JPH01104238A - Catheter tube - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the diameter of a catheter tube fine without any functional loss by use of a single lumen which has three functions of storing an observation means such as optical fiber bundle, passing a liquid such as clear solution and passing a solution for inflation of a balloon. CONSTITUTION:The cross sectional area of at least one portion of the downstream side of a lateral port 5 in a space 41 is made narrower than the cross sectional area of the upstream side of a lateral port of the lumen. For example, a flow dividing member 15 is constructed on the downstream side of the lateral port 5 so as to divide the flow of a clear solution into one direction of preferentially flowing into a balloon 3 by way of the lateral port 5 and the other direction of flowing towards the top a tube main body 2, with the flow of clear solution into a balloon supported preferentially and actively. With this catheter tube, the diameter can be made fine and the balloon 3 can be inflated rapidly and assuredly by use of a multifunctional lumen, namely a lumen which has three functions of storing an observation means (optical fiber bundle 7), a pathways for a solution to discharge blood and for balloon inflation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a catheter that is inserted into a body cavity and used for observing the inside of the body cavity and/or performing medical treatment on the inner wall surface of the body cavity from a position outside the body; In particular, it relates to a catheter tube that constitutes an endoscope (fiberscope).

<Conventional technology> An endoscope is inserted from a position outside the body to observe the inside of a body cavity.
Furthermore, it has attracted attention in recent years because it can perform medical procedures such as administering medicinal solutions to the inner walls of body cavities and irradiating laser beams, and its development is progressing.

This endoscope, especially an endoscope for observing inside narrow body cavities such as blood vessels, has a bundle of optical fibers for transmitting and receiving light stored inside a flexible catheter tube. As it is inserted to the site, the light emitted from the tip of the light transmitting fiber (light guide) is irradiated to the observation section, the reflected light is captured from the tip of the light receiving fiber (image fiber), and the image is transmitted to the image receiving section. Observation is performed by guiding.

Furthermore, when observing the inside of a blood vessel using an endoscope, the observation is performed after removing blood that would obstruct the field of view in the area to be observed.

This blood removal method involves inflating a balloon formed around the outer circumference of the tube to block the flow of blood, and then squirting a transparent liquid such as physiological saline into the area to be observed to remove the blood. Instead, it is done by filling it with a clear liquid.

Therefore, the conventional catheter tube that makes up the endoscope is
A lumen is formed as a flow path for liquid to accommodate the optical fiber in the tube body, a lumen is used as a flow path for liquid to inflate and deflate the balloon, and a lumen is used as a flow path for transparent liquid to be ejected for blood removal. It had been.

In this way, three lumens for different purposes are formed in the tube body, and each lumen requires a predetermined inner diameter in order to fully perform its function. It was extremely difficult to make the diameter smaller.

In addition, a catheter tube that does not use a balloon can be considered to omit the lumen for balloon inflation, but in this case, the balloon does not block the blood flow, so it is difficult to make the field of vision transparent just by spouting clear liquid. ,
Clear images cannot be stably obtained. Also, in this case,
In order to make the field of vision transparent, a large amount of transparent liquid must be ejected, which also has the disadvantage of reducing safety for the human body.

Therefore, in order to eliminate such drawbacks, the present applicant previously made an invention in which the three lumens are shared by a single lumen by providing a side hole in the tube body to connect with the balloon. The application was filed on September 10th.

However, in this invention, since the side hole for balloon inflation is opened in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the liquid, it is difficult to guide the liquid into the balloon from the side hole, and most of the liquid was passed through the catheter tube in the distal direction, and the amount of flow into the balloon from the frontage was small, making it impossible to inflate the balloon sufficiently.

In addition, the amount of fluid flowing into the balloon can be increased by increasing the opening area of the side hole or decreasing the flow path area, but it is possible to increase the amount of fluid flowing into the balloon. Currently, there are limitations and it is difficult to obtain sufficient internal pressure for the balloon.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide a catheter that can be made smaller in diameter without deteriorating its function compared to conventional catheter tubes. The purpose is to provide tubes.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve such an objective, the inventor of the present invention has conducted extensive research and found that the liquid formed by the lumen formed in the tube body and the optical fiber housed within the lumen has been improved. By disposing a liquid flow dividing member in the flow path to divide the flow of the liquid, first, the liquid is guided preferentially into the balloon through the side hole to inflate the balloon, and then the liquid flow is divided into the flow path. The present invention was based on the discovery that liquid can be passed through the catheter tube toward the distal end thereof.

That is, the present invention provides a catheter tube that is used by being inserted into a body cavity, and includes: a tube body; at least one balloon that can be inflated and deflated and installed around the outer peripheral wall of the tube near the distal end of the tube body; and the tube. A lumen formed in the main body and housing observation means for observing the inside of the body cavity, the lumen allowing fluid to pass between the observation means and the inner wall of the lumen, and the inside of the lumen and the balloon. a catheter tube having a side hole communicating with the lumen, the fluid flowing in the lumen is preferentially guided into the balloon through the side hole to inflate the balloon, and the inflated balloon is directed toward the body cavity wall. To provide a catheter tube, wherein the cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the downstream portion of the side hole of the lumen is made smaller than the cross-sectional area of the upstream portion of the side hole of the lumen in order to maintain a liquid-tight state. It is.

Further, it is preferable that a liquid flow dividing member is provided in the downstream portion of the side hole of the lumen to make the cross-sectional area of a portion of the downstream portion of the side hole of the lumen smaller than the cross-sectional area of the upstream portion of the side hole of the lumen. .

Further, the observation means is a bundle of optical fibers, and the inner diameter of the lumen is 1.5 times larger than the outer diameter of the bundle of optical fibers.
It is preferably 1 to 5.0 times.

It is preferable that the minimum diameter of the balloon when inflated is approximately equal to or greater than the maximum internal diameter of the body cavity into which it is inserted.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the catheter tube of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings will be described in detail.

In addition, in the following description, a case will be described in which the catheter tube of the present invention is typically applied to an endoscope, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration example of a catheter tube 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the If-If line in FIG. 1.

As shown in these figures, the catheter tube 1 has a tube body 2, and a balloon 3 is installed around the outer peripheral wall of the tube near its distal end (left side in FIG. 1).

The balloon 3 is made of a rubber material such as silicone rubber or latex rubber, or urethane, PVC, EVA, etc., and is expandable and deflated.

The tube body 2 is made of a flexible material such as polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, silicone rubber, PE, nylon, EVA, or the like.

A lumen 4 is formed in the tube body 2 and opens to the tip of the tube body. This Lumen 4 has the following functions.

The lumen 4 houses an optical fiber bundle 7 as an observation means for observing the inner wall of the body cavity. As shown in FIG. 2, this optical fiber bundle 7 is composed of a light transmitting fiber (light guide) 8 and a light receiving fiber (image fiber) 9, and the tip of the optical fiber bundle 7 is connected to the tube body 2. It is located near the tip opening 6 of the.

Then, the proximal end of the catheter tube (right side in Figure 1)
The light emitted from the light source (not shown) is transmitted through the light transmitting fiber 8, and is irradiated from its tip to the observation area.
The reflected light is taken in from the tip of the light receiving fiber 9,
The image is transmitted through the light-receiving fiber 9 and guided to an image-receiving section (not shown) on the proximal end side of the catheter tube.

The light transmitting and light receiving fibers 8.9 are made of optical fibers such as quartz, plastic, and multi-component glass.

Inside the lumen 4, the stored optical fiber bundle 7
A gap (liquid flow path) 41 is formed between the lumen 4 and the inner wall of the lumen 4. This gap 41 is, as described later,
It serves as a flow path for conveying fluid, especially transparent liquid (e.g., physiological saline) to remove blood from the observation area within the blood vessel, and as a liquid flow path for inflating the balloon 3. fulfill.

Note that the inside of the lumen 4 is not limited to being used as a flush channel for spouting the above-mentioned transparent liquid, but can also be used for other purposes such as administering medicinal solutions into the body cavity into which it has been inserted or indwelling, or suctioning the liquid in the body cavity. It can also be used for.

In this manner, the inner diameter of the lumen 4 has a suitable range in relation to the outer diameter of the optical fiber bundle 7 in order to allow smooth flow of transparent liquid and the like. That is, the inner diameter of the lumen 4 is preferably 1.1 to 5.0 times the outer diameter of the optical fiber bundle 7. The reason for this is that if it is less than 1.1 times, the cross-sectional area of the gap 41 will be small and the transparent liquid will not be transferred smoothly, and if it exceeds 5.0 times, the outer diameter of the tube body 2 will become large. This is because the diameter of the catheter tube cannot be reduced.

A side hole 5 is formed in the tube body 2 to communicate the inside of the lumen 4 and the inside of the balloon 3. That is, a part of the transparent liquid flowing inside the lumen 4 is transferred from the side hole 5 to the balloon 3.
The balloon 3 is inflated by the liquid pressure. As described above, the lumen 4 also has a function as a flow path for the balloon inflation liquid (in the case of this embodiment, the transparent liquid for blood removal is also used as the balloon inflation liquid).

The present invention is characterized in that the cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the downstream portion of the side hole 5 within the gap 41 is made smaller than the cross-sectional area of the upstream portion of the side hole of the lumen. That is, for example, a liquid flow dividing member 15 is provided in the downstream portion of the side hole 5 as described below, and the transparent liquid is guided preferentially into the balloon 3 through the side hole 5. By dividing the flow into two directions: one toward the front end of the tube body 2, and the other toward the distal end of the tube body 2, the transparent liquid is allowed to flow into the balloon 3 preferentially and positively.

Any means may be used to make the cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the downstream portion of the side hole 5 of the lumen 4 smaller than the cross-sectional area of the upstream portion of the side hole 5 of the lumen 4. As shown in the drawings and FIG. 2, it is preferable that a liquid flow dividing member 15 is attached to the inner wall of the tube body 2 near the downstream side of the side hole 5.

The liquid flow dividing member 15 preferentially guides the fluid flowing in the gap 41 into the balloon 3 through the side hole 5 to inflate it, and also maintains the inflated balloon 3 in close contact with the body cavity wall. The purpose is to maintain the

The liquid flow dividing member 15 has, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape, and communicates with the gap 41 between the inner wall surface of the tube body 2 on the side opposite to the side hole 5 . ! 43 (second flow path), and in a portion other than the gap 43, a gap 42 (first flow path) for guiding liquid preferentially into the balloon 3 via the side hole 5 is formed.
A flow path) is formed.

Here, this liquid flow dividing member 15 directs the liquid flow to the gap 4.
2, the liquid flow dividing member 15 does not necessarily need to completely block the gap 41 at a portion other than the gap 41.

Further, if the liquid flow dividing member 15 is installed so as to be able to withstand the resistance force caused by the liquid flowing through the gap 41,
The mounting method is not particularly limited.

The liquid flow dividing member 15 allows the gap 41 to be formed on the upstream side of the side hole 5 so that the transparent liquid supplied into the lumen 4 from the proximal end of the catheter tube passes through the side hole 5 to the balloon 3.
a gap 42 as a first flow path that is preferentially guided inward;
Gap 43 as a second flow path for blood removal of the liquid
It can be divided into two.

Then, most of the transparent liquid supplied into the lumen 4 from the proximal end of the catheter tube is first preferentially guided in the direction of the first flow path 42 by the liquid flow distribution member 15, and then
, and flows into the balloon 3 to quickly inflate the balloon 3.

That is, since the internal pressure of the balloon 3 is quickly and reliably secured, the balloon 3 is quickly and reliably fixed to the body cavity.

The internal pressure of the balloon 3 is increased by inflation, and the downstream part of the side hole 5 is not completely communicated with the inside of the lumen 4 by the liquid flow dividing member 15, so it becomes difficult for transparent liquid to flow into the balloon 3. This time, it is passed into the second flow path 43, and is ejected from the catheter tip opening 6 while eliminating the blood in the lumen 4.

That is, according to the present invention, the balloon 3 can be quickly and reliably inflated, and blood can be smoothly removed from the catheter tube 1.

Note that the liquid flow diverting member 15 must be attached to the tube body 2 in a liquid-tight manner, and this can be done by bonding a separate member made of vinyl chloride, polyurethane, silicone rubber, etc. with an adhesive or the like. Any method is possible, such as attaching the tube to the inner wall of the tube body 2 or integrally molding it with the inner wall of the tube body 2.

In addition, if an inclined surface 16 having a predetermined angle for guiding the liquid into the balloon 3 is formed at a location facing the side hole 5 of the liquid flow dividing member 15, as shown in FIG. The effect of liquid inflow is further improved.

In addition, when a plurality of balloons are installed along the longitudinal direction of the tube body 2, at least one balloon is installed corresponding to all the balloons or required balloons.
Each side hole 5 is provided.

Although the shape, number, and opening area of the side holes 5 are not particularly limited, it is preferable that the total opening area is large enough to supply enough fluid (transparent liquid) to inflate the balloon 3.

As mentioned above, the catheter tube of the present invention has several functions, namely: housing the observation means (optical fiber bundle 7);
By having one lumen 4 perform three functions: a flow path for transparent liquid for blood removal and a flow path for balloon inflation, the diameter of the catheter tube can be reduced and the balloon 3 can be quickly expanded. Moreover, since this can be done reliably, sufficient internal pressure of the balloon can be obtained.

Thereby, the catheter tube can be securely and easily fixed to the body cavity.

<Function> Hereinafter, the function of the catheter tube 1 of the present invention will be explained.

FIG. 3 is a partially sectional side view showing how the catheter tube 1 of the present invention is used.

As shown in the figure, when a catheter tube 1 as an endoscope is inserted into a body cavity, that is, a blood vessel 10, and a transparent liquid 11 such as physiological saline is fed into the lumen 4 from the proximal end, the transparent liquid 11 The liquid flows through the gap 41 in the lumen 4 in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and after reaching the diversion section formed by the liquid flow dividing member 15, it passes through the first flow path 42 and flows in the balloon inflow direction shown in the direction of arrow A in the figure. Then, the blood flows through the second flow path 43 and is diverted in the blood removal direction shown by the arrow B direction in the figure.

At this time, the transparent liquid 11 flows preferentially through the first channel 42 in the direction of arrow A by the liquid flow dividing member 15, flows into the balloon 3 through the side hole 5, and inflates the balloon 3.

The balloon 3 expands and comes into close contact with the inner wall surface of the blood vessel 10, fixing the catheter tube 1 to the blood vessel 10 and blocking the flow of blood 12 in the blood vessel 10.

In this state, when the transparent liquid 11 is further sent into the lumen 4, the balloon 3 expands and the internal pressure becomes high, so the transparent liquid 11 passes through the second flow path 43 in the direction of arrow A.
The inflow becomes difficult, and most of it flows in the direction of arrow B.
It is ejected from the tip opening 6 of the catheter tube 1.

By this operation, the front of balloon 3 (tube tip side)
The blood that obstructs the view is removed and is filled with transparent liquid 11 instead.

In this state, the inside of the blood vessel 1o can be observed through the light transmitting and light receiving fibers 8.9.

Note that the minimum diameter of the balloon 3 when inflated is the same as that of the blood vessel 1.
If the maximum inner diameter is approximately equal to or greater than the maximum inner diameter of
is in close contact with the inner wall surface of the blood vessel 10, and the blood 12 behind the balloon 3 (on the tube proximal end side) is in front of the balloon 3,
In other words, there is no flow into the observation area, making it possible to observe a clear image.

In the above description, a case has been described in which the inside of a blood vessel is observed using light transmitting and light receiving fibers, but the use of the catheter tube 1 of the present invention is not limited to this. It can be applied to a wide range of fields, such as irradiating laser beams through the device and guiding the tip when inserting it into the target site.

<Example> (Example 1) A catheter tube having the structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 was produced. The conditions of this catheter tube are as follows.

Tube body> Material: PVC with X-ray contrast agent Outer diameter: Approximately 1.4 mm Total length: Approximately 1.5 m Lumen 4 inner wood, inner diameter 1.0 mm Lumen storage items: (1) Fiber bundle image fiber (approximately 2 A bundle of approximately 2,000 ~3μm quartz fibers) and a light guide (approximately 50μm)
(a bundle of 25 quartz fibers of 25 mm) were integrated into one optical fiber bundle with an outer diameter of approximately 0.8 mmφ.

A convex lens is attached to the end of the image fiber to receive the light emitted from the light guide and form a subject image onto the end of the image fiber.

(2) Liquid flow diversion member The lumen was prepared by filling the lumen with an epoxy adhesive through the side hole. A gap (second flow path) for a liquid passage is left between the side holes of the lumen. Although it is more desirable to create an inclined surface as shown in FIG. 1, it is not necessary if it is difficult to create. The length of the liquid flow dividing member was 5 mm, and the cross-sectional area of the gap (second flow path) was 20% of the cross-sectional area of the lumen.

Balloon> Material: Silicone rubber Thickness: Approximately 150 μm Shape: Nijirind-like effective length = 7 mm Diameter when inflated: 6 mm Side hole> Number of pieces: 1 Opening area: Approximately 1 inch Catheter tube proximal end> Image fiber An eyepiece was attached to the proximal end of the light guide to enable direct observation. An optical connector was attached to the proximal end of the light guide and connected to a white light source. A stopcock with a luer taper receiver was attached to the proximal end of the lumen. was attached and a syringe was connected to it, allowing physiological saline to be supplied to the lumen.

Such a catheter tube was inserted into a blood vessel having an inner diameter of about 3 mm.

Next, operate the syringe to inject 1.
While injecting 5 mJ2, the balloon was inflated and the catheter tube was fixed to the blood vessel to block blood flow.

The front of the balloon (tube tip side) was filled with physiological saline.

In this state, when the inner wall surface of the blood vessel was observed through the eyepiece or on the video monitor screen, clear observation was possible without blood flowing into the observed area.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the catheter tube of the present invention, a single lumen is used for storing an observation means such as an optical fiber bundle, for conveying a fluid such as a transparent liquid, and for balloon inflation. The number of catheter tubes can be reduced, and the diameter of the catheter tube can therefore be reduced.

In addition, sufficient balloon inflation can be achieved by making the cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the downstream portion of the side hole of the catheter tube smaller than the cross-sectional area of the upstream portion of the side hole of the lumen. This makes it possible to completely cut off blood flow for a long period of time.

Therefore, when the catheter tube of the present invention is applied to an endoscope, it becomes possible to observe body cavities with smaller inner diameters, such as blood vessels and ureters. Furthermore, since the inflation of the balloon to block the flow of blood and the ejection of transparent liquid to remove blood from the observation area can be performed simultaneously in one operation, observation can be performed with a simple operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of the structure of the catheter tube of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of use of the catheter tube of the present invention. Explanation of symbols 1...Catheter tube, 2...Tube body, 3...Balloon, 4...Lumen, 41...Gap (liquid flow path), 42...Gap (first flow path) ), 43... Gap (second flow path), 5... Side hole, 6... Tip opening, 7... Optical fiber bundle, 8... Light transmitting fiber, 9... Light receiving 10... Blood vessel, 11... Transparent liquid, 12... Blood, 15... Liquid flow dividing member, 16... Slope FIG, 1 4J FIG, 3

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A catheter tube used by being inserted into a body cavity, comprising: a tube body; at least one balloon that can be inflated and deflated and installed around the outer peripheral wall of the tube near the distal end of the tube body; and the tube body; a lumen that is formed and capable of housing an observation means for observing the inside of the body cavity, the lumen allowing fluid to pass between the observation means and an inner wall of the lumen; In a catheter tube having a communicating side hole, the fluid flowing in the lumen is preferentially guided into the balloon via the side hole to inflate the balloon, and the inflated balloon is brought into fluid tight contact with the body cavity wall. In order to maintain the condition, a cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the downstream portion of the side hole of the lumen is made smaller than a cross-sectional area of the upstream portion of the side hole of the lumen. (2) A liquid flow dividing member is provided in the downstream portion of the side hole of the lumen, making the cross-sectional area of a portion of the downstream portion of the side hole of the lumen smaller than the cross-sectional area of the upstream portion of the side hole of the lumen. A catheter tube according to claim 1. (3) The observation means is a bundle of optical fibers, and the inner diameter of the lumen is 1.1 to 5.0 times the outer diameter of the bundle of optical fibers. Catheter tube as described. (4) The catheter tube according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the balloon has a minimum diameter when inflated that is approximately equal to or larger than the maximum internal diameter of the body cavity into which it is inserted.