Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-23
2001-04-24
Coggins, Wynn Wood (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
C604S905000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06221064
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a medical tube coupling system between a tubular rigid stem and a flexible catheter tube.
Nowadays, different coupling systems of that type are known, for example for connecting an injection needle and a medical catheter.
A privileged application of the invention is relative to the connection between elements adapted to be entirely implanted within a human body, under the skin.
2. Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,656, FR-A-2 703 793 and FR-A-2 750 055 disclose different embodiments for coupling a flexible catheter tube to the rigid stem of a port catheter system adapted to be subcutaneously implanted in a human body.
Drawbacks remain in the prior art embodiments.
Some of the prior art systems are not easy to manipulate by the practitioner. These systems often comprise too many elements which have to slide one relative to the other. Their respective clearance and imperviousness are sometimes not appropriate or induce too high costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To improve the reliability, the effectiveness and the costs of the prior art embodiments, the invention suggests an improved tube coupling device for connecting a tubular rigid stem to a flexible catheter tube which is adapted to be arranged around said tubular rigid stem, the flexible catheter tube having a proximal free end, the tube coupling device having a main axis, a wall, at least an inner lumen extending along said main axis, through the wall, and two opposite radially non-deformable distal and proximal free ends, said inner lumen axially widening out towards the proximal free end of the tube coupling device, so that the proximal free end of the flexible catheter tube radially expands in the widening when arranged around the tubular rigid stem, said widening being delimited, along the main axis, at a first end, by the proximal free end of the tube coupling device, and, at a second opposite end by an internal annular flange extending from the wall of the tube coupling device, at a location along the main axis which is intermediate between the proximal and the distal free ends of the tube coupling device, wherein the flange comprises slots, so that said flange is divided into different sectors.
It is another object of the invention to improve the engagement of the tube coupling around the flexible catheter tube previously arranged around the tubular rigid stem.
So, the invention suggests that the inner annular flange of the tube coupling device axially ends, within the inner lumen:
at a first end opposite to the widening of the inner lumen, in a shoulder substantially perpendicular to the main axis, so that the lumen has, there, a sharp increasing of diameter, and
at a second end, adjacent the widening, in a chamfered edge.
Yet another object of the present invention is to improve the guiding of the tube coupling device around the catheter tube.
Thus, according to another preferred feature of the invention, beyond the inner annular flange of the coupling device and towards the distal end thereof, the lumen of the tube coupling device preferably extends within an axial cylindrical skirt dimensioned for receiving therein a ring, said ring being adapted to be arranged around the flexible catheter tube.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a medical coupling assembly reducing the number of elements for coupling a stem to a catheter tube, while improving the reliability and imperviousness of the coupling.
Accordingly, the typical medical coupling assembly of the invention preferably comprises:
a tubular rigid stem, said stem having an annular outer excrescence located towards a first free end thereof,
a flexible catheter tube having a proximal free end, said flexible catheter tube being adapted to be arranged around the stem, and
a tube coupling device adapted to be arranged around the flexible catheter tube for connecting the flexible catheter tube to the tubular rigid stem, the tube coupling device having a main axis, a wall, at least an inner lumen extending along said main axis, through the wall, and two opposite distal and proximal free ends, said inner lumen widening out towards the proximal free end of the tube coupling device, the widening being delimited, along the main axis, at a first end by the proximal free end of the tube coupling device, and, at a second opposite end, by an internal annular flange extending from the wall of the tube coupling device, so that when the flexible catheter tube is arranged around the tubular rigid stem, beyond the annular outer excrescence, and when the tube coupling device is arranged around the flexible catheter tube, the flexible catheter tube expands radially at its proximal free end within the widening of the tube coupling device,
wherein the inner annular flange of the tube coupling device is provided with slots, so that when the catheter tube is arranged around the stem and when the tube coupling is arranged around the catheter tube, a portion of the flexible catheter tube is jammed into these slots.
Preferably, the above-mentioned assembly further comprises, according to the invention, a stop means adjacent the tubular rigid stem, and the flexible catheter tube and the tube coupling are respectively arranged substantially in contact with said stop means, in an engaged position, so that
the inner annular flange of the tube coupling device and the annular outer excrescence of the tubular rigid stem are axially set off, and
the inner annular flange is axially located closer to the stop means than the annular outer excrescence.
Preferably, according to another feature of the invention:
the annular outer excrescence of the rigid stem of the medical assembly has a first shoulder which sharply reduces the external diameter of the stem,
the inner annular flange of the tube coupling axially ends in a second shoulder sharply enlarging the diameter of the inner lumen of the tube coupling device, and
when the flexible catheter tube is arranged around the tubular rigid stem and when the tube coupling device is arranged around the flexible catheter tube, the first shoulder of the excrescence is axially facing the second shoulder of the inner annular flange, the first and second shoulders having substantially equal diameters.
The substantially equal diameters of the first and second shoulders improve the coupling between a catheter tube and the stem, while limiting a possible non-authorized withdrawal of the catheter tube.
Finally, it is another object of the invention to provide an improved coupling between a port catheter system and a catheter tube adapted to be subcutaneously implanted in a blood vessel.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4880414 (1989-11-01), Whipple
patent: 4963133 (1990-10-01), Whipple
patent: 5026344 (1991-06-01), Dijkstra et al.
patent: 5417656 (1995-05-01), Ensminger et al.
patent: 5423776 (1995-06-01), Haindl
patent: 5620427 (1997-04-01), Werschmidt et al.
patent: 5637102 (1997-06-01), Tolkoff et al.
patent: 2703593 (1994-10-01), None
patent: 2750055 (1997-12-01), None
Celsa B. Braun
Coggins Wynn Wood
Mendez Manuel
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
LandOfFree
Tube coupling device for connecting a tubular rigid stem to... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Tube coupling device for connecting a tubular rigid stem to..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Tube coupling device for connecting a tubular rigid stem to... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2473655