U.S. patent number 3,599,641 [Application Number 05/019,230] was granted by the patent office on 1971-08-17 for combination connector and channel closure system for catheters.
Invention is credited to David S. Sheridan.
United States Patent |
3,599,641 |
Sheridan |
August 17, 1971 |
COMBINATION CONNECTOR AND CHANNEL CLOSURE SYSTEM FOR CATHETERS
Abstract
A combination connector and channel closure system for
multilumen catheters comprises two connector members, each having a
female portion connected to a catheter channel and a male portion
on the opposite end, the male portions being joined by a short
section of flexible plastic tubing forming a releasable seal for
the plural channels of the catheter.
Inventors: |
Sheridan; David S. (Argyle,
NY) |
Family
ID: |
21792112 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/019,230 |
Filed: |
March 13, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/256;
604/535 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M
39/20 (20130101); A61M 25/0108 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61M
25/01 (20060101); A61M 39/00 (20060101); A61M
39/20 (20060101); A61m 025/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/348,349R,349B,349BV,35R,351,240,241,246 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Truluck; Dalton L.
Claims
The embodiments of the invention is which an exclusive property or
right I claim is defined as follows:
1. In a multilumen catheter having a proximal end, a distal end
adapted for insertion in the body of a patient, a principal channel
connecting said distal end with said proximal end for transport of
fluid therebetween, a secondary channel of smaller size than the
principal channel, an opening through the sidewall of the catheter
adjacent the proximal end providing fluid flow access to said
secondary channel and a connector tube of smaller outside diameter
than said catheter fixed at one end to said opening, the
improvement of a combination connector-channel closure system for
the catheter which comprises a first connector member having an
enlarged central body portion, a male connector portion on one end
and a female portion at the opposite end into which the proximal
end of the catheter is fixed, a second connector member of similar
configuration to said first connector member fixed at the female
portion thereof to the free end of said connector tube and a short
section of flexible plastic tubing fitted at one end over the male
connector portion of said first connector member and fitted at the
other end over the male connector portion of the second connector
member, said combination of short tubing and connector members
forming a releasable seal against entrance of material into the
catheter and the connector tube.
2. A catheter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said connector members
are injection molded of rigid or semirigid plastic material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to multilumen catheters and to connector
means affixed to the proximal end portions of such catheters which
serve both to form releasable seals of closures for the plural
channels in the multilumen catheters and also as connector devices
for joining the principal and secondary channels of the catheter to
other elements, e.g., suction tubes, inflation syringes or the
like.
A variety of multilumen catheters have been developed for use in
clinical and surgical procedures. One class of multilumen catheters
are sump drain tubes of double lumen design for nasogastric suction
procedures. Another is the replogle suction catheters such as used
in relieving esophageal artesia in premature infants. Yet another
type are foley catheters which involve a principal lumen and a
small secondary or inflation lumen through which the balloon cuff
of the distal end can be inflated. A recent development is the
Dennis triple-lumen sump gastrointestinal tubes used for intestinal
suction siphonage procedures (see "Surgery," Vol. 66, 309--312,
Aug. 1969). The improved combination connector and channel closure
systems of this invention are contemplated for use with any such
multilumen medico-surgical tubes.
Multilumen catheters generally have a principal channel which
serves to transport body fluids, medicinal preparations, treating
liquids, gases or other fluids into or out of the body of a patient
into which the catheter has been inserted as part of a clinical or
surgical procedure. The remaining lumens of such catheters
constitute secondary channels designed to serve a variety of
purposes, e.g., to permit inflation of a balloon cuff at the
proximal end, to permit ingress of air for the sump purpose in sump
drain tubes or the like. Generally, it is necessary to connect both
the principal and secondary channels during the clinical or
surgical procedure to auxiliary equipment, e.g., an inflation
syringe, an underwater trap and suction pump, a drain bag, or the
like. On the other hand, when originally packaged in sterile
condition for storage and handling before use and, in some cases,
during the operative procedure involved with the catheter use, it
is desirable to seal the principal and secondary channels of the
catheter against entrance of any material into the channels.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous in the use of multilumen
catheters to have them provided with connector members which enable
the channels of the catheter to be quickly and easily connected or
disconnected from auxiliary devices and conversely, to permit the
channels of the catheter to be sealed against entrance of material
into them whenever this would be required prior, during and after
the catheter use procedure as an aid in maintaining sterile
conditions in the catheter channels.
OBJECTS
A principal object of this invention is the provision of new forms
of multilumen catheters provided with a combination connector and
channel closure system for the channels of the catheter. Further
objects include the provision of:
1. Releasable seals for primary and secondary channels of
multilumen catheters to prevent entrance of material into the
catheter channels or leakage out of these channels.
2. Channel connectors for multilumen catheters adapted for
connection to both Luer tip syringes and for Asepto syringes.
3. New methods for forming multilumen catheters with channel
connecter and closure units.
4. Information relative to the construction and use of multilumen
catheters and means for connecting and closing the catheter
channels during use, storage, handling or the like.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present
invention will become apparent from the detailed description given
hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed
description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the
invention, is given by way of illustration only, since various
changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from
this detailed description. It should also be understood the
foregoing abstract of the disclosure is for the purpose of
providing a nonlegal brief statement to serve as a
searching-scanning tool for scientists, engineers and researchers
and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as
disclosed herein nor is it intended it should be used in
interpreting or in any way limiting the scope or fair meaning of
the appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These objects are accomplished according to the present invention
by the improvement in multilumen catheters which comprises a
combination connector and channel closure system having a first
connector member with an enlarged central body portion, a male
connector portion on one end and a female portion on the opposite
end into which the proximal end of the catheter is fixed, a second
connector member of similar configuration to the first connector
member fixed at the female end portion thereof to the free end of a
connector tube extending from a secondary channel of the catheter
and a short section of flexible plastic tubing fitted at one end
over the male connector portion of the first connector member and
fitted at the other end over the male connector portion of the
second connector member. This combination of short tubing and
connector members forms a releasable seal against entrance of
materials into the channels of the catheter. Removal of the short
section of flexible tubing from one or both of the male connector
portions of the first and second connector members immediately
presents the connector members for attachment to a suction line or
any other piece of auxiliary equipment or device required in the
procedure involving the catheter.
Advantageously, the connector members are molded of plastic
material in required shape to provide the enlarged central body
portion, male connector portion and female portion and are attached
by cementing to the proximal end of the catheter or connector tubes
extending from the catheter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the new medico-surgical tube
constructions of the invention may be had by reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sump drain catheter
in accordance with the invention showing the proximal end equipped
with combination connector and channel closure system of the
invention.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the proximal end of the
catheter of FIG. 1 showing the main channel of the catheter
attached to a suction tube and the secondary channel of the
catheter attached to a syringe.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the connector
member attached to the proximal end of the catheter.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG.
1.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a triple-lumen catheter to
which the improved connector and channel closure systems of the
invention can be applied.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring in detail to the drawing, the multilumen catheter 2
comprises a proximal end 4, a distal end 6 adapted for insertion in
the body of the patient and a central portion 8. A principal
channel 10 extends substantially throughout the length of the
catheter and connects the distal end 6 with the proximal end 4 for
transport of fluid therebetween.
A secondary channel 12 terminates at one end 14 close to the closed
tip 15 of the distal end 6 of the catheter and terminates at the
other end 16 by being sealed off with a portion of plastic material
18 of which the body 20 of the catheter is formed.
A connector tube 22 of smaller outside diameter than the catheter 2
is fixed at one end 24 to an opening 26 through the sidewall 28.
The tube end 24 is cemented or otherwise joined into the opening 26
in a manner to permit fluid to flow through the connector tube 22
and into the secondary channel 12 of the catheter.
The structure of multilumen catheters as described up to this point
is old in the art. Accordingly, those familiar with this type of
article and its manufacture will understand that such catheter
structures may be made by any procedures and with any construction
materials known to be useful in the art for this purpose.
Advantageously, and particularly for disposable type single use
catheters, they are formed by plastic extrusion from plasticized
vinyl chloride polymers although they may be made of any other
suitable plastic material or rubber by other methods such as dip
coating, injection molding or the like.
The combination connector and channel closure system for the
multilumen catheters which constitutes the improvement of this
invention comprises a first connector member 30, a second connector
member 32 and a short section of flexible plastic tubing 34.
The first connector member has an enlarged central portion 36 and a
male connector portion 38 formed with a tip 40 and a tapered
section 42 which joins the tip 40 to the central body portion 36. A
bore 44 extends from the tip 40 to the central portion 36.
The opposite end of the connector member 30 comprises a female
portion 46 which tapers inwardly to the tip 48 from the center body
portion 36. A bore 50 having a circumference substantially equal to
the periphery of the tip 52 of the proximal end 4 of the catheter
extends from the female portion tip 48 back into the central body
portion 36 of the connector member. The connector member is
attached as shown in FIG. 3 to the tip 52 of the catheter such as
with cement, heat fusion of the plastic of which the catheter wall
20 is formed or in any other suitable manner.
The second connector member 32 that is of similar configuration to
the first connector member 30 is fixed at the female portion 46a
thereof to the connector tube 22. The second connector member
comprises a male connector portion 38a on one end of the central
body portion 36a and a female portion 46a at the other end. The
second connector member will, of course, have a bore similar to the
bore 44 of the first connector member 30 and also a bore in the
female portion 46a analogous to the bore 50 in the first connector
member 30 although, in this case, the female portion bore will have
a circumference substantially identical to the periphery of the
free end 54 of the connector tube 22. Also, the second connector 32
will be fixed to the connector tube 22 such as by cementing, heat
fusing or the like as described in connection with the first
connector member 30.
When the catheter is not in use, such as when packaged for storage
or delivery to a point of use, the short section of flexible tubing
34 is fitted as shown in FIG. 1 at one end 56 over the male
connector portion 38 of the connector member 30 and at the other
end 58 over the male connector portion 38a of the connector member
32. This forms a releasable seal against entrance of material into
the principal channel 10 of the catheter or into the connector tube
22.
When it is desired to connect the catheter with auxiliary devices
required in the procedure being applied to a patient after
insertion of the catheter in the body of the patient, the improved
end system of the catheter may be converted from a closure unit as
shown in FIG. 1 into a connector unit as illustrated in FIG. 2.
This shows the short section of flexible tubing 34 removed from the
male connector portion 38 of the connector member 30 and a suction
tube 60 connected to this male portion 38. The other connector
member 32 has the short section of plastic tubing 34 still attached
to the male connector portion 38a as an adapter for attachment to
an Asepto syringe. Such syringes are well known to the medical
profession and used for handling large volumes of fluid. A syringe
of this type is illustrated, for example, in U.S. design Pat. No.
216,169.
It will be understood by physicians, surgeons and others who are
familiar with the use of multilumen catheters that the precise
arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2 may not necessarily occur in
clinical or surgical procedures so that FIG. 2 is to be understood
as being presented primarily to illustrate the flexibility of the
new combination connector and channel closure systems of the
invention. Obviously, alternative arrangements are readily
possible. For example, the Asepto syringe could be connected to the
principal channel of the catheter by use of the short tube 34 with
the first connector member 30 in place of the suction tube 60.
Also, the connector member 32 could be left unattached to any
auxiliary unit such as where it would be desired to use this lumen
to permit ingress of air for the sump principle in procedures
involving a sump drain catheter. As a further alternative, a small
syringe with a Luer tip can be immediately connected to either the
principal channel of the catheter or to the connector tube 22 by
inserting the tip of the Luer syringe into the bore 44 of the
connector tip, this bore 44 being purposely designed to accommodate
the standard size Luer syringe tips.
FIG. 5 illustrates a triple-lumen catheter such as the Dennis
gastrointestinal sump tube. Such a medico-surgical tube 62 would
comprise a principal channel 64, a secondary channel 66 and a
tertiary channel 68. The principal channel 64 is used for suction,
the secondary channel 66 serves the sump and the tertiary channel
68 is employed for inflation of a balloon cuff. The channels 66 and
68 are each provided adjacent the proximal end of the catheter with
connector tubes and these in turn with connector members such as
connector member 32 shown in FIG. 2. With this arrangement, closure
of the catheter and the connector tubes could be accomplished by
joining all three connector members at the male portion thereof by
a small plastic T-member. As an alternative, one of the connector
tubes and the catheter could be arranged in a releasable seal as
shown in FIG. 1 while the second connector tube and its connector
member could be closed by placing a cap or short section of plastic
tube with one closed end over the male portion of the connector
member.
The new constructions for medico-surgical tubes of the invention
are suitable for use with disposable catheters and the like
designed for a single patient single end use. Such disposable
catheters are advantageously formed by extrusion of flexible
nonfibrous plastic material such as plasticized polyvinyl chloride,
polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon or the like of suitable
formulation to give the desired flexibility, wall strength required
for the particular shape or style of medico-surgical tube involved,
nontoxic and capable of sterilization such as by exposure to
ethylene oxide vapors, gamma ray radiation or similar techniques
used in the manufacture of these devices. Transparent plastic
material can be used to permit visual observation of the lumen of
the catheter external of the patient during the clinical procedure.
Alternatively, however, pigmented plastic material which is opaque
to visible light, x-ray radiation or both, may be used and the
catheters may be formed with an x-ray opaque longitudinal line or
other markings in accordance with known practice in the art. The
new catheters can be sterilized, handled, packaged, manipulated or
stored under the same conditions and handling procedures familiar
to physicians, surgeons and other personnel accustomed to working
with the disposable plastic type catheters. Moreover, the catheters
can be formed to include bubbles, tapered sections, O-ring
additions or any other auxiliary elements with which catheters are
now produced or may be required to be formed in the future.
Similarly, the catheters may be made to have substantially uniform
wall thickness throughout their length or, where special
application or professional preference dictates, tapered portions
or wall sections of varied thickness may be provided in the
catheters by air blowing, vacuum drawing or other techniques known
to the plastics art.
* * * * *