BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE CATHETER ASSEMBLY

• US 20090306545A1
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CareFusion 2200 Inc (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: CareFusion 2200 Inc (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Elsakka, Mamdouh, Wells, Keith, Kearney, Christine T., Furnish, Greg, Edrington, John
• Application Number:
  US12/135,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20090306545A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/581
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0463 combined with suction tubes, catheters or the like; Outside connections
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0006 which can be secured against axial movement, e.g. by using a locking cuff
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0008 having visible markings on its surface, i.e. visible to the naked eye, for any purpose, e.g. insertion depth markers, rotational markers or identification of type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0079 Separate user-activated means, e.g. guidewires, guide tubes, balloon catheters or sheaths, for sealing off an orifice, e.g. a lumen or side holes, of a catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0681 Systems with catheter and outer tubing, e.g. sheath, sleeve or guide tube
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1052 for temporarily occluding a vessel for isolating a sector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1035 Bronchi
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1039 Lungs
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0041 pre-formed, e.g. specially adapted to fit with the anatomy of body channels urethral catheters A61F2/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0068 Static characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. shape, atraumatic tip, curved tip or tip structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0074 Dynamic characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. openable, closable, expandable or deformable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10 Balloon catheters A61M25/0125 takes precedence; embolectomy A61B17/22032; retractors A61B17/02; inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts A61F2/958 ; stomach balloons for treatment of obesity A61F5/0003; oesophagal tubes A61J15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 29/02 Dilators made of swellable material balloon catheters for angioplasty A61M25/104

Abstract

A catheter assembly configured for use in a non-bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage procedure. The catheter assembly may include an inner catheter member having an inner catheter lumen and an outer catheter member having an outer catheter lumen, where the inner catheter member is disposed longitudinally and coaxially through at least a lengthwise portion of the outer catheter lumen, a distal end portion of the outer catheter includes an atraumatically-shaped disruptable seal—which seal includes at least a pair of overlapping slits that extend at least partially through an internal distal end wall portion of the outer catheter—and where a distal end portion of the inner catheter includes a wedging structure configured to at least partially sealingly contact an inner circumference of a passage in a lower portion of a patient lung.

Claims

1. A bronchoalveolar lavage catheter assembly comprising:

an inner catheter member having an inner catheter lumen and an outer catheter member having an outer catheter lumen;

the inner catheter member disposed longitudinally and coaxially through at least a lengthwise portion of the outer catheter lumen;

where a distal end portion of the outer catheter comprises an atraumatically-shaped disruptable seal, the seal including at least one slit that extends at least partially through an internal distal end wall portion of the outer catheter;

where a distal end portion of the inner catheter comprises a wedging structure configured to at least partially sealingly contact an inner circumference of a passage in a lower portion of a patient lung.

2. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the wedging structure comprises at least one flexible intact disc structure generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the inner catheter and disposed around an outer circumference of the inner catheter.

3. The catheter assembly of claim 2 further comprising at least three adjacent flexible intact disc structures generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the inner catheter and disposed around the outer circumference of the inner catheter.

4. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the atraumatically-shaped disruptable seal is configured to be disrupted by a force exerted between an inner surface of the seal and the distal end portion of the inner catheter.

5. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the atraumatically-shaped disruptable seal provides an effective barrier against microbes between the inner catheter and an exterior region adjacent the distal outer catheter.

6. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the outer catheter comprises at least one lengthwise intermediate portion constructed of material sufficiently rigid to maintain a preformed bend.

7. The catheter assembly of claim 6, where the at least one lengthwise intermediate portion comprises a preformed bend out of a generally linear default longitudinal axis.

8. The catheter assembly of claim 7, where the preformed bend is between about 10 degrees and about 60 degrees.

9. The catheter assembly of claim 7, where the preformed bend is about 30 degrees.

10. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the internal distal end wall portion of the outer catheter further comprises a shaped surface configured to enhance an outward radial force when contacted with distally-directed force by the distal end portion of the inner catheter.

11. The catheter assembly of claim 1, further comprising an outer polymer sheath disposed about and containing substantially a majority length of the inner and outer catheter members, the polymer sheath configured to maintain a sterile state of that majority length.

12. The catheter assembly of claim 11, where the outer polymer sheath comprises a removable portion.

13. The catheter assembly of claim 12, where the removable distal end portion comprises a perforated portion configured for separation of the removable distal end portion from a major length of the outer polymer sheath.

14. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the wedging structure comprises a flexible frustoconical collar disposed around an outer circumference of the inner catheter immediately adjacent its distal end.

15. The catheter assembly of claim 14, where a larger diameter portion of the flexible frustoconical collar is disposed distal of a smaller diameter portion of the flexible frustoconical collar.

16. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the wedging structure comprises conformable distal end portion of the inner catheter configured to conform to substantially an entire inner circumference of a lung passage while maintaining a patent inner catheter lumen.

17. The catheter assembly of claim 16, where the distal end portion comprises a highly flexible conformable exterior portion and a less flexible interior portion around a circumference of the inner catheter lumen and configured to maintain patency thereof.

18. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the at least one slit comprises a pair of overlapping slits that extend at least partially through an internal distal end wall portion of the outer catheter to form four leaflets configured to be separated when subjected to a predetermined distal force from the inner catheter member.

19. The catheter assembly of claim 18, where an internal portion of at least one of the four leaflets further comprises a shaped surface configured to enhance an outward radial force when contacted with distally-directed force by the distal end portion of the inner catheter.

20. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the wedging structure comprises a fluid-swellable member.

21. The catheter assembly of claim 1, where the inner catheter further comprises a proximal hub configured to form a patent fluid flow connection.

22. The catheter assembly of claim 1, further comprising a frictional retention member disposed near a proximal end of the outer catheter and configured to frictionally restrict longitudinal movement of the inner catheter when in a first configuration, and to allow longitudinal movement of the inner catheter when in a second configuration.