US3792703A - Catheter placement unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A catheter placement unit comprising means for maintaining a catheter in alignment with the bore of a stylet needle and support means extendable through the bore of said catheter and advanceable with said catheter through said needle to prevent misalignment of said catheter with said needle during placement.

Description

O United States Patent 1 [111 3,792,703

Moorehead Feb. 19, 1974 [54] CATHETER PLACEMENT UNIT 3,565,074 2/1971 Foti 128/2l4.4

3,370,587 2/1968 Vizcarra 128/214.4 [75] Inventor: Harvey Robe" Momehead 3,323,523 6/1967 Scislowicz et a1 1223/2144 Lake City, Utah [73] Assignee: Deseret Pharmaceutical Co. Inc., FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Sandy, Utah 265,972 10/1913 Germany 128/214.4

[22] Filed: July 1972 Primary ExaminerDalt0n L. Truluck [21] Appl. N0.: 270,342 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Lynn G. Foster [52] US. Cl. 128/2l4.4, 128/DIG. 16 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. A61m 5/00 A catheter placement unit comprising means for majm [58] Field 01 Search 128/214.4, 221, 348, DIG. 16

taming a catheter in alignment W11111 the bore of a stylet needle and support means extendable through the [56] References Cited bore of said catheter and advanceable with said cathe- UNITED STATES PATENTS ter through said needle to prevent misalignment of 3,727,613 4/1973 Sorenson et a1. 128/214.4 aid catheter with said needle during placement, 3,297,030 1/1967 Czorny et a1. l28/214.4 3,438,373 4/1969 Pannier 128/214.4 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures lizy l l PAIENIEQ FEB I 91974 mm mm MOE v ow CATHETER PLACEMENT UNIT BACKGROUND FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to catheters and particularly to catheter placement units of the type wherein the catheter is inserted telescopically within a hollow needle for placement.

Prior Art In the medical arts, it is frequently necessary or desirable to place a catheter within a patients vein in order to permit infusion of fluids, such as plasma, whole blood, saline solution, and the like, into the patients circulatory system. To accomplish such placement, it is frequently desirable to perform a venipuncture by means of a stylet needle and to pass the catheter through the bore of the needle to the desired location within the vein. Unfortunately, in order to properly position the catheter within the vein, it is sometimes necessary to reverse or partially withdraw the catheter. When this has occurred with the placement units of the prior art, the catheter has occasionally become misaligned with the bore of the needle and, upon reversal, has been drawn against the edge of the needle with the result that the outer surface of the catheter becomes burred and tends to irritate the wall of the vein. In extreme instances, portions of the catheter may actually be sheared off and carried away by the blood flow. Obviously, this condition can have serious, or even fatal consequences.

BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION These disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention and a novel catheter placement unit is provided which assures proper alignment of the catheter with the bore of the needle during both forward and reverse movement and, thereby, minimizes the likelihood of burring or shearing of the catheter.

The advantages of the present invention are preferably attained by providing a catheter placement unit comprising a stylet needle having a bore dimensioned to permit passage therethrough of a catheter, adapter means secured to the proximal end of the needle and connectable to the catheter to maintain the catheter in alignment with the bore of the needle, and a rigid tube extending through the bore of the catheter and ad vanceable with the catheter to project beyond the distal and of the needle.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved catheter placement unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a catheter placement unit including means for preventing burring or shearing of the catheter during reverse movement in the course of placement.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a catheter placement unit including means for assuring alignment of the catheter with the bore of the needle.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a catheter placement unit comprising a stylet needle having a bore adapted to permit passage therethrough of a catheter, adapter means secured to the proximal end of the needle and connectable to the catheter to maintain the catheter in alignment with the bore of the'needle, and a rigid tube extending through the bore of the catheter and advanceable with the catheter to project beyond the distal end of the needle.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a longitudinal section through a catheter placement unit embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken, on theline 2--2 of FIG. I; and

FIG. 3 is a view, similar to that of FIG. 1, showing the placement unit of FIG. I with the parts in the extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS In that form of the present invention chosen for purposes for illustration, FIGS. 1-3 show a catheter placement unit, indicated generally at 2, comprisingstylet needle 4 formed with abore 6 extending axially therethrough and having a beveled point 8 at the distal end thereof. Theproximal end 10 of theneedle 4 is permanently secured, as by welding, to a hub I2 having a foward projection I4 exteriorly dimensioned to mate with the interior of a suitable needle sheath, not shown, and formed with abore 16 extending axially through thehub 12. An annular sleeve I8 circumscribes the hub I2 and extends a short distance rearwardly therefrom. The sleeve I8 is formed with a radially projectingflange 20 and thedistal end 22 of a rigid connectingrod 24 is permanently secured, as by epoxy, to the sleeve I8 in abutting relation withflange 20. Theproximal end 26 of connectingrod 24 is received in and permanently secured to aboss 28 which projects from the front of acylindrical housing 30. Thehousing 30 is formed with anaxial bore 32 provided withannular ridges 34 and 36 extending circumferentially thereabout. As shown,ridge 36 circumscribes the proximal end ofbore 32, whileridge 34 is located forwardly ofridge 36 about two-thirds of the length ofhousing 30 at its proximal end,housing 30 is provided with a pair of opposed, outwardly projectingflanges 37. At the distal end,housing 30 is provided with a plurality of radially inwardly projectingtabs 38 which extend nearly into engagement withcatheter 40. As seen in FIG. I, thecatheter 40 comprises ahollow tube 42 having itsdistal end 44 situated in thebore 6 ofneedle 4 and having aconnector 46 secured to the proximal end of thetube 42.Connector 46 is formed with arecess 48 which communicates with thebore 50 ofcatheter tube 42 and serves to couple thecatheter 40 to a suitable fluid infusion unit, not shown. If desired,connector 46 may also be provided with outwardly projecting Luer tabs. Asteel tube 52 extends substantially completely throughbore 50 ofcatheter tube 42 and has itsdistal end 54 located adjacent thedistal end 44 ofcatheter tube 42. The proximal end oftube 52 is permanently secured in theaxial bore 56 of aplunger 58 having amale projection 60 which encircles thetube 52 and is formed. to mate withrecess 48 of theconnector 46 ofcatheter 40. Theplunger 58 is also provided with a radially projectingflange 62 having a diameter substantially equal to that ofbore 32 ofhousing 30, such that theflange 62 is freely slideable withinbore 32, but frictionally engagesridges 34 and 36. In addition, theplunger 58 has a rearwardly pro jectingannular portion 64 which encircles and extends rearwardly beyond the proximal end of thetube 52. The interior of theannular portion 64 forms achamber 66 which communicates with the exterior at the proximal end thereof and which is dimensioned to mate with the male connector of a fluid infusion unit, not shown. The exterior of the proximal end of theannular portion 66 is provided withLuer dogs 68 and a suitableflow control plug 70 is provided to frictionally close the proximal end of theannular portion 66. Finally, a transparentflexible sleeve 72 has one end thereof secured to sleeve 18 in circumscribing relation therewith, while the other end ofsleeve 72 telescopically receives the distal end ofhousing 30.

In use, theconnector 46 ofcatheter 40 is attached to themale projection 60 ofplunger 58 andplunger 58 is placed in its retracted position, as seen in FIG. 1. Thedistal end 44 of thecatheter 40 is fed throughbore 16 in theneedle hub 12 and intobore 6 ofneedle 4. Thetube 52 is then inserted, as described above, and the free end of thetransparent sleeve 72 is slid onto thehousing 30 and releasably secured thereto. It will be seen that, as thus assembled,hub 12, connectingrod 24, housing 30 andtube 52 cooperate to maintain thecatheter 40 in alignment with thebore 6 ofneedle 4. When thecatheter 40 is to be placed, a venipuncture is performed, in the usual manner. Thereafter, the doctor grips plunger 58 andflanges 37 andurges plunger 58 forward, advancingplunger 58,tube 52, andcatheter 40, untilflange 62 ofplunger 58 engagesridge 34 inbore 32 ofhousing 30, as seen in FIG. 2. As shown, this advancement causes the distal ends oftube 50 andcatheter 44 to project beyond the leading end 8 ofneedle 4 and advancesconnector 46 ofcatheter 40 to a position where it may be conveniently gripped. The end ofsleeve 72 is then removed from about thehousing 30 and theconnector 46 is detached frommale projection 60 ofplunger 58. Thecatheter 40 is then slid alongtube 52 for placement. It will be seen that during the advancement ofcatheter 40 andtube 52, and during subsequent movement of thecatheter 40 alongtube 52 for placement, thetube 52 assures that thecatheter 40 is properly aligned with thebore 6 ofneedle 4 and that thecatheter 40 does not become undulated or kinked in passing throughbore 6 ofneedle 4. Moreover, during movement ofcatheter 40 alongtube 52 for placement, if reverse movement of thecatheter 40 is necessary,tube 52 assures that thecatheter 40 is properly aligned withbore 6 of theneedle 4, sincetube 52 projects beyond the end ofneedle 4, and, thus, prevents burring or shearing of thecatheter 44. Once thecatheter 40 is placed, thetube 52 may be withdrawn.

Obviously, numerous variations and modifications may be made without departing from the present invention. Accordingly, it should be clearly understood that the form of the present invention described above and shown in the accompanying drawing is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A catheter placement unit comprising: a needle having an axial bore,-

a hub secured to one end of said needle,

a housing spaced a distance from said hub;

a rigid rod secured to said hub and said housing and serving to maintain said housing in alignment with said needle,

a plunger carried by and movable axially of said housing formed with a bore extending therethrough and having means for releasably coupling a catheter tube to said plunger,

a catheter tube formed with an axial bore and having one end of said catheter tube coupled to said plunger and having the other end extending into the bore of said needle, and

an elongated rigid tube dimensioned to fit telescopically within the bore of said catheter tube, said rigid tube extending through the bore of said plunger and said catheter and having one end of said rigid tube secured within said bore of said plunger.

2. A catheter placement unit comprising:

a hollow needle having a forward sharpened end and a female hub end;

a catheter tube, the distal end of which is normally disposed within the hollow of the needle and the proximal end of which extends to a position remote from the needle hub;

a female'hub at the remote proximal end of the catheter tube; a rigid stiffener having a dull distal end, the stiffener being disposed within and running coextensively along substantially the entire length of the catheter tube;

plunger means disposed proximal of the female hub of the catheter tube and coupled thereto for pushing said female hub and the associated catheter tube forward beyond the sharpened end of the needle;

guide means disposed around the female hub of the catheter tube and adjacent the plunger means and rod means anchoring the guide means to the female hub of the needle, to maintain axial alignment of the stiffener and catheter tube with the needle both before and during said pushing action.

3. The catheter placement unit ofclaim 2 wherein the guide means comprise a generally hollow cylindrical member in which the plunger means is displaced and wherein the anchoring means comprise at least one substantially rigid connecting rod located eccentric of but generally parallel to the catheter tube.

4. A catheter placement unit comprising:

a hollow rigid needle having a forward sharpened end comprising the exposed distal end of the unit for making a venipuncture and a female hub end;

a flexible catheter tube the distal end of which is (a) slidably disposed within the hollow of the needle at venipuncture and (b) extended beyond the needle following venipuncture and a proximal end of which extends to a position remote from the needle hub;

a catheter female hub at the remote proximal end of the catheter tube;

a hollow rigid stiffener having a dull distal end spaced rearward of the distal end of the flexible catheter tube, the stiffener otherwise being disposed within and running coextensively along substantially the entire length of the flexible catheter tube to prevent shirring of the catheter tube by the sharp end of the needle during relative movement of the two parts, the proximal end of the hollow stiffener propasses through the hollow of the stiffener into the light-transmitting flashback means for visual observation and whereby axial displacement of the flashback means causes a corresponding displacement of the hollow stiffener whereby the flashback means and the stiffener may be jointly removed from the catheter tube and the female catheter hub.

Claims (4)

1. A catheter placement unit comprising: a needle having an axial bore, a hub secured to one end of said needle, a housing spaced a distance from said hub; a rigid rod secured to said hub and said housing and serving to maintain said housing in alignment with said needle, a plunger carried by and movable axially of said housing formed with a bore extending therethrough and having means for releasably coupling a catheter tube to said plunger, a catheter tube formed with an axial bore and having one end of said catheter tube coupled to said plunger and having the other end extending into the bore of said needle, and an elongated rigid tube dimensioned to fit telescopically within the bore of said catheter tube, said rigid tube extending through the bore of said plunger and said catheter and having one end of said rigid tube secured within said bore of said plunger.

2. A catheter placement unit comprising: a hollow needle having a forward sharpened end and a female hub end; a catheter tube, the distal end of which is normally disposed within the hollow of the needle and the proximal end of which extends to a position remote from the needle hub; a female hub at the remote proximal end of the catheter tube; a rigid stiffener having a dull distal end, the stiffener being disposed within and running coextensively along substantially the entire length of the catheter tube; plunger means disposed proximal of the female hub of the catheter tube and coupled thereto for pushing said female hub and the associated catheter tube forward beyond the sharpened end of the needle; guide means disposed around the female hub of the catheter tube and adjacent the plunger means and rod means anchoring the guide means to the female hub of the needle, to maintain axial alignment of the stiffener and catheter tube with the needle both before and during said pushing action.

3. The catheter placement unit of claim 2 wherein the guide means comprise a generally hollow cylindrical member in which the plunger means is displaced and wherein the anchoring means comprise at least one substantially rigid connecting rod located eccentric of but generally parallel to the catheter tube.

4. A catheter placement unit comprising: a hollow rigid needle having a forward sharpened end comprising the exposed distal end of the unit for making a venipuncture and a female hub end; a flexible catheter tube the distal end of which is (a) slidably disposed within the hollow of the needle at venipuncture and (b) extended beyond the needle following venipuncture and a proximal end of which extends to a position remote from the needle hub; a catheter female hub at the remote proximal end of the catheter tube; a hollow rigid stiffener having a dull distal end spaced rearward of the distal end of the flexible catheter tube, the stiffener otherwise being disposed within and running coextensively along substantially the entire length of the flexible catheter tube to prevent shirring of the catheter tube by the sharp end of the needle during relative movement of the two parts, the proximal end of the hollow stiffener projecting beyond the proximal end of the flexible catheter tube whereby flashback at venipuncture instantaneously passes through the hollow of the stiffener; light-transmitting flashback means disposed proximal of and in direct connected communication with the hollow interior at the proximal end of the stiffener and the proximal end of said female catheter hub whereby at venipuncture blood instantaneously passes through the hollow of the stiffener into the light-transmitting flashback means for visual observation and whereby axial displacement of the flashback means causes a corresponding displacement of the hollow stiffener whereby the flashback means and the stiffener may be jointly removed from the catheter tube and the female catheter hub.

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