Patent ID: 8500696

Claim:
A method of producing an indwelling needle assembly formed by assembling together an inner needle having a sharp needle point only at a tip thereof, an inner needle hub fixed to a proximal portion of the inner needle, a hollow outer needle that permits the inner needle to be inserted therethrough, an outer needle hub fixed to a proximal portion of the outer needle, and a seal member made from an elastic material provided on the outer needle hub, for permitting the inner needle to be inserted therethrough, and exhibiting a sealing function when the inner needle is pulled out, the method of producing the indwelling needle assembly comprising: an insertion step for inserting the inner needle, with a side opposite to the needle point first, into and through the seal member so as to obtain an inserted condition; a lubricant application step for applying, in the inserted condition, lubricant to an outer peripheral surface of at least a portion of the inner needle that protrudes from the seal member; and a reciprocation step for reciprocating at least one time the inner needle in an axial direction thereof relative to the seal member, so as to cause the lubricant to penetrate inside of the seal member; wherein, in the reciprocation step, the portion of the inner needle that corresponds to one end face of the seal member travels a distance sufficient to pass beyond the other end face of the seal member; and further comprising, after the reciprocation step, an outer needle hub fixation step for fixing to the outer needle hub the seal member in the inserted condition and thereby forming the indwelling needle assembly.