摘要 |
A gastrostomy tube (20) has a retaining element (24) which has a generally triangular shape with rounded vertices. The retaining element is made up of three resilient petaloid flanges (27,28,29) which extend radially from the tubular portion (21) of the gastrostomy tube. The petaloid flanges and the tubular portion are made of different materials. Substantially triangular connecting portions (30,31,32) are interposed between and interconnect each pair of next adjacent petaloid flanges. The petaloid flanges are rendered less flexible than the connecting portions by either variations in thickness or materials between the petaloid flanges and connecting portions. The assembly of a gastrostomy tube and a tapered dilator (56) is also disclosed. <IMAGE> |