Valve Assembly Including a Dissolvable Valve Member
First Claim
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1. A valve assembly, comprising:
- a housing having an inlet end and an outlet end and defining a fluid channel and a central chamber; and
a dissolvable valve member positioned to obstruct flow through the channel within the chamber, the dissolvable valve member being formed of a material which is dissolvable at a predetermined rate upon contact with a preselected fluid.
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Abstract
A valve assembly is provided which includes a housing having an inlet end and an outlet end and defining a fluid channel and a central chamber. A dissolvable valve member is positioned to obstruct flow through the channel within the chamber. The dissolvable valve member is formed of a material which is dissolvable at a predetermined rate upon contact with a preselected fluid. The preselected fluid is selected from the group consisting of blood, urine, saline and antimicrobial solutions. The dissolvable valve member can be formed from a fluid soluble glass or a starch based material.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A valve assembly, comprising:
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a housing having an inlet end and an outlet end and defining a fluid channel and a central chamber; and a dissolvable valve member positioned to obstruct flow through the channel within the chamber, the dissolvable valve member being formed of a material which is dissolvable at a predetermined rate upon contact with a preselected fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A urinary catheter assembly comprising:
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a catheter having a body defining a central drain lumen for positioning within a bladder of a patient, the body having an outlet end defining a drain lumen outlet; and a valve assembly including a housing adapted to releasably engage the outlet end of the body of the catheter, the housing defining a fluid channel and a chamber, the valve assembly further including a dissolvable valve member positioned to obstruct flow through the channel, the dissolvable valve member being formed of a material which is dissolvable at a predetermined rate upon contact with a preselected fluid. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification