Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
.
The invention relates to a catheter connecting head with at
least one duct in a base member for the connection of an infusion system.
In a conventional catheter of this type (DAS ~German Publi~hed
Application] 2, 238, 722), a hollow connecting piece consists of a
catheter boss, a connecting boss for the infusion system or for a
further catheter, and an elastic hose section arranged between both
bosses. The wall of the hose section, which latter can be bent laterally,
co~stitutes a zone of elastic, self-sealing material, for example, rubber,
which can be penetrated by a hollow needle.
Apart fromthe fact that, when penetrating the rubber wall
with the aid of a sharp tip of a metal cannula, there is no guarantee
aga~nst scraping off rather small or extremely small parts of the rubber
wall and preventing such parts from passing directly into the bloodstream,
this corlventional arrangement furthermore exhibits the danger that the
rubber wall is once more penetrated by a metal cannula, thus damaging
the catheter or the catheter insertion tube which had remained in the
blood vessel from the first puncturing procedure.
Based on the above-described state of the art, the invention
2û has an object of providing a catheter connecting head for a vein pun-
cturing and self-retaining cannula kit, which connecting head, on the
one hand, can be handled conveniently and safely as far as the physician
is concerned and, on the other hand, reduces to a minimum or even
entirely eliminates the danger of embolism or infection as far as the
patient is concerned,
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This object has been attained in a preferred embodiment
according to this invention by the construction of the duct for the
puncture cannula such that, upon withdrawal of the puncture cannula,
the duct is automatically closed and locked by closure and locking
5 elements such that reinsertion is not possible. Due to the fact that
the puncture cannula duct is automatically sealed and closed when the
puncture cannula is retracted and that this puncture cannula duct, as
well as optionally additional ducts of the connecting head, are auto-
matically sealed with respect to the surroundings with the aid of
10 mechanical sealing elements, it is impossible to introduce additional
puncture cannulas into the duct or ducts of the base member and thus
already installed catheters cannot be accidentally damaged. Moreover,
the sealing elements ensure that neither air bubbles nor any dirt
particles can enter the bloodstream, whereby the danger of embolisms
15 is substantially reduced.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will become more obvious from the following des-
cription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which
show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accor-
;~0 dance with the present invention.
BRIEF DESCR~PTION OF THE ORAWINGS
Figure 1 shows, in a lateral view, a catheter connectinghead with inserted puncture cannula;
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Figure 2 shows a corresponding longitudinal section thereof;
Fi~re 2a shows, on an enlarged scale, the latched locking
device in a plan view;
Figure 3 shows, in a lateral view, a catheter connecting
5 head with the puncture cannula having been pulled out and the closure
element having been pivoted in position;
Figure 4 shows a corresponding longitudinal section thereof;
Figure 4a show", on an enlarged scale, the released locking
device in a plan view;
Figure 5 shows a partial sectional view of the catheter con-
necting head in a top view;
Figure 6 shows in a perspective lateral view a catheter
co~necting head with a catheter attached to the closure member as a
preparatory measure and with the puncture cannula still located on
the outside;
Figure 7 shows, likewise, in a perspective lateral view,
a catheter connecting head with the puncture cannula being pulled out and
the closure element being pivoted in position, illustrating the locking
feature and the sealing feature against the entrance of air;
Figure 7a shows the construction of the locking means on
an enlarged scale;
Figure 8 shows in a lateral view a longitudinal section
through a catheter connecting head with an inwardly positioned closure
element, as wel~ as its locking position;
Figure 9 shows a slide under the action of a spring in a position
wherein only the insertion aperture for the puncture cannula is open;
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Figure 9a shows the position of the slide wherein the
introduction of a puncture cannula is no longer possible;
Figure 9b shows on an enlarged scale a partial view of the
two final positions of the slide linkage;
Figure 10 shows a closure member as a rotatable disk with
an eccentrically arranged bore in the introduction position for the
puncture cannula;
Figure 10a shows the position of the disk-shaped closure
member when the insertion aperture for the puncture cannula is
blocked and the duct is opened for the introduction of a catheter or for
the connection of an infusion system and
Figure 10b shows, Qn an enlarged scale, a plan view of
the locking mechanism in the blocking position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
~ The catheter connecting head 1 consists essentially of the
base member 2 provided either merely with a single, straight duct 3
(Figures 1-5) or with additional ducts 4 and 5 (Figures 6-lOb), the
axes of which form a "Y" with respect to each other. In Figures l
20 and 2, the puncture cannula 6 has been pushed through the catheter
insertion tube 7, firmly joined to the base member 2, to such an extent
that the puncture cannula 6 projects, in a manner known per se, for a
small distance out of the catheter insertion tube 7.
Once the puncturing process is finished, the puncture cannula
25 6 is pulled out, thus freeing the path for the connecting and closure mem-
ber 9 which is under the effect of a spring 8 which pivots the closure
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mcn)l~cr u lltil it.s nosc 10 ~buts ag~inst a stop 11 at the b~se member
2 (li`ir~urc 3), .simult~lne(~u~ly displacing a holding pin 12 for a locking
pin 13 fs~om its holdlng position. Thc locking pin 13 thus released is
thcn c.lu~;ccl to e ng.llrc .I rccess 15 provided in thc connecting and
5 clor,urc Inem!~( r 9 or in thc nose 10 thereof under the influence of a
.spr ing 14. ~s .a rcsult, connccting ancl closure member 9 is prevented
from c~ n~ing its po~;ition.
To ~revcnt tl~c ~ccidental insertion or opcration of another
punctu,r c c.lllr~ ) throu~r}l thc connecting and closure memt~cr 9 lying
10 in its l~ositiol- alirlled with duct 3 (~igures 3 and 4), this member 9
eithcr 1~ 3 a corrcspol~dillg lcn~tl~ or is provided with a mounting cone
WhiC}l ~lo~s rlOt fit for pUJlCtUI e c.annul.ls, so that the lattcr c.lnnot be
~ttcL(`l~ hcreto.
'rl~c corlllcctill~ an(l closurc membcr 9 is pivot.able about an
15 .1xlC lG .Illcl is f.l~;hiollc(l .IS a two-armcd levcr, whercin one lever arm
c~rl sin1ult~lneollsly bc fashioned as thc spring 8 whilc thc other lever
.Irlll rCI)rCSClll.C; tllC COrlrleCting cllld clo~iure member !3 propcr, as
s~lowrl ill l~'igll~ t~ll'~lLr~l 5.
'rl~c c,(>tl!lcctin~ and closurc mcmbcr 9 is .sc.~lcd witll respcct
'~0 to tl~c l).I,L;C nll~J~ cl '~)Y w;~y of ~.lskcts o~ ,1 convcrltioJ~ typc, espcci.ally
l)y w.ay ol' rillg s~ ls 17 a.s illdic;ltcd in Figurcs 2a, ~, arl(l 5, ~ c~e
g;l'.k(`t.'; prc~c!lt ;l~ly o~ltsi~lc ail .Itld .ltly dirt p.~lrtic]cs frolll passin~ into
l <-o ~l ~. t ~
1 fl~or~l L~ ,r~ t~.s ~>, '~ 7LI, tl~ ot;~
til~ ;o ~c coJ~;truct( ~ L; ;l ~!llC ~ nlCd
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lever. While, according to Figure 6, the connecting and closure
member 9' is operated by an externally disposed spring 8', this operation
can also be effected, according to Figure 7, by means of an interiorly
disposed and thus covered spring 8". Also, in either caseJ the locking
5 action can be executed by means of a spring bolt 18, which is shown
in l?igure 7a on an enlarged scale and which locks into a recessl5 in
the base member 2'. In this way, the mounting of a special stop at
the base member 2 and the arrangement of a nose 10 at the connecting
and closure member 9 can be omitted. The inwardly disposed spring
10 element 8" according to Figure 7 is arranged so that it is connected
with one of its ends to the pivot axle 16 whereas its other end is guided
at a stop 16a in a slotted hole 16b,
Figure 8 shows a catheter connecting head wherein the
member sealing the duct 5 after the puncturing step is denoted by 19
15 Until the puncture cannula, not shown in the drawingJ is introduced,
the closure~Lement 19 with the roller or ball 21 engaging the recess 20
is in the position shown in dashed lines wherein it is arrested by the
effect of the compression spring 23 arranged in the bore 22 Only
upon the introduction of the puncture cannula into the duct 5 does this
20 cannula exert pressure on the dog 24 attached to the closure member
19 and thereby unlocks the closure element 19. As soon as the puncturing
process is finished and the puncture cannula has been retracted from
the duct 5, the closure element 19 jumps, under the action of the spring
25, into the position shown in solid lines and is locked in this position
25 by the roller or ball 21 in the recess 26. ~part from the fact that now
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the duct 5 is perrnanently blocked for a reintroduction of a puncture
cannula, the closure elemert 19 simultaneously serves as part of the
wall for the duct 4, so that now a catheter, for example, can be readily
introduced through this duct.
In Figures 9, 9a, and 9b, a slide 27 of a generally L-shaped
configuration is provided as the closure element for ducts 4 and 5;
this slide can be pivoted about the point- 28 and is under the effect of
the spring 29 By arrangi.-lg the insertion opening in the slide 27 at
the level of the duct 5 i]lustrated in Figure 9a, it is also possible to
effect the puncturing step in this slide position. The sealing of the
slide 27 here agaLn takes place, for example, by means of annular
seals 17.
The slide 27 can be locked in the simplest way by one or
more spreadable leaf springs 30 attached, for example, to the tip of
the slide and contacting the undercut zones 31 upon retraction of the
slide 27, as shown in Figure 9a. Numeral 10 again denotes a nose con-
tacting, in the locked position of the slide 27, the stop 11 as shown, in
particular, in Figure 9b.
In Figures 10, lOa and lOb, the closure element 19 is
fashioned as a rotatable disk 19' with an eccentrically arranged bore
32. In Figure 10, the spiral spring 33 is tensioned, and the closure
element 19' in the form of a disk can be locked in position in the sarne
way as the closure element illustrated in Figure 7a and denoted by 9.
Upon introduction of the puncture cannula 6, the locking action is released
and, after the puncture cannula 6 has been withdrawn, the disk is rotated
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under the effect of the spiral spring 33 in the direction of arrow 34.
During this step, the pin 36, under tne effect of the compression
spring 35, automatically engages the recess 37 provided in the closure
element 19 (Figure lOb), so that the path for a puncture cannula 6 is
5 also permanently blocked in this embodiment and all dangers inherent
in the initially described, conventional devices are eliminated.
As compared with conventional catheter connecting heads,
the invention is distinguished by a large number of advantages residing,
in particular, in a simpler and substantially faster operability, due
10 to the fact that the connecting and closure element is constantly in
readiness. Moreover, assurance is obtained that, when changing over
from the puncturing function to the catheter function, no air bubbles
or even dirt particles can pass into the bloodstream. Also, operating
errors, such as the unintended "puncturing" of already inserted
15 catheters, can be safely excluded.
While we have shown and described various embodiments
in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the
same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes
and modifications as known to those skilled in the art and we therefore
20 do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein
but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encom-
passed by the scope of the appended claims.
