Blood chamber for extracorporeal blood circuits and a process for manufacturing the blood chamber

• US 20050054968A1
• Filed: 08/11/2004
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gambro Lundia AB (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gambro Dasco SPA (Baxter International Inc.), Gambro Lundia AB (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Giannella, Carlo
• Granted Patent: US 7,559,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/6.150
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3627 Degassing devices; Buffer reservoirs; Drip chambers; Blood filters

Abstract

A blood chamber for extracorporeal blood circuits comprises a container body (2) made in a single piece by blowing of a plastic material, and has a plurality of connection ports (3, 4) for fluid communication with outside; each connection port (3, 4) comprises a tubular mouth (6) having a truncoconical internal surface (61) which is coupled in a fluid-proof coupling to a tubular first part (101) of an insert (10), made by injection molding of a plastic material. The insert (10) has a truncoconical and smooth internal surface (102) which is coupled by gluing with a solvent to an end zone of a fluid transport tube (7, 8). The coupling between the blood chamber and the fluid transport tubes is very strong and reliable. The blood chamber is part of an extracorporeal blood circuit which is operatively associated to a dialysis machine.

Claims

1. A blood chamber comprising a container body for blood having a plurality of connection ports for fluid communication with outside the container body, each of the plurality of connection ports comprising a tubular mouth destined for coupling to an end zone of a tube, wherein at least one of the tubular mouths is provided with an insert having a surface which is destined to receive in a fluid-proof sealed coupling the end zone of the tube.

2. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the insert has at least a first tubular part which covers at least a part of an internal surface of the tubular mouth.

3. The chamber of claim 2, wherein said insert surface destined to receive in a fluid-proof sealed coupling contact the end zone of the tube is an internal surface of said first tubular part.

4. The chamber of claim 2, wherein said first tubular part is conformed and arranged to be interposed between the internal surface of the tubular mouth and the end zone of the tube.

5. The chamber of claim 2, wherein said internal surface of the tubular mouth has an internal diameter which is smaller than an internal diameter of said container body, the internal diameter of the container body being considered to be in a horizontal direction with reference to a vertical operative configuration of the blood chamber.

6. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the container body is made in a single piece.

7. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the container body is made of a plastic material which is formable by blow molding.

8. The chamber of claim 1, wherein each tubular mouth is made in a single piece with the container body.

9. The chamber of claim 1, wherein each tubular mouth emerges from the container body in an external direction.

10. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the plurality of connection ports comprises at least a first connection port situated in a lower zone of the container body, and at least a second connection port located in an upper zone of the container body, where lower and upper are terms made with reference to a vertical operative configuration of the blood chamber, each of the first connection port and the second connection port comprising a tubular mouth provided with the insert.

11. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the tubular mouth, provided with the insert has a vertical axis, where vertical is intended with reference to a vertical operative configuration of the blood chamber.

12. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the insert is made of a plastic material.

13. The chamber of claim 12, wherein the plastic material of the insert is a material which is formable by injection molding.

14. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said insert surface which is destined to receive in a fluid-proof sealed coupling the end zone of the tube is a smooth surface.

15. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the insert is made in a single piece.

16. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said tubular mouth has an internal surface with at least a first transversal section and at least a second transversal section, the first transversal section being, with reference to the container body, more external than the second transversal section, the more external first transversal section having a bigger diameter than the internal second transversal section.

17. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the tubular mouth has an internal surface which converges towards an inside of the container body, and which is joined to an external surface of the insert.

18. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said insert has a tubular part and a flanged part, said flanged part emerging radially from the tubular part and covering a front-end surface of a corresponding tubular mouth.

19. The chamber of claim 18, wherein the flanged part is superposed on and in contact with said front-end surface of the tubular mouth.

20. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said container body is made of a plastic material which is not PVC or which is free of chlorides, and is for example made of PET.

21. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the chamber is an arterial chamber which is structured and sized for insertion in an arterial line of an extracorporeal circuit.

22. The chamber of claim 1, wherein the chamber is a venous chamber which is structured and sized for insertion in a venous line of an extracorporeal circuit.

23. The chamber of claim 1, wherein said insert is made of a first plastic material, said container body being made of a second plastic material which is different to the first plastic material.

24. An extracorporeal circuit comprising a circuit of tubes, and at least a blood chamber provided with a plurality of connection ports, at least one of the tubes being connected to each of the connection ports, wherein the blood chamber is made according to claim 1.

25. The circuit of claim 24, wherein a tube of the tubes which is associated to the connection port has an end zone which is fluid-sealed and unmovably coupled with said insert surface of the relative connection port.

26. A process for manufacturing a blood chamber comprising stages of:

realizing, by blowing of plastic material, a container body having a plurality of connection ports for fluid communication with outside the container body, each of the plurality of connection ports comprising a tubular mouth made in a single piece with the container body, each tubular mouth having an internal transversal size which is smaller than an internal transversal size of the container body;

application, on at least one tubular mouth, of an insert made of plastic material having at least a tubular part which, by effect of the application covers at least a part of a surface of the tubular mouth, a surface of the tubular part being destined to be unmovably coupled with an end zone of a fluid transport tube.

27. The process of claim 26, wherein the insert is made of plastic material.

28. The process of claim 26, wherein said surface of the tubular mouth is an internal surface.

29. The process of claim 26, wherein said surface of the insert tubular part is an internal surface.

30. The process of claim 26, wherein the insert is applied to the tubular mouth by means of a fluid-proof sealed coupling.

31. The process of claim 26, wherein said application stage is performed on at least two or more of the tubular mouths.

32. The process of claim 26, wherein at least two connection ports of the plurality of connection ports are located on opposite sides of the container body.

33. The process of claim 26, wherein at least the tubular mouth emerges from the container body and is directed towards an outside of the container body.

34. The process of claim 26, wherein an insert is made by injection molding of a plastic material prior to being applied, for example by gluing with a solvent, on the tubular mouth.

35. The process of claim 26, wherein applying the insert comprises a stage in which the insert is injection over-molded using plastic material directly onto the tubular mouth.

36. A manufacturing process of an extracorporeal circuit, comprising a stage of manufacturing a blood chamber according to the process of claim 26, and a stage of application of an end zone of a tube for fluid to the tubular part of the insert.