MEDICAL TUBING HAVING VARIABLE CHARACTERISTICS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME

摘要

A medical tubing (15) adapted for insertion into a body tissue or cavity and method of manufacturing different variations of the tubing along a length of the tubing. The tubing comprises a plurality of individual, discrete, generally ring-shaped elements arranged in series and fused or bonded together forming a continuous tubular structure (53). The tubular structure may have a cross-section of any geometric shape and it may be bent, twisted or curved without kinking. The ring-shaped elements may have different flexural modulus and include a combination of flexible and rigid ring-shaped elements assembled along different portions or sections (101). If may comprise a secondary lumen and a pull wire. They may vary in diameter and/or composition in different portions or sections of the tubular structure. Some of the ring-shaped elements may be radiopaque, or they may comprise different colors to operate as indicators.