U.S. patent number 3,809,081 [Application Number 05/008,577] was granted by the patent office on 1974-05-07 for obturator.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Deseret Pharmaceutical Company, Inc.. Invention is credited to James C. Loveless.
United States Patent |
3,809,081 |
Loveless |
May 7, 1974 |
OBTURATOR
Abstract
A device for selectively occluding the flow of fluid through an
indwelling catheter, the device having an elongated stem adapted to
be interposed snugly within the catheter, a handle with opposed
generally flat sides and luer coupling structure for releasibly
connecting the device to the catheter.
Inventors: |
Loveless; James C. (Sandy,
UT) |
Assignee: |
Deseret Pharmaceutical Company,
Inc. (Sandy, UT)
|
Family
ID: |
21732399 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/008,577 |
Filed: |
February 4, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/170.02 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M
25/0606 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61M
25/06 (20060101); A61m 005/00 (); A61m
005/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/214.4,28,348,349,221,214,214.2 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gaudet; Richard A.
Assistant Examiner: McGowan; J. C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Foster; Lynn G.
Claims
1. In combination, a flexible catheter and a one piece
obturator:
the catheter comprising a relatively long flexible cannula
comprised of synthetic resinous material of essentially uniform
inside and outside diameters which together define a thin wall, a
female hub at the trailing end of a forwardly converging circular
interior bore, an annular radial flange integral with the trailing
end of the hub defining a round surface about the periphery thereof
and a flat rear surface, at least two oppositely directed radially
projecting dogs extending beyond though being integral with the
flange, each dog defining a peripheral convex rounded surface, a
rear flat transverse surface, opposed parallel side surfaces, and a
front ramp surface;
the obturator disposed in said catheter and comprising a solid
though yieldable rod having a uniform diameter along the entire
length thereof substantially the same as the inside diameter of the
flexible cannula, the rod having a dull rounded leading tip, a
forwardly facing conically tapered solid male plug integral with
and disposed at the trailing end of the rod, the plug being sized
and shaped to tightly fit within and seal the trailing bore of the
catheter female hub, a thin planar handle disposed in a plane for
manually gripping integral with and disposed at the trailing end of
the male plug, the flat handle having two opposed flat side
surfaces and defining at the leading end thereof a mouth, the mouth
being disposed in said plane comprising a central flat wall exposed
at the front of the flat handle at the back of the mouth and
disposed essentially transverse of the axis of the catheter being
adapted to be pressed tightly against the entirety of the flat rear
face of the female hub of the catheter and opposed inwardly
projecting locking dogs forming the sides of the mouth and disposed
at approximately 90 degrees to the central wall the locking dogs
having opposed concave surfaces adapted to contiguously match the
peripheral convex rounded surface of the flange of the female hub,
each locking dog being spaced from the central flat wall by a notch
each notch being comprised of a rear ramp surface sized and shaped
to fully engage and frictionally lock with the entire front ramp
surface of the dogs of the catheter hub flange, respectively, with
the locking dog concave surfaces fully contiguous with the convex
surfaces of the flange and said concave and convex surfaces
substantially concealed by the dogs with the flange, respective
dogs and surfaces sized and shaped such that the catheter flange
and obturator handle present a continuous unobstructed edge within
said plane following insertion of the obturator within and partial
rotation of the obturator relative to the catheter whereby the
cannula, following venipuncture, is sealed, the hollow of the
cannula is occupied by the rod to prevent clogging and the like,
and the combination is left flatly on the arm of the patient
without obstructions projecting
2. An obturator for use with a catheter having a female fitting
with a flange and radial dogs, the fitting being secured to the
proximal end of the catheter, said obturator comprising:
an elongated shaft dimensioned to be telescopically received within
said catheter and extendable completely through said catheter,
a male tapered projection disposed about said shaft adjacent the
proximal end thereof dimensioned for frictional engagement within
said female fitting to close the fitting against intravenous
leakage,
a flat, planar tab having a forward central edge thereof secured to
the proximal end of said male projection and generally extending
laterally and rearwardly from said male projection,
a pair of radially disposed opposed shoulder members comprising
said tab the shoulders extending forward of the site where the
projection and tab are secured to each other, each shoulder having
an interior radial concave surface to match the flange of the
female fitting, each shoulder being in spaced relation with but
circumscribing said male projection in part, and
a stepped notch interposed between each shoulder and said forward
central edge, each notch having a ramp surface projecting radially
toward the shaft in a plane diagonal of the axis of the shaft, the
ramp surface being formed on the inwardly extending portions of
said shoulder members to engage in contiguous relation the radial
dogs of the female fittings essentially concealing the radial dogs
within the stepped notches.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to intravenous catheters and more
particularly to a novel obturator device for selectively occluding
an intravenous catheter, when desired.
2. The Prior Art
The use of indwelling catheters to accomodate fluid infusion into
the circulatory system of a patient is well-known in the medical
art. It has recently become desirable to place an indwelling
catheter in a patient's vein and allow the catheter to remain in
the vein between periods of fluid administration or, for purposes
of obtaining a series of blood samples at spaced time
intervals.
Heretofore, it has been common to use a plug to occlude the
indwelling catheter during the time periods when the catheter is
not being used for fluid infusion or for drawing blood samples.
When a plug is used, blood pressure within the circulatory system
will frequently force blood into the lumen of the indwelling
catheter where the blood clots. Forcible ejection of clotted blood
from the indwelling catheter may be hazardous to the patient in
that a dangerous embolism is easily formed. If the clotted blood
cannot be ejected from the indwelling catheter, the catheter may be
permanently occluded so that it is necessary to remove the occluded
catheter to introduce another catheter into the circulatory
system.
A conventional plug modification, known to me, adapted to prevent
clotting of blood in an indwelling catheter is made of two pieces,
i.e. a threaded cylindrical cap and a stem bonded to the interior
of the cap. The plugs of the mentioned type have proven to be
disadvantageous in that it is difficult to manipulate and, when
assembled with an indwelling catheter, cannot be conveniently
secured to the skin without presenting a bulky and uncomfortable
obstruction adjacent the venipuncture site thereby introducing
tissue trauma in the patient.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes an improved one-piece obturator
which prevents blood from entering into a dormant indwelling
catheter and which is uniquely configurated so as to be easily
manipulated into and out of locking relation with the catheter.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an
improved one-piece obturator.
It is another primary object of the present invention to provide a
novel obturator device which is uniquely configurated so as to lay
flat against the skin in the assembled condition while at the same
time avoiding use of a cumbersome coupling structure.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will
become more fully apparent from the following description and
appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the presently preferred obturator
embodiment with a protective cover attached;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view of the obturator of FIG. 1 disposed
within a conventional indwelling catheter, the catheter being shown
in longitudinal and cross-section;
FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a placement procedure for
situating an indwelling catheter within a vein;
FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the properly placed
indwelling catheter with a conventional plug situated therein;
and
FIGS. 6-8 schematically illustrate sequential procedural steps in
properly situating the obturator of FIG. 1 within a properly
located indwelling catheter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference is now made to the figures wherein like parts are
designated with like numerals throughout. With reference
particularly to FIGS. 1-3, the obturator generally designated 20
comprises a handle 22 which is peripherally contoured and has
opposed planar faces 24. The trailing end 26 of the handle 22 is
rounded and the sides 28 and 30 taper outwardly toward the leading
end 32 of the handle. In the illustrated embodiment, an annular
recess 34 exists in each planar face 24.
The handle 22 is provided with a channel 36 which opens at the
leading end 32 of the handle and also at the planar faces 24.
Channel 36 has inwardly directed shoulders 38 and 40, the shoulders
38 and 40 being spaced one from another and also being spaced from
the bottom of the channel 36. Each of the shoulders 38 and 40 has
ramp surfaces 42 and 44 which slope in opposite directions.
The channel 36 and ramp surfaces 42 and 44 cooperate to form a luer
lock coupling site so that conventional luer lock dogs 60 on an
indwelling catheter 50 may be connected to the handle 22 (see FIG.
2) as will be subsequently more fully described.
A forwardly tapered male fitting 46 is centrally disposed within
the channel 36 and is oriented in the plane of handle 22. An
elongated shank 48 is integral with the male fitting 46 and is
disposed coaxially therewith. The shank 48 may be of any suitable
length, but is preferably slightly longer than the length of
indwelling catheter 50 (FIG. 2.) Preferably, the shank 48 is
provided initially with a protective cover 52 (FIG. 1) which is
adapted to be press-fit onto the male fitting 46. Thus, during
storage, the sterility of the shank 48 and male fitting 46 may be
preserved. When desired, the protective cover 52 may be removed
from the shank 48 and the male fitting 46 so that the obturator 20
may be inserted into and coupled to the indwelling catheter 50 as
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
The indwelling catheter 50 is integral with a female fitting 54, as
is conventional, the female fitting having an annularly enlarged
flange 56 at the open end 58 thereof. Preferably, the flange 56 is
provided with conventional opposed luer dogs 60 (see FIG. 3) which
project radially outward in opposite directions from the flange 56.
Each luer dog 60 conventionally has a sloped surface 62, the sloped
surface being received by the corresponding ramp surfaces 42 and 44
of the handle 22. Thus, as the female fitting 54 is telescoped over
the male fitting 58, the dogs are initially oriented normal to the
planar surfaces 24 until the end 58 of the flange 56 meets or
nearly meets the bottom of channel 36. Thereafter, the handle 22
may be rotated approximately one quarter-turn relative to the
female fitting 54 so that the dogs 60 advance over the respective
ramp surfaces 42 and 44 until the end 58 of the fitting 54 is
pressed tightly against the bottom of the channel 36.
The method of using the obturator 20 is best understood by
reference to FIGS. 4-8. As shown in FIG. 4, a stylet needle 65 is
inserted within the catheter 50 and a venipuncture is made
according to accepted techniques in the arm 66 of a patient. When
the catheter 50 has been properly placed within a vein 68 (FIG. 5)
the needle 64 is removed and, conventionally, a plug 70 is nested
within the female coupling 54. If desired, a strip of tape 72 may
be used to prevent inadvertent removal of the indwelling catheter
50.
According to the present invention, it is presently preferred that
the plug 70 be replaced with the obturator 20 in the manner
illustrated in FIGS. 6-8. Specifically, the obturator 20 is grasped
at the handle 22 and inserted into the indwelling catheter 50. The
length of the shank 48 of the obturator 20 is sufficiently long so
as to completely fill the catheter 50 as shown in FIG. 2. When the
obturator has been inserted completely into the catheter 50 and
female coupling 54 as shown in FIG. 7, the obturator is rotated
about 90.degree. relative to the female coupling 54 to the position
illustrated in FIG. 8. In the FIG. 8 position, the luer dogs 60 are
wedged tightly upon the ramp surfaces 42 and 44 in the handle 22
(see FIG. 3) so that the obturator 20 is securely, though
releasably, coupled to the indwelling catheter 50.
The obturator 20 is easily removed by rotating the handle 22 about
90.degree. in the opposite direction to free the luer dogs from the
ramp surfaces 42 and 44. The obturator may then be axially
withdrawn from the catheter tube.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The
present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects
as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention
being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing
description, and all changes which come within the meaning and
range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraced
therein.
* * * * *