Patent ID: 9550042
Date: 2017-01-24
CPC Classifications: A61M

Claim:
1. A catheter comprising: an elongated catheter main body having an axially extending lumen that is closed at a distal end of the lumen, the catheter main body comprising a first layer inside which the lumen extends and a second layer positioned radially outside the first layer and covering an outer circumferential surface of a part of an axial extent of the first layer, the first and second layers being made of different material compositions, the second layer possessing a proximal-most end positioned distal of a proximal-most end of the first layer, the first layer possessing an inner surface surrounding the lumen, the catheter main body also possessing a distal end portion; a guide wire insertion portion at the distal end portion of the catheter main body, with a through hole passing through the guide wire insertion portion and configured to receive a guide wire allowing the catheter to be guided to a target site in a body lumen, the through hole opening to outside the guide wire insertion portion at both a distal opening portion at a distal end of the guide wire insertion portion and a proximal opening portion at a proximal end of the guide wire insertion portion; a reinforcing wire element comprising: a coil portion in which a portion of the wire element is wound in a coil so that the coil portion possesses a plurality of axially adjacent windings; and a non-coiled extension portion in which a non-coiled portion of the wire element extends distally away from the coil portion; the coil portion and the non-coiled portion each possessing an inner surface and an outer surface, the reinforcing wire element being positioned between the first and second layers such that the inner surface of the coil portion is in contact with the first layer and the outer surface of the coil portion is in contact with the second layer, and such that the inner surface of the non-coiled portion is in contact with the first layer and the outer surface of the non-coiled portion is in contact with the second layer; the non-coiled extension portion of the reinforcing wire element and the coil portion of the reinforcing wire element being integrally formed so that the non-coiled extension portion and the coil portion are unitary with each other, the non-coiled extension portion of the reinforcing wire element being bent in a U-shape and doubled over; the coil portion possessing a proximal-most end and a distal-most end, the extension portion possessing a proximal-most end and a distal-most end, the proximal-most end of the extension portion being connected to the distal-most end of the coil portion, and the extension portion extending in an axial direction away from the coil portion; the proximal-most end of the coil portion being located proximally of the proximal opening portion of the guide wire insertion portion; the distal-most end of the extension portion being located distally of the proximal opening portion of the guide wire insertion portion; and the coil portion being located between the inner surface of the catheter main body and the outer surface of the catheter main body such that the coil portion is embedded in material forming the catheter main body, with inner and outer surfaces of the coil portion covered.