US3856010A - Catheter placement unit with pressure closure - Google Patents

Abstract

A catheter placement unit comprising an adapter assembly for coupling a catheter tube to a fluid infusion unit and including resilient means which are manually compressable to control the flow of fluid through the catheter tube. Two forms of the catheter placement unit are disclosed.

Description

United States Patent Moorehead et a1.

[ Dec. 24, 1974 CATHETER PLACEMENT UNIT WITH PRESSURE CLOSURE Inventors: Harvey Robert Moorehead, Salt Lake City; George R. Reading, Sandy, both of Utah Deseret Pharmaceutical Company, Inc., Sandy, Utah Filed: Sept. 7, 1973 Appl. N0.: 395,120

Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 170,157, Aug. 9, 1971, Pat, No. 3,811,440.

Assignee:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,185,151 5/1965 Czorny.... 128/2144 3,352,306 11/1967 l-lirsch.. 128/2144 3,570,485 3/1971 Reilly 128/2144 3,599,637 8/1971 Schwartz 128/2144 3,739,778 6/1973 Monestere, Jr. et a1 128/214.4

Primary ExaminerLucie H. Laudenslager Attorney, Agent, or FirmMr. Lynn G. Foster [57] ABSTRACT A catheter placement unit comprising an adapter assembly for coupling a catheter tube to a fluid infusion unit and including resilient means which are manually compressable to control the flow of fluid through the catheter tube. Two forms of the catheter placement unit are disclosed.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED BEBE 4 I974 sum 1pr 2 Om 0v Wm mm CATHETER PLACEMENT UNIT WITH PRESSURE CLOSURE CONTINUITY This application is a division of our earlier filed US. Patent application Ser. No. 170,157, filed Aug. 9, 1971, now US. Pat. No. 3,811,440.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of Invention This invention relates to catheter placement units and particularly to means for controlling blood flow during coupling of a catheter placement unit to a fluid infusion unit or the like.

2. Prior Art In the placement of a catheter for fluid infusion and the like, it is conventional to employ a placement unit having a hollow stylet needle which extends telescopically through the catheter and has a point which projects slightly beyond the leading edge of the catheter to facilitate venipuncture. Once the venipuncture has been achieved and the catheter suitably placed, the needle is withdrawn from the catheter and the catheter is coupled to the fluid infusion unit. When the venipuncture is achieved, the blood pressure in the patients vein forces blood through the needle and it is customary to provide the needle with a transparent portion which permits observance of this blood flashback to indicate that venipuncture has been obtained. Unfortunately, as the needle is withdrawn, blood also flows through the interior of the catheter and, since the free end of the catheter is open for some moments, while the needle is removed and the infusion unit is attached, this blood frequently escapes and causes staining of clothing and bed linens. Moreover, should a delay occur for any reason, between removal of the needle and attachement of the infusion unit, the loss of blood through the catheter could become serious. In instances where the needle remains indwelling, the needle is provided with a removable plug to permit attachment of the infusion unit and the foregoing problems are presented during removal of this plug.

BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION These disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention and an angiocath is provided which includes means for manually controlling the flow of blood therethrough The advantages of the present invention are preferably attained by providing a fitting adjacent the free end of the catheter having a tubular portion communicating with the bore of the catheter and formed of resilient material which can be manually pressed to prevent passage of blood therethrough.

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

Another object is to provide improved means for coupling an indwelling catheter to a fluid infusion unit or the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means for preventing undesired flow of blood through a catheter placement unit.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide means for manually controlling the flow of blood through a catheter placement unit.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a catheter placement unit comprising a fitting connected adjacent the free end of the catheter having a tubular portion communicating with the bore of the catheter and formed of resilient material which can be manually pressed to prevent passage of blood therethrough.

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 FIGURES FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a catheter placement unit, embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through a modified form of the placement unit of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the placement unit of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT In that form of the present invention chosen for purposes of illustration in FIG. 1, a catheter placement unit is shown, indicated generally at 2, comprising acatheter tube 4 having anaxial bore 6. One end 8 of thecatheter tube 4 extends through thebore 10 of alocking ring 12 and is forced onto the taperedmale end portion 14 of anadapter 16. Preferably, thebore 10 of thelocking ring 12 has an enlargedtapered portion 18 formed with a plurality of annular steps orshoulders 20 and terminating in an internally threadedportion 22 which mates with an externally threaded portion 24 ofadapter 16 to secure thecatheter tube 4 to theadapter 16, as disclosed in the copending application of Jame C. Loveless, Ser. No. 884,107,filed Dec. 11, 1969, now abandoned, and assigned to the present assignee. Alternatively, thecatheter tube 4 may be permanently secured to thelocking ring 12 andadapter 16 by means of a suitable epoxy or the like. Theadapter 16 is formed with aradial flange 26 having an external diameter similar to that of thelocking ring 12 and is formed with a rearwardly projectingstud 28 of lesser diameter than theflange 26. Anaxial bore 30 extends completely through theadapter 16 and communicates with thebore 6 of thecatheter tube 4. Acylindrical sleeve 32, formed of resilient material, is provided at its opposite ends withaxial recesses 34 and 36 having internal diameters substantially equal to the diameter ofstud 28 of theadapter 16, which seats inrecess 34 ofsleeve 32 and is secured thereto by epoxy or other suitable means. Thesleeve 32 has an external diameter similar tolocking ring 12 andflange 26 ofadapter 16 and is formed with anaxial bore 38 communicating with therecesses 34 and 36 and thebore 38 has a larger diameter than thebores 6 and 30 of thecatheter tube 4 andadapter 16, respectively. Recess 36 ofsleeve 32 mates with aprojection 40 on the forward end of acoupling member 42 and is secured thereto by epoxy or the like. Thecoupling member 42 has acentral portion 44 having an external diameter similar tosleeve 32,locking ring 12 andflange 26 ofadapter 16. In addition,coupling member 42 is formed with a radially projectingflange portion 46 which is adapted to provide conventional Lucr lock dogs. Internally,coupling member 42 has anaxial recess 48 formed in the rear end thereof which is dimensioned to provide a friction fit with the male end portion of a fluid infusion tube or the like. Abore 50 communicates the forward end ofcoupling member 42 with therecess 48 and the diameter of thebore 50 is substantially identical with that ofbore 38 ofsleeve 32. Ahollow stylet needle 52 has a beveled leadingend point 54 and extends telescopically throughbore 6 of thecatheter tube 4, bore 30 ofadapter 16, bore 38 ofsleeve 32, and bore 50 ofcoupling member 42 and is molded or otherwise permanently secured to arigid needle hub 56. Theneedle hub 56 is formed with acoupling projection 58 which is dimensioned to frictionally engage therecess 48 ofcoupling member 42. In addition, arigid stabilizer portion 60 is dimensioned to extend, in sliding relation, throughbore 50 ofcoupling member 42 and bore 38 ofresilient sleeve 32, to abut the rear end ofstud 28 ofadapter 16. Aside from thecoupling projection 58 andstabilizer portion 60, theneedle hub 56 may be conventional and will include a flashback chamber, not shown, communicating with the bore of theneedle 52 and with a coupling recess, not shown, for removably receiving aflow control plug 62 or the male end portion of a fluid infusion tube. Theneedle 52 is permanently secured to theneedle hub 56 in a conventional manner.

In use, with theplacement unit 2 assembled, as shown in FIG. 1, theneedle 52 and stabilizer portion cooperate to provide a rigid structure which may be employed to perform a venipuncture in a conventional manner. When it is desired to remove theneedle 52, the doctor grips theresilient sleeve 32 with the thumb and forefinger of one hand and grips theneedle hub 56 with the other hand and proceeds to move theneedle hub 56 away from thecoupling member 42, thereby withdrawing theneedle 52. As theneedle 52 is withdrawn, thestabilizer portion 60 is withdrawn frombore 38 ofresilient sleeve 32. This allows thesleeve 32 to be compressed, thereby reducing the effective size ofbore 38. As theneedle 52 is withdrawn through thesleeve 32, thesleeve 32 is further compressed to closebore 38 and prevent flow of blood therethrough. Theneedle 52 may, then, be completely withdrawn and a suitable fluid infusion tube or the like may be attached tocoupling member 42. Thereafter, theresilient sleeve 32 is released and resumes its normal shape, whereupon, fluid can flow freely throughbore 38 ofsleeve 32 and through bore 30 ofadapter 16 to bore 6 of thecatheter tube 4. Subsequently, if it is desired to substitute a different infusion fluid, for example, the fluid flow may readily be halted, by compressingsleeve 32 in the manner described, and the substitution may be made without fear of staining bed linens or clothing and without the danger of loss of blood from the patient.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate an alternative form of the present invention. In this form of the invention, a modifiedadapter 64 is employed and is formed generally cylindrical, as shown, with an external diameter similar to that of the lockingring 12. Theadapter 64 has a taperedmale portion 14 and threaded portion 24, identical to those ofadapter 16 of FIG. 1, and is attached to thecatheter tube 4 and lockingring 12 in the manner described with respect toadapter 16 of FIG. 1. The modifiedadapter 64 has acylindrical body portion 66 formed with aLuer lock flange 68 projecting radially adjacent the rear end thereof and having anopening 70 formed in one side of thebody portion 66 intermediate the length thereof. The modifiedadapter 64 has abore 72 extending completely therethrough and which is preferably formed with a slightly taperedrear portion 74, a central portion ofuniform diameter 76, and a sharply taperedforward portion 78 terminating at the leading end of themale portion 14 in anopening 80 which is substantially equal in diameter with thebore 6 ofcatheter tube 4. The opening communicates thecentral portion 76 ofbore 72 with the exterior of theadapter 64. A generallycylindrical valve member 82 is located in thecentral portion 76 ofbore 72 and has an external dimension substantially equal to the diameter ofcentral portion 76 ofbore 72. Preferably, thevalve member 82 is permanently secured within thecentral portion 76 ofbore 72 by epoxy or the like. Thevalve member 82 is composed of resilient material and is formed with abore 84 extending axially therethrough and having a diameter similar to that of thebore 6 ofcatheter tube 4. In addition, thevalve member 82 is formed with aprojection 86 which extends throughopening 70 and preferably projects a slight distance beyond the exterior ofadapter 64. Therear portion 74 ofbore 72 ofadapter 64 is formed to frictionally receive the male end portion of a fluid infusion tube or the like, not shown. Theneedle hub 88 is substantially identical with theneedle hub 56 of FIG. 1, except that thestabilizer portion 60 is omitted.

in use, the assembled placement unit is employed to perform a venipuncture in the usual manner. When it is desired to remove theneedle 52, the doctor grips theadapter 64 with one hand, placing the tip of one finger on theprojection 86 ofvalve member 82, and grips theneedle hub 88 with the other hand. As theneedle 52 is withdrawn through the placement unit, the doctor applies pressure toprojection 86 which, upon passage of theneedle 52, serves to close thebore 84 of thevalve member 82 to prevent passage of blood therethrough. Thereafter, theneedle 52 may be completely withdrawn and the male portion of the fluid infusion unit may be attached to taperedportion 74 ofbore 72 of theadapter 64. Upon release of the pressure fromprojection 86,valve 82 and bore 84 resume their original shapes and fluid can flow freely throughbore 84.

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

What is claimed is:

1. A stylet catheter assembly comprising:

a flexible catheter tube having an axial bore;

elongated piercing means coaxially disposed within the bore and extending beyond the length of the catheter tube in the initial assembled condition;

a hollow body affixed to the proximal end of the catheter tube through which the piercing means also coaxially passes in the initial assembled condition, the hollow of the body being in fluid communication with the bore of the catheter tube upon axial removal of the piercing means and the proximal end of the hollow body comprising an infusion female fitting;

the hollowbody comprising a yieldable occluding hollow section with memory forward of the female fitting which upon being manually squeezed against the piercing means fully transversely collapses upon itself and thereby occludes the hollow of the body under said squeezing force immediately upon said axial removal of the piercing means from the catheter tube and from the occluding hollow section, to prevent blood loss after venipuncture following piercing means removal before infusion attachment at the female fitting-- 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said occluding hollow section is generally cylindrical.

3. A stylet catheter assembly comprising:

a pliable catheter tube having an axial bore;

a needle disposed inside and extending beyond the distal end of the catheter tube in the assembled tube and the hollow of the occluding means-- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORECTION Patent No. 3,856,010 Dated l2//24/ 74 Inventor(s) Harvey Robert Moorehead, et a].

It is certified that-error appears in the aboveidentified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The term of this patent subsequent to May 21, 1991, has

been disclaimed.

Signed and Scaled this Arrest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL Arresting Officer DANN Commissioner of Parents and Trademarks

Claims (3)

1. A stylet catheter assembly comprising: a flexible catheter tube having an axial bore; elongated piercing means coaxially disposed within the bore and extending beyond the length of the catheter tube in the initial assembled condition; a hollow body affixed to the proximal end of the catheter tube through which the piercing means also coaxially passes in the initial assembled condition, the hollow of the body being in fluid communication with the bore of the catheter tube upon axial removal of the piercing means and the proximal end of the hollow body comprising an infusion female fitting; the hollow body comprising a yieldable occluding hollow section with memory forward of the female fitting which upon being manually squeezed against the piercing means fully transversely collapses upon itself and thereby occludes the hollow of the body under said squeezing force immediately upon said axial removal of the piercing means from the catheter tube and from the occluding hollow section, to prevent blood loss after venipuncture following piercing means removal before infusion attachment at the female fitting.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said occluding hollow section is generally cylindrical.

3. A stylet catheter assembly comprising: a pliable catheter tube having an axial bore; a needle disposed inside and extending beyond the distal end of the catheter tube in the assembled condition; hollow compressible occluding means with memory non-removably joined to the proximal end of the catheter tube through which the needle also passes, the hollow of the occluding means being directly open to the catheter bore, fluid flow being occluded by transverse manual compression of the occluding means upon removal of the needle from its assembled coaxial position within the catheter tube and the hollow of the occluding means.--

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