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Medical connectors and methods of use

  • US 10,086,188 B2
  • Filed: 12/21/2015
  • Issued: 10/02/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A medical connector that is resistant to retrograde fluid flow comprising:

  • a housing forming an outer surface of the medical connector, the housing comprising a proximal region and a distal region;

    the distal region of the housing including a base member comprising a male tip protrusion extending in a distal direction, the male tip protrusion comprising an internal proximal opening, a distal opening, and a passageway extending between the proximal and distal openings;

    the proximal region of the housing including a proximal body member formed of a single piece of material and formed separately from the base member, the proximal body member including a proximal end opening, wherein a distal end of the proximal body member overlaps a proximal end of the distal region of the housing in a longitudinal overlapping region;

    a proximal seal member with a first position and a second position, the proximal seal member comprising a proximal end surface and a distal end, the proximal end surface being generally even with the proximal end opening of the body member in the first position and being displaced distally from the proximal end opening of the body member and compressed in the second position, and the proximal seal member comprising an interior passage with a proximal end and a distal end;

    a support member formed separately from the male tip protrusion of the base member, the support member being positioned within the medical connector in a fixed position with respect to the base member, the support member comprising a distal base portion located between a portion of the base member and a portion of the proximal body member, and the support member comprising an elongate portion with a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the elongate portion being positioned within the proximal seal member, in a proximal region of the interior passage in the first position, the support member further comprising one or more fluid openings and an internal fluid passageway; and

    a dome valve positioned in a region inside of the medical connector between the distal base portion of the support member and the internal proximal opening of the male tip protrusion, the internal fluid passageway of the support member being configured to guide fluid from the support member into an empty space in a concave portion of the dome valve such that the fluid from the support member is able to contact the concave portion of the dome valve during use, the support member not extending through the dome valve, and the distance from the distal end of the proximal seal member to a proximal end of the dome valve being less than the distance from the internal proximal opening of the male tip protrusion to the distal opening of the male tip protrusion, a proximal end of the overlapping region being positioned in a proximal direction from the proximal end of the dome valve, the dome valve being spaced away from and not in contact with the proximal region of the housing, and the dome valve being secured in place by a protrusion received within a channel;

    wherein the dome valve is configured to open to permit fluid to flow from a proximal side of the dome valve to a distal side of the dome valve under a first fluid pressure differential between a proximal region of the medical connector and a distal region of the medical connector, and the dome valve is configured to open to permit fluid flow from the distal side of the dome valve to the proximal side of the dome valve under a second fluid pressure differential between a distal region of the medical connector and the proximal region of the medical connector that is higher than the first fluid pressure differential, and wherein opening of the dome valve is not functionally dependent on opening of the proximal seal member.

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