JPH07136105A - Endoscope insertion aid - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] An endoscope insertion aid that has low friction resistance, flexibility and airtightness, is hygienic, does not cause interpatient infection, and is economically superior. The purpose is to provide. [Structure] Outer cylinder 1 made of airtight flexible tube
And an inner cylinder 6 which is detachably provided inside the outer cylinder 1 and is composed of a highly flexible tubular body having a small frictional resistance against passage of an endoscope insertion portion, and the outer cylinder 1 and the inner cylinder. Locking means 2, 4 for locking and disengaging 6 and 6 at both ends of each other.
7 and 8 are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope insertion assisting tool used as an insertion guide when inserting an endoscope into a body cavity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an endoscope insertion assisting tool, an endoscope insertion portion to be inserted inside must be able to freely move forward and backward, so that the inner surface thereof has a great frictional resistance against passage of the endoscope insertion portion. Must be small. Further, the outer surface of the insertion assisting tool of the endoscope must be entirely airtight so as to prevent leakage that hinders operations such as air supply and suction by the endoscope.

Therefore, it is conceivable to make the insertion assisting tool by using a material having airtightness and slipperiness such as a tube made of polytetrafluoroethylene resin (Teflon).

However, since the insertion aid is inserted into the body cavity in a state of being overlapped with the insertion portion of the endoscope, use of a hard material such as polytetrafluoroethylene tube causes a great deal of pain to the patient. turn into. Therefore, the insertion aid of the endoscope needs to be formed of a material having a considerably large flexibility.

Therefore, in the past, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-265 was used.
As shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 124, a polytetrafluoroethylene porous tube which is very slippery and has a large flexibility is covered with rubber to provide airtightness, and a porous tape is further wrapped around the outer periphery of the tube. Was.

[0006]

The conventional insertion aids for endoscopes as described above can have all the use needs of low friction resistance, flexibility and airtightness.

However, the polytetrafluoroethylene porous tube has innumerable fine pores on its surface.
Therefore, if filth gets into it, it is not only unhygienic but also a cause of inter-patient infection.

Moreover, it is almost impossible to perform the cleaning for completely removing the dirt that has entered the small holes.
On the other hand, it is too uneconomical to completely dispose the insertion aid after each use.

Therefore, the present invention provides an endoscope insertion aid which has low friction resistance, flexibility and airtightness, is hygienic, is free from the risk of patient-to-patient infection, and is economical. The purpose is to do.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an insertion assisting tool for an endoscope of the present invention is formed into a flexible tubular shape as a whole, and an insertion portion of the endoscope is inside. In an insertion aid for an endoscope to be inserted into an endoscope, an outer cylinder made of an airtight flexible tube and a flexible tubular body having a small frictional resistance against passage of the endoscope insertion portion are included. It is characterized in that an inner cylinder detachably provided inside the outer cylinder and locking means for locking the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder at both ends of the outer cylinder are detachably engaged.

The inner cylinder may be a porous tube made of polytetrafluoroethylene, or the inner cylinder may be a mesh tube formed by braiding fine metal wires.

[0012]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an insertion assisting tool for an endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is formed in an elongated flexible tubular shape as a whole.

The outer cylinder 1 is formed of a flexible tube having airtightness such as a polyurethane resin tube or a polyethylene tube into an elongated cylindrical shape.
An outer cylinder front side cap 2 having a female screw is joined and fixed to the tip end side thereof, and a cylindrical outer cylinder rear side cap 4 having a circumferential projection 3 formed in the middle of the outer periphery thereof on the rear end side. Are bonded and fixed.

The inner cylinder 6 is made of a polytetrafluoroethylene porous tube that is very slippery and highly flexible, and has an elongated cylindrical shape whose outer diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 1. And is formed so as to be freely inserted into and removed from the outer cylinder 1.

At the front end side of the inner cylinder 6, a front end cap 7 having an outer peripheral surface gradually tapered toward the front side and smoothly rounded corners is fixedly joined. The tip base 7 is formed with a male screw that is screwed into the female screw of the outer cylinder tip side base 2.

The outer diameter of the tip mouthpiece 7 is substantially the same as the outer diameter dimension of the outer cylinder 1 and the outer cylinder tip side mouthpiece 2, and the inner diameter of the tip mouthpiece 7 is substantially the same as the inner diameter dimension of the inner cylinder 6. It is formed so that there is almost no step between them.

The inner cylinder 6 is formed to be a little longer than the outer cylinder 1, and the rear end side is pulled out rearward through the inside of the outer cylinder rear side cap 4 and then folded back to the outside to form an outer cylinder rear side cap. Four
Is covered on the second half of the outer peripheral surface.

A rear end cap 8 is attached to the rear end of the insertion assisting tool. The rear end cap 8 is formed such that the outer diameter is considerably thicker than the outer cylinder 1 and the like, the inner diameter is slightly thicker at the intermediate minimum diameter portion than the inner cylinder 6, and the inlet side is formed in a tapered shape. Has been done.

The inner diameter of the front half of the rear end cap 8 is designed to be tightly fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 6 folded back to the outside, and the front end face thereof is the rear side of the outer cylinder. Base 4
Abuts on the protrusion 3. The bases 2, 4, 7 and 8 are made of metal or plastic.

When using the endoscope insertion aid thus constructed, the insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted through the inside of the inner cylinder 6 into the body cavity. In that case, since it is highly flexible as a whole, the pain to the patient is small, the inner cylinder 6 slides well, the endoscope insertion part can be smoothly inserted, and the outer cylinder 1 is airtight. Leakage between the outside of the body does not occur when performing air supply and suction operations by the endoscope.

After use, the rear end portion of the inner cylinder 6 is released by pulling the rear end cap 8 rearward to remove it, and then the screwing of the front end cap 7 and the outer cylinder front side cap 2 is loosened to remove the front end cap. When 7 is pulled to the front side, the inner cylinder 6 is pulled out from the inside of the outer cylinder 1 to the front side.

Then, the outer cylinder 1, the front and rear mouthpieces 2 and 4 joined thereto and the rear end mouthpiece 8 previously removed are washed and sterilized, and the inner cylinder 6 and the tip mouthpiece 7 joined thereto are discarded. And replace it with a new one, and assemble it on the outer cylinder 1 side.

In this way, the inner cylinder 6 which is difficult to completely clean can be made disposable each time and only the other part which can be completely cleaned and disinfected can be reused. In the state where the outer cylinder 1 and the inner cylinder 6 are separated from each other, there is no possibility that either one of the tips 7 and 8 at the front end or the rear end is attached, so that they are not used by mistake by themselves.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the insertion assisting tool for an endoscope of the present invention. As the inner cylinder 6, for example, a mesh tube braided with thin metal wires such as stainless steel thin wires is used. It is one. The reticulated tube is very flexible, and also has a small contact area with the endoscope insertion portion, so that the friction resistance is small.

The structure of the front half of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except the material of the inner cylinder 6, and only the fixing structure on the rear end side of the inner cylinder 6 is the first embodiment. Since it differs from the example, only that part will be explained.

In this embodiment, the outer cylinder rear side cap 4 and the rear end cap 8 are screwed together so that the distance between the tapered surfaces 4a, 8a formed obliquely parallel to both is narrowed. Therefore, by sandwiching the rear end portion of the inner cylinder 6 between the two tapered surfaces 4a and 8a and tightening the bases 4 and 8, the rear end portion of the inner cylinder 6 is firmly fixed between them.
It can be used in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Then, when the outer cylinder rear side cap 4 and the rear end cap 8 are screwed together, the rear end portion of the inner cylinder 6 is released, and the first
The post-use treatment can be carried out in the same manner as in the above example. The fixing structure of the rear end of the inner cylinder 6 may have a configuration other than the first and second embodiments.

[0028]

According to the present invention, the inner cylinder is low in friction resistance and highly flexible, and the outer cylinder is airtight, so that the endoscope insertion portion can be smoothly inserted and the patient can be inserted. It does not cause pain and does not cause leakage during air supply or suction. Moreover,
After use, the outer cylinder can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, and only the inner cylinder, which is difficult to completely clean, can be replaced, which is very economical.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side half-sectional view of an insertion assisting tool for an endoscope according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side half-sectional view of an insertion assisting tool for an endoscope of a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Outer cylinder 2 Outer cylinder front side cap 4 Outer cylinder rear side cap 6 Inner cylinder 7 Tip cap 8 Rear end cap

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An insertion assisting tool for an endoscope, which is formed in a tubular shape having flexibility as a whole and in which an insertion portion of the endoscope is inserted inside, and an outer member made of an airtight flexible tube. The outer cylinder and the inner cylinder, which are detachably provided inside the outer cylinder, are formed of a cylinder and a highly flexible tubular body having a small frictional resistance against passage of the endoscope insertion portion. An insertion assisting tool for an endoscope, characterized in that locking means for lockingly and disengagingly is provided at both ends of each other. 2. The insertion aid for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the inner cylinder is a porous tube made of polytetrafluoroethylene. 3. The insertion aid for an endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the inner cylinder is a reticulated tube formed by braiding fine metal wires.