Seal assembly for elastomeric infusion pump

• US 20040138627A1
• Filed: 01/15/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avent Incorporated (Avanos Medical, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: I-Flow Corporation (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Forrest, Kevin M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,322,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/250
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1409 in series, e.g. first substance passing through container holding second substance, e.g. reconstitution systems needle sets A61M5/162
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14244 adapted to be carried by the patient, e.g. portable on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/152 pressurised by contraction of elastic reservoirs containers for dispensing contents by contraction of an elastic bag provided therein, in general B65D83/0061
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An infusion apparatus including a support member and an elastic sleeve surrounding the support member to define a fluid reservoir therebetween. The sleeve is expandable in a radial direction when the infusion apparatus is loaded with a fluid, such as a pain medication, and exerts a pressure on the fluid so that it may be delivered to a desired site, such as a surgical region of a patient. The elastic sleeve is sealed to the support member at spaced-apart locations by first and second sealing arrangements. Each sealing arrangement preferably includes a sealing member having a first end, a second end, and a body portion extending between the first and second ends. Desirably, the body portion is substantially annular in shape and is deflectable between a first inner diameter and a second inner diameter. The first inner diameter permits the sealing member to be passed over an end of the support and elastic sleeve, while the second inner diameter is configured to produce a force tending to create a fluid tight seal between the elastic sleeve and the support.

Claims

1. An infusion apparatus, comprising:

a support member having an outer surface, a first annular groove and a second annular groove being defined by the outer surface and spaced from one another, a reservoir wall of the support member being defined between the annular grooves;

an elastic sleeve surrounding the reservoir wall of the support member and covering the first annular groove and the second annular groove, the sleeve being expandable such that the sleeve and the reservoir wall of the support member cooperate to define a variable-volume fluid reservoir, the infusion apparatus including an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir;

a sealing arrangement comprising a first sealing member for sealing a first end of the fluid reservoir and a second sealing member for sealing a second end of the fluid reservoir, each sealing member being of a non-continuous, generally annular shape and having a first end, a second end and a body portion extending between the first and second ends, the sealing member being substantially inelastic along the length of the body portion, the body portion defining an annular, protruding inner surface complementary to the respective first or second groove, the sealing member being capable of deflecting between a first inner diameter and a second inner diameter, wherein the first inner diameter is sized to permit the sealing member to pass over the sleeve and support and the second inner diameter is sized such that the protruding surface urges the sleeve into the groove, the sealing arrangement being configured to produce a force tending to bias the sealing member into the second diameter to create a fluid-tight seal between the support and the sleeve.

2. The infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first sealing member and the second sealing member comprise a torsion spring.

3. The infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first sealing member and the second sealing member comprise a split ring.

4. The infusion apparatus of claim 3, wherein the sealing arrangement additionally comprises a cap having internal threads, the internal threads mating with external threads of the split ring.

5. The infusion apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising a first end cap being removably connectable to a first end of the infusion apparatus to cover the first sealing member and a second end cap being removably connectable with a second end of the infusion apparatus to cover the second sealing member.

6. The infusion apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising an inelastic, collapsible housing surrounding the elastic sleeve.

7. An infusion apparatus, comprising:

an infusion pump including an elastic sleeve surrounding a support member, the sleeve and the support member cooperating to define a variable-volume fluid reservoir therebetween, each end portion of an outer surface of the support member defining an annular groove, each end of the elastic sleeve extending over the respective groove, the infusion pump including an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir;

a pair of spring clips, each spring clip being associated with one of the annular grooves to create a seal between the elastic sleeve and the support member to define first and second ends, respectively, of the fluid reservoir, each of the spring clips comprising a first end, a second end and a generally annular body portion extending between the first and second ends, each of the spring clips being deflectable to a deflected position, the spring clip defining a first inner diameter in the deflected position sized to permit the clip to pass over an end of the infusion pump and further defining a second inner diameter, smaller than the first inner diameter, sized to create a fluid tight seal between the support member and the sleeve.

8. The infusion apparatus of claim 7, wherein the portion of the outer surface of the support member defining each groove is generally semi-circular in shape, the body portion of each spring clip being generally circular in cross-section and sized to urge the elastic sleeve into at least a portion of the groove.

9. The infusion apparatus of claim 7, wherein the body portion of the spring clip is at least partially overlapping.

10. The infusion apparatus of claim 7, additionally comprising a cap connectable to each end of the infusion pump, the cap including a side wall portion for covering the spring clip.

11. The infusion apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first and second ends of the spring clip extend in a radial direction relative to the body.

12. The infusion apparatus of claim 7, wherein the spring clip is metal.

13. The infusion apparatus of claim 7, wherein the spring clip is configured to produce at least twenty pounds of squeezing force.

14. The infusion apparatus of claim 7, wherein the spring clip has a spring constant of approximately ten pounds per inch.

15. A method of assembling an infusion apparatus, comprising:

providing a support member at least partially defining an inlet and an outlet;

positioning an elastic sleeve over the support member, thereby defining a variable-volume fluid reservoir between the support member and the sleeve, the inlet and the outlet communicating with the fluid reservoir;

providing a pair of spring clips, each clip having a first end, a second end and a generally annular body portion extending between the first and second ends;

applying an opposing force to each of the first and second ends of one of the spring clips to deflect the spring clip into a deflected position and passing the spring clip over a first end of the support member and sleeve, releasing the first and second ends to permit the body portion to contact the sleeve and create a seal between the sleeve and the support member and thereby define a first end of the fluid reservoir;

applying an opposing force to each of the first and second ends of the other of the spring clips to deflect the spring clip into a deflected position and passing the spring clip over a second end of the support member and the sleeve, releasing the first and second ends to permit the body portion to contact the sleeve and create a seal between the sleeve and the support member and thereby define a second end of the fluid reservoir.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second ends of the spring clip have an initial length, additionally comprising the step of trimming the first and second ends to a shorter length after the respective spring clip is positioned onto the support member and sleeve.

17. The method of claim 16, additionally comprising the step of securing a cap to the support member, the cap including a side wall portion covering the first and second ends of the spring clip.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein an outer surface of the support member defines a pair of grooves spaced from one another, additionally comprising the step of positioning the spring clips such that the elastic sleeve is urged at least partially within the grooves.

19. An infusion apparatus, comprising:

an infusion pump including an elastic sleeve surrounding a support member, the sleeve and the support member cooperating to define a variable-volume fluid reservoir therebetween, the infusion pump including an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir;

a pair of sealing assemblies, each assembly being configured to create a seal between the elastic sleeve and the support member to define first and second ends, respectively, of the fluid reservoir, each of the assemblies comprising a split ring and a cap, the split ring having a first end, a second end and a generally annular body portion extending between the first and second ends, the split ring being deflectable to an inner diameter sufficient to permit the split ring to pass over an end of the infusion pump, the cap being configured to apply a compressive force to the split ring, thereby deflecting the split ring to an inner diameter sufficient to create a seal between the elastic sleeve and the support member.

20. The infusion apparatus of claim 19, wherein each end portion of an outer surface of the support member defines an annular groove, each end of the elastic sleeve extending over the respective groove, an inner surface of the split ring defining a protrusion extending along the length of the body portion, the protrusion being sized and shaped to urge the elastic sleeve into at least a portion of the groove.

21. The infusion apparatus of claim 19, wherein the split ring and the cap comprise an interlocking thread arrangement, the cap being threadable onto the split ring to apply the compressive force to the split ring.