US 4,758,219 AGranted

Enteral feeding device

AssigneeMicrovasive, Inc.

InventorsBarry A. Sacks, Arnold S. Gould, Michael P. Manzo, Michael A. Ciannella

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Abstract

An enteral feeding catheter is characterized by being adapted for introduction through the mouth via a guidewire that extends from the mouth through the esophagus, stomach and abdominal puncture. The catheter has a relatively stiff leading portion of length sufficient to extend along the guidewire from the mouth through the abdominal puncture and of stiffness sufficient to permit it to be pushed along the guidewire, at least an initial length of the catheter being tapered to a narrow leading tip to enable the puncture to be dilated as its drawn therethrough. The catheter also has a relatively soft, large diameter trailing portion connected to the leading portion adapted to be drawn along said guidewire by grasping and pulling the stiff leading portion until the leading end of the soft portion extends outside the body through the widened puncture, while the trailing end remains in the stomach, whereby the relatively soft trailing portion can serve as a conduit for enteric feeding. A method of placing the device for enteral feeding is described, as is a retractable locking device of special configuration for use with the soft portion of this catheter, or others, the lock providing a relatively large, compared to the opening in an associated retainer, fixed protuberance about the catheter to prevent passage of the catheter through the opening absent application of abnormally high pulling force.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A method of placing an enteral feeding catheter in an abdominal puncture to enable feeding directly to the stomach, comprising

providing a guidewire of length sufficient to extend from the outside, through the abdominal puncture, the stomach, the esophagus and out of the mouth, and providing an elongated catheter member comprising leading and trailing portions, said catheter member being open at both ends to enable passage over the guidewire, said leading portion being of length sufficient to extend along said guidewire from outside, through the mouth, the esophagus and stomach and through said abdominal puncture to the outside, said porton being shaped and being of stiffness sufficient to permit it to be advanced along said guidewire solely by pushing forces applied at said mouth until the leading end of said portion emerges on said guidewire from said abdominal puncture to be grasped, said trailing portion of said catheter member being adapted to form the feeding tube that is to remain in the patient, said trailing portion being adapted to be drawn along said guidewire by grasping and pulling the leading portion, until only the trailing end remains in the stomach, to serve as a conduit for enteral feeding,
forming said abdominal puncture,
inserting said guidewire to extend from outside said puncture, through the puncture, stomach, esophagus and mouth to the outside,
pushing said catheter member down said guidewire from the mouth until it exits along said guidewire from said puncture,
thereafter grasping and pulling on the portion of said catheter member that emerges from said puncture until said trailing portion of said catheter member extends from the stomach through said abdominal puncture, and securing said trailing portion to serve as said enteral feeding tube.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.