Enteral feeding tube stylet

• US 5,092,847 A
• Filed: 04/06/1990
• Issued: 03/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Covidien AG (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Sherwood Medical Company (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Pozzo, Dennis M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, CHALIN A
• Application Number:
  US07/505,876
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 604/43, 604/93, 604/164, 604/165, 604/170, 604/270, 604/280-283, 128/657, 128/772
• US Class Current: 604/170.02
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 15/00 Feeding-tubes for therapeutic purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 15/0007 inserted by using a guide-wire guide wires A61M25/09
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 15/0026 Parts, details or accessories for feeding-tubes external tubes from medical containers to a connector outside of the body A61M39/08
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0102 Insertion or introduction using an inner stiffening member, e.g. stylet or push-rod

Abstract

A stylet for use with a flexible feeding tube including a proximal stylet hub connected to the proximal end of a stylet wire and an elongate and flexible sleeve and cylindrically-shaped urethane member attached to the distal end of the stylet wire such that the sleeve member and stylet wire are adapted not to inadvertently pierce the feeding tube and the sleeve member is sufficiently flexible so that it will not cause excessive trauma to the tissues of the patient during intubation of the feeding tube if the sleeve member is inadvertently manipulated to extend through the side holes of the feeding tube.

Claims

1. A feeding tube assembly comprising:

a flexible tube section having proximal and distal ends and a bore extending therethrough, said tube section having a predetermined inner diameter and length for the selective administration and aspiration of fluids from the gastrointestinal tract of a patient,

a hollow connector member operatively connected to said proximal end of said tube section, said connector member including a bore therein in communication with said bore of said tube section,

a semi-rigid bolus tube section including a proximal end operatively connected to said distal end of said tube section, a closed distal end extending distally from said proximal end and a bore extending through said proximal end of said bolus tube section in communication with a plurality of side holes and said bore terminating in an end wall located proximal to the distal end of said bolus tube section and wherein said bolus tube section is less flexible than said tube section,

a stylet hub member, adapted to be removably retained in said connector member,

an elongate and semi-rigid wire having proximal and distal ends and an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of said bore of said tube section, said proximal end of said wire being operatively connected to said hub member and said wire having a predetermined length such that when said hub member is inserted into said connector member, said distal end of said wire is positioned near said proximal end of said bolus tube section, and

a flexible and elongate stylet tip member having a first and a second section wherein said tip member has a substantially uniform outer diameter which is less than the inner diameter of said bore of said bolus tube section, said outer diameter of said tip member being preferably between 1 and 2 mm and said outer diameter of said tip member being smaller than the smallest diameter of said side holes in said bolus tube and wherein said first section of said tip member is operatively connected to said distal end of said wire and said second section extends distally from said distal end of said wire to form a hollow and deformable stylet tip extending from the distal end of said wire.

2. The feeding tube assembly of claim 1, wherein said stylet tip is adapted to contact said end wall of said bolus tube to increase the rigidity of said wire when said hub member is inserted into said connector member.

3. The feeding tube assembly of claim 1, wherein said tip member is a cylindrical sleeve member having a wall thickness between 0.1 and 0.2 mm and an internal diameter between 0.6 and 0.9 mm.

4. A feeding tube assembly comprising:

a flexible tube section having proximal and distal ends and a bore extending therethrough, said tube section having a predetermined inner diameter and length for the administration of fluids into the gastrointestinal tract of a patient,

a hollow connector member operatively connected to said proximal end of said tube section, said connector member including a bore therein in communication with said bore of said tube section,

a semi-rigid bolus tube section having proximal and distal ends, said proximal end including a bore therein in flow communication with said bore of said tube section and being operatively connected to said distal end of said tube section, a closed and weighted distal end extending distally of said proximal end and a plurality of spaced apart side holes having a predetermined size and said side holes being located near the proximal end of said bolus tube section in flow communication with said bore of said bolus tube section and bore of said tube section,

a stylet hub member adapted to be removably received in said connector member,

an elongate and semi-rigid stylet wire having a proximal end operatively connected to said hub member and an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of said bore of said tube section, said wire having a predetermined length and a distal end such that when said hub member is received in said connector member said distal end of said wire is adjacent the proximal end of said bolus tube section and proximal to said side holes of said bolus tube section,

a flexible and cylindrically shaped sleeve member having a generally uniform outer diameter and a first and a second longitudinal section, the perimeter of said sleeve member being less than the perimeter of said side holes in said bolus tube section, said first section adapted to enclose a sufficient portion of said distal end of said wire to retain said sleeve member thereon when said stylet hub is inserted into said connector member and said second section being adapted to extend a sufficient distance distally from said distal end of said wire to contact said end wall of said bolus tube section and said second section including an external diameter less than the diameter of said bore of said tube section and an internal diameter between 0.6 and 0.9 mm.

5. A feeding tube assembly comprising:

a flexible tube section having proximal and distal ends and a bore extending therethrough, said tube section having a predetermined inner diameter and length for the selective administration and aspiration of fluids from the gastrointestinal tract of a patient,

a hollow connector member operatively connected to said proximal end of said tube section, said connector member including a bore therein in communication with said bore of said tube section,

a semi-rigid bolus tube section including a proximal end operatively connected to said distal end of said tube section, a closed distal end extending distally from said proximal end and a bore extending through said proximal end of said bolus tube section in communication with a plurality of side holes and said bore terminating in an end wall located proximal to the distal end of said bolus tube section and wherein said bolus tube section is less flexible than said tube section,

a stylet hub member, adapted to be removably retained in said connector member,

an elongate and semi-rigid wire having proximal and distal ends and outer diameter smaller than the diameter of said bore of said tube section, said proximal end of said wire being operatively connected to said hub member and said wire having a predetermined length such that when said hub member is inserted into said connector member, said distal end of said wire is positioned near said proximal end of said bolus tube section, and

a flexible and elongate stylet tip member having a first and a second section wherein said tip member has a substantially uniform outer diameter which is less than the inner diameter of said bore of said bolus tube section, said first section of said tip member being operatively connected to said distal end of said wire and said second section extending distally from said distal end of said wire to form a hollow and deformable stylet tip extending from the distal end of said wire, said second section of said tip member being longer than said first section of said tip member and said second section extending from a position proximally of said side holes in said bore in said bolus tube section to said end wall of said bolus tube section when said hub member is inserted into said connector member and said wire is inserted into said bore of said tube section, the perimeter of said second section of said tip member being less than the perimeter of said side holes on said bolus tube.

6. A stylet for stiffening a flexible feeding tube used for the selective administration or aspiration of fluids from the gastrointestinal tract of a patient wherein the tube includes a proximal end having at least one proximal connector thereon, a weighted distal end, spaced side holes located proximally of the weighted distal end and a bore extending through the tube from the proximal connector to an end wall located in the tube and positioned distally of the side holes on the tube for fluid communication between the proximal connector and the side holes, the stylet comprising:

an elongate stylet wire having proximal and distal ends, said wire being adapted to extend through the bore of the tube such that when said proximal end of said wire is positioned adjacent to the proximal end of the tube, said distal end of said wire is positioned proximally of the side holes on the tube,

a proximal stylet hub operatively connected to said proximal end of said wire, said stylet hub being adapted to be frictionally and releasably retained in the proximal end of the tube such that said wire extends therefrom into the bore of the tube, and

a flexible and cylindrical plastic sleeve member operatively connected to said distal end of said wire, the perimeter of said sleeve member being smaller than the perimeter of the side holes on the tube, said sleeve member including a first and a second longitudinal section, said first section being operatively connected to and enclosing said distal end of said wire, said second section extending beyond said distal end of said wire to frictionally contact the end wall at the distal end of the bore when said stylet hub is retained in the proximal end of the tube, wherein said sleeve member has a generally uniform external diameter and has a hollow distal end with an internal diameter between 0.6 mm and 0.9 mm.

7. The stylet of claim 6, wherein said second section is longer than said first section.

8. The stylet of claim 6, wherein said sleeve member has a generally uniform external diameter and has a hollow distal end with an internal diameter between 0.6 and 0.9 mm.