Proposed is a nitinol nanofiber with an average surface roughness that is enhanced through mechanical and chemical treatments. The enhanced surface roughness improves biocompatibility and promotes tissue growing, thereby improving the bioavailability of the nitinol nanofiber. The nitinol nanofiber undergoes infrared irradiation whereby the nitinol fiber exhibits improved tensile strength, elastic modulus, and maximum restorative stress. Therefore, fatigue fraction does not easily occur in the nitinol fiber even when the nitinol nanofiber has a constant roughness. The present invention provides bio-use or medical nitinol nanofibers that are highly biocompatible.

Provided are a flexible tube for an endoscope, the flexible tube having good elasticity, being capable of sufficiently maintaining adhesiveness between a flexible-tube base and a polymer cover layer covering the flexible-tube base even when a bending operation is repeated, and being less likely to undergo a decrease in elasticity even when the flexible tube is repeatedly heated, an endoscopic medical device including the flexible tube for an endoscope, and methods for producing the flexible tube and the endoscopic medical device.

The flexible tube for an endoscope has a flexible-tube base containing metal as a constituent material, a porous layer on the flexible-tube base, a primer layer on the porous layer, and a polymer cover layer on the primer layer. The polymer cover layer includes at least one compound of a polyamide, a polyester, a polyurethane, or a polyolefin on a side in contact with the primer layer.

Provided are a flexible tube for an endoscope, the flexible tube having good elasticity, being capable of sufficiently maintaining adhesiveness between a flexible-tube base and a polymer cover layer covering the flexible-tube base even when a bending operation is repeated, and being less likely to undergo a decrease in elasticity even when the flexible tube is repeatedly heated, an endoscopic medical device including the flexible tube for an endoscope, and methods for producing the flexible tube and the endoscopic medical device.

The flexible tube for an endoscope has a flexible-tube base containing metal as a constituent material, a porous layer on the flexible-tube base, a primer layer on the porous layer, and a polymer cover layer on the primer layer. The polymer cover layer includes at least one compound of a polyamide, a polyester, a polyurethane, or a polyolefin on a side in contact with the primer layer.

The invention relates generally to methods and systems for capturing, filtering, or retrieving obstructions or other particulates from a patient's vasculature. In one aspect, device for retrieving an obstruction from a patient is provided that includes an outer delivery shaft and an expandable basket movable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The basket is configured to be in the collapsed configuration during delivery and in the expanded configuration during engagement and retrieval of the obstruction. A proximal end of the basket is configured to be centrally and pivotally coupled to the outer delivery shaft. The proximal end and/or a distal end of the basket is movable relative to each other such that a proximal portion of the expandable basket is invertible toward a distal portion of the basket to form a proximally oriented cavity in the expanded configuration to engage and retrieve the obstruction.

The invention relates generally to methods and systems for capturing, filtering, or retrieving obstructions or other particulates from a patient's vasculature. In one aspect, device for retrieving an obstruction from a patient is provided that includes an outer delivery shaft and an expandable basket movable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The basket is configured to be in the collapsed configuration during delivery and in the expanded configuration during engagement and retrieval of the obstruction. A proximal end of the basket is configured to be centrally and pivotally coupled to the outer delivery shaft. The proximal end and/or a distal end of the basket is movable relative to each other such that a proximal portion of the expandable basket is invertible toward a distal portion of the basket to form a proximally oriented cavity in the expanded configuration to engage and retrieve the obstruction.

A tungsten wire is a tungsten wire containing tungsten or a tungsten alloy, a diameter of the tungsten wire is at most 100 μm, and a total number of torsional rotations to breakage per length of 50 mm of the tungsten wire is greater than or equal to 250×exp(−0.026×D) when a tension that is 50% of a breakage tension of the tungsten wire is applied as a load, D denoting the diameter of the tungsten wire.

A biocompatible Mg—P coating on the surface of a zinc-based biomedical material, and a preparation method and use thereof are disclosed. In the method, zinc and a zinc alloy are first subjected to surface pretreatment and then soaked in a phosphate solution at a constant temperature to form the Mg—P coating through chemical liquid deposition (CLD). The control on the composition, thickness and surface morphology of the coating is realized by using the CLD method. The biocompatible Mg—P coating has a thickness of 0.5 μm to 50 μm, is dense and uniform, and comprises a main component of zinc-magnesium-phosphate and a small amount of zinc phosphate.

A medical instrument can have an elongated shaft, at least three bending stiffness zones arranged along a length of the elongated shaft, and at least two transition zones that have a variable bending stiffness extending over a length thereof. Each bending stiffness zone can have a bending stiffness that extends over a length of the bending stiffness zone. The variable bending stiffness of each transition zone can vary from a first bending stiffness on a first side of the transition zone to a second bending stiffness on a second side of the transition zone.

A medical instrument can have an elongated shaft, at least three bending stiffness zones arranged along a length of the elongated shaft, and at least two transition zones that have a variable bending stiffness extending over a length thereof. Each bending stiffness zone can have a bending stiffness that extends over a length of the bending stiffness zone. The variable bending stiffness of each transition zone can vary from a first bending stiffness on a first side of the transition zone to a second bending stiffness on a second side of the transition zone.

The present invention relates to an elongate, flexible, medical device comprising: an elongate, flexible inner member; a support member extending around the inner member; a plurality of electrically-conductive wires, each being braided with the support member; an outer member; and at least one ionic electroactive polymer actuator, the actuator comprising: at least one polymer electrolyte layer secured adjacent to the distal end of the inner member; and a plurality of electrodes circumferentially distributed about the exterior surface of the at least one polymer electrolyte layer, wherein at least one of the plurality of electrically-conductive wires, adjacent to the distal end thereof, is electrically connected to one of the electrodes, and the at least one polymer electrolyte layer is configured to deform asymmetrically in response to the application of an electrical signal through at least one of the plurality of electrically-conductive wires to at least one of the plurality of electrodes.