Gamma-stable high pressure stopcock
OwnerThomas McPeak, Jon Mooninventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical stopcock is provided that is constructed and arranged to withstand high pressures and gamma irradiation. The stopcock generally includes a housing and a valve member. The valve member is trapped within the housing so that, when subjected to relatively high pressures, the valve member is unlikely to become separated from the housing. A handle member is attached to the valve member and allows the valve member to be rotated from open to closed positions. In some preferred embodiments, the handle member locks the valve member within the housing, when attached. All of the components are constructed of gamma-stable materials so that the stopcock may be sterilized, in its package, using gamma irradiation.
Claims45
1-39. (canceled)
A stopcock, comprising:
- a housing constructed from gamma-susceptible material defining an inlet port, at least one outlet port, and an interior cavity having an inner diameter and open at two opposing ends;
- a valve member constructed from gamma-stable material rotatably contained within said interior cavity, defining a passage alignable with said ports, and having:
- an outer diameter less than said inner diameter;
- and
- a handle member, attached to an opposite end of said valve member, constructed and arranged to allow rotation of said valve member and to prevent said valve member from becoming separated from said housing;
- wherein said housing forms a seal with said valve member and said valve member is retained within said housing after exposure of said housing to gamma radiation.
A stopcock comprising:
- a housing constructed from gamma-susceptible material and defining an inlet port, at least one outlet port, and an interior cavity having an inner diameter and open at two opposing ends;
- and
- a valve member constructed from gamma-stable material, said valve member rotatably contained within said cavity and defining a passage alignable with said ports;
- wherein said housing assumes at least one desired final dimension after exposure to gamma radiation.
A stopcock comprising:
- a valve member of a first gamma-stable material having a longitudinal axis and a passage therethrough transverse to said longitudinal axis;
- a housing of a gamma-susceptible material defining an inner cavity for the valve member, the housing having at least one open end and defining at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port, the ports alignable with said passage;
- wherein the valve member has varying circular cross-sectional areas measured in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, cross-sectional areas toward a middle of the valve member being greater than the cross-sectional areas toward ends of the valve member, and said inner cavity is sized to accept passage of the valve member during assembly;
- and
- wherein the inner cavity assumes a shape that conforms to the valve member through exposure to gamma radiation such that the housing and the valve member are shaped to allow rotation of the valve member around the longitudinal axis, relative to the housing, and to prevent movement in either direction along the longitudinal axis, relative to the housing.
A stopcock, comprising:
- a valve housing;
- and
- a valve member placed inside the valve housing, such that when the stopcock is exposed to gamma irradiation, the valve housing assumes a final dimension relative to the valve member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.