Intravenous Safety Device

Abstract

A safety device for intravenous administration of soluble medication or the like is disclosed wherein the valve regulating the flow rate of medication is positioned within an enclosure having a latched pivotable top or lid. A tape label having a warning printed thereon is positioned about such enclosure and the latch thereon to preclude pivotal movement of the top and thus access to the valve unless the tape label is removed.

Description

The present invention relates to a safety device for intravenous administration of medication to a patient and more particularly to an enclosure for the valve regulating the flow rate of the medication to the patient.

Various systems are commercially available that are operative intravenously to administer soluble medication or the like to patients. For example, a Plexitron solution administration set or system is marketed by Travenol Laboratories, Morton Grove, Illinois. Such system includes a tube through which the solution passes, a valve for regulating solution flow rate, a coupling to join a tube to the solution container and a needle adaptor for insertion into the vein of the patient.

For proper operation, particularly in a post operative program, the administration system must be set up in a given sequence of steps which includes proper setting of the valve to deliver the flow rate and quantity of solution prescribed by the doctor. This valve setting and maintenance of the same throughout intravenous administration of the medicinal solution is critical to the health of the patient. If any unskilled people on the floor play with or attempt to adjust the flow control regulator, the entire purpose of the medication program can be destroyed. In any IV administration faulty setting of the valve can be dangerous and even cause death.

For example, excessive fluid or increased flow rates can cause drowning, a drop in blood pressure and the like. Certain medication such as potassium if run too rapidly can cause imflammation of the vein wall known as phlebitis. An excessive flow rate of a saline solution can cause drowning particularly if the patient has a heart or lung condition. Thus it is quite important that the flow rate be properly set and monitored only by skilled persons.

The patient himself or visitors sometimes play or fool with the valve not knowing the inherent dangers. For a nurse in charge of and responsible for IV administration this can be a severe problem and constant headache.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a safety device to protect against unauthorized modification of the solution flow rate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a warning to leave the flow control valve alone. Such warning is printed on a tape label that is secured about the latch mechanism for the enclosure containing the valve.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective showing the intravenous administration system including the safety device of the present invention in operation;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the safety enclosure partially broken away for clarity of flow control valve illustration;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the safety enclosure showing the valve component in hidden lines;

FIG. 4 is a perspective of the enclosure of the present invention for the valve with the lid in open position; and

FIG. 5 is an elevation of the adhesive label used partially to encircle the safety enclosure.

With reference to the drawing and initially to FIG. 1, the solution administration set indicated generally at 1 is connected to a solution container 2 which is suspended from stand 3. The solution administration set includes a clear plastic tube 4 which extends from a drip chamber 5 below container 2 to a needle adaptor unit 6, the needle of which is inserted into a vein of the patient. A flow control clamp or valve indicated generally at 7 is positioned intermediate the ends of tubing 4. Such valve may be manually adjusted to control the flow rate in pre-selected increments between fully closed and fully open range extremes.

Referring in more detail to FIGS. 2 and 3, the valve includes an integrally formed housing 9 having side walls 10 and base wall 11. In addition to base wall 11, the side walls 10 are interconnected by longitudinally spaced cross braces 12, with the opposed ends 13 of housing 9 otherwise being open for passage of tube 4 through the same. The base wall 11 is tapered inwardly from top to bottom as shown in FIG. 2 and has a plurality of steps 14. The side walls 10 are formed with outwardly flared tracks or channels 15 which increase in width at the top end due to the outwardly directed ramp on outer wall 16.

A valve member 18 has outwardly extending shaft projections 19 on both sides thereof. Projections 19 ride in opposed tracks 15 for movement of valve member 18 longitudinally along housing 9. As illustrated in FIG. 2, valve member 18 is provided with peripheral ribs 20 which pinch tube 4 against tapered base wall 11. At the lowest extreme of track 15 as viewed in FIG. 2, the valve member 18 completely pinches off the flow of solution through tube 4, whereas when the valve member is at the top of its movement, the natural propensity of the tube to assume a circular cross-section forces member 18 outwardly so that projections 19 follow the outer wall 16 of the track which permits the tube to assume a fully open position. Intermediate the two extremes in valve movement, the flow may be variably controlled by selectively positioning the valve member to cooperate with the steps 14 on inclined bottom wall 11 to pinch tube 4 reliably to restrict the flow to the desired amount.

The above generally described structure forms no part of the present invention. However, the criticality of properly setting valve member 18 and maintaining the valve in such position is important to the present invention since the safety device was designed to protect such valve setting. Without such safety device, unauthorized manipulation of valve member 18 can result in serious physical harm to the patient and destruction of the post-operative medicinal program.

The present invention includes a plastic enclosure indicated generally at 22 which has a bottom box-like housing 23 and a pivotal top or lid 24. Bottom housing 23 includes bottom wall 25, side walls 26 and end walls 27. End walls 27 are provided with two aligned notches 28 extending downwardly from the top of the same; alternatively, aligned holes could be drilled in end walls 27. Tube 4 is received in notches 28, and valve element 7 is received in bottom housing 23, with top end 13 of valve housing 9 preferably abutting the top end wall 27 of the enclosure for ease of valve manipulation.

Top 24 is hinged at 30 to one side wall 24. The enclosure is provided with a latch mechanism indicated generally at 31 in FIG. 2 which includes a projection 32 on lid 24 having a perpendicularly extending pin 33. A catch 34 is formed adjacent projection 32 and includes two outwardly projecting spaced apart ribs 35. The outer side wall 26 is formed with a complemental projection 36 having perpendicularly extending pin 37. A catch 38 is positioned adjacent projection 36 and is formed by two spaced apart outwardly extending ribs 39. When the lid is closed, the latch mechanism is secured by press fitting pin 33 into catch 38 and pin 37 into catch 34. Such latch mechanism holds the lid in a closed position and a positive force is required to open the same.

The latch 31 is normally covered by a tape label 41 which is adhesively secured to the container. Such label is generally rectangularly shaped and is of sufficient length to extend from the top of lid 27 about latch mechanism 31 to the bottom surface of the enclosure. Such label 41 is printed with a warning as shown in FIG. 5 to alert people on the floor to the criticality of the valve setting and to warn against unauthorized touching of the control box or enclosure. Thus it will be seen that the valve member is totally encapsulated in enclosure 22 and, in addition, a tape label 41 is used to protect against unauthorized access to the valve and to warn people on the floor of the criticality of the valve setting.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An intravenous safety device comprising a flexible tube through which solution passes from a source to a patient, a valve clamped on said tube for controlling flow rate of the solution through the tube, an enclosure surrounding said valve and having enclosure openings through which said tube passes on opposite sides of said valve, and means to restrict access to said enclosure.

2. An intravenous safety device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means includes latch means requiring a positive force to open adapted to maintain said enclosure closed after the flow rate has been set.

3. An intravenous safety device as set forth in claim 1 including an adhesive tape label having a warning printed thereon covering said means to restrict access to said enclosure when said enclosure is closed.

4. An intravenous safety device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said enclosure comprises a box having a lid thereon, and said openings comprise aligned recesses in the top of said box to accommodate said tube on opposite sides of said valve.

5. The intravenous safety device of claim 1 wherein said means to restrict access to said enclosure includes latch means requiring a positive force to open for maintaining said enclosure closed after the flow rate has been set, and an adhesive tape label having a warning printed thereon covering said latch means when said enclosure is closed.

6. The intravenous safety device of claim 5 wherein said enclosure comprises a box having separable parts at least one of which has a peripheral sidewall, said openings through which said tube passes on opposite sides of said valve being in opposite portions of said sidewall.

7. The intravenous safety device of claim 6 wherein said tube is hangable and said sidewall engages said valve for suspending said enclosure on said valve.