Medical rotary valve having aspiration, insufflation and an intermediate flushing positions

• US 5,207,641 A
• Filed: 06/18/1991
• Issued: 05/04/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bird Medical International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bird Medical International Incorporated
• Inventors: Allton, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOCKELMAN, MARK
• Application Number:
  US07/717,053
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 604/248, 604/32, 604/35, 604/27, 604/246, 137/625.41, 137/625.46, 137/625.47, 137/625.22
• US Class Current: 604/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0463 combined with suction tubes, catheters or the like; Outside connections
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/0833 having all the connecting conduits situated in a single plane perpendicular to the axis of the plug
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86646 Plug type

Abstract

A dual purpose catheter valve especially for oxygen insufflation and mucous suction from the lungs and trachea system of a patient, is provided. The body has two snap-fitted generally cylindrical parts, mounted for relative rotation, with an oxygen port, suction port and catheter port on the outer body part for connection to the respective valves, and ports formed in the wall of the inner body part. There are two pairs of inner body ports, one pair for alignment with the oxygen port and the catheter port of the outer body part, the other pair for alignment with the suction port and the catheter port of the outer body part. When one of the oxygen or suction ports is aligned for fluid communication to the interior of the body and to the catheter port, the other of the oxygen or suction ports is shut off by a wall portion of the inner body part. There is a neutral position of the two body parts when rotated relative to each other, where neither the oxygen nor suction ports communicates to the catheter, so that there may be a settling of the system when switched from insufflation to aspiration, or vice versa, and so that the change from one to the other is not abrupt, thereby reducing the risk of trauma to the patient. The oxygen and suction ports do communicate with each other in this neutral position.

Claims

1. A single-use, disposable input and extraction catheter valve for the respective input or extraction of fluid into or out of a body cavity, comprising:

a valve housing including a first housing piece having an outer cylindrical wall through which, in spaced relationship therearound, there are at least a fluid input port, an extraction port and a catheter port; and

a second housing piece having an inner cylindrical wall in fluid tight relationship and concentric with said outer cylindrical wall;

said first and second housing pieces forming said valve housing so as to have a generally hollow interior and being rotatable with respect to each other about the axis of the inner and outer cylindrical walls;

wherein said inner cylindrical wall has a first pair of ports therethrough, and a first shut-off portion of its cylindrical wall, whereby said catheter port and said fluid input port are in fluid communication with the interior of the housing, and said extraction port is covered and shut off, when said first and second housing pieces are in a first rotated position, relative to each other;

and wherein said inner cylindrical wall further has a second pair of ports therethrough, with the second pair of ports comprising ports that are different from the first pair of ports, and a second shut-off portion of its cylindrical wall, whereby said catheter port and said extraction port are in fluid communication with the interior of the housing, and said fluid intake port is covered and shut off, when said first and second housing pieces are in a second rotated position, relative to each other;

said inner cylindrical wall further having a third shut-off portion to shut off said catheter port when said first and second housing pieces are in a third rotated position, relative to each other, which is intermediate said first and second positions;

and manually operable means to rotate said first and second housing pieces relative to one another between said first, second and third positions;

wherein said first and second housing pieces can be moved from said first rotated position relative to each other to said second rotated portion relative to each other by being moved substantially less than 90°

, wherein said manually operable means is moved only a short distance to obtain said movement of substantially less than 90°

; and

wherein said catheter valve can be held in one hand, with the thumb of that hand causing said short distance movement between said first and second rotated positions.

2. The input and extraction catheter valve of claim 1, further including an upstanding centrally located hollow post located in said first housing piece, and a centrally located boss on the lower surface of the top of said second housing piece, said hollow post locating said boss therewithin.

3. The input and extraction catheter valve of claim 1, wherein sealing means are provided between the inner surface of said outer cylindrical wall and the outer surface of said inner cylindrical wall, said sealing means comprising a continuous bead on one of said walls located in a complementary groove on the other of said walls.

4. The input and extraction catheter valve of claim 1, wherein a ridge is located in said first housing piece, and the lower inner surface of the cylindrical wall of said second housing piece is tapered downwardly and outwardly, and said ridge is wedge shaped, so that contact of the wedge of said ridge against the tapered lower surface of the second housing piece creates a fluid seal between the pieces.

5. The input and extraction catheter valve of claim 4, where said tapered face of said second housing piece is substantially linear as to its taper, and where the outer surface of said ridge is curved outwardly, whereby the seal is formed having lesser static friction between the wedge and the tapered face.

6. The input and extraction catheter valve of claim 1, where each of said fluid input port, said extraction port, and said catheter port, are substantially circular;

and where the two ports of said inner housing piece that are in communication with said catheter port when said housing pieces are in either of said first or second rotated positions, are substantially circular; and

wherein the other of said ports of said inner housing piece are elongated so as to be wider around the cylindrical wall than their respective heights.

7. The input and extraction catheter valve of claim 1, further comprising an oxygen relief port formed in the wall of said second housing piece so that it is in fluid communication with said oxygen port when said first and second housing pieces are in said second rotated position, whereby oxygen is vented away from said input and extraction catheter valve through said oxygen relief port.

8. The input and extraction catheter valve of claim 1, where stop means are formed so that when said first and second housing pieces are rotated to any of their first, second or third rotated positions, there is a snap fitting of a complementary means on the other of said pieces to that which has the stop means, and said pieces may be easily engagable and disengagable from each of said stops and snap fitting arrangements.

9. The input and extraction catheter valve of claim 1, wherein the angular movement of said first and second housing pieces from said first rotated position relative to each other to said second rotated position relative to each other is in the order of about 50°

.