Sterile Drainage Assemblies

Abstract

For use in sterile drainage procedures, particularly in medicine and surgery and designed for insertion in the fluid communication line between a catheter and a sink, a rigid-walled jacket enclosing a dry chamber is introduced. This chamber is provided with upstream and downstream end intake and discharge ports respectively and contains a downstream-opening elongated elastomeric flutter valve secured to the upstream chamber-end in communication with said intake port. Manually operable pump means co-axial with the jacket and on the upstream side thereof also communicate with the said intake port. A cap may be integrally secured to the downstream end of the jacket to seal the intake aperture of an elastomeric collapsible sink in the form of a drainage container having a rigid upper wall in which said aperture is located, such rigid upper wall maintaining the upper parts of the collapsible side walls spaced apart to facilitate fluid reception.

Description

The following disclosure contains a correct and full description of the invention and of the best mode known to the inventor of taking advantage of the same.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

This invention is primarily, essentially, and as considered in isolation, a rigid-walled cylindrical jacket enclosing a chamber containing a flutter-valve of known design spaced from the surrounding inner wall surface and secured to the upper downstream end of the jacket. More generally the invention comprises the jacket and valve just stated in combination with other known parts of a sterile drainage assembly, embodying particularly a catheter and tubing extending between said catheter and the upstream end of said jacket.

The invention further includes pump-means in the form of an annular corrugated collapsible cylindrical pump element adjacent and in relatively rigid co-axial communication between the downstream end thereof and the upstram end of said jacket with the tubing connected to the upstream end of the pump. Finally, the invention comprises the aforesaid combination together with a novel drainage container and cap therefor wherein the cap is secured integrally to the downstream end of said jacket, and means are provided for maintaining the collapsible walls of the elastomeric container spaced apart for better fluid reception and easy cap attachment so that in the conclusion a novel assembly is presented wherein said jacket and pump element are seen to project relatively rigidly upwards from said container (which of course may also be a rigid structure).

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The known art is embodied in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,750 issued Dec. 24, 1968 to R. Carson. It embodies a flutter-valve containing chamber but one in the form of a suction-inducing flexible aspirator, hence a finger-pinchable pump-means connected by tubing to a catheter.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Since it is known that bacteria will not climb a dry wall the line of communication in the present assembly may be safely broken below the jacket forming part of same and without fear of invasion by said bacteria into the tubing above the pump-means and hence into the catheter.

A further advantage of the present invention resides in the relatively rigid connection of the jacket and pump-means whereby one hand only is sufficient to perform the necessary gentle pumping action if necessary. In any event such semi-rigid connection is positive, easy and convenient, not excessively flexible and "unmanageable" as many assemblies are which depend upon rubber tubing connections.

A further advantage of the present invention resides in its easy and convenient rigidity to the hand in the matter of attachment and detachment to and from the associated fluid container with a capping arrangement and recipient intake mouth obviating any need for twisting action.

A further advantage lies in that if instead of an elastomeric container as herein described a rigid container is employed, it will become apparent as this specification proceeds that by the provision of the described cap which is integral with the downstream end of the jacket, a relatively stiff upstanding an easily manipulated assembly of jacket and pump is achieved with a minimum of serpentine unsupported hose-connected components.

With the foregoing in view, and such other or further purposes, advantages or novel features as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of the inventive concept comprises, embodied, embraced, or included in any method, process, construction, composition, arrangement or combination of parts, or new use of any of the foregoing which may herein be exemplified in one or more specific embodiments of such concept, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective representation of the present invention shown associated with a Foley indwelling catheter.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional elevation of the sterile jacket and associated pump-means.

In the drawings, like characters of reference designate similar parts in the several Figures.

CLAIM-CONSONANT DESCRIPTION

Describing initially the subject-matter hereof in terms generally consistent with those by which the same is defined and claimed as an invention herein this invention consists of the means for and method of draining and drainage particularly but not necessarily as applied to medicine, of connecting to the downstream end 10 of a catheter 12 the upstream end 14 of a rigid walled jacket 16 having upstream and downstream intake and discharge end ports 18 and 20 respectively enclosing a chamber 22 having secured to the upstream interior end 24 thereof for fluid communication with said catheter an elongated elastomeric one-way flutter valve 26 spaced from the surrounding jacket wall and openable as at 28 toward the downstream end 30 of said jacket, and means 32 connected to one of said ports for pumping fluid through said jacket from a source (the catheter) to a sink 34.

The pumping means 32 are on the upstream side of jacket 16 being in the line of communication 36 between catheter and jacket. The pumping means consist of an annularly corrugated and collapsible generally cylindrical element having upstream and downstream intake and discharge ports 38 and 40 respectively. As shown FIG. 2 the jacket and pump means are in generally cylindrical and co-axially directly connected essentially unitary relationship.

The invention also includes a cap 42 for a sink 34 in the form of an elastomeric drainage container 44 of normally flat collapsed configuration characterized by having an upper wall portion 46 at right angles to the major plane of the container when collapsed, said upper wall portion being rigid relative to the collapsible parallel side walls 48 of the container, the said wall portion extending upon diametrically opposite sides of an intake aperture formed in the upper wall portion bisected by the aforesaid major axial plane, an upwardly projecting mouth 50 being provided around said aperture.

The cap for the drainage container 44 is integral with the downstream end 30 of jacket 16. Said cap is essentially comprised of a cover plate 52, an annular skirt 54 depending from the cover plate, an inwardly projecting flange 58 on the inner surface of said skirt and a manually operable upwardly yieldable out wardly projecting tab 60 on one side of the cap. The flange 58 loosely occupies the external annular groove 62 in the mouth 50, to retain the cap connected to container 48. An upward pry on tab 60 separates the cap from mouth 50 due to there being sufficient resiliency in the cap, the mouth or both to permit the necessary deformation and return.

COMPLETE DESCRIPTION

In connection with the principal novel concept of the present invention which resides (a) in the provision of the rigid jacket housing a dry wall chamber 22 thereby providing, in the context described, a sterile barrier, and (b) the provision, in combination with such a jacket of a pumping means 32 permanently "in the line" between a source (the catheter) and a sink (the container 34), and noting expressly at this point that the pump means although at present appearing preferably to be positionable between the jacket and the catheter could apparently also be placed on the downstream side of the jacket, between the jacket and the sink, it will be seen by best reference to FIG. 1 that jacket 16 is cylindrical and that valve 26 extends for the major portion of the chamber 22 therewithin. By reference to FIG. 2 it will be seen that the jacket 16 and the pump means 32 are separated by the plate 64 which is provided with the pair of diametrically opposed and outwardly projecting ears 66. The upstream end 68 of the pump means 32 is provided with a similar plate 68 and by this means it will be apparent that the collapsible and cylindrical bellows-type pump can be gently squeezed as between finger and thumb or grasped with the whole hand while a little pressure is applied against one end it being realized that in general only a very gentle manipulation of the pump will be employed to extract blocking material such as blood clots from the catheter (or anywhere in the line) for the purpose of transferring same to sink 34.

The jacket 16 and pump 32 will preferably be secured together at the junction between them represented by the plate 64 by whatever means are most conveneint having regard for the materials of choice. Thus the connection may be mechanical or may be adhesive. In any event it is desirable that these two parts, the jacket and the pump should be integral so as to preserve substantial co-axiality for greater convenience of manipulation and for greater convenience in attaching and detaching by way of cap 42 to and from the sink or fluid container 48.

It is to be understood that the flutter valve 26, apart from the dimensions chosen for use of the same in this particular instance, is conventional and consists of two interfacing relatively thin elastic surfaces 70 and 72 which are united along the edges 74 but separated along the downstream exit edge 76. Thus the valve is a one-way valve and the edges of the elastic panels at 76 are normally in contact but are separated by the downward movement of fluid through the valve. Such fluid cannot return by this route however.

The sink 34 may of course be in the form of a rigid container having an aperture at the upper end thereof and a mouth such as mouth 50. When using such a form of mouth in connection with a flexible drainage container 48 however such as is adapted to be strapped on to the limbs of the user, it is preferable that the upper wall 46 be horizontal and rigid to maintain the mouth 50 in this condition rather than being liable to droop over to one side. By being rigidly upstanding, the integrality of the jacket and the pump means 32 is much enhanced inasmuch as the cap 42 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 integral with the downstream end of the jacket 16. Thus there is a stiff and upstanding relatively rigid relationship between the discharge aperture of the drainage container, the sterile barrier, and the pump means which, in medical and surgical uses makes for a highly desirable ensemble and one which can be very readily detached from the drainage container since it will be noted that no twisting is necessary with the arrangement of flange and groove 58 and 62 described, and the unity comprising the cap, the jacket or sterile barrier and the pump means 32 can readily be lifted up out of the fluid container 48 with a simple slightly distorting pry upon the tab 60.

The conventional clip 80 is of course for occluding the tube 36 and holding a vacuum for any purpose desired upstream of said clip, as for example when detaching fluid container 48 to empty same.

Various modifications may be constructed or performed within the scope of the inventive concept disclosed. Therefore what has been set forth is intended to illustrate such concept and is not for the purpose of limiting protection to any herein particularly described embodiment thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In the practice of sterile drainage employing in fluid communication a catheter and a sink, the invention which comprises in combination, a rigid walled jacket enclosing a chamber having an inlet and an outlet, an elongated elastomeric one-way flutter valve within said chamber spaced from the surrounding jacket wall and openable towards said outlet, pump means between said catheter and said jacket in fluid communication with said catheter and jacket for effecting vacuum assisted downstream fluid drainage from a source to said sink, said pump means having an outlet port extending into said chamber through said inlet, said valve being secured on said outlet port.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said jacket has an integral cap surrounding said outlet.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which a drainage container is secured to said cap, said drainage container being predominently elastomeric of normally flat collapsed configuration but having an upper wall portion at right angles to its major axial plane when collapsed which is rigid relative to the collapsible parallel side walls of said container, said relatively rigid upper wall portion extending upon diametrically opposite sides of an intake aperture formed to said upper wall portion bisected by said plane, an upwardly projecting mouth around said aperture, said cap being attachable to said mouth.