US 6,152,900 A · Needleless injection site

Abstract

A needleless injection site comprising a housing which defines an interior chamber and a central opening which communicates with the interior chamber. The housing further comprises an elongate, proximally extending dilator projection portion which defines a fluid passage. Disposed within the central opening and the interior chamber is a reseal member which has an elastically openable and closable aperture disposed therein and defines an expandable and collapsible internal reservoir. The reseal member normally resides in a first position within the housing wherein the aperture is in a closed configuration and the reservoir is collapsed. The reseal member is deformable such that the application of distally directed pressure thereto will cause the reseal member to distally advance within the housing to a second position wherein the aperture assumes an open configuration and communicates with the fluid passage and the reservoir. The cessation of the application of distally directed pressure to the reseal member will cause it to resiliently return to the first position wherein the aperture reassumes the closed configuration and the reservoir is collapsed. The collapse of the reservoir is adapted to prevent the creation of a vacuum within the fluid passage when the reseal member resiliently returns to its first position.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An injection site for controlling the flow of a fluid between an introducer and a fluid line, the injection site comprising:

a housing defining a flow passage which is placeable into communication with the introducer and the fluid line to permit fluid flow therebetween;
a reseal member disposed within the housing and movable between a first position whereat the flow passage is obstructed thereby and a second position whereat fluid is permitted to flow through the flow passage;
and
an expandable and contractible reservoir disposed within the housing and adapted to retain a volume of fluid when expanded;
the reseal member being cooperatively engaged to the housing such that the movement of the reseal member to the second position allows the reservoir to be filled with fluid, and the movement of the reseal member to the first position facilitates the contraction of the reservoir and the forcing of at least a portion of any fluid retained therein into the flow passage.

2 more elements

In an injection site having a housing which defines a flow passage placeable into communication with an introducer and a fluid line to permit fluid flow therebetween, a reseal member which is disposed within the housing and movable between a first position whereat the flow passage is obstructed thereby and a second position whereat fluid is permitted to flow through the flow passage, and a reservoir which is disposed within the housing and adapted to retain a volume of fluid, a method for preventing the creation of a vacuum within the flow passage and the fluid line upon disengagement of the introducer from the housing, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) causing the reservoir to be filled with a volume of fluid from the introducer upon the movement of the reseal member from the first position to the second position;
and
(b) forcing at least a portion of the volume of fluid retained within the reservoir into the flow passage and the fluid line upon the movement of the reseal member from the second position to the first position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Needleless injection site

Life of this patent

Needleless injection site

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14