiments, particularly to the specific numerical values. For example, the number of bulges provided at the tip of the shaft is four in the above embodiments, but can be any appropriate number greater than or equal to two. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a plurality of bulging portions are provided at the tip end (one end) of the shaft, but a configuration in which a plurality of bulging portions are provided at each of both ends of the shaft is also possible. [Industrial Applicability]

[0016] The present invention can be used in medical probes such as a lumen maintenance catheter for vascular suturing, which maintains the shape of the blood vessel lumen when suturing the blood vessel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0017] 1 Medical probe 2 shafts 3 Bulge

Claims

[Claim 1] A medical probe having a bulge portion at the tip of a flexible shaft that bulges radially along the shaft, wherein the bulge portion is arranged in a line on the axis of the tip of the shaft, and the radial bulge amount of these bulge portions is set so that the bulge amount of the bulge portion located closest to the tip of the shaft is the smallest, and the bulge amount of the bulge portion further away from the tip of the shaft becomes gradually larger.

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