Valved catheter

• US 20110054415A1
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mozarc Medical US LLC
• Original Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Sonoyama, Emiyo, Onuma, Tadatsugu, Makino, Masanori
• Granted Patent: US 8,597,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/247
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0076 Unidirectional valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0078 for fluid inflow from the body into the catheter lumen
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0075 Valve means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/01 Introducing, guiding, advancing, emplacing or holding catheters A61M25/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/22 Valves or arrangement of valves A61M39/02, A61M39/0247, A61M39/16 take precedence; regulating valves in infusion systems A61M5/16881; in devices worn by the patient for the reception of urine, faeces, catamenial or other discharge, or in colostomy devices A61F5/4405

Abstract

A valved catheter is provided which includes a slit that opens readily in both directions either when a fluid is caused to flow from the interior to the exterior thereof or when a fluid is caused to flow from the exterior to the interior thereof, and that prevents inadvertent closure thereof from the opened state. The valve includes an openable slit that penetrates from the inner surface to the outer surface of a distal end section of a valved catheter with a closed distal end, and edge portions on the two sides of the slit are formed along the direction in which the valved catheter extends. The slit includes a linear shape in the cross-section of the distal end section of the valved catheter that extends in a position away from a center line “c” that passes through the center of the valved catheter in parallel with this center line “c” whereupon, either one of the edge portions deforms more readily than either one of the other edge portions.

Claims

1. A resilient and flexible valved catheter which is made from a resin and which includes a tubular body having a closed distal end, the valved catheter having a valve comprising an openable slit that penetrates from an inner surface to an outer surface of the body, the slit extending in a longitudinal direction along the body in a distal end section of the valved catheter, the openable slit including two sides each having an edge portion, wherein one edge portion of the edge portions of the two sides of the slit of the valve deforms more readily than the other edge portion when either a fluid is caused to flow from an interior to an exterior of the valved catheter by way of the valve, or when a fluid is caused to flow from the exterior to the interior by way of the valve.

2. A valved catheter according to claim 1, wherein adjoining sections of the edge portions of the slit include a shape in cross-section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the distal end of the valved catheter which is asymmetrical about the slit.

3. A valved catheter according to claim 1, wherein the tubular body of the valved catheter includes a circular cross-section and the slit includes a linear shape in cross-section in a position away from an imaginary straight line that passes through a center of the valved catheter and extends in parallel with the imaginary straight line and, taking a minimum distance from the imaginary straight line to the slit as “

a,” and

a distance equivalent to “

a”

subtracted from ½

of an inner diameter of the circular tube-shaped body as “

b,”

“

a”

is larger than “

b.”

4. A valved catheter according to claim 1, wherein the edge portions of the two sides of the slit of the valve include resins of different hardness.

5. A valved catheter according to claim 1, further comprising a contrast-imparting material of greater hardness than the resin of the valved catheter incorporated into one edge portion of the slit of the valve.

6. A valved catheter according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of one edge portion of the slit of the valve is thinner than the other edge portion.