DEPOSITION DEVICE FOR MEDICAL GUIDE WIRES OR CATHETERS

Abstract

A deposition device for at least one wound medical guide wire or catheter. A base plate at a plate upper side defines a deposition plane. A plurality of guide elements is present projecting from the base plate to the plate upper side, the guide elements forming a first, second and third contact surface for the guide wire or catheter. The first, second and third contact surface are protruding in a section perpendicular to the deposition plane. They are arranged and orientated such that a curved path for the wound guide wire or catheter results, wherein the wound guide wire or catheter, when it is led along the path, abuts on the first, second and third contact surface and the first and third contact surface are arranged at the outside and the second contact surface at the inside of the path.

Claims

1. A deposition device for at least one wound medical guide wire or catheter, comprising a base plate which at a plate upper side defines a deposition plane, as well as, projecting from the base plate to the plate upper side, a plurality of guide elements which form a first, second and third contact surface for the guide wire or catheter, wherein the first, second and third contact surface in a section perpendicular to the deposition plane form a protrusion, wherein the first, second and third contact surface are arranged and orientated such that a curved path for the wound guide wire or catheter results, wherein the wound guide wire or catheter, when it is led along the path, abuts on the first, second and third contact surface and the first and third contact surface are arranged at the outside and the second contact surface at the inside of the path.

2. The deposition device according to claim 1, comprising at least three guide elements projecting from the plate upper side, wherein the first contact surface is formed by a first guide element, the second contact surface by a second guide element and the third contact surface by a third guide element, wherein the path at the inside is led past the first guide element, at the outside past the second guide element and at the inside past the third guide element.

3. The deposition device according to claim 1, wherein the wound guide wire or catheter which is led along the path bears on the first, second and third contact surface in a point-contact-like manner.

4. The deposition device according to claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces in a section parallel to the deposition surface are convexly curved.

5. The deposition device according to claim 1, wherein a running-out portion is present at least in the region of the first and third contact surface, so that together with the protrusion a deepening is formed, into which the wound guide wire or catheter is pressed on account of its intrinsic stiffness, said deepening on account of the running-out portion being located at a vertical distance to the plate upper side.

6. The deposition device according to claim 1, comprising a fourth, fifth and sixth contact surface for a second wound guide wire or catheter, which is led along a second curved path.

7. The deposition device according to claim 6, wherein the third and the fourth contact surface are formed by a common guide element.

8. The deposition device according to claim 7, wherein the common guide element perpendicularly to a path direction has a larger extension than guide element with only one contact surface.

9. The deposition device according to claim 6, wherein the contact surfaces are arranged in a manner that main axes of the first and second paths are at an angle to one another, said angle being different than 0°.

10. The deposition device according to claim 1, comprising an adhesive on a plate lower side lying opposite the plate upper side, for fastening the base plate on a working surface of a working table.

11. The deposition device according to claim 1, which is free of a lateral wall that would limit a length of a winding of the medical guide wire or catheter.

12. The deposition device according to claim 1, wherein at least the base plate is transparent.

13. A use of a deposition device according to claim 1 for the deposition of a medical guide wire or catheter which is bendable counter to an elastic counter force caused by the intrinsic stiffness, wherein the guide wire or catheter is wound and is subsequently deposited such that on account of the intrinsic stiffness it abuts on the first, second and third contact surface and is pressed outwards against the first and the third contact surface and inwards against the second contact surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Embodiments of the invention are described in more detail by way of drawings. In the figures, the same reference numerals designate the same or analogous elements. There are shown in:

[0048] FIG. 1 a view of a deposition device according to the invention;

[0049] FIG. 2 a view of the deposition device of FIG. 1 with drawn possible first and second paths:

[0050] FIG. 3 a lateral view of the deposition device according to claim 1; and

[0051] FIG. 4 a further view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0052] In the subsequent description of one of embodiment examples, the use for the deposition of medical guide wires is illustrated. The drawn and described deposition device however can also be used for the deposition of a catheter (possibly in combination with the deposition of a guide wire) or of several catheters.

[0053] FIG. 1 shows a view of a deposition device 1 according to the invention. This includes a base plate 10 which, at the upper side, defines a deposition plane for one or more guide wires. In total five projections are formed projecting from the base plate, the projections forming first, second, third, fourth and fifth guide elements 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. The guide elements 11-15 are each designed such that they form a protrusion at least in the region of a contact surface and thus prevent the sliding-away to the top of a wire, which abuts upon the contact surface.

[0054] As a whole, the deposition device is manufactured as a plate with a discrete number of guide elements, which project from the plate in a mushroom-like manner. It is free of a peripheral wall, i.e., is free of an enclosure.

[0055] The arrangement of the guide elements defines a front side and a rear side, wherein the first, third and fifth guide element 11, 13, 15 are arranged at the front side and the second and fourth guide element at the rear side with respect to this. The guide elements are arranged at a distance to the edges 61, 62, 63, 64, wherein, in particular, a distance of the second and fourth guide element 12, 14 to the rear edge 62 is significant. Likewise, significant is the fact that at least at the front or rear no walls are present, so that the windings can be easily deposited and removed again.

[0056] The guide elements are fixedly and rigidly connected to the base plate, so that the deposition device is always stable and cannot displace, even when working under time pressure and possibly cumbersome movements. As a whole, the deposition device in particular is manufactured as a monolithic object, for example of plastic, for example as an injection moulded part.

[0057] The distances d of adjacent guide elements—in FIG. 1 by way of example the distance between the third and the fourth guide element is drawn—are selected such that the deposition, which is described in more detail hereinafter, is possible. It is typically a few centimetres, in particular at least 2 cm.

[0058] FIG. 2 illustrates a first path 41 and a second path 42, which is defined by the deposition device and along which a wound guide wire can be deposited. The windings of such a guide wire roughly run along the respective path 41, 42, wherein two guide wire end pieces 45 are also indicated in FIG. 2. The precise course of the paths 41, 42 depends on the size of the windings. As is indicated in FIG. 2 by the different dimensions of the two paths 41, 42, the windings can be differently large. On account of the approach according to the invention, the windings are held in a stable manner in quite a substantial size region. The elasticity of the wound guide wire causes this to seek a circular as possible configuration, which is why from a certain winding minimal length and on account of its elasticity it is pressed outwards against the first and third guide element 11, 13 (see double arrows 50) or the third and fifth guide element 13, 15 as well as inwards against the second (double arrow 51) or fourth guide element 12, 14 and is therefore forced onto a course along the path in a stable manner.

[0059] The first path 41, which here is somewhat longer, is represented in a slightly pear-shape manner in FIG. 2, whereas the somewhat shorter second path 42 is approximately elliptical. In both cases—and this is generally the case for different embodiments of the invention—the second guide element 12 and the fourth guide element 14 can be arranged roughly in the middle-perpendicular plane between the contact points onto the first and the third contact surface 21, 23 and fourth and sixth contact surface 24, 26, respectively, and the path can therefore run roughly symmetrically to this middle-perpendicular plane. This symmetry also defines an axis 101 of the two paths 41.

[0060] Thus, with reference to FIG. 1, contact surfaces form, these being arranged such that the first path 41 is led past the first contact element at the inside (first contact surface 21), past the second guide element at the outside (second contact surface 22) and past the third guide element at the inside (third contact surface 23). Analogously, the arrangement of the contact surfaces for the second path 42 is such that the second path 42 is led past the third guide element 13 at the inside (fourth contact surface 24), past the fourth guide element 14 at the outer side (fifth contact surface 25) and past the fifth guide element 15 again at the inside (sixth contact surface 26). Considered conversely, the first, third and fifth guide element are each located at the outer side of the paths which run roughly parallel to the deposition plane (wherein the inner and outer side are defined by the curvature of the paths), so that an outer side of the respective winding abuts thereon, and the second and fourth guide element are arranged at the inside, so that an inner side of the respective windings abuts thereon.

[0061] Connecting onto the contact surfaces in the horizontal direction, the device is free of elements that project upwards from the base plate, so that the contact surfaces form a single-sided contact. The device is designed such that nothing stands in the way of a bending of the guide wire or catheter away from the contact surface in the horizontal direction.

[0062] The fact that the device is free of elements which project upwards from the base plate at each contact surface (perpendicularly away from the contact surface in the horizontal direction) is represented in FIG. 1 by way of example at the first contact surface by way of a block arrow 66. The free space (distance of possible obstacles) in the horizontal direction away from the contact surface (such as for example according to the block arrow 66) should herein be large in relation to the thickness of the winding, i.e., be a multiple of an expected winding thickness. For example, it should be at least 1 cm, at least 2 cm or at least 3 cm. In the represented embodiment example it is not limited, since no obstacle at all is arranged in the perpendicular direction away from the contact surfaces.

[0063] This configuration has the following advantages: firstly, as mentioned, differently large windings can be deposited in a stable manner, without them abutting one another or on something else. Secondly, the removal of the medical guide wire is particularly simple. One merely needs to grip a loop and press it together slightly along its smaller axis (reference numeral 47 in FIG. 2) counter to its intrinsic stiffness and then lifted. The pressing-together along the smaller axis from both sides releases the loop from all three contact surfaces, for which the fact that the contact surfaces are single-sided contact surfaces in the described sense and not, for example, a clamped holding is of significance. The removal of the guide wire also succeeds in the simplest manner by way of pressing together from only one side and subsequent lifting.

[0064] FIG. 3 shows a lateral view of the deposition device of FIGS. 1 and 2. The gripping of the guide wire can be simplified by way of the front guide elements, thus the first 11 and the third 13 as well as possibly the fifth 15 guide element including a running-out portion 61 at the lower side, i.e., towards the base plate 10, so that together with the protruding portion 62 a deepening, which is designed as a fillet, for the guide wire winding 44 is formed, the fillet being situated at a vertical distance to the base plate 10. For this reason, the guide wire at the front side can be gripped below particularly well, which greatly simplifies the operability.

[0065] Furthermore, adhesive portions 71 are schematically drawn in on the lower side of the base plate in FIG. 3. These permit the very simple fastening of the deposition device on a working table. The deposition device is advantageously positioned such that on its front side there is still sufficient depositions surface for the guide wire winding. The deposition device can also be positioned in a flat container, which includes a suitable liquid.

[0066] A further optional feature is that the base plate 10 as a whole is curved in the plane that is defined by it, such as is illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows the base plate with a curved axis 100. The curvature is such that the main axes 100 of the paths are at an angle 106 to one another, the angle being different than 0°, and specifically such that the axes converge towards the end-side guide element 12; 14 (corresponding to the guide element, which lies at the inside with respect to the respective path). The direction of the main axes is essentially independent of the size of the windings—which is not defined by the device—and is defined by the middle-perpendicular between the contact surfaces 21, 23; 24, 26 of the front-side guide elements 11, 13, 15, the middle-perpendicular simultaneously leading through the contact surface 22, 25 of the respective end-side guide element. The angle 106 between axes of adjacent paths is, for example, between 10° and 120° or between 20° and 120°, and it can also be up to 180° (i.e., the deposition device then defines precisely two deposition locations, lying opposite one another).

[0067] This concept of the arrangement of guide elements such that the axes of the paths form an angle to one another can also be used if more that the drawn two deposition locations (two paths) are defined, wherein a device forming a circle or an annulus includes a plurality of deposition locations that are arranged around a middle point.

[0068] The concept of the arrangements such that the axes of the paths form an angle contributes to the adjacent guide wire windings being separated from one another in a clean manner and at a sufficient distance despite a compact device and compact arrangement.

[0069] Further optional features of the deposition device that can be realised in combination with the features, which are described above or independently thereof and in combination with one another or independently of one another comprise: [0070] The guide elements are designed in a beaker-like manner, i.e., they are hollow at the inside (cavity 31, see FIG. 1). In particular, this feature contributes to a material and weight-saving design. [0071] The guide elements 11, 12, 14, 15, which are only assigned to a single deposition location, are roughly rotationally symmetrical about an axis perpendicular to the deposition plane, i.e., they have a round outline. This too contributes to a compact construction manner. [0072] A middle guide element 13 forms stop surfaces 23, 24 of two adjacent deposition locations, thus serves as a common guide element for the two adjacent deposition locations. This optional feature (a guide element could also be present per deposition location) contributes to a particularly simple and compact design. As is represented in the figures, one can optionally envisage such a common guide element being wider, i.e., having a greater extension perpendicular to the direction of the paths than those guide elements that are assigned to only one deposition location. [0073] the base plate 10 and, for example, the device as a whole can be transparent. This, for example, permits the attachment of inscriptions or the like to the lower side of the base plate, without compromising the upper side.