Collapsible aspiration catheter
First Claim
1. A substantially collapsible catheter apparatus for providing a passage into a patient'"'"'s body to infuse fluids therein and/or to aspirate fluids therefrom, said catheter comprising in combination:
- a. a catheter tube having a longitudinal axis, said catheter tube having leading and trailing ends and including;
i. a reinforcing wall forming a portion of said catheter tube, said reinforcing wall extending between the leading and trailing ends of said catheter tube and having opposing first and second side edges; and
ii. a flexible strip of material extending along a predetermined length from the leading end of said catheter tube to a point generally proximate the trailing end of said catheter tube and having first and second opposing edges, the first edge of said strip being joined along the first side edge of said reinforcing wall, and the second edge of said strip being joined along the second side edge of said reinforcing wall, wherein said reinforcing wall and said strip enclose a lumen therebetween, said strip being collapsible and non-resistant to lateral deformation;
b. the trailing end of said catheter tube being adapted to receive fluid to be infused into, and to convey fluid aspirated from, a patient'"'"'s body;
c. the leading end of said catheter tube providing a port through which infused fluid received at the trailing end of said catheter tube can be introduced into a patient'"'"'s body, and through which aspirated fluid can be removed from a patient'"'"'s body;
d. said strip expanding away from said reinforcing wall to a generally rounded shape when fluid is infused through said catheter tube into a patient, and said strip being deformable toward said reinforcing wall to a more flattened configuration when infusion is terminated; and
e. said reinforcing wall of said catheter tube including preventing means secured to said reinforcing wall and extending substantially along said predetermined length of said flexible strip of material from the leading end of said catheter tube to a point generally proximate the trailing end of said catheter tube for preventing said strip from entirely sealing said lumen during aspiration of fluid through said lumen.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A partially collapsible catheter is formed as a substantially-flattened tube of flexible, collapsible plastic; a spacing member disposed within such tube allows the tube to substantially flatten and collapse in the absence of infusion fluid, but maintains at least one channel open within the tube for allowing fluid to be aspirated therethrough. During infusion, infusion fluid expands the catheter to a generally rounded configuration. The spacing member can be incorporated within a single lumen catheter; alternatively, the spacing member can divide the tube into first and second lumens for providing a dual lumen catheter.
114 Citations
25 Claims
-
1. A substantially collapsible catheter apparatus for providing a passage into a patient'"'"'s body to infuse fluids therein and/or to aspirate fluids therefrom, said catheter comprising in combination:
-
a. a catheter tube having a longitudinal axis, said catheter tube having leading and trailing ends and including; i. a reinforcing wall forming a portion of said catheter tube, said reinforcing wall extending between the leading and trailing ends of said catheter tube and having opposing first and second side edges; and ii. a flexible strip of material extending along a predetermined length from the leading end of said catheter tube to a point generally proximate the trailing end of said catheter tube and having first and second opposing edges, the first edge of said strip being joined along the first side edge of said reinforcing wall, and the second edge of said strip being joined along the second side edge of said reinforcing wall, wherein said reinforcing wall and said strip enclose a lumen therebetween, said strip being collapsible and non-resistant to lateral deformation; b. the trailing end of said catheter tube being adapted to receive fluid to be infused into, and to convey fluid aspirated from, a patient'"'"'s body; c. the leading end of said catheter tube providing a port through which infused fluid received at the trailing end of said catheter tube can be introduced into a patient'"'"'s body, and through which aspirated fluid can be removed from a patient'"'"'s body; d. said strip expanding away from said reinforcing wall to a generally rounded shape when fluid is infused through said catheter tube into a patient, and said strip being deformable toward said reinforcing wall to a more flattened configuration when infusion is terminated; and e. said reinforcing wall of said catheter tube including preventing means secured to said reinforcing wall and extending substantially along said predetermined length of said flexible strip of material from the leading end of said catheter tube to a point generally proximate the trailing end of said catheter tube for preventing said strip from entirely sealing said lumen during aspiration of fluid through said lumen. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A substantially collapsible catheter apparatus for providing a passage into a patient'"'"'s body to infuse fluids therein and/or to aspirate fluids therefrom, said catheter comprising in combination:
-
a. a first elongated, generally flattened strip of flexible material having leading and trailing ends and having first and second opposing edges; b. a second elongated, generally flattened strip of flexible material having leading and trailing opposing ends and having first and second opposing edges, the first edge of said second strip being joined with the first edge of said first strip, and the second edge of said first strip being joined with the second edge of said second strip to form an elongated tube having opposing leading and trailing ends; c. an elongated spacing member disposed within said elongated tube formed by said first and second strips of flexible material, said spacing member having a leading end extending proximate the leading ends of said first and second strips of flexible material, and said spacing member having a trailing end extending proximate the trailing ends of said first and second strips of flexible material, said spacing member being secured to said first strip of flexible material but not to said second strip of flexible material, said spacing member having at least one open channel extending therealong and facing said second strip of flexible material, said spacing member allowing said first and second strips of flexible material to collapse toward one another into a substantially flattened configuration in the absence of infusion fluid while maintaining a channel to aspirate fluid from the patient'"'"'s body; d. the trailing end of said tube being adapted to receive fluid to be infused into, and to convey fluid aspirated from, a patient'"'"'s body; e. the leading end of said tube providing a port through which infused fluid received at the trailing end of said tube can be introduced into a patient'"'"'s body, and through which aspirated fluid can be removed from a patient'"'"'s body; f. said tube expanding to a generally rounded shape when fluid is infused therethrough into a patient, and collapsing back, to a substantially flattened configuration when infusion is terminated. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A substantially collapsible dual lumen catheter apparatus for providing passages into a patient'"'"'s body to infuse fluids therein and/or to aspirate fluids therefrom, said dual lumen catheter comprising in combination:
-
a. a first elongated, generally flattened strip of flexible material having leading and trailing opposing ends and having first and second opposing edges; b. a second elongated, generally flattened strip of flexible material having leading and trailing opposing ends and having first and second opposing edges, the first edge of said second strip being joined with the first edge of said first strip, and the second edge of said first strip being joined with the second edge of said second strip to form an elongated tube having a trailing end proximate the trailing ends of said first and second flattened strips of flexible material; c. an elongated spacing member disposed within said elongated tube formed by said first and second strips of flexible material, said spacing member having a leading end extending proximate the leading end of at least one of said first and second strips of flexible material, and said spacing member having a trailing end extending proximate the trailing ends of said first and second strips of flexible material, said spacing member having first and second opposing side edges, the first side edge of said spacing member being joined with the first edges of said first and second strips of flexible material, and the second side edge of said spacing member being joined with the second edges of said first and second strips of flexible material, said spacing member dividing said elongated tube into first and second lumens, said spacing member having at least one open channel extending therealong and facing said first strip of flexible material within the first lumen, said spacing member allowing said first strip of flexible material to collapse toward said spacing member into a substantially flattened configuration in the absence of infusion fluid within the first lumen, said spacing member allowing said second strip of flexible material to collapse toward said spacing member into a substantially flattened configuration in the absence of infusion fluid within the second lumen, said spacing member maintaining a channel within the first lumen to aspirate fluid from the patient'"'"'s body through the first lumen; d. first and second connector tubes, said first connector tube being coupled to the first lumen proximate the trailing end of said elongated tube, said first connector tube being adapted to supply fluid to the first lumen during an infusion operation and to remove fluid from the first lumen during an aspiration operation, said second connector tube being coupled to the second lumen proximate the trailing end of said elongated tube and adapted to supply fluid to the second lumen for infusion into a patient'"'"'s body; e. the leading end of said first flattened strip of flexible material providing a first port communicating with the first lumen through which infused fluid received at the trailing end of said elongated tube via the first connector tube can be introduced into a patient'"'"'s body, said first port also permitting fluid to be aspirated from a patient'"'"'s body through the first lumen and first connector tube, and the leading end of said second flattened strip of flexible material providing a second port communicating with the second lumen through which infused fluid received at the trailing end of said elongated tube via said second connector tube can be infused into a patient'"'"'s body; f. said elongated tube expanding to a generally rounded shape when fluid is infused through either of the first or second lumens into a patient'"'"'s body, said elongated tube collapsing back to a substantially flattened configuration when neither the first nor second lumen is being used to infuse fluid into the patient'"'"'s body. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A substantially collapsible catheter apparatus for providing a passage into a patient'"'"'s body to infuse fluids therein and/or to aspirate fluids therefrom, said catheter comprising in combination:
-
a. a catheter tube, said catheter tube having leading and trailing ends and including; i. a reinforcing wall forming a portion of said catheter tube, said reinforcing wall extending from the leading end of said catheter tube to a point generally proximate the trailing end of said catheter tube and having, in cross-section, a generally crescent-shaped configuration including a relatively thick middle region resistant to deformation, and tapering toward a pair of relatively thin end regions that are not as resistant to deformation; and ii. a flexible strip of material extending from the leading end of said catheter tube to a point generally proximate the trailing end of said catheter tube and having first and second opposing edges, the first edge of said strip being joined along one end region of said reinforcing wall, and the second edge of said strip being joined along a second end region of said reinforcing wall, wherein said reinforcing wall and said strip enclose a lumen therebetween, said strip being collapsible and non-resistant to lateral deformation; b. the trailing end of said catheter tube being adapted to receive fluid to be infused into, and to convey fluid aspirated from, a patient'"'"'s body; c. the leading end of said catheter tube providing a port through which infused fluid received at the trailing end of said catheter tube can be introduced into a patient'"'"'s body, and through which aspirated fluid can be removed from a patient'"'"'s body; d. said reinforcing wall being bowed outwardly to bias the end regions thereof apart from one another and thereby stretch said strip into a flattened configuration between its opposing edges when no fluid is being infused through said catheter tube; e. said strip expanding to a generally rounded shape when fluid is infused through said catheter tube into a patient, and said strip returning to said flattened configuration when infusion is terminated. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
Specification