Catheter
AssigneeAstra Aktiebolag
InventorJan Utas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for manufacturing a catheter for insertion into a body cavity, for instance a catheter used for insertion into the urethra. The catheter has a tip portion provided with one or several drainage or flushing openings adjacent to the free end which is to be inserted into the body cavity. The outside of the catheter is provided with a coating. The process includes injection-molding a separate tip portion of the catheter. The tip portion includes an inner lumen and the drainage/flushing openings. The inner and outer diameters of the tip correspond to those of a standard tube. An end of a standard tube and an end of the tip portion are formed to conform to each other. These formed ends are then joined in a joining operation. The coating is applied to the standard tube before the joining operation is performed.
Claims12
A process for manufacturing a catheter for insertion into a body cavity, said catheter having a tip portion and a tube portion, said tip portion being provided with one or more drainage or flushing openings, said tip portion being at the end of the catheter which is inserted into the body cavity, the outside of the catheter being provided with a coating substantially along the entire length of said catheter, the process comprising the steps of:
- forming said tip portion by injection molding, said tip portion being formed separate from the tube portion, said tip portion including an inner lumen and said one or more drainage or flushing openings, the inner and outer diameter of said tip portion corresponding to the inner and outer diameter of said tube portion;
- forming an end of the tube portion and an end of the tip portion to conform to each other for a subsequent joining operation;
- and
- joining said tip portion to said tube portion;
- wherein the coating is applied to said tube portion before the joining operation is performed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.