Catheter Advancing Device With Nip Rollers

Abstract

A device for inserting a catheter into a body such as a vessel, vein, artery or channel comprising a housing member adapted to receive a flexible catheter and having a hollow needle for guiding the catheter. A drive moves the catheter through this needle.

Parent Case Text

This application is a continuation of Application Ser. No. 15,039, filed Feb. 27, 1970, now abandoned.

Description

This invention relates to a device for inserting a catheter into a blood vessel and more particularly to a device for moving a catheter through a blood vessel.

As is well known, a catheter is a tube which may be inserted into the body for various purposes including removal or injection of fluids into the body. A catheter may be inserted into a blood vessel for the purpose of feeding intravenously, as well as for other purposes. Therefore, the catheter has to be maintained in a sterile condition before and during the time it is used. A method currently in use in the art is to make an incision in the blood vessel and then pass the catheter therein. It can be appreciated that such a method is fraught with difficulties. This is especially true since the catheter has to be manually handled before insertion into the blood vessel. As a result, antiseptic conditions are difficult to maintain and it is also difficult to force the catheter through the blood vessel a predetermined distance.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved device for inserting a catheter into a vessel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved device for forcing a catheter through a vessel antiseptically.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved device for guiding a catheter in a vessel and moving it therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved device for inserting a catheter into a vessel wherein the length of the catheter that is forced into the blood vessel is readily determined.

Briefly stated, the invention in one form thereof comprises a housing carrying a hollow needle which receives a catheter and guides it into a vessel. A drive means carried by the housing moves the catheter through the needle and the vessel.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is had to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the device of this invention forcing a catheter through a blood vessel into close proximity to the heart organ.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective side view of the hollow needle and bushing used with the device of this invention.

FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a plane view of a device embodying the invention being utilized in conjunction with a syringe.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view seen in the plane of line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of another device embodying the invention; and

FIG. 11 is a sectional view seen in the plane of lines 11--11 of FIG. 10.

One use of the device of the invention is shown in FIG. 1, where the device 10 is mounted to the arm 12 of a person. A catheter is forced through the vessel, shown by dotted lines 14, until it is in close proximity to a desired location, such as the heart 16. The catheter is then detached from the device, as explained below, and used for its intended purpose, such as intravenous feeding or the like. It should be understood that, although the preferred embodiment is described for use in inserting a catheter into a blood vessel, the device can be used to insert and force a catheter through any irregular passage.

Referring to FIGS. 2 - 7, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of this invention, the device comprises a frame or housing member 18 having a removable top member 20 which snaps on and off the member 18 by means of pins 22. As shown in FIG. 3, member 18 has a large chamber 24 defined therein for containing therein the bulk of a flexible catheter 26. The distal end of catheter 26 is attached to a conical portion 28 which is received in a complimentary shaped passageway 30. The chamber 24 extends into a channel 32 which leads into another channel 34. The channel 34 leads to a second chamber 36. Located in chamber 36 is a bushing member 38 connected to a hollow needle 40. Needle 40 extends through passageway 42 externally of frame 18.

The needle 40 and bushing 38 are more clearly shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Needle 40 is formed with a sharp point 44 at one end so that it may easily penetrate the skin. Both the bushing 38 and needle 40 are formed with longitudinal slots 47 and 48 therein, throughout their entire length, so that the catheter may be removed therefrom by pulling the catheter in the direction of arrow 50. As shown in FIG. 7, the walls of the needle positively retain the catheter. However, the catheter is sufficiently flexibly deformable that it may be pulled from the needle, as shown in FIG. 6. Bushing 38 and needle 40 may be formed as a single member or as separate members which are suitably connected.

The catheter 26 is moved from chamber 24 through needle 40 once the needle has been inserted into the blood vessel of a patient by a drive means 52. The drive means 52 is positioned in two chambers 54 located adjacent passageway 34 and comprises two roller members 56 and 58 which act upon catheter 26 so that, upon rotation of said rollers, the catheter is driven in the desired direction. Spur gears 60 and 62 are connected to roller members 56 and 58, respectively, so the rollers rotate together. Attached to one of the spur gears (such as spur gear 62) is a knob 63 on a shaft 64. Gear 62 and roller 58 are mounted fast on shaft 64. Upon rotation of knob 63 the gears 60 and 62 and roller members 56 and 58, connected thereto respectively, will rotate to force catheter 26 through the needle 40.

The present device provides means by which the length of the catheter forced into the blood vessel of the patient may be accurately determined. When most of the catheter has been passed out of chamber 24, the conical portion 28 in channel 30 will terminate the movement of the catheter through the blood vessel. Thus, only a predetermined length of catheter will be forced into the blood vessel.

The catheter 26 is inserted into the device under antiseptic conditions and a cover (not shown) is provided for needle 40 for anitseptic purposes. In operation, the shsarp point 44 of needle 40 is forced into the blood vessel and the handle 62 is rotated until no further movement of catheter 26 is observed. Movement of the catheter 26 can be observed through slot 48. Additionally, cover 20 may be transparent so that the user may observe the catheter 26 in chamber 24. Top 20 is then removed which will also remove roller drive means 52. The conical portion 28 is then passed out of channel 30 and the external length of the catheter is taken out of frame 18. The needle 40 is then removed from the blood vessel of the patient and the catheter 26 may then be removed from the needle 40 and bushing 38 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6. Funnel portion 28 may then be attached to an intravenous feeding bottle or other device, as required. The needle 40 and bushing 38 are discarded. The frame 18 and removable top 20 may also be discarded since they are very inexpensive to manufacture. However, if desired, the frame 18 and top 20 may be sterilized and used again.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 together with the manner in which a device embodying the invention may be utilized with syringe without removal of the catheter. The operating members of FIGS. 8 and 9 are identical to those shown in FIGS. 2 - 7 and, therefore, bear the same reference numerals with the exception of the housing. A syringe 68 comprising a reservoir 69 and plunger 70 has a conical stopper portion 71 adapted to be received within conical member 28 and provide an air tight fit. Syringe 68 carries needle 72 adapted to extend into catheter 26 for injection of fluid into the subject through the catheter. When the catheter has been inserted the desired distance as determined either by predetermined length being fully extended or by reading calibration marks C thereon, as shown in FIG. 6, plunger 70 may be depressed to inject fluid in reservoir 69. If it is desired to withdraw a fluid located at the distal end of catheter 26 plunger 70 is withdrawn to create a low pressure in reservoir 69 and draw fluid from the subject into this reservoir.

As exemplified in FIG. 9 the housing may be molded in any desirable external configuration and comprises upper and lower members which are positioned by pins 74 in the same manner that top member 20 is positioned with respect to housing 18 in the embodiment, shown in FIGS. 2 - 7.

Another embodiment of the invention wherein the entire apparatus is disposable is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. A housing member 75 defining the chambers 24 and 36 together with the chambers 54 for the drive means comprises a bottom member 76 and top members 77 and 78 sealed thereto and defining a slot 81 extending the length of housing 75. In this embodiment the drive means comprises a drive roller 82 and an idler roller 83 positioned within the chambers 54.

It will be noted that the rollers 82 and 83 have upper portions 82 a and 83a of increased diameter. These portions serve to correctly space the rollers in their chambers and also insure retention of the catheter between the rollers during operation. The spacing between portions 82a and 83a, however, is selected to be of sufficient dimension to allow the catheter to be removed therefrom in the same manner as it is removed from the needle, as shown in FIG. 7.

Drive roller 82 is mounted to a shaft 84 internally of housing 75 and a knob 85 is mounted to shaft 84 externally of housing 75. The slot 81 defined between the top member 77 and 78 runs the length of housing 75 and permits the catheter 79 together with its end piece 86 to be withdrawn from housing 75. Thereafter the housing 75 and the operating mechanism therein may be disposed of as refuse.

The rollers 82 and 83 and also the rollers 56 and 58 in the embodiments of FIGS. 2 - 9 are positioned so as to engage the walls of the catheter with sufficient friction to drive the catheter through the needle and move the catheter into its intended passage. However, the rollers are also arranged such that when the catheter is fully extended and the driving knob is further turned that the frictional engagement will be insufficient to pull the catheter or disengage the catheter from its conical end piece by allowing the rollers to slip on the walls of the catheter.

Preferred catheters are those of silicon rubber, hydro-acrylics, and others which exhibit the desired degree of flexibility and surface smoothness. It will be understood that the needles may be secured to the housing as by having one end secured therein when the housing is molded.

It may thus be seen that the objects of the invention set forth, as well as those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained. Since changes in the disclosed embodiments of the invention, as well as other embodiments thereof which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention may occur to others skilled in the art, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments and modification to the disclosed embodiments of the invention which do not depart from the spirit and scope thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A hand-holdable device for antiseptically inserting a catheter into a vessel a predetermined distance, said device comprising: a housing member for antiseptic storage of said catheter, said housing member having a first side, a hollow needle supported in said housing member, said housing member defining a passage for antiseptically moving a flexible catheter to said hollow needle, said passage being adjacent the entrance to said hollow needle, and drive means interiorly adjacent said first side for engaging and moving said catheter through said passage and said needle;

said drive means comprising a pair of rollers positioned to rotate on parallel, spaced apart, axes and to form a nip for said catheter between the rims of said rollers, at least one of said rollers having a second portion opposite said housing side of diameter greater than the diameter of the portion of the roller that engages and moves said catheter; wherein a catheter receiving space is defined by said nip, said second portion and said housing side aligned with said passage and said needle, whereby said catheter is prevented from binding therein, said catheter is maintained adjacent said nip and said catheter is guided smoothly to said needle.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said housing member defines a first chamber adapted to receive said flexible catheter and a second chamber adapted to antiseptically enclose said pair of rollers.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein each of said rollers has a second portion of diameter greater than the portions of the rollers which engage and move said catheter, said second portions being spaced apart to permit removal of said catheter therebetween.

4. The device of claim 1 further including a pair of gears in meshing engagement, said rollers being attached one to each of said gears for rotation therewith.

5. The device of claim 4 further including means operatively associated with one of said gears for imparting said rotation.

6. The device of claim 4 including a shaft, one of said gears and one of said rollers being mounted on said shaft internally of said housing, and a knob mounted on said shaft externally of said housing.

7. The device of claim 1 further including means for securing the distal end of said catheter to said housing member.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said needle has a slot defined along the length thereof to allow removal of a catheter therefrom.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said needle is provided with an enlarged end portion, said housing member defines a chamber adapted to receive said enlarged end portion, said device having a slot defined in said needle and end portion along the length thereof.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said housing member has a slot extending along the length thereof to permit removal of a catheter in said housing.

11. The device of claim 2 wherein said needle has a slot defined therein along the length thereof, and said housing has a slot defined therein along the length thereof, said slots being continuously aligned to permit withdrawal of a catheter from said housing and said needle.

12. The device of claim 3 further including a shaft, means operatively associated with one of said second portions for imparting rotation thereto, said roller and said second portion being mounted on said shaft internally of said housing, and a knob mounted on said shaft externally of said housing.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the distal end of said catheter is adapted to receive the exit end of a syringe, whereby fluid may be injected into said catheter from said syringe.