JP2010233682A - Catheter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a catheter with a flange which alleviates the burden of treatment when it is taken out from a living body. <P>SOLUTION: The catheter 1 at least the end 4 of which is introduced into the living body includes: a slender conduit 2; the flange 3 which is arranged in the middle of the conduit 2; and a fitting part 11 which can separate the catheter 1 into a conduit fixing part 3B as a first part including the whole conduit 2 and a living body fixing part 3A as a second part including at least a part of the flange 3 in response to specific operations of the conduit 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a catheter having at least a distal end portion inserted into a living body, and more particularly to a catheter having a flange fixed to a living tissue in the middle of the catheter.

  Some catheters that are used with at least the distal end portion inserted into a living body have a flange in the middle of the catheter. In such a catheter, the position of the catheter in the living body can be stabilized by fixing the flange to the living tissue. As a method of fixing the flange to the living tissue, for example, adhesion by stitching, stapling, fibrin glue or the like has been performed.

JP-A-8-299448

  By the way, if the flange of the flanged catheter is fixed to the living tissue, when the catheter is extracted from the living body, a treatment for separating the flange from the living body surface (skin, organ surface, etc.) to which the flange is attached is necessary. Become. Further, when the flange is fixed on the surface of the internal organ, a further laparotomy technique is required.

  However, there is a demand for reducing the above-described treatment load when the catheter is withdrawn from the patient being treated or the like, regardless of whether the patient is permanently withdrawn due to the patient's healing or the like.

  This invention is made in view of the above, Comprising: It aims at providing the catheter which can reduce the treatment load at the time of extracting a catheter with a flange from a biological body.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a catheter according to the present invention is a catheter in which at least a distal end portion is inserted into a living body, and has an elongated duct and a flange provided in the middle of the duct And a separation part that separates the catheter into a first part including the entire pipe line and a second part including at least a part of the flange for a predetermined operation on the pipe line. It is characterized by that.

  Further, in the catheter according to the present invention, in the above invention, the flange included in the second portion is formed with a through hole through which the conduit passes, and the through hole is formed by the separation portion. A valve is provided that is in an open state before separation and shifts to a closed state with separation by the separation unit.

  In the catheter according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the valve includes a shutter plate and an elastic material that urges the shutter plate in a closed state.

  In the above invention, the catheter according to the present invention further includes a hemostatic agent holding part that holds the hemostatic agent, and the separation causes the hemostatic agent to be administered to the living body from the hemostatic agent holding part. It is configured.

  Further, in the catheter according to the present invention, in the above invention, the flange has a structure in which a living body fixing portion fixed to a living tissue and a duct fixing portion fixed to the duct are combined, The first part includes the entire pipe line and the pipe line fixing part, and the second part includes the living body fixing part.

  In the catheter according to the present invention, the second portion includes the entire flange.

  In the catheter according to the present invention, in the above invention, the separating portion is an adhesive layer that joins the first portion and the second portion, and the predetermined operation is performed by the flange. With the operation of breaking the adhesion between the first part and the second part in the adhesive layer by pulling out the duct from the biological tissue with a predetermined amount of force or more while being fixed to the biological tissue. It is characterized by being.

  Further, in the catheter according to the present invention, in the above invention, the separation part is a fitting part between the first part and the second part, and the predetermined operation means that the flange is attached to a living tissue. It is an operation of releasing the fitting of the first part and the second part in the fitting part by pulling out the duct from the living tissue with a force of a predetermined amount or more in a fixed state. Features.

  The catheter according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the fitting portion includes an O-ring.

  In the catheter according to the present invention, in the above invention, the fitting portion includes a pin erected from one of the first part or the second part toward the other and the other provided on the other. A pin receiving portion, and the pin is configured to be broken by the predetermined operation.

  The catheter according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the fitting portion has a ratchet structure.

  In the catheter according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the separating portion is an engaging portion between the first portion and the second portion, and the predetermined operation is performed when the flange is a living tissue. It is an operation for releasing the engagement at the engaging portion in a state of being fixed to.

  Further, in the catheter according to the present invention, in the above invention, the engaging portion includes a pressing member that presses the conduit from the second portion, and a deformed portion on the conduit that is recessed by pressing of the pressing member. And the engagement is released by inserting a member into the internal passage of the pipe and returning the dent of the deformed portion.

  In the catheter according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the engaging portion includes an inflating member provided in the first portion and a receiving portion of the inflating inflating member provided in the second portion. And is configured to transition between an engaged state and a released state by expanding and contracting the expansion member by allowing fluid to flow into and out of the expansion member via the conduit. And

  The catheter according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the separation portion is configured such that the first portion and the second portion can be recombined.

  According to the present invention, the catheter into which at least the distal end portion is inserted into the living body is an elongated duct, a flange provided in the middle of the duct, and the catheter for a predetermined operation on the duct. A separation part that separates the first part including the entire pipe line and the second part including at least a part of the flange; and the first part including the entire pipe line can be easily obtained by the predetermined operation. Since it can be pulled out, even if it is a catheter with a flange, the treatment load at the time of extracting from a biological body can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a catheter according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a usage mode of the catheter 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a view showing a coupling state before the catheter is separated into the first portion and the second portion. FIG. 4 is a view showing a state where the catheter is separated into a first portion and a second portion by pulling out the duct from the living tissue with a force of a predetermined amount or more. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the second embodiment in which a valve is provided in the through hole of the flange. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the valve illustrated in FIG. 5 transitions from the open state to the closed state. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of the third embodiment in which the first portion is a pipe line and the second portion is the entire flange. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the fourth embodiment in which an O-ring is provided in the through hole of the flange. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the fifth embodiment in which a pin is provided in the through hole of the flange to maintain the coupling state. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the sixth embodiment in which a ratchet structure is provided in the through hole of the flange. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the seventh embodiment that is engaged by a groove provided on the surface of the pipe line and a protrusion provided on the flange side. FIG. 13 is an enlarged view in which the configuration of the groove in the vicinity where the groove and the protrusion illustrated in FIG. 12 are engaged is enlarged. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the eighth embodiment in which the pipe and the flange are engaged by the pressing member and the deforming portion. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the ninth embodiment in which a pipe line and a flange are engaged by an expansion member and a receiving portion. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the ninth embodiment shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, with reference to drawings, the catheter which is a form for carrying out this invention is explained.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the catheter concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the catheter 1 has an elongated duct 2 and a flat flange 3 provided in the middle of the duct 2. The distal end portion 4 of the catheter 1 is provided with a through hole 5 that penetrates from the passage inside the conduit 2 to the outside. The flange 3 is composed of a living body fixing portion 3A fixed to a living tissue and a pipe line fixing portion 3B fixed to the pipe line 2.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a usage mode of the catheter 1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the proximal end portion of the catheter 1 is connected to a drug administration device 10, the distal end portion 4 is inserted into an organ 7 that is a body tissue, and the through hole 5 is in the drug administration target portion 9. positioned. In addition, the flange 3 is fixed to the surface of the organ 7 which is a living tissue by a suture thread 8 passing through the through hole 6 provided in the living body fixing portion 3A in the living body fixing portion 3A, and the conduit 2 and the conduit fixing portion 3B. Is fixed (including integrated). Moreover, 3 A of biological fixing | fixed parts and the pipe line fixing | fixed part 3B are maintaining the connection state, without isolate | separating. This coupling state stabilizes the position of the catheter 1 with respect to the living body.

  The flange 3 may be fixed to a place other than the surface of the organ, for example, a body surface (for example, skin) of a living body. Further, the fixing of the flange 3 to the living tissue is not limited to the suturing, and adhesion by fibrin glue or fixing by stapling may be used.

  Here, when the drug is delivered from the drug administration device 10 through the catheter 1, the drug is administered to the drug administration target unit 9 in the organ 7 from the through hole 5 provided in the distal end portion 4.

  3 and 4 show a predetermined operation on the duct 2 by pulling the duct 2 out of the living tissue with a force of a predetermined amount or more in a state where the flange 3 is fixed to the surface of the organ 7 which is the living tissue. It is explanatory drawing explaining a mode that the catheter 1 isolate | separates into two parts. 3 shows a state before the catheter 1 is separated into two parts, and FIG. 4 shows a state after the catheter 1 is separated into two parts.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the living body fixing portion 3 </ b> A of the flange 3 is fixed to the surface of the organ 7 with a suture thread 8. The living body fixing part 3A and the pipe line fixing part 3B of the flange 3 are coupled to each other at a fitting part 11 that is fitted to each other. The fitting part 11 has a concave part 11A provided on the living body fixing part 3A side and a flange 11B provided on the pipe line fixing part 3B side and fitted in the concave part 11A. In addition, the front-end | tip part 4 of the pipe line 2 is inserted in the through-hole 12 provided in the bottom center of 11 A of recessed parts.

  In this coupled state, when the conduit 2 is pulled out from the living tissue with a predetermined amount of force (predetermined operation), as shown in FIG. 4, the catheter 1 includes the first conduit 2 and the conduit fixing portion 3B. The part and the second part including the biological fixing part 3 </ b> A which is a part of the flange 3 are separated at the fitting part 11 which is a separation part. As a result, by simply pulling out the conduit 2, the conduit 2 can be extracted from the body tissue while the conduit fixing portion 3 </ b> B is fixed.

  The amount of force F1 required to break the fitting in the fitting portion 11 is smaller than the amount of force F2 necessary to break the fixation of the flange 3 to the surface of the organ surface 7. That is, the force necessary to break the bond between the first part and the second part is configured to be smaller than the force necessary to break the fixation of the flange 3 to the living tissue.

  Further, instead of the fitting part 11 or together with the fitting part 11, the living body fixing part 3A and the pipe line fixing part 3B of the flange 3 may be coupled by an adhesive layer. In this case, a desired bonding force can be easily obtained by adjusting the application area of the adhesive layer.

  The entire catheter 1 is made of a biocompatible material (for example, polyurethane, elastic silicon, Teflon (registered trademark), polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, etc.). Does not affect the living body. Moreover, you may make it comprise the biological fixing | fixed part 3A with the material which living bodies can absorb, such as calcium.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, a valve mechanism 13 that can be opened and closed is provided in the living body fixing portion 3A included in the second portion of the flange 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the living body fixing portion 3 </ b> A is provided with a valve mechanism 13 that opens and closes the through hole 12 through which the pipe line 2 passes. The valve mechanism 13 includes a shutter plate 15 that is urged by an elastic member 16 such as a contraction spring so that the through hole 12 is closed, and is rotatable from a direction perpendicular to the axis of the through hole 12. A moving space 14 that secures a moving space for the plate 15 is formed around the through hole 12.

  Before the separation of the pipeline 2, the movement of the shutter plate 15 is prevented by the presence of the pipeline 2, and the valve mechanism 13 maintains the through hole 12 in an open state (see FIGS. 5A and 6A). ). On the other hand, when the pipeline 2 is removed from the through hole 12 along with the separation of the pipeline 2, the shutter plate 15 is rotationally moved by the elastic member 16 until it contacts the stopper 15 b around the shaft 15 a to close the through hole 12. The valve mechanism 13 is in a closed state. As a result, it is possible to prevent bleeding and the like from the organ 7 side associated with the withdrawal of the duct 2 and to prevent sowing.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, a sachet 17 for storing a hemostatic agent is provided in the moving space 14 of the shutter plate 15, and the sachet 17 is broken to administer the hemostatic agent as the shutter plate 15 moves. You may do it. Of course, the hemostatic agent administration mechanism may be provided separately from the valve mechanism 13.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the entire flange 3 is the second part, and the entire pipe line 2 is the first part. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the first portion is the entire pipeline 2, and the second portion is the entire flange 3. Then, in a state where the flange 3 is fixed to the surface of the organ 7 which is a living tissue, the state in which the pipe line 2 is inserted and coupled to the through hole 21 of the flange 3 is maintained. This coupled state may be maintained by fitting the through hole 21 and the pipe line 2, or may be maintained by an adhesive or the like. In short, it is only necessary that the duct 2 can be pulled out from the living tissue with a force F1 that is smaller than the force F2 required for the flange 3 to break the fixation on the organ 7 surface. By maintaining such a coupled state, it is possible to reduce the treatment load required for withdrawing the catheter 1.

(Embodiment 4)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this Embodiment 4, in order to maintain the coupling | bonding state of a 1st part and a 2nd part, as shown in FIG. 8, an O-ring is provided in the through-hole 21 of the flange 3, and the pipe line 2 is provided. The fitting pressure between the pipe 2 and the flange 3 is increased, and the coupling state between the pipe line 2 and the flange 8 is maintained.

  Although the O-ring 31 shown in FIG. 8 has a circular cross-sectional shape, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, an O-ring 32 having a rectangular cross-sectional shape may be used.

(Embodiment 5)
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fifth embodiment, in order to maintain the coupling state between the first part and the second part, the flange 3 as the second part is formed in the through hole 21 of the flange 3 as shown in FIG. It has the pin 41 standingly arranged toward the pipe line 2 side which is a 1st part from the side, and the recessed part 42 as a receiving part provided in the pipe line 2 side and receiving the pin 41. As shown in FIG. The pin 41 is broken when the pipe line 2 is pulled out, and the coupling state between the first part and the second part is released. In FIG. 10, the pin 41 is provided on the flange 3 side and the concave portion 42 is provided on the pipe line 2 side. Conversely, the concave part is provided on the flange 3 side and the pin is provided on the pipe line 2 side. You may do it.

(Embodiment 6)
Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the sixth embodiment, in order to maintain and release the coupling state between the first part and the second part, a ratchet structure is provided, and by this ratchet structure, the operation of the first part only in the pulling direction is performed. It is restricted to become.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the through hole 21 of the flange 3, two stages of grooves 51 having slopes in the drawing direction of the pipe line 2 are provided in the drawing direction of the pipe line 2. Further, the pipe line 2 is provided with a through hole 52 having an opening in the radial direction, an extension spring 53 is inserted into the through hole 52, and one end of the extension spring 53 is fixed to the bottom of the through hole 52. A ball 54 that engages with the groove 51 is fixed to the other end.

  Here, when the pipe line 2 is pulled out, the ball 54 engages with the two-stage groove 51 and is pulled out. That is, in the sixth embodiment, the pipe line 2 can be separated from the pipe line 2 by two pulling operations. On the other hand, the movement of the pipe line 2 in the direction opposite to the drawing direction is restricted. That is, the groove 51 forms a ratchet structure that functions as a gear and the ball 54 functions as a blade.

(Embodiment 7)
Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the seventh embodiment, in order to maintain and release the coupling state of the first part and the second part, an engaging part is provided, and the first part and the first part are changed depending on the engaging state of the engaging part. The combined state with the portion 2 is maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a groove 61 is formed in the axial direction of the surface of the pipe line 2 from the distal end portion 4 of the pipe line 2 to a position where it engages with the flange 3, and this groove 61 is formed as shown in FIG. In the vicinity of the position where the flange 3 is engaged, after being bent toward the distal end portion 4 side, it is connected to the narrow portion 63 having a narrow groove width. A substantially circular wide portion 62 is formed on the distal end 4 side of the narrow portion 63. On the other hand, a protrusion 64 is formed inward on the inner wall of the through hole 21 of the flange 3, and the protrusion 64 has a width capable of moving in the groove 61.

  When connecting the pipe line 2 to the flange 3, the position of the groove 61 on the tip part 4 side of the pipe line 2 is aligned with the position of the protrusion 64, and the pipe line 2 is inserted into the through hole 21 and moved to the tip part 4 side. To do. When the protrusion 64 approaches the vicinity of the bent portion of the groove, the pipe 2 is rotated to the right in FIG. 12, and the pipe 2 is further pulled out. By this pulling-out operation of the pipe line 2, the protrusion 64 is elastically deformed over the narrow portion 63 and is accommodated in the large width portion 62. The state in which the protrusion 64 is accommodated in the large width portion 62 is a connection state between the pipe line 2 and the flange 3. In other words, the coupled state is established when the protrusion 64 and the wide portion 62 are engaged. Note that the protrusion 64 may exceed the narrow portion 63 by elastic deformation of the narrow portion 63. Moreover, what is necessary is just to perform the operation | movement of the reverse order of the transfer to the coupling | bonding state mentioned above for the extraction operation | movement of the pipe line 2.

(Embodiment 8)
Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the eighth embodiment, as the engaging portion, a pressing member that presses the pipe line 2 from the second portion and a deforming part that is recessed by the pressing member are provided on the pipe line 2 side, and the pipe 2 By inserting a member into the internal passage, the recess of the deformed portion is returned to release the engagement.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 14, a through hole 71 opened in the inner diameter direction is provided in the inner wall of the through hole 21 of the pipe line 2, an extension spring 72 is inserted into the through hole 71, and one end of the extension spring 72 is passed through. A pressing member 74 that is fixed to the bottom of the hole 71 and has a sphere 73 fixed to the other end is provided. When the ball 73 presses the deformed portion 75 of the pipe line 2 by the extension of the extension spring 72, the deformed portion 75 is elastically deformed and recessed. By the engagement between the pressing member 74 and the deforming portion 75, the pipe line 2 and the flange 3 are maintained in a coupled state.

  In this case, the connection between the pipe line 2 and the flange 3 is released by inserting a member 78 that can be inserted into the internal passage 76 into the internal path 76 of the pipe line 2, so It is only necessary to remove the dent by pressing in the direction and pull out the conduit 2 in this state.

(Embodiment 9)
Next, a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the ninth embodiment, the engaging portion has an expansion member provided in the first portion and a receiving portion provided in the second portion and accommodating the expanded expansion member, and passes through the conduit 2. Then, by putting fluid in and out of the expansion member, the expansion member is expanded and contracted, and the engagement state and the disengagement state are changed.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 15, a balloon 81 as an inflating member is provided on the peripheral surface of the conduit 2, and a recess 82 as a receiving part is provided inside the through hole 21 on the flange 3 side. A main channel 83 that allows a drug or the like to pass therethrough and a sub channel 84 that allows a fluid to pass therethrough are formed in the conduit 2, and the tip of the sub channel 84 communicates with the internal space of the balloon 81.

  When the pipe line 2 and the flange 3 are engaged to maintain the coupled state, a fluid is poured into the balloon 81 through the secondary channel 84 to inflate the balloon 81, and the inflated balloon 81 is accommodated in the recess 82. Let On the other hand, when releasing the coupled state, the balloon 81 is contracted by sucking the fluid filled in the balloon 81 through the secondary channel 84, and the engaged state between the recess 82 and the balloon 81 is released.

  As shown in FIG. 16, a projection 92 is provided at the tip of a balloon 91 corresponding to the balloon 81, and the projection 92 is engaged with a recess 93 with which the projection 92 is engaged. May be securely coupled. When the engagement state is released, the fluid in the subchannel 94 corresponding to the subchannel 84 is sucked so that the protrusion 92 is accommodated in the wide opening 95 provided at the distal end opening of the subchannel 94. do it.

  Further, in the catheters shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 14, 15, and 16, the first portion and the second portion in the separating portion. However, the structure can be recombined after separation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Catheter 2 Pipe line 3,11B Flange 3A Living body fixing | fixed part 3B Pipeline fixing | fixed part 4 Tip part 5,6,12,21,52,71 Through-hole 7 Organ 8 Suture 9 Drug administration target part 10 Drug administration apparatus 11 Fit Joint part 11A, 42, 82, 93 Recess 13 Valve mechanism 14 Moving space 15 Shutter plate 16 Elastic member 31, 32 O-ring 41 Pin 51, 61 Groove 53, 72 Extension spring 54, 73 Ball 62 Wide part 63 Narrow part 64 , 92 Projection 74 Pressing member 75 Deformation part 76 Internal passage 81, 91 Balloon 83 Main channel 84, 94 Subchannel 95 Opening

Claims (15)

A catheter having at least a tip inserted into a living body,
An elongated duct,
A flange provided in the middle of the pipeline;
A separating portion that separates the catheter into a first portion including the entire conduit and a second portion including at least a portion of the flange for a predetermined operation on the conduit;
A catheter comprising: The flange included in the second part is formed with a through-hole through which the pipe passes,
2. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is provided with a valve that is in an open state before separation by the separation unit and that moves to a closed state in accordance with the separation by the separation unit. .   The catheter according to claim 2, wherein the valve includes a shutter plate and an elastic material that biases the shutter plate in a closed state. It further comprises a hemostatic agent holding part that holds the hemostatic agent,
The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the hemostatic agent is administered to the living body from the hemostatic agent holding part by the separation. The flange has a structure in which a living body fixing part fixed to a living tissue and a pipe line fixing part fixed to the pipe line are combined,
The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the first portion includes the entire conduit and the conduit fixing portion, and the second portion includes the living body fixing portion.   The catheter of claim 1, wherein the second portion includes the entire flange. The separation part is an adhesive layer that bonds the first part and the second part,
The predetermined operation means that the first portion of the adhesive layer and the second portion are pulled out by pulling the duct from the biological tissue with a force of a predetermined amount or more in a state where the flange is fixed to the biological tissue. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the catheter is an operation for breaking the adhesion with the portion. The separation part is a fitting part between the first part and the second part,
The predetermined operation means that the first portion and the second portion in the fitting portion are pulled out by pulling out the duct from the biological tissue with a force of a predetermined amount or more in a state where the flange is fixed to the biological tissue. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the catheter is an operation for releasing the fitting.   The catheter according to claim 8, wherein the fitting portion includes an O-ring. The fitting portion has a pin erected from one of the first part or the second part toward the other, and a receiving part of the pin provided on the other,
The catheter according to claim 8, wherein the pin is broken by the predetermined operation.   The catheter according to claim 8, wherein the fitting portion has a ratchet structure. The separation portion is an engagement portion between the first portion and the second portion,
2. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation is an operation of releasing engagement at the engagement portion in a state where the flange is fixed to a living tissue. The engaging portion includes a pressing member that presses the conduit from the second portion, and a deforming portion on the conduit that is recessed by pressing of the pressing member,
13. The catheter according to claim 12, wherein the catheter is configured to be disengaged by inserting a member into an internal passage of the conduit to return a recess of the deformed portion. The engagement portion includes an expansion member provided in the first portion and a receiving portion of the expansion member provided in the second portion,
2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the expansion member is inflated and contracted to transition between an engaged state and a released state by allowing a fluid to flow into and out of the expansion member via the conduit. 13. The catheter according to 12.   2. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein in the separation portion, the first portion and the second portion are configured to be recombinable.

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