Back to results
US 5,851,202 AGranted
Drip chamber head
AssigneeGambro AB
InventorPer-Olov Carlsson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeGambro AB
InventorPer-Olov Carlsson
Estimating the term…
Drip chamber heads are disclosed for attachment to drip chambers in which the drip chamber head includes a vertical body, a first connector for connecting the body to a blood supply, and a drip tube disposed within the body including a depending lower portion, the upper portion of the drip tube being in communication with the first connector so that blood may be supplied to the drip chamber through the first connector and the drip tube, thereby providing the blood at an adjustable level within the drip chamber with an air filled region thereabove, a second connector disposed at the upper portion of the body for communicating with the air filled region of the drip chamber, and an air permeable filter disposed at the upper portion of the body between the second connector and the adjustable level of blood within the drip chamber whereby the air pressure within the air filter region of the drip chamber can be sensed through the second connector.
A drip chamber head for attachment to a drip chamber, said drip chamber head comprising a vertically arranged body portion having an upper portion and a lower portion, first connection means for connecting said body portion to a supply of blood and a drip member disposed within said body portion and including an upper portion and a depending lower portion, said upper portion of said drip member being in communication with said first connecting means whereby said blood may be supplied to said drip chamber through said first connecting means and said drip member, thereby providing said blood at an adjustable level within said drip chamber with an air filled region thereabove, second connecting means disposed at said upper portion of said body portion communicating with said air filled region of said drip chamber, a cap disposed at said upper portion of said body portion for closing off said lower body portion, and an air permeable filter disposed at said upper portion of said body portion between said cap and said lower body portion above said adjustable level of said blood within said drip chamber whereby the air pressure within said air filled region of said drip chamber can be sensed through said second connecting means.
The drip chamber head of claim 9 wherein said lower portion and said upper portion are substantially cylindrical about an axis thereby defining an effective cylindrical area, and wherein said air permeable filter has an effective cylindrical area substantially the same as said effective cylindrical area, said air permeable filter being arranged substantially perpendicularly to said axis of said cylinder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Extra-corporeal blood circuits: degassing devices; Buffer reservoirs; Drip chambers; Blood filters
Blood pressure control, pressure transducers specially adapted therefor: pressure isolators
Extra-corporeal blood circuits: blood pressure control, pressure transducers specially adapted therefor
Devices for delivering substances into the body
Term ended 31 Mar 2017 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
The present invention relates to a drip chamber head intended to be attached to the upper region of a vertically arranged drip chamber.
Drip chambers are known to be used in an extracorporeal blood circuit as an air separator to ensure that air does not accompany the blood as it is returned to a patient connected thereto.
The drip chamber is integrated in a set of tubes for use in dialysis, such as hemodialysis, hemodiafiltration or hemofiltration. The set of tubes cooperates with a dialysis machine comprising pumps and other equipment for performing and monitoring the dialysis process. Such pumps can be of the peristaltic type, which act on the exterior of a portion of a tube and force the blood within the tube along the tube.
The invention will be described in greater detail below with reference to the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded, side, cross-sectional, elevational view of a preferred embodiment of a drip chamber head according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top, plan view of the drip chamber head of the present invention with the filter cap and membrane removed, according to an alternative embodiment of the drip chamber head according to the present invention.
A drip chamber head 1 according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The head 1 is provided with a downwardly facing flange 2 which is intended to cooperate with the upper edge of a drip chamber head 3 of which only the upper portion is shown in FIG. 1.
The head 1 is substantially cylindrical and comprises a downwardly projecting lower portion 4 beneath the flange 2 and an upper portion 5 arranged above the flange 2. The upper portion 5 is provided on its upper surface with a collar 6 for cooperation and location of a cap 7. A membrane 8 is positioned in the collar 6 between the cap 7 and the upper portion 5.
As is more readily apparent from the plan view according to FIG. 2 and the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the upper surface of the upper portion 5 is bridged by three narrow ribs 9, 10 and 11. The rib 10 is shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, passages between the ribs 9, 10 and 11 are presented for connection between the collar 6, the upper portion 5, the lower portion 4 and the drip chamber 3. Air can thus flow past the rib 10, as indicated by the double-headed arrow 12 in FIG. 1. The ribs 9, 10 and 11 are also clearly shown in FIG. 3.