Device for and method of length determination of epidural anesthesia catheter

• US 5,257,972 A
• Filed: 12/04/1992
• Issued: 11/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Simon Gurmarnik
• Original Assignee: Simon Gurmarnik
• Inventors: Gurmarnik, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): STRIGHT, RONALD K
• Application Number:
  US07/985,853
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• Field of Search: 604/116, 604/117, 604/164, 604/158, 604/173, 604/264, 604/280, 604/49, 604/51, 604/27, 604/28, 128/898, 128/774
• US Class Current: 604/512
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3401 Puncturing needles for the peridural or subarachnoid space or the plexus, e.g. for anaesthesia local anaesthesia A61M19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0007 Epidural catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/01 Introducing, guiding, advancing, emplacing or holding catheters A61M25/10 takes precedence

Abstract

A device and a method for determining a required length of an epidural catheter for a continuous epidural anesthesia, has an element formed as a ruler and having two opposite sides, a shorter scale provided on one side of the ruler and having a length substantially corresponding to a length of an epidural needle, and a longer scale provided on the other side of the ruler and being longer than the shorter scale by a length corresponding to a required length of an epidural catheter inside an epidural space, so that when an epidural needle is inserted in the epidural space and the ruler is placed against the skin parallel to the epidural needle, then when an epidural catheter is placed parallel to the ruler extending from a hub of the epidural needle along the longer scale, its length between the hub of the epidural needle and a beginning of the longer scale corresponds to a required length of the epidural catheter to be inserted into a patient.

Claims

1. A method of determining a required length of an epidural catheter for a continuous epidural anesthesia, comprising the steps of providing an element formed as a ruler having a shorter scale on its one side with a length corresponding to a length of an epidural needle and a longer scale on its other side which is longer than the shorter scale by a length corresponding to the required length of the epidural catheter inside an epidural space;

inserting an epidural needle into an epidural space;

placing said ruler against a skin parallel to said epidural needle; and

placing an epidural catheter from a hub of said epidural needle along said longer scale, so that a distance from the hub of the epidural needle to a beginning of said longer scale corresponds to a required length of the epidural catheter to be inserted into a patient.