Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRANSFUSI ON DEVICE FOR BOTTLES CONTAI NI NG MEDICALLY
ACTIVE LIOUID
SPECI FI CATI ON
BACKGROUND OF ~HE INVENTION
The invention relates to a transfusion device for
bottles filled with medieally aetive liguids whieh are
dispensed in a steady flow of drip~ while the bottle is held
inverted. The device eomprises a connector section adapted to
the opening of the bottle, a tube attached to this connector ~-~
and used for delivering the liquid to patient, and also a
closable air duet.
When in use for tube feeding of patients, the eonnectors
of transfusion devices of the kind referred to here are
forced onto the openings of, for example, crown cap bottles
containing the nutrient liquid. When the eonnectors are
forced onto the bottles, it often happens that liquid runs -
into the air duet, even if the latter is fitted with a riser
tube that extends deep into the bottle.
When this occurs it can prevent any further ventilation -~
from taking place and the flow of liquid ceases. In addition,
the liquid - which may be sticky - very often escapes from ;~
the out~ide opening of the air duct. This makes it very ;
awkward and unhygienic to handle the bottles and the
transfusion device. ;~
~ SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The of the invention is to improve the above-mentioned
transfer deviee in such a manner that ventilation i6
maintained at all times and no liquid eseapes through the air
duct.
This task is accomplished in the device according to the
invention by using a hydrophobic filter to close off the
opening of the air duct inside the bottle. In general terms,
the invention provides a transfusion device for bottles
filled with a medically active liquid or the like whioh is
dispensed in a steady flow of drips while the bottles are
held inverted, the device comprising, in combination~
(a) a connector section ineluding conneeting means for ~ ~-
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connecting the device to a respective bottle, said
connector section further including with a tube for
delivering the liquid from a reepective bottle to a
patient;
(b~ an air duct including an exterior air inlet, closure
means for selectively closing or opening said air inlet,
and an air discharge end having an air discharge
opening, said air duct being arranged such that the air
discharge opening is disposed in the interior of a
10respective bottle when the device is installed; and
(c) a hydrophylic filter covering said air discharge end.
Even when transfusion devices equipped with a
hydrophobic filter in the manner according to the invention
are removed several times and fitted on other bottles, it is
no longer possible for liquid to enter into the air duct.
Ventilation is therefore guaranteed at all times and no
liquid can escape into the environment.
Using hydrophobic filters to close off air ducts in ;~
liquid-filled bottles is, in principle, a known practice in
the field of infusion technology. However, in this known
aase, it is the other, namely the outer end of the air duct
which i8 closed off with a filter in order to prevent foreign
bodies from penetrating into the 6ystem from outside. In the
known case, no thought is given to the need to prevent liquid
from entering into the air duct from inside the bottle
itself. The designers of such bottles went to great lengths
to prevent the filter from becoming directly wetted by the
liquid. Although in the devioe according to the invention the
filter comes into direct contact with the liquid when the ~;
connector is fitted onto the bottle, tests have shown that
the filter remains fully effective.
In accordance with a further refinement of the -~
invention, the air duct possesses inside the bottle a riser~;
tube whose free end is fitted with a hydrophobic filter. By
arranging the hydrophobic filter so that it is "up" (when the
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bottle is inverted for use), the necessary difference between
the air inlet and the liquid outlet (this difference should
be as large as possible) is obtained, thereby guaranteeing
trouble-free functioning in all cases.
Further characteristic features and possible
applications of the invention are apparent from the
description of the embodiments depicted in the drawings. ; - -
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWIN~S
Figure 1: A transfusion device whose connector piece
possesses an air duct with attached riser tube
to which is fitted a hydrophobic filter. `-
Figure la: A section from Figure 1 showing a different
manner of arranging the filter.
Figure lb: A further section from Figure 1 showing ;-
lS another manner in which to fit the hydrophobic
filter.
Figure 2: A section of a transfusion device fitted with -~
a connector in which the hydrophic filter is
fitted, without a riser tube, directly onto an
ventilation tube in the connector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Flgure 1 shows the es~ential parts of a transfusion
device for a bottlé 1 filled with a mediaally active liquid ~
which is dispensed in a steady flow of drips, the bottle is --
25 held in the inverted position. -
The transfusion device is provided with a connector
piece 3 adapted to fit the opening of the bottle, and having
a flange section 4 engaging the edge of the bottle 2 and also
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provided with an opening 5 through which the liquid can pass.
The connector is integrally linked with a drip chamber 6 at
the outlet l of which a tube 8 is attached for delivering the
fluid to a patient. The further configuration of this
delivery tube 8 is known and requires no further description
here.
In order to ventilate the interior of the bottle when
the liquid drains from it, the transfu~ion device is provided ;~
with an air duct 9 which opens into a short socket 10 in the
flange section 4. A normally generally upright portion, in
the embodiment shown, a ri~er tube 11, is fitted in this
socket, and the upper end of the riser tube is closed by a
hydrophobic filter 12. In the embodiment according to Fig. 1, ;`
the filter 12 is fitted over the riser tube 11. The filter 12 -
consists of a filter housing with a filter element 1~, whose
throughflow direction i6 coaxial with the axis of the rlser
tube.
In an initial embodiment, the air duct 9 may
advantageously be designed in such a way that it can be
20 closed on the air inlet side, e.g. by means of a pendant plug -~
14 bearing a pin 15 shaped to fit the air duct.
In a second embodiment, the air duct 9 is left
pexmanently open because the plug 14 with the pin 15 are no
longer provided. This latter configuration is preferred as
far as manufacture by the injection moulding process is
concerned.
According to a form of the invention as illustrated in
Figure la, the filter element 13 may also be inserted
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directly into the upper end of the riser tube 11, so that it
is flush with the air discharge opening of the riser tube 11. ~ -
As a result, there is no need for a filter housing.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the
invention, as illustratad in Figure lb, the filter element 13
is fitted peripherally in the wall of a filter housing
having the shape of an end cap, and the throughflow direction
of the filter i8 perpendicular to the axis of the riser tube.
Thi~ latter configuration according to Figure lb permits
unwanted liquid on the filter to drain off reliably after the
riser tube has been immersed in the contents of the bottle.
Figure 2 depicts another possible configuration of a
connector section of a transfusion device according to the
invention. Parts which are identical with the embodiment
lS illustrated in Figure 1 are identified by the same reference
numbers.
In the configuration shown in Fig. 2, the hydrophobic
filter 12 is fitted directly, i.e. without a riser tube, to
the connector section 3. In principle, this could be done by ~-~
20 attaching the filter 12 directly to the normally generally -
upright socket 10. However, it is more favourable to extend
the air duct 9 by means of another type of a normally
generally upright portion, in thi~ case a short ventilation
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tube or tubular projection 16, for example made of plastic,
on which the filter 12 is then fitted. The filter element 13
can also be inserted into the short ventilation tube 16 (in
the manner illustrated in Figure la). It is also, in ~;
principle, conceivable to attach the filter in the same way ~
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as depicted in Figure lb.
In the embodiments according to Figures 1 and 2 the
filters are preferentially fitted so that the filter element
13 is flush with the outlet opening of the riser tube 11 or
of the ventilation tube 16. It is also fundamentally possible
to fit the filter element at a slight angle to the said
tubes.
An integral type of construction is al60 in principle - -
possible. In this case, the ventilation tube 16 shown in
Figure 2 could be designed as a hydrophobic tubular part with
an integrated filter element.
In the embodiment according to Figure 2 the air bubbles
must pass through the liquid. In the case of high viscosity
liquids it is not always certain that this will happen.
Therefore, in such cases the design shown in Figure 2 should
ideally be used in pump-operated transfusion devices.
The filter materials preferentially used are the usual -~
plastic materials which are licensed for medical applications ~-~
or are certified as compatlble with foodstuffs. Hydrophobic,
microporous membranes which are advantageously used to
ventilate infusion solutions and which are used in infusion ~ -
devioes are the materials of ahoioe. These membranes allow
air to pass through under sterile conditions and they
normally possess a mean pore size of 0.2-0.5 ~m.
The invention may be advantageously used as a
transfusion device for bottles containing nutrient liquids - ~ -
for tube feeding purposes. However, they may also be
similarly used in infusion devices or in medication bottles ~ H
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where ventilation is required. Thoge skilled in the art will
appreciate that other embodiments of the invention may exist
which differ from those described, without departing from the .
present invention. Accordingly, I wish to protect by Letters
Patent which may issue on this application all suah
embodiments as properly fall within the scope of my
contribution to the art.
