Abstract:
A tube system for medical application has a tube with at least one tube lumen. A guide wire is inserted in at least a tube section in at least one tube lumen. An adhesive coating is present between an outer wall of the inserted guide wire and an inner wall of the guide wire-tube lumen. This results in a tube system with better handling characteristics.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority of German Patent Application, Serial no. 10 2014 225 939.8, filed Dec. 15, 2014, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a tube system for medical applications. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A tube system of this type is known from DE 31 07 392 A1 and US 2003/0135156 A1. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The object of the present invention is to improve the handling of such a tube system. 
         [0005]    The object is achieved according to the invention by means of a tube system having the features listed in claim  1 . 
         [0006]    It has been determined in accordance with the invention that the adhesive coating between the outer wall of the inserted guide wire and the inner wall of the guide wire-tube lumen provides for a fixing of the guide wire in the guide wire-tube lumen and thus for a securing of the guide wire against torsion to in relation to the tube. This improves the handling of the tube system, because, particularly when exerting a torsional force, the tube does not deviate beyond a relative torsion of a torsional force in relation to the internal guide wire in an undesired manner. A cross section profiling of the guide wire, or the guide wire-tube lumen for ensuring a securing against torsion is then not necessary. Accordingly, the guide wire may have a round outer cross section and the guide wire tube lumen may have a round inner cross section. Alternatively, for a supplementary securing against torsion, a corresponding, non-rotationally symmetrical profiling of the outer wall of the guide wire, or the inner wall of the guide wire-tube lumen is possible. The guide wire provides for a stiffening of the tube within the tube system, and thus for an improvement in the guidance. The guide wire may be deformable in an elastic and/or plastic manner. 
         [0007]    An adhesive coating according to claim  2  may also cover the guide wire, in particular at the end surfaces. The coating may also be present in the region of the end surfaces of the guide wire. A tight sealing of the guide wire to the outside is possible by this means. This results, in particular, in a protection against corrosion of the guide wire. 
         [0008]    A copper wire according to claim  3  may be implemented with silver plating, in particular. Such a design for the guide wire has been proven in the field. 
         [0009]    A controlled hardening adhesive according to claim  4  provides for defined conditions when generating the adhesive coating. Prior to hardening, the adhesive may be available as a low viscosity fluid. The adhesive can be a UV-curing adhesive, e.g. having a cyanoacrylate base. Alternatively or additionally it can be an adhesive that hardens under the effects of humidity and/or temperature. An adhesive having a longer curing time is also possible for the formation of the adhesive coating. 
         [0010]    A multi-lumen tube according to claim  5  increases the application possibilities for the tube system. The guide wire can be inserted in precisely one lumen, or in numerous lumina of a multi-lumen tube. In particular, an addition of a media or the taking of a sample via the tube of the tube system is made possible. 
         [0011]    A three-lumen tube according to claim  6  may be used, in particular, as a dosing system for a two-component fibrin glue. 
         [0012]    A four-lumen tube according to claim  7  may be used, in particular, as a dosing system for applying a protective coating to tissues. Such a protective coating can prevent an undesired adhesion of the tissues. Two of the four lumina can then serve for supplying a two-component substance. A further lumen can serve for supplying a turbulence gas. 
         [0013]    The multi-lumen tube may also have more than four lumina. 
         [0014]    Exemplary embodiments of the invention shall be explained in greater detail below based on the drawings. Therein: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  shows, schematically, a tube system, designed as a multi-lumen tube system for medical applications, viewed from the side; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  shows, in a longitudinal view, a guide wire-tube lumen of a multi-lumen tube of the multi-lumen tube system according to  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  shows a section through the multi-lumen tube along line III-III in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0018]      FIGS. 4 to 6  show, respectively, a depiction similar to that in  FIG. 3 , of further designs for the multi-lumen tubes for use in a multi-lumen tube system according to the type in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    A tube system  1  that is schematically depicted in  FIG. 1  is used, for example, in the processing of multi-component fibrin glues in medical interventions. 
         [0020]    The tube system  1  has a tube  2  with numerous tube lumina  3 , two of which tube lumina  3  are indicated by a broken line in  FIG. 1 . The tube  2  shall also be referred to below as a multi-lumen tube. The tube lumina  3  can have an inner diameter in the range of 0.5 to 5 mm. 
         [0021]    The tube  2  is made of plastic. The tube  2  can be made, in particular, of polyvinylchloride (PVC) or silicone. The tube  2  can also be made of a thermoplastic. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows a cross section through the tube  2 . The tube  2  has a total of three tube lumina  3 , one of which is used as the guide wire-tube lumen, and which shall also receive the reference symbol  3   F  below. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  shows a longitudinal section of a section of the tube  2  in the region of the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F . A guide wire  4 , also referred to as a mandrin, is inserted in a tube section in the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F . An adhesive coating  5  is disposed between an outer wall  6  of the inserted guide wire and an inner wall  7  of the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F . 
         [0024]    The adhesive coating  5  provides for a fixing of the guide wire  4  in the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F  and thus for a securing the guide wire  4  against torsion in the tube  2 . The material of the tube  2  is compatible with the material of the adhesive coating  5 , such that the tube  2  can be glued to the adhesive coating  5 . A corresponding compatibility also applies to the material of the guide wire  4 . 
         [0025]    The guide wire  4  can be deformed in a plastic manner. The guide wire  4  is implemented as a silver-plated copper wire. The guide wire  4  provides for a stiffening of the tube  2  and thus for an improvement in the guidance. A length of the guide wire  4  lies in the range of 50 mm to 200 mm. It is also possible to use a guide wire here having a length of up to 600 mm, or even longer. Because of the securing against torsion, the tube  2  cannot yield to a torsional force applied to it by an operator, in particular, by means of a relative torsion of the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F  in relation to the guide wire  4  with respect to a longitudinal axis  8  of the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F . 
         [0026]    The adhesive coating  5  entirely encases the guide wire  4 , thus also in the region of its end surfaces. As a result, a tight sealing of the guide wire  4  toward the exterior and thus a more efficient protection against corrosion of the guide wire  4  is obtained. 
         [0027]    The adhesive coating  5  is formed by a controlled hardening adhesive. With the exemplary embodiment described here, the adhesive of the adhesive coating  5  is a UV-curing adhesive having a cyanoacrylate base. Another adhesive that can be cured in a targeted manner, and for example, hardens under the effects of humidity and/or temperature, or an adhesive having a longer curing time, can be used for the adhesive coating  5 . 
         [0028]    The tube system  1  with the tube  2  can be used as a dosing system for a two-component fibrin glue. The two components of the two-component fibrin glue are supplied to a deployment location via the two tube lumina  3  in which the guide wire  4  has not been inserted. Depending on the number of tube lumina  3 , which can also be greater than two, a corresponding number of media can be guided through the tube  2 . 
         [0029]    The tube system  1  and in particular the tube  2  having the guide wire  4  are produced in the following manner: first, the guide wire  4  and the tube  2  are cut to a fixed length. The tube  2  is cut with an excess length thereby. Subsequently, the guide wire  4  is inserted in the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F  and fixed in a desired axial position in the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F . Subsequently, the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F  is completely filled in the region of the guide wire  4  with the adhesive, which at this point in time is a low-viscosity fluid. This is achieved by exploiting the capillary effect. Alternatively, or additionally, a vacuum may be created in this lumen in order to promote a filling of the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F  in the region of the guide wire  4  with the adhesive. The low-viscosity adhesive is transported axially thereby from an adhesive application end, through the entire intermediate space between the outer wall  6  of the inserted guide wire  4  and the inner wall  7  of the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F , until reaching the end surface of the guide wire  4  lying opposite the adhesive application end. Adhesive coatings are formed thereby that cover the end surfaces of the guide wire  4 , such that the guide wire  4  is entirely encased in adhesive. Subsequently, the adhesive is cured to form the adhesive coating  5 . The ends of the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F  that are not encased can then be cut off. 
         [0030]    Aside from the tube  2 , a media supply connection  1 A having two supply ports  1 A 1  and  1 A 2  is comprised in the tube system  1  according to  FIG. 1 . Furthermore, a mixing component  1 B for mixing media supplied via the tube lumina  3  is also comprised in the tube system  1 . The mixing component  1 B can be designed as a nozzle. Various media can be conveyed via the tube lumina  3 ; one and the same medium, however, can also be conveyed via the tube lumina  3 . 
         [0031]      FIGS. 4 to 6  show further variations of the tubes  2 , which can be used in tube systems  1  instead of the multi-lumina tube according to  FIG. 3 . 
         [0032]    The tube  2  according to  FIG. 4  has a single tube lumen  3 , which simultaneously represents the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F . When using a single lumen tube according to  FIG. 4 , a supply connection according to the type of connection  1 A and a mixing component according to the type of mixing component  1 B are no longer needed for the tube system. 
         [0033]    The tube  2  according to  FIG. 5  has two tube lumen  3 , one of which represents the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F . A medium can be supplied or discharged via the other tube lumen  3 . 
         [0034]    The tube  2  according to  FIG. 6  is designed as a four-lumina tube, wherein one of these four tube lumina  3  depicts, in turn, the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F . Two of the three tube lumina  3  of the four-lumen tube  2  that are not used as the guide wire-tube lumen  3   F  can be used, in turn, to transport a two-component material. The remaining fourth tube lumen  3  can then be used to transport a turbulence gas. The four-lumen tube  2  used in this manner may be used in a dosing system for applying a protective coating to a tissue, wherein a protective coating of this type prevents an undesired adhesion of tissues.