Automated catheter construction
First Claim
1. A catheter assembly including an elongated tubular body having opposite open ends, a catheter having its distal end slidingly and guidingly telescoped into one end of said body, a lubricant reservoir from which lubricant may be expressed and including a tubular outlet neck telescoped into and in axial alignment with the other end of said body and over said distal and of the catheter, said outlet neck and body including coacting means engaged with the outer surface of the catheter and operative to lightly clampingly engage said catheter to prevent longitudinal shifting of the latter relative to said body responsive to penetration of said outlet neck into said other end of said body with the clamping force being exerted solely by said outlet neck, whereby lubricant discharged from said outlet neck into said body and toward said one end thereof will not be effective to shift said catheter proximally in said body, said one end of said body including a centrally apertured end wall at said one end of said body and extending radially inwardly thereof loosely receiving said catheter therethrough, said body including an apertured partition therein centrally through which said catheter is slightly received, said apertured partition being disposed intermediate said end wall and said coacting means, the interior of said body between said partition and said end wall defining a lubricant chamber for lubricating said catheter proximally of said distal end during distal shifting of said catheter relative to said body during insertion of said distal end through the urethra and into the bladder.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A catheter assembly for packaging in sterile condition within a protective removable envelope is provided. The catheter assembly includes a shield structure incorporating an elongated hollow body defining a bore therethrough. The body is separable into two halves and each half of the body has a portion of the shield structure supported therefrom. A catheter has its distal end slidingly telescoped into one end of the bore and a tubular lubricant reservoir is provided and includes a first open end and a second collapsible bulbous end. The open end is telescoped over the distal end of the catheter and into the corresponding end of the body bore. The reservoir has a frangible seal within its open end and telescoping engagement of the open end of the reservoir into the body bore functions to clamp the distal end of the catheter against withdrawal from the body bore. The proximal end of the catheter is contained within a sealed and readily openable tubular envelope and the envelope has one end thereof sealingly engaged with the separable portions of the shield. In addition, the envelope, adjacent its end remote from the shield sealingly receives therethrough the discharge neck of a collapsible fluid reservoir.
74 Citations
12 Claims
- 1. A catheter assembly including an elongated tubular body having opposite open ends, a catheter having its distal end slidingly and guidingly telescoped into one end of said body, a lubricant reservoir from which lubricant may be expressed and including a tubular outlet neck telescoped into and in axial alignment with the other end of said body and over said distal and of the catheter, said outlet neck and body including coacting means engaged with the outer surface of the catheter and operative to lightly clampingly engage said catheter to prevent longitudinal shifting of the latter relative to said body responsive to penetration of said outlet neck into said other end of said body with the clamping force being exerted solely by said outlet neck, whereby lubricant discharged from said outlet neck into said body and toward said one end thereof will not be effective to shift said catheter proximally in said body, said one end of said body including a centrally apertured end wall at said one end of said body and extending radially inwardly thereof loosely receiving said catheter therethrough, said body including an apertured partition therein centrally through which said catheter is slightly received, said apertured partition being disposed intermediate said end wall and said coacting means, the interior of said body between said partition and said end wall defining a lubricant chamber for lubricating said catheter proximally of said distal end during distal shifting of said catheter relative to said body during insertion of said distal end through the urethra and into the bladder.
- 6. The catheter assembly of claim 6 wherein said upper and lower flanges, said plate and body are longitudinally slotted and held together by frangible bridging portions enabling the shield comprising said opposite side flanges and said upper and lower flanges to be manually broken in half.
- 11. A lubricating and guiding assembly for a catheter for use in inserting the catheter into a body orifice comprising a tubular body having a longitudinal bore extending therethrough adapted to receive a catheter therethrough, shield meas attached to the tubular body and projecting laterally thereof for engagement by the fingers of a person using the device to position the tubular body in alignment with the body orifice to facilitate alignment of and insertion of the catheter received through the tubular body into the body orifice, a lubricant reservoir including a squeezable bulb having a quantity of lubricant therein and a pressure rupturable seal preventing the lubricant from drying out during storage, said lubricant reservoir including a tubular outlet neck aligned with the tubular body and adapted to receive the end of the catheter when the catheter is positioned through the tubular body, said tubular body and shield means being constructed of two separable halves joined together by frangible connecting means, said tubular body including inwardly extending means movable inwardly for clamping engagement with a catheter received in the tubular body when the outlet neck is moved longitudinally into engagement with the inwardly extending means for deflecting the inwardly extending means inwardly for clamping engagement with the catheter without exerting any outward force on the tubular body and shield means thereby eliminating breakage of the frangible connecting means between the halves of the body and shield means while the outlet neck is engaged with the inwardly extending means and lubricant is being discharged into the interior of the tubular body so that discharge of the lubricant will not dislodge a catheter received in the tubular body and the lubricant will be applied to the catheter as it moves through the tubular body into a body orifice after the lubricant reservoir and outlet neck have been separated from the tubular body, said inwardly extending means on the tubular body including a plurality of deflecctable fingers each having one end rigid with the body and a free end extending longitudinally and inwardly of the tubular body with the inner end of the outlet neck including a wedging surface engaging the outlet surfaces of the fingers to deflect the fingers inwardly when the outlet neck is moved longitudinally inwadly in relation to the fingers.
Specification