US 4,995,868 AGranted

Catheter

AssigneeBard Limited

InventorGary B. Brazier

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Abstract

A catheter, for example for bladder drainage, formed of two coaxial tubes and including near the distal end of the outer tube an expandable and contractable retention structure, for example Malecot wings, and at the proximal end of the inner tube a hollow connector for attachement to a fluid supply or drain, comprises actuating means to effect relative sliding movement of the proximal ends of the tubes so as to expand or contract the retention structure, and which means further include a housing secured to the proximal end of the outer tube and so dimensioned that when the retention structure is moved into the contracted position the hollow connector is withdrawn into the housing. This configuration of actuating means prevents both inadvertent connection of a fluid supply or drain when the retention structure is in the contracted position and attempted removal of the catheter when the retention structure is in the expanded position.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A catheter comprising an inner tube having a distal end for insertion into a human or animal body, said inner tube having an opening defined therein at or near the distal end thereof to establish a fluid path, and a proximal end to be located outside the body, a hollow connector secured to the proximal end of the inner tube for attachment to a fluid supply or fluid drain;

an outer tube concentric with the inner tube and having a distal end secured to the distal end of the inner tube, a proximal end to be located outside the body and an expandable and contractible retention structure adjacent to the distal end;
actuating means on the proximal ends of said inner and outer tubes for the expandable retention structure including means for enabling and effecting relative sliding movement of the proximal ends of the tubes and thereby to expand or contract the retention structure and respectively define an expanded condition or a contracted condition, wherein a housing is secured to the proximal end of the outer tube and is so dimensioned that when the retention structure is in a contracted condition, the inner tube connector is located within the housing and when the retention structure is in an expanded condition, the inner tube connector protrudes beyond the housing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.