Medical device packaging

Abstract

Packaging for a medical catheter guide wire or the like includes an elongate tubular body having a bore for reception of the guide wire. The body has integral complementary interengagable male and female formations on an exterior of the body. These formations interengage when the body is coiled into a spiral hoop for packing and handling, to neatly and securely hold the body in the hoop shape.

1 - 40 . (canceled)  
   
   
       41 . A packaging device for an elongate flexible medical device such as a guide wire, a catheter or the like, the packaging device including: 
 a flexible elongate body having means for reception of the medical device,    engagement means to allow interengagement of adjacent portions of the body when the body is wound in a coiled configuration to retain and support the body in said coiled configuration,    said engagement means being integrally formed with the flexible elongate body,    said engagement means comprising complementary interengagable formations on the flexible elongate body,    said complementary interengagable formations being resiliently deformable for interengagement,    said interengagable formations comprising associated male and female co-operating members on the flexible elongate body,    a pair of male members and a pair of female members being arranged on a periphery of the body on opposite sides of the body.    
   
   
       42 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the complementary interengagable formations comprise elongate elements on an exterior of the body which extend substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the body.  
   
   
       43 . The packaging device as claimed  claim 41  wherein the engagement means is operable to support coils of the body side by side in a common plane.  
   
   
       44 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the formations are interengagable in a direction substantially parallel to a plane defined by the coiled elongate body.  
   
   
       45 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the formations are interengagable in a direction which is at an angle to a plane defined by the coiled elongate body.  
   
   
       46 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 45  wherein the formations are interengagable in a direction which is normal to a plane defined by the coiled elongate body.  
   
   
       47 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 41  wherein each male member comprises a projection extending outwardly of the elongate body and each female member is formed by an arm projecting outwardly from the elongate body to define a socket therewith for reception of the male projection.  
   
   
       48 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 47  wherein each male projection is formed by a rib extending between opposite ends of the elongate body and each arm forming a female member extends between opposite ends of the elongate body.  
   
   
       49 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 47  wherein each arm is of arcuate section.  
   
   
       50 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the male and female members are formed by curved arms at opposite sides of the body, each arm terminating in a bulbous head forming the male member, and the arm defining with the elongate body a female socket for reception of the bulbous head.  
   
   
       51 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the male formations comprise a pair of spaced-apart projections extending outwardly at one side of the elongate body and the female formations comprise an associated pair of arms projecting outwardly at an opposite side of the elongate body to define sockets therewith for reception of the associated pair of male members.  
   
   
       52 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 51  wherein the arms extend tangentially outwardly at opposite sides of the elongate body and are substantially parallel, each arm terminating in an inturned lip to define with the body and the arm a female socket for reception of an associated male projection.  
   
   
       53 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 41  wherein the elongate flexible body is made from a polyolefin, a fluoropolymer or a polyamide material.  
   
   
       54 . A packaging device for an elongate flexible medical device such as a guide wire, a catheter or the like, the packaging device including: 
 a flexible elongate body having means for reception of the medical device,    engagement means to allow interengagement of adjacent portions of the body when the body is wound in a coiled configuration to retain and support the body in said coiled configuration,    said engagement means being integrally formed with the flexible elongate body,    said engagement means comprising complementary interengagable formations on the flexible elongate body,    said complementary interengagable formations being resiliently deformable for interengagement,    said interengagable formations comprising associated male and female co-operating members on the flexible elongate body,    the male formations comprising a pair of spaced-apart projections extending outwardly at one side of the elongate body and the female formations comprising an associated pair of arms projecting outwardly at an opposite side of the elongate body to define sockets therewith for reception of the associated pair of male members.    
   
   
       55 . The packaging device as claimed in  claim 54  wherein the arms extend tangentially outwardly at opposite sides of the elongate body and are substantially parallel, each arm terminating in an inturned lip to define with the body and the arm a female socket for reception of an associated male projection.  
   
   
       56 . A packaging device for an elongate flexible medical device such as a guide wire, a catheter or the like, the packaging device including: 
 a flexible elongate body having means for reception of the medical device,    engagement means to allow interengagement of adjacent portions of the body when the body is wound in a coiled configuration to retain and support the body in said coiled configuration,    said engagement means being integrally formed with the flexible elongate body,    said engagement means comprising complementary interengagable formations on the flexible elongate body,    said complementary interengagable formations being resiliently deformable for interengagement,    said interengagable formations comprising associated male and female co-operating members on the flexible elongate body,    said male and female members being formed by curved arms at opposite sides of the body, each arm terminating in a bulbous head forming the male member, and the arm defining with the elongate body a female socket for reception of the bulbous head.