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Condensation or “rain-out” is a problem in medical circuits and previous attempts to manage and/or prevent rain-out have resulted in relatively expensive and/or difficult to manufacture medical circuit components. The subject patent provides an improved medical circuit component for managing rain-ou

Condensation or “rain-out” is a problem in medical circuits and previous attempts to manage and/or prevent rain-out have resulted in relatively expensive and/or difficult to manufacture medical circuit components. The subject patent provides an improved medical circuit component for managing rain-out. In particular the component may be an improved breathing tube, or insufflation system limb comprising a helically corrugated tube preferably incorporating a heater wire.

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1. A component comprising: a helically corrugated tube wherein the corrugation profile comprises alternating outer crests and inner troughs,a heater wire associated with said outer crests,wherein each said outer crest comprises a peak region, and the peak regions include local troughs comprising a s

1. A component comprising: a helically corrugated tube wherein the corrugation profile comprises alternating outer crests and inner troughs,a heater wire associated with said outer crests,wherein each said outer crest comprises a peak region, and the peak regions include local troughs comprising a small inward dip, andsaid heater wire associated with said outer crests is located within said dip. 2. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tube has a substantially uniform wall thickness. 3. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tube has a maximum wall thickness not exceeding 3 times the minimum wall thickness. 4. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said outer crests correspond to a location of maximum inner radius and maximum outer radius of said tube, and said inner troughs correspond to a location of minimum inner radius and minimum outer radius of said tube. 5. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tube includes an outer sheath supported on said outer crests. 6. A component as claimed in claim 5, wherein said outer sheath traps air between adjacent outer crests. 7. A component as claimed in claim 5, wherein said outer sheath restrains said heater wire associated with said outer crests in said local trough. 8. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said helically corrugated tube includes multiple helix corrugations. 9. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said component further comprises a heater wire associated with said inner troughs. 10. A component as claimed in claim 9, wherein said heater wire associated with said inner troughs has a different heating density than said heater wire associated with said outer crests. 11. A component as claimed in claim 10, wherein said heater wire associated with said inner troughs has a lower heating density than said heater wire associated with said outer crests. 12. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said helically corrugated tube has a varying helix pitch. 13. A component as claimed in claim 12, wherein said helically corrugated tube has a continuously variable helix pitch. 14. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said component is one of: a conduit for use in at least part of the exhaust arm of an insufflation system,a breathing tube for use in a breathing circuit anda catheter mount or tube for connection to a patient interface. 15. A medical circuit tube as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tube is flexible as defined by passing the test for increase in flow resistance with bending according to ISO 5367. 16. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tube is an extruded corrugated tube. 17. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tube is a breathing tube and is terminated by a first connector at an inlet and a second connector at an outlet, and wherein only one gases passageway is provided the length between said inlet connector and said outlet connector. 18. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least at one end of said tube is a corrugation transition region wherein said helical corrugations transition to a substantially annular corrugation. 19. A component as claimed in claim 18, wherein each end of said tube includes a corrugation transition region where said helical corrugations transition to a substantially annular corrugation. 20. A component as claimed in claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the outer crest and an inner surface of the peak region are in contact with gases within the corrugated tube. 21. A method of forming a component comprising: extruding a tube,passing said extruded tube into a corrugator and forming corrugations in said extruded tube having a corrugation profile comprising alternating outer crests and inner troughs, andwherein each said outer crest comprises a peak region, and the peak regions include local troughs comprising a small inward dip,wherein said corrugations are helical, andwherein said method further comprises a step of winding at least one heater wire into said local trough. 22. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 21, wherein said method further comprises applying an outer sheath over said component. 23. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 22, wherein said step of applying said sheath comprises extruding a sheath over said component. 24. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 21, wherein said extruded tube has a substantially uniform wall thickness at the time of corrugating. 25. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 21, wherein said outer crests correspond to a location of maximum inner radius and maximum outer radius of said component, and said inner troughs correspond to a location of minimum inner radius and minimum outer radius of said component. 26. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 21, wherein said helically corrugated component includes multiple helix corrugations. 27. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 21, wherein said method further comprises a step of winding at least one heater wire into said inner troughs. 28. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 27, wherein said heater wire associated with said inner troughs has a different heating density than said heater wire associated with said outer crests. 29. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 28, wherein said heater wire associated with said inner troughs has a lower heating density than said heater wire associated with said outer crests. 30. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 21, wherein said helically corrugated component has a varying helix pitch. 31. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 30, wherein said helically corrugated component has a continuously variable helix pitch. 32. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 21, wherein said tube is flexible as defined by passing the test for increase in flow resistance with bending according to ISO 5367. 33. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 21, wherein said method further comprises terminating a first end with a first connector, and terminating a second end with a second connector, and wherein only one gases passageway is formed between said first connector and said second connector. 34. A method of forming a component as claimed in claim 33, wherein said step of forming said corrugations includes forming a transition region at each end of said component, and wherein said helical corrugations transition to a substantially annular corrugation in the vicinity of said first and second connector respectively.