Disinfecting caps for medical female luer connectors

#1. Technical Field

#The present disclosure generally relates to caps for medical connectors and more specifically relates to caps that can be used to protect the sterility of unconnected medical connectors, such as connectors that may be used for fluid flow or for fluid delivery systems. Some embodiments are directed to caps for medical connectors that include elongated male portions.

#2. Related Art

#FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an embodiment of an assembly that includes an attached pair of medical caps;

#FIG. 1A is an end perspective view of the caps of FIG. 1;

#FIG. 1B is an end perspective view of the caps of FIG. 1 shown from a vantage point opposite of that shown in FIG. 1A;

#Disclosed herein are caps that can be used to protect and/or disinfect medical connectors. Systems and methods related to such caps are also disclosed. An example of medical connectors for which caps disclosed herein may be used are intravascular connectors associated with a fluid pathway, such as an IV line. Commonly, a fluid pathway is used to intermittently administer medications to a patient. For example, a fluid pathway, which communicates fluids with a patient's blood stream, may have one or more connectors associated therewith. Each of the fluid pathway connectors can be connected to other connectors, such as a connector associated with a central line. In such a situation, the medical connectors, such as luer lock connectors, are connected and disconnected at various times, and may remain disconnected for several minutes or hours. Medical connector caps are used to cover and protect the various medical connectors while the connectors are separated from one another. When the medical connectors are separated from each other, there are two connectors that each can benefit from being covered by a cap. Therefore, in some cases, it can be advantageous to have a single connector set that can be used to provide protection for both ends of a separated connection. In other or further embodiments, a cap can include an antiseptic for disinfecting a medical connector. In some cases, it can be advantageous for the cap to form a seal with the medical connector to thereby prevent the antiseptic from exiting the cap into the fluid pathway.

#Shown in FIGS. 1-1B, is a system, unit, or assembly 100 of a pair of separable caps 102 and 104, which are securely, but releasably, affixed one to the other across a common interface 106. When assembly 100 is in a pre-use or initially packaged state, the internal parts and surfaces thereof can be sterile, and these are able to reduce, prevent, or eliminate contamination of connectors with which caps 102, 104 can be coupled.

#As further discussed below, in various embodiments, caps 102 and 104 can be distributed in a coupled state, such as that shown in FIGS. 1-1B, and may be decoupled by a user (e.g., a medical professional) and subsequently coupled with separate medical connectors. Caps 102 and 104 can include features to aid in such a decoupling action and/or in the coupling of caps 102, 104 with the respective connectors. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, each cap 102, 104 includes gripping features 103.