# US 9,750,925 B2 · Ported catheter adapter having combined port and blood control valve with venting

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- Number: US 9,750,925 B2
- Document ID: US9750925B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/597,027
- Filed: 2015-01-14
- Published: 2015-07-23
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2014-01-21
- Assignees: Becton, Dickinson and Company
- Applicants: Becton, Dickinson and Company
- Inventors: Yiping Ma; Weston F. Harding; Siddarth K. Shevgoor
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9750925B2

## CPC

- A61M 39/06: Haemostasis valves, i.e. gaskets sealing around a needle, catheter or the like, closing on removal thereof
- A61M 25/00: Catheters; Hollow probes (dilators A61M29/00; {peritoneal catheters A61M1/285; tracheal tubes A61M16/04; for drainage A61M27/00; for uterus, vagina or rectum A61M31/00} ; for measuring or testing A61B; {materials for catheters A61L29/00})
- A61M 25/0009: {Making of catheters or other medical or surgical tubes}
- A61M 25/0097: {characterised by the hub (tube connectors or tube couplings A61M39/10)}
- A61M 25/0606: {"Over-the-needle" catheter assemblies, e.g. I.V. catheters}
- A61M 39/00: Tubes, tube connectors, tube couplings, valves, access sites or the like, specially adapted for medical use (for respiratory devices, e.g. tracheal tubes, A61M16/00; artificial heart valves A61F2/24)
- A61M 39/02: Access sites
- A61M 39/0693: {including means for seal penetration}
- A61M 39/10: Tube connectors or tube couplings
- A61M 39/22: Valves or arrangement of valves {(A61M39/02, A61M39/0247, A61M39/16 take precedence; regulating valves in infusion systems A61M5/16881; in devices worn by the patient for the reception of urine, faeces, catamenial or other discharge, or in colostomy devices A61F5/4405)}
- A61M 39/24: Check- or non-return valves
- A61M 39/26: Valves closing automatically on disconnecting the line and opening on reconnection thereof {(check valves A61M39/24)}
- A61M 2039/062: {used with a catheter}
- A61M 2039/2493: {Check valve with complex design, e.g. several inlets and outlets and several check valves in one body}
- A61M 2039/266: {where the valve comprises venting channels, e.g. to insure better connection, to help decreasing the fluid space upon disconnection, or to help the fluid space to remain the same during disconnection}
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}

## Abstract

A ported catheter adapter having a combined blood control valve and port valve, wherein the combined valve comprises one or more vents that permit the passage of air and prevent the passage of fluids. The one or more vents are located on the outer surface of the valve so as to avoid being overlapped with the pathway of the side port. As such, fluid communication between the side port and the vents is prevented. Various venting configurations are provided. The invention further includes a valve actuator that is advanced through a slit in the membrane of the valve to provide a pathway for fluid to bypass the valve.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A ported catheter assembly, comprising:
a catheter adapter having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen extending therebetween, the catheter adapter further comprising a side port forming a pathway through a sidewall of the catheter adapter and in communication with the lumen;
a valve disposed within the lumen and having a proximal opening, a distal membrane, and an inner cavity extending therebetween, the valve comprising an outer surface in contact with an inner surface of the catheter adapter, wherein a portion of the outer surface forms a seal between the lumen and the pathway of the side port, and wherein the distal membrane divides the lumen into a proximal chamber and a distal chamber; and
a vent interposed between the outer surface of the valve and an inner surface of the catheter adapter, wherein the vent comprises a first end proximate the distal chamber and a second end disposed towards a middle portion of the valve, wherein the vent comprises a cross-sectional area that permits the passage of air and prevents the passage of blood.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 1, further comprising a valve actuator disposed within the proximal chamber and having a base, a tip and a body extending therebetween, the body being at least partially positioned within the inner cavity such that the tip of the valve actuator is positioned proximate to the distal membrane, and the base is positioned proximate to the proximal end of the catheter adapter.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 2, wherein the proximal end of the catheter adapter further comprises an opening through which the base of the valve actuator may be accessed.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 2, further comprising an actuator retention tab coupled to an outer surface of the valve actuator and positioned within an annular groove formed on an inner surface of the catheter adapter within the proximal chamber.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 4, wherein the lumen comprises a minimum diameter, the annular groove comprises a diameter that is greater than the minimum diameter, and the retention tab comprises an outer diameter that is less than the diameter of the annular groove and greater than the minimum diameter.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 4, wherein the annular groove comprises a first end, a second end, and a length extending therebetween, wherein the retention tab travels within the annular groove between the first and second ends to advance the tip of the valve actuator though a slit in the distal membrane of the valve.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 2, wherein the valve may be defeated to provide a pathway through the distal membrane by advancing the tip of the valve actuator through a slit in the distal membrane.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve may be defeated by injecting a fluid through the side port, whereby fluid pressure from the injected fluid temporarily deforms the body of the valve to permit the injected fluid to flow into the proximal chamber of the lumen via the pathway though the sidewall of the catheter adapter.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the vent comprises at least one of one or more recessed surfaces formed in the outer surface of the valve and one or more recessed surfaces formed in the inner surface of the catheter adapter.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the second end of the vent is disposed distal to the pathway through the sidewall of the catheter adapter.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the valve further comprises an annular recess or a partial annular recess in fluid communication with the vent and comprising an opening to permit fluid communication between the vent and the inner cavity of the valve via the annular recess or the partial annular recess.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 11, wherein the annular recess or the partial annular recess is disposed at the second end of the vent.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the vent permits the passage of air at a desired flow rate from 0.5 ml/min to 3 ml/min.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the vent permits the passage of air at a desired flow rate from 0.1 ml/min to 10 ml/min.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The ported catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve comprises a flexible tube having an outer diameter that is approximately the same size as an inner diameter of the lumen, whereby the valve is retained within the lumen by an interference fit.

### Claim 16

A blood control valve for use in a ported catheter adapter, the valve comprising:
a flexible tube, comprising:
a proximal opening;
a distal membrane;
an inner cavity extending between the proximal opening and the distal membrane;
an outer surface having a diameter that is approximately equal to an inner diameter of the ported catheter adapter, whereby the valve is configured to be retained within the catheter adapter via a friction fit, the outer surface further having a length sufficient to form a seal between a lumen of the catheter adapter and a pathway of a side port of the ported catheter adapter, and wherein the distal membrane divides the lumen of the ported catheter adapter into a proximal chamber and distal chamber; and
a recess formed in the outer surface of the flexible tube, wherein the recess comprises a first end proximate the distal chamber when the valve is inserted into the catheter adapter and a second end disposed towards a middle portion of the flexible tube, wherein the recess has a cross-sectional area that permits the passage of air and prevents the passage of blood.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The blood control valve of claim 16, wherein the seal may be selectively defeated by injecting a fluid through the side port, thereby temporarily permitting the fluid to flow through the pathway of the side port and into the lumen of the catheter adapter through a space provided between the outer surface of the flexible tube and an inner surface of the catheter adapter.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The blood control valve of claim 17, wherein the outer surface of the flexible tube further comprises a vent ring in fluid communication with the recess and comprising an opening to permit fluid communication between the vent ring and the inner cavity of the flexible tube.