Apparatus for making a catheter

摘要

The present invention concerns a catheter for medical purposes, such as for insertion into a body opening for draining fluids, wherein the catheter comprises a flexible tube having a distal end region wherein the tube is provided with at least one draining opening, characterized in that the peripheral edge on the outside of the tube is provided with a curvature for creating a smooth transition between the exterior surface of the tube and the substantially radially oriented cut constituting the opening side and wherein said curvature is a rounded edge with a curvature radius between 0.2-0.6 mm. The invention further concerns a method of making such catheter and an apparatus for performing this method.

主权项

1. An apparatus for manipulating openings punched in a polymer tube with a punching or cutting tool, the opening, having generally radially oriented side walls, said apparatus comprising:
a forming member having a distal end adapted to engage with an opening punched in the polymer tube, the forming member is provided with a rounded shoulder transition portion at a foot of the distal end of the forming member and has a protrusion extending from said shoulder transition portion, said protrusion having a form sized and shaped to fit into the punched opening in the polymer tube, said rounded shoulder transition portion being provided with a three-dimensional edge contour shaped to define a corresponding rounded three-dimensional contour of an outer surface peripheral edge of the punched opening in the polymer tube when the protrusion fits into the punched opening in the polymer tube and the rounded shoulder transition portion contacts the polymer tube; and heating means to heat said forming member to a temperature above the softening point of the polymer of the tube to form the corresponding three-dimensional contour of the outer surface peripheral edge of the opening in the polymer tube corresponding to the rounded shoulder transition portion of the forming member, wherein the forming member is mounted in a forming station in a floating arrangement such that the protrusion remains fitted into the punched opening in the polymer tube when the three-dimensional contour of the outer surface peripheral edge of the opening in the polymer tube is formed.