Catheter

A catheter comprising:

• a shaft possessing a distal end and a proximal end, the shaft being a tubular body that includes a lumen extending from the distal end of the shaft to the proximal end of the shaft, the shaft including a shaft proximal end surface at the proximal end of the shaft, the lumen opening to the shaft proximal end surface at the proximal end of the shaft, the shaft also possessing a radially outwardly facing shaft outer surface that extends from the distal end of the shaft toward the proximal end of the shaft and that terminates at the shaft proximal end surface;
• the shaft including a proximal portion, the proximal portion of the shaft including a radially outer portion and a radially inner portion that both extend along an axial extent of the proximal portion of the shaft, the radially inner portion of the proximal portion of the shaft being radially inward of the radially outer portion of the proximal portion of the shaft;
• a hub including an accommodation unit in which is positioned the proximal portion of the shaft;
• the radially outer portion of the proximal portion of the shaft being comprised of a resin that absorbs electromagnetic waves or does not transmit electromagnetic waves so that the outer surface of the proximal portion of the shaft that is accommodated in the accommodation unit is heated and melted when irradiated with electromagnetic waves;
• the accommodation unit including a hub melted surface that is directly welded to the shaft outer surface of the proximal portion of the shaft so that the accommodation unit and the shaft outer surface are welded to one another;
• and
• the accommodation unit including a distal-most portion possessing an inner surface that faces the radially outwardly facing shaft outer surface and is spaced from and not welded to the radially outwardly facing shaft outer surface so that a gap exists between the inner surface of the accommodation unit and the radially outwardly facing shaft outer surface that face one another.

A method of securing a shaft of a catheter to a hub of the catheter, the method comprising:

• positioning a proximal portion of the shaft in an accommodation unit of the hub, the accommodation unit of the hub being a distal portion of the hub, the accommodation unit of the hub possessing an inner surface and a distal end portion, the proximal portion of the shaft possessing a shaft outer surface, the positioning of the proximal portion of the shaft in the accommodation unit of the hub comprising positioning the proximal portion of the shaft in the accommodation unit of the hub so that the inner surface of the accommodation unit of the hub faces the shaft outer surface of the proximal portion of the shaft, the proximal portion of the shaft that is positioned in the accommodation unit of the hub being made of a material that does not transmit heat or electromagnetic waves or that absorbs heat or electromagnetic waves, the accommodation unit of the hub in which the proximal portion of the shaft is positioned being made of a material that transmits heat or electromagnetic waves;
• irradiating electromagnetic waves having a wavelength that allows the electromagnetic waves to be transmitted through the accommodation unit of the hub in which the proximal portion of the shaft is positioned and that does not allow the electromagnetic waves to be transmitted through the shaft outer surface
• heating the shaft outer surface of the proximal portion of the shaft so that the shaft outer surface of the proximal portion of the shaft is heated and melted;
• transferring the heat of the shaft outer surface of the proximal portion of the shaft to the inner surface of the accommodation unit to melt at least a part of the inner surface of the accommodation unit to weld the part of the inner surface of the accommodation unit and the shaft proximal side outer surface at a welded surface;
• an absolute value of a residual strain of the accommodation unit of the hub decreases outward in a radial direction from the welded surface.