Abstract: A balloon catheter which is good in cross ability and is also good in gripping property so as not to cause slipping during kissing technique includes a tubular body having a balloon 3provided in a distal section 12 of a shaft 1, the shaft 1 being flexible in the distal section 12 and stiff on its proximal side, whereby gripping property and cross ability are adjusted with good balance. Specifically, the gripping property is adjusted to 3.2 N to 6.0 N, and the cross ability is adjusted so that its initial value is not higher than 0.65 N and its middle value is 0.40 N.

Abstract: Objects of the present invention are to provide a blood purifier package which shows a less increase in the amounts of extracts from the materials of its blood purifier, particularly of its selective permeable separation membranes, attributed to the deterioration of the same materials with time after exposure to a radioactive ray or an electron ray, and which is therefore highly reliable in safety in use for hemocatharsis, and to provide a process for manufacturing the same. The present invention relates to a blood purifier package obtained by packing a blood purifier which comprises selectively permeable separation membranes as a main component, and this blood purifier package is characterized in that the blood purifier is packed and sealed together with an oxygen scavenger in a packaging material capable of shutting out an external air and a water vapor, under a condition of a relative humidity of above 40% RH at 25° C.

Abstract: A stent is a tubular member comprising cylindrical lumen size-holding portions 1 for holding a lumen of a living body open, and connecting portions 2 for longitudinally connecting the lumen size-holding portions 1 adjacent to one another. The lumen size-holding portions 1 are configured into repeated patterns running vertically in the developed conditions thereof. Each of the repeated patterns comprises a first curved pattern portion 11 having axis extending in a lateral direction and second and third curved pattern portions 12 and 13 having axes extending in vertical directions. The upper and lower first curved pattern portions 11 adjacent to one another are connected at one end thereof by the second curved pattern portion 12, and at the other end by the third curved pattern portion 13. The stent is excellent in flexibility and trackability to lumens.

Abstract: A liquid holder linked unit 1 that includes a plurality of liquid holders connected together. Each liquid holder is used as a liquid container suitable for easily dispensing chemicals by a proper amount for each use according to patients with a precise recipe includes an open inlet 11 and an open outlet 12, and plurality of liquid holders 101, 102, and 103 capable of storing the chemicals by an amount for each use formed between the inlet and the outlet. Outlet 12 of one liquid holder linked units is detachably fitted to the inlet 11 of another liquid holder linked unit to integrally connect the plurality of liquid storage part connection unit bodies to each other. With all liquid holder linked units 1 between the first inlet 11 and the last outlet 12 allowed to communicate with each other, the chemicals are filled therein and the portions of the communication pipes 13 thereof are scaled to store specified amounts of chemical therein.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for sterilizing a blood purifier, which method is effective to decrease the amounts of extracts from the blood purifier attributed to the deterioration of the selectively permeable separation membranes with time during and after exposure to a radioactive ray or an electron ray, and which method is highly reliable in safety when employed for hemocatharsis therapy. The present invention also provides a blood purifier package. The present invention relates to a method for sterilizing a blood purifier which comprises substantially dried selectively permeable separation membranes as a main component, by way of the exposure of the same blood purifier to a radioactive ray and/or an electron ray, and this method is characterized in that the blood purifier is sealed in a packaging bag, together with an oxygen scavenger and a humectant or together with an oxygen scavenger capable of releasing a moisture, and is then sterilized in such a sealed state by the above exposure.

Abstract: An indwelling needle includes a cylindrical main body to be fixed to a fitted body, a cylindrical hub for holding a needle, and a cylindrical protective cover which surround the needle and is provided slidably along the needle. In the usage state of this indwelling needle, the hub and the needle are advanced to the tip end side with respect to the main body and the protective cover is retreated to the rear end side with respect to the main body to project a cutting edge of the needle from the protective cover, and after use of the indwelling needle, the hub is retreated to the rear end side with respect to the main body, and the protective cover is advanced to the tip end side and the cutting edge of the needle is housed within the protective cover so that the indwelling needle is turned into a housed state. Erroneous sticking into medical staff is prevented, and the burden on a patient is reduced.

Abstract: An injector for liquid medicine comprises a cylindrical body 1, first and second gasket 2, 3 contained in a lumen of cylindrical body 1. The cylindrical body 1 is provided with a fluid inlet 13 and a fluid outlet 14 in opposite sides of the cylindrical body 1 with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof. Second gasket 3 is spaced from the first gasket 2 to form a fluid chamber 4 between them. The first gasket 2 is adapted to be moved by sliding along the inner wall of the cylindrical body 1 from a first position to the distal end 11 of cylindrical body 1 via a second position. The fluid inlet 13 is opened at a position closer to the distal end 11 of the cylindrical body 1 than the outlet 14 is. The first gasket 2 is stopped at a second position where the fluid chamber 4 is communicated with the fluid outlet 14 but prevented from fluid-communication with the fluid inlet 13.

Abstract: There is provided a safety indwelling needle comprising an inner needle unit 1 having an inner needle 11, an inner needle hub 13 provided on a proximal end of the inner needle 11 and a needle protecting member disposed at a distal side of the inner needle hub 13, and an outer needle unit 2 having an outer needle 21, characterized in that the needle protecting member includes an extendable housing unit 31 and the housing unit 31 can partly store the inner needle 11 therein in a state where the housing unit 31 is extended.

Abstract: This invention provides albumin preparations with safety and without any risk of side effects, which are free from viruses or contaminating proteins and can be stably stored over a long time while showing neither changes in appearance nor decrease in content. There are provided a stabilized albumin preparation produced by uniformly mixing a medium-chain fatty acid or a salt thereof and a sulfur-containing amino acid or a derivative thereof with an aqueous albumin solution (e.g., a buffer such as phosphate buffer which can be administered as pharmaceutical preparations, injection water, or a physiological saline) and dissolving them therein, and then processing the mixture solution into a formulation suitable for parenteral administration such as an intravenous fluid preparation or an injectable solution, and a stabilization method for an albumin preparation.

Abstract: An indwelling catheter comprises a tube, a female connector and an elastically deformable hemostasis valve which can be pressed by a male connector. An opening taper portion tapered forwardly is formed in a longitudinal intermediate portion of an inner circumferential surface of the female connector. The elastically deformable hemostasis valve is provided longitudinally slidably in the opening taper portion of the female connector and an inside portion extending rearwardly from the opening taper portion. The hemostasis valve includes; a body having a hollow form opened at its front and rear ends or a tubular portion fitted over the connecting portion from a rearward direction; and an openable/closable portion being opened by elastic deformation of the body or the tubular portion.

Abstract: The present invention provides a blood purifier which shows a decreased amount of hydrogen peroxide extracted from its selectively permeable separation membranes, and thus is highly reliable in its safety in use for hemecatharysis. The present invention relates to a blood purifier which comprises selectively permeable separation membranes as a main component and which is characterized in that the amount of hydrogen peroxide which is extracted from the selectively permeable separation membrane removed from the blood purifier after 3 months or longer has passed since the sterilization of the blood purifier by exposure to a radioactive ray and/or an electron ray is not larger than 10 ppm.

Abstract: A bioabsorbable release-sustaining pharmaceutical formulation using a biodegradable release-sustaining base material which can prevent an effective component drug from being released too rapidly just after administration of the formulation and then allow continued release of the drug for at least one month at a defined rate, is provided. For the biodegradable release-sustaining base material, a lactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA) with an adjusted distribution in molecular weight is used.

Abstract: The invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane module comprising polysulfone type selectively permeable hollow fiber membranes which contain a polysulfone-based resin and a hydrophilic polymer as main components, wherein (A) the content of the hydrophilic polymer in the uppermost layer of the inner surface of the hollow fiber membrane is at least 1.1 times larger than the content of the hydrophilic polymer in the proximate layer of the inner surface of the membrane, and (B) the content of the hydrophilic polymer in the uppermost layer of the outer surface of the hollow fiber membrane is at least 1.1 times larger than the content of the hydrophilic polymer in the uppermost layer of the inner surface of the membrane. The hollow fiber membrane module is exposed to a radioactive ray, on condition that the oxygen concentration of an ambient atmosphere around the hollow fiber membrane is from 0.001 to 0.1%, and that the moisture content of the hollow fiber membrane to the weight thereof is from 0.2 to 7 mass %.

Abstract: A protector sheath for winged needle capable of accommodating a winged needle having a needle tube with a sharp blade edge, a hub firmly attached to a proximal end portion of the needle tube, and a wing provided on the hub is provided. The protector sheath has a cylindrical main body, at least one slit is provided in a side wall of the main body, a proximal end portion of the slit is provided so as to be parallel to the axis of the main body, and a distal end portion of the slit is provided so as to extend in a direction which is not parallel to the axial direction of the main body.

Abstract: A guide wire which includes: (a) a core wire formed with a mounting portion at the distal end portion; and (b) a plurality of coil wires being fitted onto the mounting portion substantially in tandem, and having different mechanical properties, the adjacent coil wires being connected with each other at the corresponding ends thereof. One of the corresponding ends of the adjacent coil wires is formed into a tapered portion gradually reducing in outer diameter toward said end. The other one of the corresponding ends is formed into a receiving end portion into which the tapered portion is inserted.

Abstract: A liquid-medicine injection port device includes: a liquid-medicine inlet which is formed at its upper end; a liquid-medicine outlet which is formed at its lower end which is connectable to a liquid-medicine container; a liquid passageway which connects the liquid-medicine inlet and the liquid-medicine outlet; a germ-removal filter which is provided in the liquid passageway; and a closure which closes the liquid passageway downstream from the germ-removal filter and opens it easily. Further, a liquid-medicine container is provided with this liquid-medicine injection port device. Or further, the liquid-medicine container has a two-chamber structure in which an injection chamber provided with the liquid-medicine injection port device which the germ-removal filter is attached to, and a storage chamber storing a liquid medicine are divided by a weak seal portion having such a strength that it is easily peeled.

Abstract: To provide a lumen-friendly, flexible stent which is excellent in trackability to lumens (thus, it is able to pass through the three-dimensionally meandering lumens), substantially free from shortening (shortening of the length), uniformly expandable.

Abstract: An indwelling catheter set comprises a cannula housing. The cannula housing comprises: (a) a catheter disposed substantially in the axial direction and formed into a hollow body opened at its distal and proximal ends; and (b) a catheter hub comprising a through bore extending substantially in the axial direction for inserting the proximal portion of the catheter therethrough. The catheter is adhered or welded to the catheter hub.