摘要 |
A medical device for advancing or retracting an elongate member is disclosed. The device is made up of a flexible tube. The elongate member is connected to a bead. The bead and elongate member are disposed axially within the tube. An advancer is provided which squeezes the walls of the tube together around the bead. The elongate member is thus advanced or retracted in the tube. The bead is provided with grooves to facilitate the flow of fluid through the tube. The elongate object may be an obturator or a probe for detecting a physiological parameter. Also disclosed is a a method for advancing or retracting an elongate member. The method has the steps of connecting the elongate member to a bead-like object, enclosing the elongate member and the bead within a hollow flexible tube, squeezing the tube near the bead-like object and imparting a substantially axial force to the tube such that the force is transmitted to the bead, thereby advancing the bead and the elongate object axially along the tube.
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