Medico-surgical devices

• US 20030040756A1
• Filed: 07/17/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Cooper Companies Global Holdings LP (The Cooper Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Smiths Group plc (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Field, Stephen James
• Granted Patent: US 8,092,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/108
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/435 for embryo or ova transplantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3925 ultrasonic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0841 for locating instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/223 Microbubbles, hollow microspheres, free gas bubbles, gas microspheres
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 29/18 Materials at least partially X-ray or laser opaque
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/18 Materials at least partially X-ray or laser opaque
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1433 Uterus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0009 Making of catheters or other medical or surgical tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0012 with embedded structures, e.g. coils, braids, meshes, strands or radiopaque coils
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0043 characterised by structural features
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/007 Side holes, e.g. their profiles or arrangements; Provisions to keep side holes unblocked
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/01 Introducing, guiding, advancing, emplacing or holding catheters A61M25/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/00 Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests vaccination appliances for veterinary use A61D1/025 ; tube connectors, tube couplings, valves or branch units specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes A61J1/00; combinations of vial and syringe for mixing or transferring their contents A61J1/20; holders for containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/16

Abstract

An embryo replacement catheter has a flexible extruded shaft of a transparent polyurethane with a bore extending along its length. Gas bubbles of a diameter in the range 5 μ to 10 μ are incorporated into the thickness of the wall of the shaft by adding gas during extrusion. The bubbles are selected to increase the visibility of the catheter under ultrasound imaging whilst still enabling material flowing along the catheter to be seen.

Claims

1. A medico-surgical device of a plastics material, wherein said material includes gas bubbles through the major part of the thickness of said material in at least a part of the device, and wherein said gas bubbles are selected to increase the visibility of the device under ultrasound imaging.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the device is tubular.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said gas bubbles are provided around the entire circumference of the device.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein said gas bubbles are provided in a region of the device occupying only a part of the circumference of the device.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein said region is a strip extending along the length of the device.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the device has an outer surface, and wherein said outer surface is smooth and uninterrupted by said gas bubbles.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the device has an inner surface, and wherein said inner surface is smooth and uninterrupted by said gas bubbles.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein said bubbles have a diameter in the range 1μ

to 50μ

.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein said bubbles have a diameter in the range 5μ

to 10μ

.

10. A device according to claim 1, wherein said bubbles are substantially spherical.

11. A device according to claim 1, wherein the device is extruded, and wherein said gas bubbles are formed by addition of gas during extrusion of the device.

12. A device according to claim 1, wherein said gas bubbles are formed by a chemical foaming agent.

13. A device according to claim 1, wherein said gas bubbles are provided by incorporating hollow microspheres into said plastics material.

14. A device according to claim 1, wherein said device is tubular, wherein said plastics material is substantially transparent, and wherein the size and density of said bubbles is selected such as to enable material flowing along said device to be viewed by the eye.

15. An embryo replacement catheter comprising a flexible, extruded shaft of a substantially transparent plastics material, said shaft having a bore extending therethrough, wherein said shaft includes gas bubbles through the thickness of its wall, wherein the density and size of said bubbles is selected to increase visibility of the catheter under ultrasound imaging whilst enabling an embryo within the catheter to be viewed by the eye, and wherein said bore is smooth and uninterrupted by said gas bubbles.

16. A method of making a medico-surgical device comprising the steps of:

extruding a plastics material to form a wall; and

incorporating a gas into said wall during extrusion such as to form gas bubbles through the major part of the thickness of said wall sufficient to increase the visibility of said device under ultrasound observation.

17. A method of making a medico-surgical device comprising forming a wall of a plastics material containing a chemical foaming agent such as to form gas bubbles through a major part of the thickness of the wall sufficient to increase the visibility of said device under ultrasound observation.

18. A method of making a medico-surgical device comprising forming a wall of a plastics material containing a hollow microspheres such as to form gas bubbles through a major part of the thickness of the wall sufficient to increase the visibility of said device under ultrasound observation.