External drainage antisiphon device

A ventricular drainage apparatus including draingae means for draining a ventricle in a brain and an antisiphon device, said antisiphon device comprising:

• an elongate body having an interior flowthrough chamber, said elongate body having first and second ends and being positioned generally upright with said second end above said first end;
• a first upstream flow tract at said first end of said elongate body communicating with said interior flowthrough chamber and being coupled to said drainge means;
• a first valve seat in said body at said first end of said chamber;
• said first flow tract opening into said first end of said flowthrough chamber through said first valve seat;
• a second valve seat in said body at said second end of said chamber;
• said second flow tract opening into second end of said flowthrough chamber through said second valve seat;
• and
• movable means for sealing said first and said second valve seats during differing flow patterns through said interior flowthrough chamber of said elongate body thereby to prevent siphoning flow through said second flow tract.

In a ventricular drainage system, comprising ventricular drainage means including a ventricular catheter and a drainage tubing,the improvement resaiding in an antisiphon device which is constructed and arranged to alow drainage of cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles of the brain through the drainage tubing, and to prevent rapid siphoning of cerebrospinal fluid during accidental movement of the ventricular drainage means, said device comprising:

• a flowthrough body adapted to be positioned generally upright for generally vertical upward flow of cerebrospinal fluid therethrough;
• an inflow tract at the lower end of said body, said inflow tract being adapted to be coupled to the ventricular catheter;
• an outflow tract at the upper end of said body, said outflow tract being adapted to be coupled to the drainage tubing;
• and
• movable means within said body capable of sealing said inflow tract when there is no flow of cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricular catheter, of allowing cerebrospinal fluid flow through said inflow tract during normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid from the catheter to the drainage tubing and of sealing said outflow tract upon a siphoning flow of cerebrospinal fluid from the catheter.

In a ventricle drainage system, comprising ventricular drainage means including a ventricular catheter and a drainage tubing, and a drainage bag connected by said tubing to said catheter, and improvement residing in an antisiphon device which is constructed and arranged to allow drainage of cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles of the brain through the drainage tubing and antisiphon device to the bag, and to prevent rapid siphoning of cerebrospinal fluid during accidental movement of the ventricular drainage means, said device comprising:

• a flow-through body adapted to be positioned generally upright for generally vertical upward flow of cerebospinal fluid therethrough;
• an inflow tract at the lower end of said body, said inflow tract being adapted to be coupled to the ventricular catheter;
• an outflow tract at the upper end of said body, said outflow tract beign adapted to be coupled to the drainage tubing;
• said body having an interior chamber therein larger-in-cross sectional area than the cross-sectional area of said inflow tract or the cross-sectional area of said outflow tract;
• and
• movable means within said body freely movable within said chamber and having a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of said inflow and said outflow tracts upon a siphoning flow of cerebrospinal fluid into said chamber.