An aspect of the present invention is a tape-shaped prepreg which includes a plurality of unidirectionally oriented fibers and a binder infiltrated into these fibers. The tape-shaped prepreg is characterized by having an average thickness of 50 m to 150 m and a content percentage of these fibers of 30 vol % to 60 vol %. The prepreg is further characterized in that: a fractal dimension D of a coefficient of variation Cv(n) is 0.4 to 1.5; and a degree of orientation P, expressed by the following equation, is 0.8 or greater and less than 1.0: Degree of orientation P=1((minor-axis length of approximate ellipse)/(major-axis length thereof)).

A tubular support member located in a distal portion of an elongate flexible medical device is provided with a plurality of wall openings, e.g., axially-spaced, substantially transverse slots, formed therein to thereby increase a flexibility of the support member. A layer of sealing material overlays an outer surface the support member so as to provide a sealed portion of the support member including the wall openings, the sealing material having respective flexible invaginations formed therein overlaying the wall openings in the support member so that the sealing material does not substantially impede flexibility of the support member.

An apparatus for and method of manufacturing an improved wire-reinforced plastic tubing for medical and other applications is disclosed. A plurality of spaced-apart wire segments may be wound onto successive portions of a long segment of plastic tubing which portions are supported for rotation to wind coil wire thereon by rotating the plastic tubing while a supply of coil wire is wound onto the plastic tubing. When multiple winding segments have been wound on the long segment of plastic tubing, the segments may be separated into individual wire-reinforced tubing products each having one or more wire windings thereupon.

The invention relates to a method for the extrusion and labelling of a packaging tube (14), comprising the following successive steps performed on an extrusion-labelling line, namely: a) forming a partially or fully tubular label (17) from a film (12); b) introducing the label (17) into a calibration element (22); c) extruding a tubular body (13) on the side of the concave surface of the label (17); d) bringing the external surface of the tubular body (13) into contact with the concave surface of the label (17), step (c) being performed in the calibration element (22). The invention also relates to an extrusion-labelling device and a packaging tube.