U.S. patent number 3,918,450 [Application Number 05/526,074] was granted by the patent office on 1975-11-11 for catheter adapter.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Kendall Company. Invention is credited to Bhupendra C. Patel.
United States Patent |
3,918,450 |
Patel |
November 11, 1975 |
Catheter adapter
Abstract
A catheter adapter comprising a body member having a recess for
receiving a catheter. The recess is defined, at least in part, by a
plurality of coaxial cylindrical surfaces of diameters
corresponding to a plurality of different standard catheter outer
diameters. A second member, formed from a resilient material,
engages the body member adjacent the recess therein and has an
opening for admitting a catheter to that recess. The opening is
coaxial with the cylindrical surfaces and has a diameter, when the
resilient material is unstressed, which is no greater than the
diameter of the smallest of the cylindrical surfaces in the recess.
The cylindrical surfaces are arranged according to size with the
largest diameter cylindrical surface being disposed closest to the
opening in the second member.
Inventors: |
Patel; Bhupendra C. (Elgin,
IL) |
Assignee: |
The Kendall Company (Walpole,
MA)
|
Family
ID: |
24095811 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/526,074 |
Filed: |
November 22, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/243;
604/523 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M
25/0014 (20130101); A61M 39/12 (20130101); A61M
25/00 (20130101); A61M 2039/1077 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61M
25/00 (20060101); A61M 39/12 (20060101); A61M
39/00 (20060101); A61M 003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/247,274,349,275,348,350,351,221,214,347 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gaudet; Richard A.
Assistant Examiner: Yasko; J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A catheter adapter, comprising
a body member having a first recess for receiving a catheter, said
first recess defined, at least in part by a plurality of coaxial
cylindrical surfaces of diameters corresponding to a plurality of
different standard catheter outer diameters;
a second member formed from a resilient material engaging said
rigid body member to enclose said first recess and having an
opening therethrough for admitting a catheter to said first recess,
said opening being coaxial with said cylindrical surfaces and
having a diameter, when said resilient material is unstressed, no
greater than the diameter of the smallest of said cylindrical
surfaces;
said plurality of cylindrical surfaces being arranged according to
size with the largest diameter cylindrical surface being disposed
closest to said opening in said second member.
2. A catheter adapter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body
member includes a second recess communicating with said first
recess, and being coaxial with said cylindrical surfaces.
3. A catheter adapter as claimed in claim 2 wherein a third recess
is provided in said body member which links said second recess with
the exterior of the adapter, said third recess having an axis which
makes an acute angle with the axis of said second recess.
4. A catheter adapter as claimed in claim 3 wherein one of said
second and third recesses is tapered to accommodate a standard
syringe luer.
5. A catheter adapter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body
member is formed from a rigid material, said first recess including
an additional cylindrical surface adjacent an end of the adapter,
said second member comprising an elastomeric plug member engaging
said additional cylindrical surface.
6. A catheter adapter as claimed in claim 5 wherein said plug
member is formed from rubber.
7. A catheter adapter as claimed in claim 5 wherein said plug
member includes an integral portion exterior of said first
recess.
8. A catheter adapter as claimed in claim 7 wherein said rigid body
member includes a circumferential bead on its exterior surface
adjacent said additional cylindrical surface, said bead engaging
said plug member portion exterior of said first recess.
9. A catheter adapter as claimed in claim 7 wherein said body
member includes a second recess communicating with said first
recess, said plug member including an integral web and secondary
plug for blocking said second recess.
10. A catheter adapter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body
member is formed from a transparent material.
Description
This invention relates to connectors for use in body liquid
drainage or irrigation systems, and more particularly to an adapter
which facilitates the communication of a catheter with one or more
items employed in conjunction with the catheter.
In various medical and surgical procedures the distal end of a
catheter is introduced into a body cavity or fluid pathway (e.g.,
the urinary ureter) and the proximal end of the catheter is to be
connected to one or more items (e.g., a receptacle for collecting
the liquid, a syringe or other fluid delivery means for
accomplishing irrigation or applying medication, etc.).
It is a principle object of the present invention to provide an
improved adapter in which various catheters may be retained in a
firm, leak-proof engagement and which provides a convenient
communication with other items. Additionally, it is an object to
provide such an adapter which achieves a substantially leak proof
communication between the catheter proximal end and an irrigation
fluid delivery means so that it is not necessary to insert a
portion of the delivery means into the catheter itself (and thus a
smaller diameter catheter may be employed in various
procedures).
To achieve these and other objects as shall further appear, the
invention features a catheter adapter for establishing
communication between a catheter and another item, the adapter
comprising a body member having a first recess for receiving a
catheter, said recess being defined at least in part by a plurality
of coaxial cylindrical surfaces of diameters corresponding to a
plurality of different standard catheter outer diameters. A second
member, formed from a resilient material, engages the body member
and has an opening therethrough for admitting a catheter to the
first recess, the opening being coaxial with the above mentioned
cylindrical surfaces and having a diameter, when the resilient
material is unstressed, which is no greater than the diameter of
the smallest of the cylindrical surfaces in the first recess. Those
cylindrical surfaces are arranged according to size with the
largest diameter cylindrical surface being disposed closest to the
opening in the second member.
Preferably, the body member is formed from a rigid material and the
first recess includes an additional cylindrical surface adjacent an
end of the adapter, the second member comprising an elastomeric
plug member which engages that additional cylindrical surface; the
plug member is formed from an elastic material and the opening
therein is counter-sunk to facilitate insertion of a catheter
therethrough; a second recess is provided coaxial with the
cylindrical surfaces of the first recess; a third recess is
provided which links the second recess with the exterior of the
adapter, the third recess having an axis which makes an acute angle
with the axis of the second recess; one of the second and third
recesses is tapered to accommodate a standard syringe luer; the
body member is formed from a transparent plastic material; and the
plug member includes an integral web to which is secured a
secondary plug for blocking said second recess when not in use.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will
appear from the following description of particular preferred
embodiments taken together with the accompanying drawings. In the
drawings:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a catheter adpater;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the adapter interconnecting
a catheter and a drainage tube;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with a syringe luer also being
received in the adapter for injecting a fluid into the
catheter;
FIGS. 4 and 5 are views, similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, of an
alternative adapter embodiment; and
FIGS. 6 and 7 are partially broken away side elevations of still
other alternative adapter embodiments.
Referring to FIG. 1, the adapter comprises a transparent plastic
rigid body member 10 and a second resilient member 12 in the form
of a rubber plug insertable into a first recess 14 within the body
member 10. The recess 14 is defined, in part, by a series of
coaxial adjacent cylindrical surfaces 16, which define axis 18, and
perpendicular step surfaces 17.
A larger cylindrical surface 20 adjacent an open end 22 of the body
member 10 receives a central portion 24 of plug 12. Integral
circumferential ridges 26 of the central portion 24 are sized to
provide for a snug leak-proof engagement with the surface 20. The
plug also includes an integral outer annular portion 28 disposed
exterior of the body member 10 and engageable with integral beads
30 on the exterior surface of the body member 10 adjacent the end
22 to further assure a snug fit and leak-proof seal of the plug 12
with the body member 10. An opening 32, having a counter-sunk
portion 34, is provided in the central portion 24 of plug 12 and is
aligned with the axis 18. Also integral with the plug 12 are web 36
and secondary plug 38, the purpose of which is further discussed
below.
The rigid body member 10 also includes a second recess 40 which is
coaxial with axis 18 and which tapers from a larger diameter
adjacent end 42 of the member 10 to a smaller diameter adjacent the
first recess 14. A stop surface 44 is disposed generally
perpendicular to the axis 18 at the end of recess 40 adjacent
recess 14. The size and taper of recess 40 and the size of surface
44 are chosen to accommodate the size and shape of a standard
syringe luer, as further discussed below.
A third recess 46 is provided in the body member 10 which
communicates with the second recess 40. The recess 46 has an axis
48 which intersects the axis 18 in an acute angle A. A connector
portion 50 is provided at the exterior end of recess 46.
The operation of this adapter may be described with reference to
FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2, a standard ureteral catheter 52
whose distal end (not shown) has been inserted into the patient's
ureter has its proximal end 54 passed through the opening 32 in
plug 12 and positioned within the recess 14 being engaged by the
appropriately sized surfaces 16 and 17. The catheter is thus
supported firmly at two locations. The various pairs of surfaces 16
and 17 are sized to accommodate the various standard French
catheter sizes which typically differ by mere thousandths of an
inch in outer diameter. (The diameter increments between adjacent
surfaces 16 have been exaggerated in the drawing for clarity.) The
opening 32 is sized to receive the smallest French size catheter in
a leak-proof fit but is expandable, owing to the resilient nature
of the material of plug 12, to accommodate the larger sizes for
which the adapter is intended.
With the secondary plug 38 engaging the end 42 of body member 10 to
block the second recess 40, fluid delivered from the catheter 52
will pass through third recess 46 to a conventional drainage line
55 which may be secured to the connector portion 50. When it is
required to irrigate the catheter, or force liquid through the
catheter to alleviate a blocked condition in the catheter, or to
apply medication or a radio-opaque dye to the body cavity through
the catheter, the secondary plug 38 may be removed to expose the
second recess 40 and the luer 58 of a syringe 60 inserted therein.
The end surface 56 of the luer will abut the stop surface 44 and
the tapering side wall of the luer will block the recess 46 thereby
eliminating the need for a separate plug for the recess 46, or
clamping of the drain line 55. The fluid 62 may then be forced from
the syringe and into the catheter 52. Because of the relatively
snug fit of the luer 58 in the recess 40 and against surface 44 and
the catheter end 54 in the appropriate surfaces 16, 17, there will
be little, if any, leakage of fluid, or loss of pressure, as fluid
is forced from the syringe 60 and into the catheter 52. Upon
completion of the introduction of fluid to the catheter 52, the
syringe 60 may be removed and the secondary plug 38 replaced in its
original position.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 the second recess 40 provides
communication with the drainage line 55 and the third, angled,
recess 46 receives the syringe luer 58. When irrigation is being
done (FIG. 5), a clamp 64 is placed on the drainage line 55. A plug
66 blocks recess 46 when that recess is not in use (FIG. 4).
For various medical and surgical procedures certain features of the
adapter described above would not be required and of course could
be omitted. Thus, for example, in retrograde pyelography where
typically a small urine sample is to be collected followed by an
injection of radio-opaque dye, the recess 46 and secondary plug 38
would become superfluous since, as shown in FIG. 6, a vial 68 for
collecting the urine sample is to be connected directly to the open
end 42 of the adapter and can be supported by the bead 43. Upon
collection of the sample, the vial would be immediately replaced by
a syringe for injection of dye, the syringe being received in
recess 40 as has been shown in FIG. 3.
Where drainage alone is required, the adapter may take the form
illustrated in FIG. 7 where the connector 50 for drainage line 55
surrounds an extension 70 of recess 40.
While particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been
illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in detail
herein, other embodiments are, of course, within the scope of the
invention and the following claims:
* * * * *