Universal drip chamber and spike assembly

• US 4,055,176 A
• Filed: 05/24/1976
• Issued: 10/25/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Valleylab Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Valleylab Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Lundquist, Ingemar H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truluck, Dalton L.
• Application Number:
  US05/689,114
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 128/214 C, 128/214.2, 73/198, 137/399
• US Class Current: 604/127
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1623 Details of air intake
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1411 Drip chambers A61M5/162, A61M5/1689, A61M5/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/162 Needle sets, i.e. connections by puncture between reservoir and tube ; Connections between reservoir and tube in jet-action syringes A61M5/30; connectors for tubes having sealed ends and a needle for piercing them A61M39/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/40 using low-level float-valve to cut off media flow from reservoir position detection of a floating member A61M5/1685
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7326 Low level safety cut-off

Abstract

Universal drip chamber and spike assembly for use with a source of intravenous liquid contained in a bottle having a neck with a permeable stopper disposed in the neck and for use with a tube adapted to be connected to a patient. The Universal drip chamber comprises a body defining the upper portion of a drip chamber. The drip chamber body has a relatively rigid substantially transparent wall surrounding the upper portion of the chamber and being open at its lower end. A drip chamber booth formed of a flexible rubber-like material is secured to the lower end of the said drip chamber body and defines the lower portion of the drip chamber. The booth has an outlet flow passage extending through the lower extremity of the same and is in communication with the drip chamber. The booth has means forming a valve seat in the lower portion of the drip chamber surrounding the outlet flow passage. A ball capable of floating in said liquid is disposed in said drip chamber and is capable of engaging said valve seat to prevent the flow of liquid from said drip chamber through the outlet flow passage in said booth. The booth is sufficiently compliant so that it can be squeezed by hand to dislodge the ball from the valve seat. The booth has sufficient length above the seat so that when the ball is disposed in the seat, the booth can be squeezed by hand without lodging the ball to pump liquid into the drip chamber. The spike assembly has a first flow passage therein in communication with the drip chamber whereby when the spike is completely inserted into the stopper in the bottle, fluid can pass from the bottle into the drip chamber. The spike assembly is provided with first and second steps with the second step being closer to outer end of the spike assembly than the first step. The first flow passage opens through the first step. The spike assembly is provided with a second flow of passage which is formed in the spike assembly and has one end opening through the second step and has the other end open to the atmosphere. Hydrophobic air filter means is disposed in the second flow passage so that air passing from the atmosphere and through said second passage must pass through the hydrophobic filter.

Claims

1. In a universal drip chamber and spike assembly for use with a source of liquid in a container having a neck with a permeable stopper disposed in the neck and for use with a tube connected to a patient, a drip chamber body defining the upper portion of a drip chamber, said body having a relatively rigid substantially transparent wall surrounding the upper portion of the drip chamber and being open at its lower end, a drip chamber booth formed of a flexible rubber-like material secured to the lower end of said drip chamber body and defining a lower portion of the drip chamber, said booth having an outlet flow passage in its lower extremity in communication with the drip chamber and adapted to be placed in communication with the tube connected to the patient and having means forming a valve seat in the drip chamber surrounding said outlet flow passage, said valve seat being in the form of an upstanding relatively thin self supporting annulus of a soft rubber-like material, a spike assembly mounted on the drip chamber body and being adapted to be inserted into the permeable stopper of the container to permit liquid to flow from the container into the drip chamber, said drip chamber being capable of receiving liquid from said container and a ball-like float member being capable of floating in said liquid in said drip chamber, said ball-like float member being of a size so that it is capable of seating within said annulus to a depth so that a major portion is disposed therein for closing off said outlet flow passage when substantially all of the liquid from the drip chamber has passed out of said drip chamber to form an air-tight seal between the ball-like member and said annulus to thereby prevent the flow of air from the drip chamber through the outlet flow passage, said booth having a sufficient length above the annulus when the ball-like float member is disposed in the annulus so that the booth can be squeezed by hand without dislodging the ball-like float member to pump liquid from the source into the drip chamber, said ball-like float member being retained by the annulus after it has seated in said annulus and after liquid has been pumped into the drip chamber to a level above the surface of the ball-like member, said booth being sufficiently compliant so that after the drip chamber has been filed to a desired level, it can be squeezed by hand to dislodge the ball-like float member from the annulus.

2. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein said spike has a first flow passage therein in communication with the drip chamber whereby when said spike is inserted into said stopper, liquid can pass from said bottle into said drip chamber, said spike being provided with first and second steps with said second step being closer to the outer end of said spike than said first step, said first flow passage opening through said first step, said spike assembly having a second flow passage formed therein and opening through said second step and being open to the atmosphere, hydrophobic filter means disposed in said second flow passage so that air passing from the atmosphere through said second flow passage must pass through the hydrophobic filter means.

3. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein said drip chamber booth is formed of a soft rubber having a durometer ranging from 25 to 30.

4. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein said booth is formed of a soft rubber-like material so that the portion of the booth in the vicinity of annulus can be squeezed to dislodge the ball from the annulus and wherein said annulus is formed of the same material as the booth.

5. In a universal drip chamber and spike assembly for use with a source of liquid in a container having a neck with a permeable stopper disposed in the neck and for use with a tube connected to a patient, a drip chamber body defining the upper portion of a drip chamber, said body having a relatively rigid substantially transparent wall surrounding the upper portion of the drip chamber and being open at its lower end, a drip chamber booth formed of a flexible rubber-like material secured to the lower end of said drip chamber body and defining the lower portion of the drip chamber, said booth having an outlet flow passage in its lower extremity in communication with the drip chamber and adapted to be placed in communication with the tube connected to the patient and having means forming a valve seat in the drip chamber surrounding said outlet flow passage, said valve seat being in the form of an upstanding relatively thin self supporting annulus of a soft rubber-like material, a spike assembly mounted on the drip chamber body and being adapted to be inserted into the permeable stopper of the container to permit liquid to flow from the container into the drip chamber, said drip chamber being capable of receiving liquid from said container and a ball-like float member capable of floating in said liquid in said drip chamber and being capable of engaging said valve seat for closing off said outlet flow passage when substantially al of the liquid from the drip chamber has passed out of said drip chamber to form an air-tight seal between the ball-like member and said valve seat to thereby prevent the flow of air from the drip chamber through the outlet flow passage, the booth being sufficiently compliant so that it can be squeezed by hand to dislodge the ball-like float member from the valve seat, said booth having a sufficient length above the valve seat when the ball-like member is disposed in the valve seat so that the booth can be squeezed by hand without dislodging the ball-like float member to pump liquid from the source into the drip chamber, said spike assembly having a spike with a first flow passage therein in communication with the drip chamber whereby when said spike is inserted into said stopper, liquid can pass from said bottle into said drip chamber, said spike being provided with first and second steps with said second step being closer to the outer end of said spike than said first step, said first flow passage opening through said first step, said spike assembly having a second flow passage formed therein and opening through said second step and being open to the atmosphere, hydrophobic filter means disposed in said second flow passage so that air passing from the atmosphere through said second flow passage must pass through the hydrophobic filter means, said drip chamber being provided with an upper wall and said spike being provided with a stem extending through said upper wall, said first flow passage in said spike extending through said stem into said drip chamber, said spike including a cap mounted over the top of said drip chamber body, said hydrophobic filter being disposed in said cap, said second flow passage in said spike being in communication with one side of the filter, the other side of the filter being in communication with the atmosphere.

6. A drip chamber assembly for use with the source of liquid to be supplied to a patient, means forming a drip chamber including a drip chamber booth formed of a flexible material with an inlet flow passage adapted to be connected to the source of liquid and an outlet passage adapted to be connected to the patient, the outlet passage beng formed in the drip chamber booth, a relatively thin self supporting annulus of flexible material formed in the booth and encircling said outlet flow passage to provide a valve seat and a ball-like float member disposed in said drip chamber being capable of floating in said liquid, said ball-like float member being of a size so that it is capable of seating within said annulus to a depth so that a major portion is disposed therein for closing off said outlet flow passage, said ball-like float member moving into said annulus when the liquid in the drip chamber is drained from the drip chamber to prevent the flow of air from the drip chamber through the outlet flow passage, said booth having a sufficient length above the annulus when the ball-like float member is disposed in the annulus so that the booth can be squeezed by hand without dislodging the ball-like float member to pump liquid from the source into the drip chamber, said ball-like float member being retained by the annulus after it has been seated in the annulus and after liquid has been pumped into the drip chamber to a level above the surface of the ball-like member, said booth being sufficiently compliant so that after the drip chamber has been filled to the desired level it can be squeezed by hand to dislode the ball-like float member from the annulus.

7. A universal drip chamber and spike assembly for use with source of i.v. liquid in a container having a neck with a permeable stopper disposed in the neck and for use with a tube connected to a patient, means forming a drip chamber, said means forming a drip chamber including an outlet flow passage adapted to be connected to said tube connected to the patient, a spike including a cap mounted on said means forming a drip chamber, first and second steps formed on the spike, said second step being closer to the outer end of the spike than said first step, said spike having formed therein a first flow passage extending through said first step and being in communication with the drip chamber, said spike having formed therein a second flow extending through said second step with the other end being open to the atmosphere and hydrophobic filer means mounted in the cap and disposed in said second flow passage so that air passing from the atmosphere into said second flow passage must pass through the hydrophobic filter means, said cap formed with a depending sidewall which extends below the filter means, said filter means lying in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drip chamber and having an area approximating that of the cross section of the drip chamber in a direction at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the drip chamber.