CN110664523B

CN110664523B - Conveyor for conveying interventional medical instruments

Info

Publication number: CN110664523B
Application number: CN201810716154.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张军强
Original assignee: Lifetech Scientific Shenzhen Co Ltd
Current assignee: Lifetech Scientific Shenzhen Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-07-03
Filing date: 2018-07-03
Publication date: 2022-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-03
Also published as: CN110664523A

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveyor for conveying interventional medical instruments, which comprises a guide rod and a sliding handle sleeved on the guide rod, wherein the guide rod is provided with a cavity and at least one opening in the axial direction, the at least one opening is communicated with the cavity of the guide rod, at least one supporting piece is arranged in the cavity of the guide rod, the supporting piece provides radial support for the circumferential direction of the guide rod, and one part of the supporting piece penetrates through the opening of the guide rod and is connected with the sliding handle. The invention solves the problem that when the guide rod is deformed by radial extrusion, the gap between the guide rod and the sliding handle is enlarged, and the guide rod is easy to clamp surgical articles such as clothes, gloves, bed sheets and the like of an operator.

Description

Conveyor for conveying interventional medical instruments

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of interventional medical instruments, in particular to a conveyor for conveying interventional medical instruments.

Background

The aorta of the human body is divided into ascending aorta, aortic arch, descending aorta of the chest and abdominal aorta. Due to various pathological changes, such as inflammation, ulcer, etc., aortic intima or vessel wall injury can be caused, and aneurysm diseases are easy to occur under the action of blood flow impact. Once an aneurysm ruptures, a large amount of blood will flow out of the blood vessel, which can cause shock or death in the patient when the blood volume circulating in the patient is not sufficiently available.

For the treatment of aneurysm diseases, surgical treatment and drug treatment are common. The current treatment mode is mainly surgical treatment, and the traditional surgical treatment is open surgery, namely, after blood circulation outside a building body is built, aneurysmal lesion blood vessels are cut off, and then artificial blood vessels are connected with the blood vessels to realize normal circulation of arterial blood. Because the traditional mode of treating the aneurysm disease by the operation is adopted, the operation risk is high, the injury to the human body is large, and the recovery needs a long time after the operation, and the large physical injury is particularly caused to the physically weak people such as the old and the children.

In recent years, the use of interventional therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases has become a trend. With the continuous development of interventional technology, the advantages of using a covered stent for treating aortic aneurysm and arterial dissection diseases are prominent day by day, the covered stent is an artificial blood vessel which is adaptive to the size of the blood vessel and mainly comprises a covering membrane and a stent for supporting the covering membrane, the covering membrane is generally made of terylene or e-PTFE membrane, and the supporting stent is mainly woven by stainless steel wires or nickel-titanium alloy wires. When the covered stent is conveyed to a lesion part for treatment by using a conveyor, the stent is firstly compressed into a sheath tube of the conveyor, a blood vessel is generally punctured at the femoral artery or the iliac artery position, a guide wire is utilized to establish a track, the conveyor establishes a conveying path through the iliac artery, the abdominal aorta, the thoracic aorta, the aortic arch and the ascending aorta, the conveying path is further conveyed to a lesion designated position, then the stent is released, the stent is unfolded and tightly attached to the wall of an aneurysm, the blood flow and the lesion part are isolated by the covering film of the stent, the impact of the blood flow on the aneurysm wall of the lesion part is eliminated, a normal channel of blood circulation is reestablished, and finally the guide wire and the conveyor are withdrawn, so that the intervention treatment of the aneurysm and an arterial interlayer is realized.

The interventional therapy method adopting the covered stent has low cost, short treatment period and small wound to a human body, thereby gradually becoming the mainstream for treating the aortic aneurysm disease. The delivery device of the covered stent plays an important role in the interventional treatment process of the covered stent. However, most of the existing conveyors have poor toughness of the guide rod and are provided with the elongated opening in the axial direction, when the guide rod is radially extruded in the using process, the guide rod is radially contracted or two sides of the opening of the guide rod are deformed towards the inside of the opening, so that a gap between the guide rod and the sliding handle is enlarged, and surgical articles such as clothes, gloves and bed sheets of an operator are easily clamped into the gap between the sliding handle and the guide rod in the clinical operation process, thereby affecting the operation of a clinician, and even possibly causing clinical failure.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new conveyor for conveying interventional medical devices, which is easy to deform when the guide rod of the conveyor is radially pressed, and further, the gap between the sliding handle and the guide rod is increased, so that the conveyor is easy to clamp surgical articles such as clothes, gloves and bed sheets of an operator.

The utility model provides a conveyer for carrying intervene medical instrument, includes that guide arm and cover are located sliding handle on the guide arm, the guide arm is equipped with a cavity and the axial is equipped with at least one opening, at least one opening with the cavity intercommunication of guide arm be equipped with at least one support piece in the cavity of guide arm, support piece is right the circumference lateral wall of guide arm provides radial support, support piece partly passes the guide arm the opening and with sliding handle connects.

In one embodiment, the support member includes a support portion with a hollow interior and at least one protrusion, the at least one protrusion is connected to the outside of the support portion, the difference between the inner diameter of the guide rod and the outer diameter of the support portion is [0.05,0.20] mm, and one end of the at least one protrusion, which is far away from the support portion, penetrates through the opening of the guide rod and is connected with the sliding handle.

In one embodiment, the device further comprises a sheath tube connected with the support.

In one embodiment, the axial length of the support is less than or equal to the axial length of the sliding handle.

In one embodiment, two rib plates are arranged inside the sliding handle, and the bulge is clamped between the two rib plates.

In one embodiment, the support member is fixedly disposed at a proximal end and/or a distal end of the sliding handle.

In one embodiment, the thickness of the protrusion is less than or equal to the width of the opening of the guide bar.

In one embodiment, a boss is arranged at one end of the protrusion, and the radial length of the boss is smaller than that of the protrusion.

In one embodiment, two protrusions are arranged on the supporting part, and the two protrusions are symmetrically arranged around the supporting part.

In one embodiment, one end of the protrusion, which is far away from the supporting part, is provided with a protruding part.

According to the conveyor for conveying the interventional medical instrument, the at least one supporting piece is arranged in the cavity of the guide rod and can provide radial support for the circumferential side wall of the guide rod, so that when the part, overlapped with the sliding handle, of the guide rod is radially extruded, the supporting piece inside the guide rod can provide enough radial supporting force for the guide rod, the guide rod is prevented from being radially stressed and deformed, and the problems that when the guide rod is radially extruded and deformed, the gap between the guide rod and the sliding handle is enlarged, and surgical articles such as clothes, gloves and bed sheets of an operator can be easily clamped are solved.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the structure of a conveyor according to embodiment 1;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the slide handle of the carrier of embodiment 1 in the axial direction of the guide rod;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sliding handle of the transporter of embodiment 1 taken along the axial direction of the guide at another viewing angle;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the structure of a support of the conveyor of embodiment 1;

FIG. 5 is another schematic structural view of a support of the conveyor of embodiment 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the sliding handle of the delivery apparatus of embodiment 2 in the axial direction of the guide rod;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the structure of a support of the conveyor of embodiment 2;

FIG. 8 is another schematic structural view of a support of the conveyor of embodiment 2;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the sliding handle of the delivery apparatus of embodiment 3 in the axial direction of the guide bar;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the structure of a support of the conveyor of embodiment 3;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the sliding handle of the carrying instrument provided with another supporting member of embodiment 3 in the axial direction of the guide rod;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural view of another support of the conveyor of embodiment 3.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the present invention is described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

In the field of interventional medical devices, the end of a medical device implanted in a human or animal body closer to an operator is generally referred to as a proximal end, and the end farther from the operator is generally referred to as a distal end, and the proximal and distal ends of any component of the medical device are defined according to this principle.

The technical solution of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to specific examples.

Example 1

Example 1 provides a medical delivery device that can be used to deliver and release interventional medical devices such as stents. In the present embodiment, the structure of the conveyor is described in detail by taking the stent as an example, but the conveyor is not limited to conveying only the stent. Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the transporter 100 includes a sheath core tube 110, a push rod 120, a sheath tube 130, a guide rod 140, and a tip 150 disposed at the distal end of the sheath core tube 110, which are coaxially sleeved from the inside to the outside, and further includes a fixed handle 160 connected to the distal end of the guide rod 140, and a sliding handle 170 sleeved on the guide rod 140; the guide rod 140 has a cavity (not shown) and at least one opening 141 in an axial direction, each opening 141 is communicated with the cavity of the guide rod 140, at least one supporting member 180 is disposed in the cavity of the guide rod 140, the supporting member 180 provides radial support to a circumferential side wall of the guide rod 140, and a portion of the supporting member 180 passes through the opening 141 of the guide rod 140 and is connected to the sliding handle 170.

Specifically, referring to fig. 2-4 together, the supporting member 180 includes a supporting portion 181 with a hollow interior and two protrusions 182, each protrusion 182 is connected to the outside of the supporting portion 181, preferably, two symmetrical openings 141 are provided on the guide rod 140, two protrusions 182 are correspondingly provided on the supporting member 180, and the two protrusions 182 are symmetrically disposed around the supporting portion 181, such two protrusions 182 are similar to two side wings of the supporting portion 181. The outer diameter (the diameter of the circumscribed circle) of the supporting portion 181 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter (the diameter of the inscribed circle) of the guide rod 140, specifically, the difference between the inner diameter of the guide rod 140 and the outer diameter of the supporting portion 181 is in the range of [0.05,0.20] mm, preferably, 0.1 mm, the circumferential direction of the supporting portion 181 provides radial support for the circumferential side wall of the guide rod 140, and one end of each protrusion 182, which is far away from the supporting portion 181, passes through the opening 141 of the guide rod 140 and is connected with the sliding handle 170. In the following description, the term "connected" in any of the embodiments means directly connected or indirectly connected.

The TIP 150 and the sheath core tube 110 are both components with the centers in cavities, the TIP 150 can be a TIP, and the TIP 150 and the distal end of the sheath core tube 110 are fixed together to be used as a guide wire channel, so as to ensure that the conveyor 100 threaded with the guide wire can smoothly enter the blood vessel under the guide of the guide wire. The push rod 120 is a tubular member, the axial position of the push rod 120 and the sheath core tube 110 is relatively static, and the inner diameter of the push rod 120 is larger than the outer diameter of the sheath core tube 110. When the sheath/core tube 110 is axially slid, the push rod 120 is synchronously moved together with the sheath/core tube 110. It is understood that in other embodiments, the pusher rod 120 may be axially movable along the guide rod 140 relative to the sheath/core barrel 110, depending on the actual medical device to be delivered.

The sheath 130 is a member that is fitted around the outer edge of the push rod 120 and can slide axially relative to the push rod 120. When the distal end of the sheath tube 130 contacts the proximal end of the tip 150, the sheath tube 130, the sheath core tube 110 and the distal end face of the push rod 120 are matched to form a space for accommodating a stent (not shown), the proximal end of the stent abuts against the distal end face of the push rod 120, and the distal end face of the push rod 120 plays a role in limiting the axial movement of the stent in the stent release process. Since the distal end of the guide bar 140 is fixedly connected to the fixed handle 160, and the sliding handle 170 is sleeved on the guide bar 140, the sliding handle 170 can move axially along the guide bar 140 relative to the fixed handle 160. When the sliding handle 170 is drawn toward the fixed handle 160, a part of the sheath/core tube 110 between the push rod 120 and the tip 150 is exposed outside the push rod 120, and the exposed length is the effective length of the compressed stent, i.e. the maximum distance of the sliding handle 170 moving away from the fixed handle 160. When the sliding handle 170 is pulled proximally, the sheath 130 is withdrawn and the stent is released to open by losing the constraint of the sheath 130.

The stationary handle 160 is a housing structure that is a stationary part of the delivery device 100 and is intended to facilitate the grip of the clinician during the clinical procedure, thereby maintaining the delivery device 100 in a stable position as a whole. The sheath/core tube 110 and the push rod 120 penetrate the fixed handle 160 and the sliding handle 170. Guide rods 140 are a guide mechanism for the axial release of the stent, with the distal end fixed within stationary handle 160 and the proximal end extending out from sliding handle 170. The sliding handle 170 is sleeved on the guide rod 140, the guide rod 140 is hollow to form a cavity, the outer surface of the guide rod 140 is provided with at least one elongated opening 141 along the length direction (i.e. axial direction), and the openings 141 are all communicated with the cavity of the guide rod 140. The sliding handle 170 is fixedly connected to the proximal end of the sheath 130 through a sheath joint 131, the sheath joint 131 penetrates out of the opening 141 of the guide rod 140, and has one end fixedly connected to the proximal end of the sheath 130 and the other end connected to the sliding handle 170. The proximal end of the sheath 130 is fixed within the sliding handle 170 and the distal end thereof protrudes from the fixed handle 160. The sliding handle 170 slides along the guide rod 140 in the axial direction to drive the sheath 130 and the sheath joint 131 to slide synchronously, so that the stent is released and opened by withdrawing the sheath 130.

In another embodiment, the proximal end of the sheath 130 is connected to the support 180 instead of the sheath connector 131, so as to simplify the internal structure of the transporter 100 and save the material consumption. Since the support member 180 is directly or indirectly connected to the sliding handle 170 and both of them can move synchronously along the axial direction of the guide rod 140 (i.e. they do not move relatively), the sheath joint 131 functions to fix the proximal end of the sheath 130 inside the sliding handle 170, so that the sheath 130 and the sliding handle 170 can move synchronously along the axial direction of the guide rod 140, and therefore, the proximal end of the sheath 130 and the support member 180 are fixedly connected to realize the synchronous movement of the sheath 130 and the sliding handle 170 along the axial direction of the guide rod 140. For example, the proximal end of the sheath 130 may be connected to the distal end or the proximal end of the supporting member 180, or may be connected to any position inside the supporting member 180, without limitation, as long as the proximal end of the sheath 130 can be fixedly connected to the supporting member 180 without affecting other components.

In this embodiment, at least two rib plates 171 are disposed inside the sliding handle 170, and the distal end and the proximal end of the same protrusion 182 are respectively connected to the two rib plates 171, that is, the same protrusion 182 is sandwiched between the two rib plates 171, so that the supporting member 180 and the sliding handle 170 can be more easily and fixedly connected by the plurality of rib plates 171, and the two can move synchronously along the axial direction of the guide rod 140. It is understood that the sheath joint 131 may also enable the sheath 130 and the sliding handle 170 to move synchronously along the axial direction of the guide rod 140 through the direct or indirect connection with the rib plate 171. In this embodiment, each protrusion 182 is clamped between two adjacent rib plates 171, and the two mutually matched rib plates 171 of the sliding handle 170 are enough to firmly clamp the corresponding protrusion 182 on the sliding handle 170. In another embodiment, the distal end and the proximal end of the protrusion 182 are fixedly connected to the two rib plates 171 of the sliding handle 170, respectively. In another embodiment, if the sliding handle is not provided with the rib plate 171, an end of the protrusion 182 far from the supporting portion 181 may be directly connected to an inner wall of the sliding handle 170, thereby fixedly connecting the supporter 180 with the sliding handle 170.

One or more supporting members 180 may be disposed inside the guide bar 140, the number and the disposition positions of the protrusions 182 on each supporting member 180 may be determined according to the number and the disposition positions of the openings 141 on the guide bar 140, and the total number of the protrusions 182 on each supporting member 180 is smaller than or equal to the total number of the openings 141 on the guide bar 140, and each protrusion 182 needs to be able to pass through the corresponding opening 141 on the guide bar 140 from the inside of the guide bar 140.

The support 180 may be disposed at the proximal and/or distal end of the sliding handle 170. In this embodiment, a supporting member 180 is disposed at each of the proximal end and the distal end of the sliding handle 170, so that when the portion of the guide bar 140 overlapping the sliding handle 170 is radially compressed, the supporting portion 181 inside the guide bar 140 can provide enough radial supporting force to the guide bar 140, thereby preventing the guide bar 140 from being radially deformed, and thus solving the problem that when the guide bar 140 is radially compressed and deformed, the gap between the guide bar 140 and the sliding handle 170 is enlarged, and the surgical objects such as clothes, gloves, and sheets of an operator can be easily clamped.

The supporting portion 181 may have a ring-shaped structure or a polygonal structure with a hollow interior, and the shape is not limited herein. The circumferential length of the outer surface of the support portion 181 is less than or equal to the circumferential length of the inner surface of the guide bar 140. In this embodiment, the circumferential length of the outer surface of the supporting portion 181 is slightly smaller than the circumferential length of the inner surface of the guide bar 140, and the supporting portion 181 is a circumferentially closed ring structure, so that the area of the outer surface of the supporting portion 181 is the largest, and the supporting portion 181 can be ensured to smoothly move synchronously with the axial movement of the sliding handle 170. It is understood that, along the axial direction, a part of the circumferential length of the outer surface of the supporting portion 181 may be smaller than the circumferential length of the inner surface of the guide bar 140, or all the circumferential lengths may be smaller than the circumferential length of the inner surface of the guide bar 140, as long as the circumferential length of the supporting portion 181 is sufficient to support the radial compression of the guide bar 140 without deforming it, thereby reducing the weight of the supporting member 180.

The diameter of the inscribed circle of the cavity of the supporting portion 181 disposed at the proximal end of the sliding handle 170 is greater than the outer diameter of the push rod 120, and the diameter of the inscribed circle of the cavity of the supporting portion 181 disposed at the distal end of the sliding handle 170 is greater than the outer diameter of the sheath 130, so that it can be ensured that the support member 180 does not slide unsmoothly when sliding along the axial direction of the guide rod 140 along with the sliding handle 170.

One end of the protrusion 182, which is far away from the supporting portion 181, protrudes out of the opening 141 of the guide rod 140, and the thickness of the protrusion 182 (i.e., the length perpendicular to the axial direction of the opening 141) is smaller than or equal to the width of the opening 141 of the guide rod 140. In this embodiment, one end of the protrusion 182, which is far away from the supporting portion 181, protrudes out of the opening 141 of the guide bar 140 to be capable of being connected with the sliding handle 170, and the thickness of the protrusion 182 is slightly smaller than the width of the opening 141 of the guide bar 140, so that when the portion of the guide bar 140, which is adjacent to the opening 141, is radially pressed, the protrusion 182 can also provide enough support to both sides of the opening 141 of the guide bar 140, thereby keeping the width of the opening 141 of the guide bar 140 almost unchanged. In another embodiment, referring to fig. 5, one end of the protrusion 182 away from the supporting portion 181 is provided with a protrusion 183, and the shape of the protrusion 183 is not limited as long as the contact area between the protrusion 182 and the inside of the sliding handle 170 can be increased, thereby enhancing the connection between the protrusion 182 and the sliding handle 170. In addition, the length of the projection 182 from the end connected to the support 181 to the portion intersecting the projection 183 is slightly longer than the radial length of the opening 141 of the guide bar 140, avoiding influence on the slide handle 170 when moving in the axial direction.

Example 2

The same parts of the conveyor 200 of embodiment 2 and the conveyor 100 of embodiment 1 are not described again, but the difference between them is that one end of the protrusion 282 of the conveyor 200 is provided with a boss 284, please refer to fig. 6-8, the radial length of the boss 284 is smaller than that of the protrusion 282, preferably, the radial length of the boss 284 is not larger than that of the opening 241 of the guide rod 240, so that the boss 284 does not affect the axial movement of the sliding handle 270. When the supporter 280 is disposed at the proximal or distal end of the sliding handle 270, the protrusion 282 passes through the opening 241 of the guide 240 and is connected to the adjacent two rib plates 271, and at the same time, one end of the boss 284, which is far from the support 281, abuts against an edge portion of the inner side of the case at the proximal or distal end of the sliding handle 270, thereby giving a certain radial supporting force to both ends of the case of the sliding handle 270.

Example 3

The same parts of the delivery device 300 of embodiment 3 as the delivery device 100 of embodiment 1 will not be described again, and reference is made to fig. 9-10, wherein the difference between the axial length of the support member 380 of the delivery device 300 and the axial length of the sliding handle 370 is slightly smaller, that is, the difference between the axial length of the sliding handle 370 and the axial length of the support member 380 is about the sum of the axial thicknesses of the proximal housing end 372 and the distal housing end 372 of the housing of the sliding handle 370. Only one support 380 is provided inside the guide 340, and the axial length of the support 380 (i.e., the axial length of the support 381) corresponds to the axial length of the slide handle 370. At this time, the proximal end of the sheath may be directly connected to the support member 380 without limitation to the connection position, without using a sheath joint.

It is understood that in another embodiment, a boss as described in embodiment 2 may be provided on the projection 382 of the support member 380. Referring to fig. 11-12, a protrusion 383 may be disposed at an end of the protrusion 382 of the support 380 away from the support 381. The shape of the protrusion 383 is not limited as long as the contact area between the protrusion 382 and the inside of the slide handle 370 can be increased, and the connection between the protrusion 382 and the slide handle 370 can be further enhanced. Further, the length of the projection 382 from the end connected to the support portion 381 to the portion intersecting with the protrusion 383 is slightly longer than the radial length of the opening 341 of the guide bar 340, avoiding influence on the sliding handle 370 in the axial movement.

In another embodiment, an opening may be provided in the circumferential direction of the support portion 381, so that the sheath joint can be connected to the sliding handle 370 through the opening of the support portion 381 and the opening of the guide 340 in turn, thereby connecting the proximal end of the sheath to the sliding handle 370. The position of the opening on the support portion 381 for cooperating with the sheath fitting may be disposed at the proximal end or the distal end of the support portion 381, or at any other position between the proximal end and the distal end different from the position of the protrusion 382. When the opening in the support portion 381 is disposed at the proximal end of the support portion 381, the sheath fitting connects the sheath to the sliding handle 370 at the proximal end of the sliding handle 370.

In the transporter 300 of this embodiment, the axial length of the supporting portion 381 is equivalent to the axial length of the sliding handle 370, so that the supporting portion 381 can provide enough supporting force to the guide rod 340 covered by the sliding handle 370, so that when the sliding handle 370 moves along the axial direction of the guide rod 340, the guide rod 340 engaged with the sliding handle 370 is not deformed by radial extrusion, thereby solving the problem that when the guide rod 340 is deformed by radial extrusion, the gap between the guide rod 340 and the sliding handle 370 is enlarged, and the surgical objects such as clothes, gloves, bed sheets of the operator are easily clamped.

The technical features of the embodiments described above may be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the embodiments described above are not described, but should be considered as being within the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention, and these changes and modifications are all within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A conveyer for conveying interventional medical devices comprises a guide rod and a sliding handle sleeved on the guide rod, wherein the guide rod is provided with a cavity, at least one opening is axially formed in the guide rod, the at least one opening is communicated with the cavity of the guide rod, the conveyer is characterized in that at least one supporting piece is arranged in the cavity of the guide rod, the supporting piece radially supports the circumferential side wall of the guide rod, one part of the supporting piece penetrates through the opening of the guide rod and is connected with the sliding handle, the supporting piece comprises a supporting part and at least one protrusion, the supporting part is hollow inside, the at least one protrusion is connected to the outer side of the supporting part, the value range of the difference value between the inner diameter of the guide rod and the outer diameter of the supporting part is [0.05,0.20] millimeter, one end, far away from the supporting part, penetrates through the opening of the guide rod and is connected with the sliding handle, the support part is used for preventing the overlapped part of the guide rod and the sliding handle from being deformed due to radial extrusion.

2. The conveyor of claim 1 further comprising a sheath, wherein said sheath is connected to said support.

3. The conveyor of claim 1, wherein the axial length of said support member is less than or equal to the axial length of said sliding handle.

4. The conveyor according to claim 1, wherein two ribs are provided inside said slide handle, and said protrusion is sandwiched between said two ribs.

5. A delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the support member is fixedly mounted at the proximal and/or distal end of the slidable handle.

6. The conveyor of claim 1 wherein the thickness of said projection is less than or equal to the width of said opening of said guide rod.

7. A conveyor according to claim 6, characterised in that one end of said projection is provided with a boss having a radial length less than the radial length of said projection.

8. A conveyor according to claim 1, wherein two of said projections are provided on said support member and are symmetrically disposed about said support portion.

9. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the end of the projection remote from the support is provided with a projection.