U.S. patent application number 10/924966 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-10 for coupling arrangement.
This patent application is currently assigned to Unomedical A/S. Invention is credited to Svendsen, Gunnar N..
Application Number | 20050028818 10/924966 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 8159409 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050028818 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Svendsen, Gunnar N. |
February 10, 2005 |
Coupling arrangement
Abstract
The present invention relates to a coupling arrangement for a
system for endotracheal ventilation of a patient, which system
comprises an endotracheal tube and a manifold (100) configured for
allowing ventilation of the patient via said endotracheal tube,
which manifold (100) has a first coupling means (300) with an axial
extent (400) and with engagement means (330); and which
endotracheal tube has a second coupling means (400) with an axial
extent and with engagement means (420); wherein the coupling
arrangement is configured to produce, when the first (300) and the
second (400) coupling means are moved together in the axial
direction, a locking engagement between die engagement means (33,
420). The invention is characterised in that the first coupling
means (300), in the axial direction, comprises an exterior screw
thread (320); and that the second coupling means (400) comprises an
exterior abutment face (430); that the coupling arrangement also
comprises a disengagement means (350) configured for cooperating
with said screw thread (320); and that the disengagement means
(350) and the screw thread (320) are configured for allowing an
axial movement of the disengagement means (350) from a first
position, in which said engagement means (330, 420) are in locking
engagement, to a second position in which the disengagement means
(350) can influence the abutment face (430) by an axial force for
releasing the locking engagement.
Inventors: |
Svendsen, Gunnar N.;
(Jyllinge, DK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FINNEGAN, HENDERSON, FARABOW, GARRETT & DUNNER
LLP
1300 I STREET, NW
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
Unomedical A/S
|
Family ID: |
8159409 |
Appl. No.: |
10/924966 |
Filed: |
August 25, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10924966 |
Aug 25, 2004 |
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10240885 |
Oct 4, 2002 |
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10240885 |
Oct 4, 2002 |
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PCT/DK01/00231 |
Apr 5, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
128/202.27 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10S 128/912 20130101;
A61M 16/0463 20130101; A61M 16/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
128/202.27 |
International
Class: |
F16D 011/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 6, 2000 |
DK |
PA 2000 00580 |
Claims
1-5. (Canceled).
6. An adaptor for connecting a closed suction catheter system to an
artificial airway tube, said adaptor comprising a housing defining
an internal chamber and having a distal end configured to
detachably engage a proximal end of said artificial airway tube,
and a proximal end configured for communication with a distal end
of said closed suction catheter system; said housing further
comprising radially inwardly directed internal structure defining
an air access between said housing and the artificial airway tube
for air to be inhaled and exhaled by a patient breathing through an
artificial airway having said adaptor attached thereto.
7. The adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said housing further
comprises an oxygen port.
8. The adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said housing further
comprises a ventilation port.
9. The adaptor according to claim 6, further comprising a release
assembly configured with said housing, upon actuation thereof said
release assembly separating said housing from said artificial
airway tube.
10. The adaptor according to claim 6, further comprising a
disengagement member configured with said housing, upon actuation
thereof said disengagement member separating said housing from said
artificial airway tube.
11. The adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said proximal end of
said housing is engageable with said closed suction catheter
system.
12. The adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said proximal end of
said housing is detachably engageable with said closed suction
catheter system.
13. The adaptor according to claim 6, wherein said proximal end of
said housing is non-removably fixed to said closed suction catheter
system.
14. An adaptor for connecting a closed suction catheter system to
an artificial airway tube, said adaptor comprising a housing
defining an internal chamber and having a distal end configured to
detachably engage a proximal end of said artificial airway tube,
and a proximal end configured for communication with a distal end
of said closed suction catheter system; said housing further
comprising internal structure defining an air access for air to be
inhaled and exhaled by a patient breathing through an artificial
airway having said adaptor attached thereto; said adaptor further
comprising a release assembly configured with said housing, upon
actuation thereof said release assembly separating said housing
from said artificial airway tube; and wherein the release assembly
comprises a release member disposed at said distal end of said
adaptor, said release member movable distally upon actuation of
said release assembly to disengage said housing from said
artificial airway tube.
15. An adaptor for connecting a closed suction catheter system to
an artificial airway, said adaptor comprising: a housing defining
an internal chamber and having a distal end configured to
detachably engage a proximal end of said artificial airway tube,
and a proximal end configured for communication with a distal end
of said closed suction catheter assembly; and a release assembly
configured on said housing to separate said housing from the
artificial airway upon actuation of said release assembly.
16. An adaptor for connecting a closed suction catheter system to
an artificial airway, said adaptor comprising: a housing defining
an internal chamber and having a distal end configured to
detachably engage a proximal end of said artificial airway tube,
and a proximal end configured for communication with a distal end
of said closed suction catheter assembly; a release assembly
configured on said housing to separate said housing from the
artificial airway upon actuation of said release assembly; and
wherein said release assembly comprises a release member disposed
at said distal end of said adaptor, said release member movable
distally upon actuation of said release assembly to disengage said
housing from said artificial airway tube.
17. The adaptor according to claim 16, wherein said release
assembly consists of a release member disposed at the distal end of
the adaptor and which may be extended distally to disengage the
housing from the artificial airway tube.
18. An adaptor for connecting a closed suction catheter system to
an artificial airway, said adaptor comprising: a housing defining
an internal chamber and having a distal end configured to
detachably engage a proximal end of said artificial airway tube,
and a proximal end configured for communication with a distal end
of said closed suction catheter assembly; a release assembly
configured on said housing to separate said housing from the
artificial airway upon actuation of said release assembly; and
wherein said adaptor housing includes a manifold having a first
barrel, a second barrel, and a third barrel, said first and second
barrels being substantially in alignment and said third barrel
extending perpendicularly thereto.
19. The adaptor according to claim 18, wherein said manifold
further contains a fourth barrel.
20. An adaptor for connecting a closed suction catheter system to
an artificial airway, said adaptor comprising: a housing defining
an internal chamber and having a distal end configured to
detachably engage a proximal end of said artificial airway tube,
and a proximal end configured for communication with a distal end
of said closed suction catheter assembly; a release assembly
configured on said housing to separate said housing from the
artificial airway upon actuation of said release assembly; and
wherein said adaptor housing includes a manifold having a first
cylinder, a second cylinder, and a third cylinder, said first and
second cylinders being substantially in alignment and said third
cylinder extending perpendicularly thereto.
21. The adaptor according to claim 20, wherein said manifold
further contains a fourth cylinder.
22. A catheter system comprising: a closed suction catheter
assembly; an adaptor for connecting said closed suction catheter
system to an artificial airway tube, said adaptor comprising a
housing defining an internal chamber and having a distal end
configured to detachably engage a proximal end of said artificial
airway tube, and a proximal end in communication with a distal end
of said closed suction catheter assembly; said housing further
comprising radially inwardly directed internal structure defining
an air access between said housing and the artificial airway tube
for air to be inhaled and exhaled by a patient breathing through an
artificial airway having said adaptor attached thereto.
23. A catheter system comprising: a closed suction catheter
assembly; an adaptor for connecting said closed suction catheter
assembly to an artificial airway, said adaptor comprising: a
housing defining an internal chamber and having a distal end
configured to detachably engage a proximal end of an artificial
airway tube, and a proximal end configured in communication with a
distal end of said closed suction catheter assembly; and a release
assembly configured on said housing to separate said housing from
the artificial airway upon actuation of said release assembly.
24. An apparatus for suctioning secretions from a patient intubated
with a tracheostomy tube comprising: a closed suction catheter
assembly having a catheter tube, an envelope and a coupling for
holding an end of the envelope; and an adaptor disposed at the
distal end of the closed suction catheter assembly and having a
housing configured for attachment to an tracheostomy tube and a
release assembly disposed adjacent the housing, the release
assembly being configured for detaching the housing from the
tracheostomy tube responsive to a compressive force to the release
assembly.
25. An apparatus for suctioning secretions from a patient intubated
with a tracheostomy tube comprising: a closed suction catheter
assembly having a catheter tube, an envelope and a coupling for
holding an end of the envelope; and an adaptor disposed at the
distal end of the closed suction catheter assembly and having a
housing configured for attachment to an tracheostomy tube and a
release assembly disposed adjacent the housing, the release
assembly being configured for detaching the housing from the
tracheostomy tube responsive to a force to the release assembly.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a coupling arrangement of
the kind described in the preamble to claims 1 and 2. The coupling
arrangement can be used for connecting a manifold of the kind
described in eg WO98/33536 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,381 to an
endotracheal tube.
[0002] It is commonly known to configure the end of an endotracheal
tube with a conically tapering male coupling means that is
introduced into a complementarily configured female coupling means
on the manifold for establishing a sealing frictional connection.
In order to separate the parts from each other it is necessary to
produce an axial separation force. This force is typically produced
by means of a disengagement means in the form of a wedge-shaped
manifold that is wedged between two protruding flanges located at
the end of the female and the male coupling means,
respectively.
[0003] However, it has been found that by use of said manifold in
practice, it is difficult for the hospital staff to avoid laterally
oriented power influences on the coupling means and thus on the
endotracheal tube that has been inserted into the patient with
ensuing traumatic consequences for the patient. Besides, the prior
art solutions involve a risk that the manifold disappears. In given
situations, the latter has entailed that the hospital staff have
attempted to separate the coupling means manually, which has, to an
even wider extent, traumatically influenced the patient due to
laterally oriented power influences.
[0004] It is the object of the invention to solve the
above-mentioned problems by the prior art. As featured in the
characterising portions of claims 1 and 2 this is obtained by
arranging a thread for a disengagement means on either the manifold
or in connection with the endotracheal tube. By the solution thus
provided it is ensured that, at any time, the separation force is
oriented essentially in the axial direction, and that no power
influences occur transversally to the coupling means. Additionally,
it becomes possible to avoid that the disengagement means is
lost.
[0005] It is also preferred that the coupling means are configured
as male and female parts, respectively, as featured in claims 3 and
4. Preferably the coupling means are configured with engagement
means in the form of complementary conical faces whereby it is
possible to provide a frictional coupling in conventional manner as
such. However, nothing prevents the engagement means from being
configured in another manner, eg so as to provide a releasable
joining by dipping together the engagement parts while profiting
from the resilience of the constituent materials.
[0006] The invention will now be described in further detail with
reference to the embodiments shown in the drawing. In the
drawing:
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates a part of a system for endotracheal
ventilation of a patient;
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates a manifold in a perspective view and
featuring a part of the coupling arrangement according to the
invention; and
[0009] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view through the coupling
arrangement according to the invention, without the disengagement
means.
[0010] In principle, the functionality of the system shown in FIG.
1 corresponds to the functionality of eg the system described in DK
patent application No 32/95. The system shown is thus suitable for
performing ventilation as well as aspiration of a patient and is
thus conventionally designated a `closed` system. A flexible
shrouding or pipe coupling 50 is thus, at its first end 52,
connected to the valve device 200 and it is, at its opposite end
54, connected to a manifold 100. The valve housing 200 is
configured for being, via a coupling 5, connected to a not shown
suction device for generating a sub-atmospheric pressure in the
system.
[0011] The manifold 100, which is preferably transparent, is also
configured to be connected--via a coupling arrangement--to a
tubular element or "tube" for endotracheal ventilation of a
patient, ie a tube configured for being introduced into the
respiratory tracts of the patient with a view to maintaining
artificial ventilation of the patient. To this end, the manifold
100 has a coupling device, designated in the drawing by the
reference numeral 300 and to be described in further detail below.
An opening 142 in a ventilation stub 141 allows ventilation of the
patient by means of a not shown conventional apparatus. To this end
the ventilation stub 141 is preferably configured with a screw
thread for connection with the ventilation apparatus.
[0012] Besides, the system conventionally comprises a catheter 40
that extends within the interior of the shrouding 50 and that can
be introduced into the patient's respiratory tracts to draw out
secretion. At its first end 42, the catheter 40 is securely
connected to the valve device 200 and, at its opposite end 44, it
is displaceably received in the manifold 100, the catheter
being--via a packing 104--sealed relative to the shrouding 50 so as
to prevent fluid from penetrating into the shrouding. Also, the
packing 104 causes secretion to be scraped off the outside of the
catheter 40 during withdrawal of the catheter from the patient. It
will be understood that the opposite end 44 of the catheter forms a
suction point that can, while the shrouding 50 is simultaneously
folded, be displaced through the manifold interior and into the not
shown tube for ventilation of the patient. By this movement, the
end 44 of the catheter is thus conveyed to the right in FIG. 1.
Hereby it is possible to perform regular suction of secretion from
the patient's respiratory tracts, as the operator connects the
system to the suction device by operating an actuator button 210
arranged in the valve housing 200.
[0013] As mentioned above, the manifold 100 has a coupling device
that constitutes a first coupling means 300 of a coupling
arrangement 300, 330, 400. This first coupling means is shown more
clearly in FIG. 2, from where it will also appear that the manifold
100 defines a through-going axis A. In the embodiment shown the
coupling means 300 is constituted by a separate pipe coupling that
is configured for being able to be fastened in extension of the
manifold 100 via an engagement area 150 on the outside of the
manifold 100 and that extends along the axis A. However, the
coupling means 300 may very well be formed integrally with the
manifold 100. The coupling means 300 has an interiorly extending,
through-going passage for ventilation and aspiration of the
patient, and it has at its one end a first cylindrical area 310
that continues--via an annular plateau 312 that extends
perpendicular to the axis A--into a cylindrical area 315 provided
with an exterior thread 320.
[0014] In FIG. 3, the coupling arrangement is shown in further
detail. To the left in the drawing the coupling means 300 thus
shown that has, to the extreme right, an annular end edge 317. The
passage in the cylindrical area 315 has, as will appear, an evenly
increasing interior diameter in a direction away from the manifold
100, whereby it is possible to provide a frictional joint between
the first coupling means 300 and a second coupling means 400, which
is shown to the right in FIG. 3, and comprising an area 420 that is
complementary with the area 315.
[0015] The second coupling means 400 is, as shown, configured as a
cylindrical body with a through-going passage that extends along
the axis A like the passage in the first coupling means 300. A
tapering area 420 of the second coupling means 400 has an
increasing, exterior diameter that has been adjusted in accordance
with the change in the interior diameter of the passage within the
area 315 in the first coupling means 300. Thereby it is possible to
provide a sealing frictional coupling by introduction of the second
coupling means 400 into the first coupling means 300. When the
manifold 100 is to be connected to an endotracheal tube, said
joining of the two coupling means is performed for establishing a
very sealing frictional connection. The tapering of the passage
within the area 315 and the area 420 can be comprised within the
preferred ratio of about 1 to 40.
[0016] The second coupling means 400 also comprises a plateau 430
that extends perpendicular to the axis A, which plateau forms a
transition between the tapering area 420 and a head portion 410 of
the coupling means 400. The head portion 410 can either be solidly
connected to the end of an endotracheal tube, or it can be
configured for being solidly connected to the end of an
endotracheal tube immediately preceding the introduction into the
patient of the endotracheal tube. It will be understood that the
first coupling means 300 will, in the relevant case, form a female
coupling means, whereas the second coupling means 400 forms a male
coupling means.
[0017] Additionally the coupling arrangement comprises the
disengagement means 350 shown in FIG. 2 that has an internal thread
360 configured for cooperating with the thread 320. The plateau 312
forms a first end position for the disengagement means 350, since
preferably the extent of the disengagement means 350 along the axis
A corresponds maximally to the extent of the thread 320 along the
axis A.
[0018] When the second coupling means 400 has been introduced into
the coupling means 300, the end edge 317 is preferably in abutment
on the plateau 430. In this state, there will preferably be a
certain distance between the plateau 430 and the disengagement
means 350 that has been screwed onto the area 315. In order to be
able, in this state, to perform a separation of the two coupling
means, the disengagement means 350 is turned a suitable number of
times, whereby the means 350 is displaced and caused to abut on the
plateau 430. By carrying out a further manual turning of the
disengagement means 350, an axial power influence is generated
towards the second coupling means 400. The power influence is
oriented in accordance with the axis A and will entail that the
second coupling means 400 is released. The pitch of the threads
320, 360 can be selected in accordance with the forces involved,
including the ease with which the user must be able to turn the
disengagement means 350 in order to achieve the intended
separation.
* * * * *