Closed male luer device for use with needleless access devices
AssigneeCareFusion 303, Inc.
InventorsGeorge Michel Mansour, Matthew Paul Fried
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical connector is described which is formed by a body having an inlet port, an outlet port through a male luer portion of the body, and a fluid path between the inlet port and the at least one outlet ports. A retractable post extends through the fluid path in the male luer sealing a tip of the male luer thereby closing the fluid path when the connector in not activated. There is a seal between the retractable post and the body that forms a fluid volume within a portion of the cavity. The fluid path passes through the fluid volume. When actuated, the retractable post is forced away from the tip of the male luer, thereby opening the fluid path through the medical connector and decreasing the fluid volume.
Claims18
A medical connector comprising:
- a body comprising a cavity, a first port, a second port through a male luer portion of the body, and a vent passage from the cavity to an outer surface of the medical connector;
- a bellows valve positioned within the cavity to separate the cavity into a first volume and a second volume, wherein a fluid path extends through the bellows valve and between the first port and the second port;
- and
- a post positioned within the cavity, between the bellows valve the second port, and a sealing ring, positioned between the post and the body such that the first volume is fluidically isolated from the second volume, wherein, when the medical connector is in a closed configuration, the post is biased toward the second port to sealingly close the fluid path through the second port, and, when the medical connector is in an open configuration, the post and bellows valve are urged away from the second port to decrease the first volume in the cavity and open the fluid path through the second port.
A method for providing a negative displacement medical connector, the method comprising:
- providing a body comprising a fluid path extending between a first port, a cavity, and a second port, and a vent passage from the cavity to an outer surface of the medical connector, wherein the second port forms a male luer portion of the body;
- providing a bellows valve positioned in the cavity to separate the cavity into a first volume and a second volume;
- and
- positioning a post and a sealing ring within the cavity with the post between the bellows valve and the second port, and the first volume fluidically isolated from the second volume by the sealing ring, such that (i) the post is biased toward the second port to sealingly close the fluid path through the second port when the medical connector is in a closed configuration and (ii) the post and the bellows valve are urged away from the second port to decrease the first volume in the cavity and open the fluid path through the second port when the medical connector is in an open configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.