RADIALLY SEALING VAVLE FOR AN INFUSION SET

• US 20090062738A1
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ICU Medical Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hospira Incorporated (Pfizer Inc.)
• Inventors: Ziegler, John S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,057,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/151
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/242 designed to open when a predetermined pressure or flow rate has been reached, e.g. check valve actuated by fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/2433 Valve comprising a resilient or deformable element, e.g. flap valve, deformable disc
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/246 being fixed along all or a part of its periphery
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/2473 Valve comprising a non-deformable, movable element, e.g. ball-valve, valve with movable stopper or reciprocating element
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/2486 Guided stem, e.g. reciprocating stopper
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/128 with incorporated valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/24 Check- or non-return valves

Abstract

A radially sealing valve for preventing free flow from an IV set has an elastomeric cup portion that covers an outlet opening and is normally closed by its resiliency. The valve can be incorporated into a cassette for an IV pump that automatically opens the valve when the cassette is loaded. Axial force on the bottom of the cupped valve provides radial contraction or expansion of the sidewall of the valve to open a fluid path.

Claims

1. A cassette for use in a pump that delivers a medicinal fluid, comprising:

a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port including an outlet valve opening, said housing providing a fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port;

an elastomeric membrane disposed within the housing and cooperating with the housing to define the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port;

a resilient valve member being formed as a raised hollow cup in the elastomeric membrane and disposed in the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port;

said raised hollow cup having a cross-sectional area greater than a cross-sectional area of the outlet valve opening such that when the resilient valve member is inserted into the outlet valve opening the raised hollow cup occludes the outlet valve opening and thereby closes the fluid path; and

an actuating member engaging the raised hollow cup axially such that when actuated the raised hollow cup contracts radially to open the fluid path.

2. The cassette of claim 1 wherein the raised hollow cup has a hollow interior for receiving the actuating member.

3. The cassette of claim 2 wherein the raised hollow cup comprises a top portion that tapers upwardly and inwardly and a sidewall extending downwardly from the top portion and surrounding the hollow interior.

4. The cassette of claim 3 wherein the actuating member comprises a push rod having a cylindrical body and an annular flange extending therefrom that rests upon a seat in the cassette housing, the push rod having a protrusion that matingly is received by a centrally located indentation in the top portion of the raised hollow cup to align the push rod with the raised hollow cup during actuation.

5. The cassette of claim 1 wherein the outlet valve opening is defined by a sidewall surrounding a cylindrical cavity and a conically shaped cavity that tapers inwardly from the cylindrical cavity.

6. The cassette of claim 3 wherein the cassette housing has a first port adjacent a sidewall of the raised hollow cup and a second port adjacent the sidewall of the raised hollow cup, the second port being in spaced relation to the first port, the first port being in fluid communication with a top surface of the top portion of the raised hollow cup such that fluid pressure from the first port is transmitted to the top surface of the top portion of the raised hollow cup to expand the sidewall radially and when fluid pressure from the second port raises above a threshold pressure the sidewall contracts radially to open the valve.

7. A cassette for use in a pump that delivers a medicinal fluid, comprising:

a housing having an inlet port through which the medicinal fluid enters the cassette and an outlet port through which the medicinal fluid leaves the cassette, said housing providing a sealed fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port;

an elastomeric membrane disposed within the housing and cooperating with the housing to define the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port;

a valve being disposed in the fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port;

said valve having a hollow cup having an interior surrounded by an annular flange;

said annular flange engaging and surrounding the sidewall of a cylindrical port within a valve body to close the fluid path; and

an actuating member engaging the dome portion axially such that when actuated the annular flange expands radially to open the fluid path.

8. The cassette of claim 7 wherein a gusset is disposed within and is attached to the annular flange.

9. The cassette of claim 7 wherein the valve has a protrusion wherein the actuating member engages the protrusion to open the fluid path.

10. The cassette of claim 7 wherein the actuating member is a pin.

11. A valve for use in an intravenous fluid delivery set, comprising:

a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port including an outlet valve opening, said housing providing a fluid path between the inlet port and the outlet port;

an elastomeric membrane mounted to the housing to cover the outlet valve opening;

wherein the elastomeric membrane has a normally closed condition in which resilience of the elastomeric membrane biases the membrane radially to seal the outlet valve opening; and

wherein the elastomeric membrane has an open condition in which an external force is applied to the valve to overcome the resilience and unseal the membrane from the outlet valve opening.

12. The valve of claim 11 further comprising an actuating member for engaging and applying the external force to the elastomeric membrane to unseal the membrane from the outlet valve opening.

13. The valve of claim 12 wherein the actuating member is a raised button on the valve that can be pressed to expand the elastomeric membrane radially to unseal the membrane from the outlet valve opening.

14. The valve of claim 13 wherein the elastomeric membrane has a sidewall with a gusset disposed therein such that when the raised button is pressed to expand the elastomeric membrane the gusset enhances the expansion of the elastomeric membrane.

15. The valve of claim 12 wherein the actuating member is a pin slidably mounted on the housing for engaging the elastomeric membrane and supplying the force in an axial direction with respect to the pin to unseal the membrane from the outlet valve opening.

16. The valve of claim 15 wherein the pin is mounted so as to be in continuous engagement with the elastomeric membrane.

17. The valve of claim 11 wherein the elastomeric membrane includes a raised hollow protrusion inserted into the outlet valve opening and the external force is applied to the raised hollow protrusion to overcome the resilience of the elastomeric membrane to unseal the valve from the outlet valve opening.

18. The valve of claim 17 wherein the pin engages an underside of the raised hollow protrusion and can be pressed to supply the force to axially stretch and radially contract the raised hollow protrusion.

19. The valve of claim 17 wherein the housing has a first portion and a second portion, and wherein the raised hollow protrusion is defined on the elastic membrane disposed between the first portion and a second portion so as to form a disposable pump cassette.