Catheter introducer

• US 5,672,158 A
• Filed: 07/06/1994
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Covidien AG (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Sherwood Medical Company (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Kurimoto, Munehito, Okada, Yosuka
• Primary Examiner(s): RIMELL, SAMUEL G
• Application Number:
  US08/090,098
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 604/164, 604/165, 604/166, 604/169, 604/170, 604/171, 604/280, 604/281, 604/282, 604/283, 128/772
• US Class Current: 604/164.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0014 Connecting a tube to a hub
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0097 characterised by the hub connectors A61M39/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0662 Guide tubes

Abstract

A catheter introducer (31) which allows a dilator section (33) and a sheath section (32) to be engaged with and disengaged from each other promptly and smoothly. The catheter introducer (31) is composed of a sheath section (32) consisting of a sheath (35) and a sheath hub (34) and a dilator section (33) consisting of a dilator (38) and a dilator hub (36). The dilator hub (36) includes a flange (37) to cover the end of said sheath hub 34) in the state of engagement formed at the distal end of the dilator hub (36), a circular groove (40) formed in the internal circular portion of the flange (37) or in the external circular portion of the sheath hub (34), and a protrusion (39) to be engaged with said groove wherein the protrusion is formed on the external circular portion of the sheath hub or on the internal circular portion of the flange.

Claims

1. A catheter introducer comprising:

a sheath section having distal and proximal end portions.

a generally cylindrical sheath hub formed on said proximal end portion of said sheath section, said sheath hub including an outer circumference and a longitudinal passageway extending therethrough;

a generally elongate and tubular sheath member formed on said distal end portion of said sheath section, a longitudinal passageway extending therethrough and said passageway extending in flow communication with said passageway of said sheath hub;

a dilator member having distal and proximal end portions thereof and said dilator member being operatively associated with said sheath member in use;

a generally cylindrical dilator hub formed on said end portion of said dilator member, said dilator hub including a flange means extending from a distal portion thereof and said flange being sized to receive at least a portion of said sheath hub therewith; and

means for locking said sheath hub on said dilator hub wherein said means for locking includes at least one protrusion and at least one channel and one of said at least one protrusion and at least one channel is formed on said outer circumference of said sheath hub and the other of said at least one protrusion and at least one channel is formed on said flange member, said at least one protrusion and said at least one channel being formed to interlock such that rotational and longitudinal movement of said sheath hub and said dilator hub is prevented when said at least one protrusion and said at least one channel are interlocked and said at least one protrusion and said at least one channel are sized and oriented to unlock when a lateral force is applied to said dilator hub with respect to said sheath hub to release said sheath hub from said dilator hub.

2. The catheter introducer of claim 1 wherein said flange member includes an inner surface thereon and said inner surface includes said other of said at least one protrusion or!and said at least one channel thereon.

3. The catheter introducer of claim 2 wherein said inner surface of said flange member includes a channel therein and said outer circumference of said sheath hub includes a protrusion thereon.

4. The catheter introducer of claim 3 wherein said protrusion extends along the entire circumference of said outer circumference of said sheath hub.

5. The catheter introducer of claim 3 wherein said flange member is sized to substantially extend along said outer circumference of said sheath hub and said flange includes a plurality of elongate slits therein.

6. The catheter introducer of claim 1 wherein said outer circumference of said sheath hub is formed as a regular polygon and said flange member is formed to include an interior surface having a regular polygonal surface which is complementary to said outer circumference of said sheath hub.

7. The catheter introducer of claim 1 wherein said outer circumference of said sheath hub includes said at least one channel thereon and said flange member includes said at least one protrusion thereon.

8. The catheter introducer of claim 7 wherein said flange member includes an inner surface thereon and said at least one protrusion extends substantially therealong.

9. The catheter introducer of claim 8 wherein said at least one protrusion is formed of a plurality of.

10. The catheter introducer of claim 7 wherein said at least one channel extends along the entire circumference of said outer circumference of said sheath hub.

11. The catheter introducer of claim 7 wherein said flange member includes a plurality of slits thereon.

12. A method of using a catheter introducer, including the steps of;

inserting a dilator member having a dilator hub and dilator thereon into a sheath member having a sheath hub and a sheath thereon such that a flange member on the dilator hub lockingly engages a portion of the sheath hub to prevent rotational and longitudinal movement therebetween;

inserting a portion of the catheter introducer into the body of a patient by rotational and longitudinal movement of the catheter introducer; and

applying a generally lateral force to the dilator member with respect to the sheath hub to release the flange member of the dilator member from the sheath hub of the sheath member to allow longitudinal movement between the dilator hub of the dilator member and the sheath hub of the sheath member.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the application of a generally lateral force to the dilator hub releases a protrusion on the flange member from a channel on the sheath hub.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the application of a generally lateral force to the dilator hub releases a channel on the flange member from a protrusion on the sheath hub.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the application of a generally lateral force to the dilator hub expands one or more slits on the flange member.