Abdominal catheter and support combination for opaque medium fluids

Abstract

A catheter structure for insertion in an opening of a body having a support member frictionally slidable along the catheter to a desired position; the support member which enters the body has an annular extension engaged by an adhesive patch which extends beyond the annular extension and may engage the skin of the body to position the catheter; a closure member may be provided for the outer end of the catheter to prevent loss of contents of inserted material until the closure is removed.

Description

The present invention relates to abdominal catheters and more particularly to an abdominal catheter which may be used, for instance, for the passage of an opaque medium such as barium sulphate into a portion of the abdomen having as one of its functions the capacity for disclosing an abdominal colostomy under appropriate radiation.

Heretofore a catheter has been used for this purpose but has been held in place in a makeshift manner even sometimes using the hand of the patient to hold it in place.

The present invention contemplates a securing member having a shape very much like that of a baby bottle nipple slipped over the catheter and moved down so that the nipple portion enters the body and the brim or wider portion thereof may engage the skin at the abdominal opening combined with the utilization of an adhesive element carried by the said brim or wider portion to maintain the nipple in the opening and thereby locate and hold the catheter in place.

Any appropriate removable cover may be placed at the outer end of the catheter after the appropriate solution is inserted to close the outer end of the catheter or for other purposes.

The primary object of the present invention therefore is the provision of an abdominal catheter with securing means which will hold the catheter in place at the abdominal opening.

The foregoing and many other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the following description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in cross-section showing the abdominal catheter in place on the human body.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective showing the novel abdominal catheter structure of the present invention.

Referring to the Figures, the catheter 10 is provided with a resilient nipple-type member 11 which may be positioned anywhere to any desired position along the length of the catheter 10.

The nipple-like member or cap 11 is provided with a section 13 having an opening 14 which frictionally engages the catheter 10 and may thus be moved along the catheter 10 to any desired position thereon.

The member 11 is also provided with an annular radial extension or flange 15 which in essence completes the nipple shape previously mentioned. The extension 15 may be secured thereto in any suitable manner. An adhesive patch 20 carried by annular extension 15 may be placed against the skin 21 of the patient. The adhesive patch is placed against surface 15a of the extension 15 so that when section 13 of the member 11 is inserted in the body with the catheter 10 in place, the adhesive patch 20 will engage body surface 15a and the skin. The adhesive patch 20 is preferably non-adhesive on the surface 22 away from the skin of the patient and is adhesive on the surface 23 which is placed against the skin of the patient. Appropriate adhesive surface protective means which are well known in the art may be removed just prior to application.

Since the surface 23 is adhesive the portion thereof which encompasses the opening 25 in patch 25 is also adhesive on the surface 23. The opening 25 passes over the catheter 10 so that the portion of the adhesive surface 23 against the annular extension 15 will integrate the adhesive patch 20 with the surface 15a of the extension 15 of the cap 11.

By this means therefore the inner end 30 of the catheter is introduced into the opening 31 in the body of the patient extending beyond the skin 21 and member 13, inserted with the catheter positions the catheter by reason of engagement of surface 15a of annular extension 15 with the skin; adhesive patch 20 pressing against the surface 15a of annular extension 15 and the skin 21 now holds the catheter in place by friction at opening 14.

Since it may be desirable to contain the fluid in the catheter 10 after the fluid, such as barium sulphate, is inserted through the catheter 10 into the selected portion of the abdominal area, means are provided to close the outer opening 41 into the catheter 10. Such means may include a pinch clip 50 having a keyhole slot 51 having a wider portion 52 which surrounds the catheter and a narrower portion which may be pulled into position to squeeze the catheter closed (see FIG. 2). Other closing means for opening 41 may readily be used.

The nipple or slightly bulged shape of section 13 of the holding member assists in holding the structure in the skin opening.

By this means therefore a catheter may be supported on the patient's body at an opening through the skin of the patient by simplified means which will support the catheter thereat without requiring the patient to cooperate in holding the catheter in place and without requiring any special instrumentation to position the catheter in place.

It will be obvious that the catheter may simply be removed by taking off the patch 20 and then sliding the catheter and position member 11 out of the opening 31 in the skin of the patient.

In the foregoing the invention has been described only in connection with preferred embodiment thereof. Since many variations and modifications of this invention will now be obvious to those skilled in the art it is preferred that the scope of this invention be controlled not by the particular disclosure herein contained but only by the appended claims.

Claims

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

1. A catheter assembly comprising the combination of a catheter tube and a supporting member on said tube having a hollow nipple-like configuration comprising a bulbous tip with an opening flexibly and frictionally gripping said catheter tube;

said supporting member terminating in a radial flange having one face to engage the skin of a patient marginally about a body opening;

an adhesive patch having an aperture and said catheter tube passing therethrough with said aperture in generally axial alignment with the opening in said bulbous tip so that said catheter tube may pass through said patch aperture and through said bulbous tip opening into a body opening;

said adhesive patch marginally encompassing the opposite face of said flange and extending radially outward thereof for an area greater than the area of said flange and have adhesive thereon to adhere to the skin of a patient and to said opposite face of said flange to thereby secure said supporting member for support of said catheter tube within a body opening;

wherein said catheter tube is adjustable to frictionally held positions in said supporting member and thereby in a body opening; and

whereby said bulbous tip aids securement of said supporting member in a body opening.