Valves
AssigneeSmiths Group PLC
InventorStephen James Field
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closed system suction catheter has a catheter enclosed within a flexible envelope secured between a patient end fitting and a machine end fitting. The patient end fitting has a cleaning chamber with a valve at its patient side and is normally closed so that the cleaning chamber is isolated from the patient. The valve has an outer rigid housing enclosing a one-piece elastomeric moulding of tubular shape. The elastomeric moulding has two pads projecting externally through openings in the outer housing. The elastomeric moulding also has a web extending internally across its diameter with a diametrically-extending slit aligned with the pads. A collar mounted on the housing is slidable along the housing to engage the pads so as to apply pressure across the web and open the slit, thereby allowing the catheter to be advanced to the patient.
Claims12
A closed system suction catheter assembly comprising:
- a machine end fitting;
- a patient end fitting;
- a suction catheter secured at one end with said machine end fitting;
- and a flexible envelope attached at one end with said machine end fitting and at its other end with said patient end fitting, said flexible envelope extending between the machine end fitting and the patient end fitting around the suction catheter, wherein said machine end fitting includes a suction control valve operable to control suction applied by said suction catheter, and wherein said patient end fitting includes a valve, said valve comprising:
- a deformable member, said deformable member having a fluid passage extending therethrough, and a normally-closed opening within said passage arranged such that it can be opened by external pressure applied to said deformable member;
- and an external member displaceable on and separate from said deformable member with respect to said deformable member between a first position at which said external member can be released and in which said opening through said deformable member remains substantially closed and a second position in which said opening is opened and remains open when said external member is released even in the absence of any member extending within said passage, such that, when the external member is in the second position the suction catheter can be advanced and retracted through the passage in the deformable member.
A closed system suction catheter assembly comprising:
- a suction catheter, a machine end fitting including a suction control valve arranged to control suction applied to said catheter, a patient end fitting having a sliding seal through which said suction catheter can be advanced and retracted, and a flexible envelope extending between said machine end fitting and said patient end fitting and enclosing said catheter between said fittings, wherein said patient end fitting includes a cleaning chamber on a patient side of said sliding seal, said cleaning chamber including an inlet for cleaning fluid and a valve, and wherein said valve includes a tubular deformable member, said deformable member having a fluid passage extending therethrough, a closure member extending across said fluid passage and having a slit normally closed to isolate said cleaning chamber from the patient;
- and an external collar slidable along said tubular member with respect to said tubular member between a first position in which said slit remains substantially closed when the collar is released and a second position in which said collar applies pressure to said tubular member to open said slit and said slit remains open when the collar is released to allow the catheter to be advanced from and retracted to said cleaning chamber even in the absence of any member extending within said passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.