Safety indexed medical connectors

• US 6,402,207 B1
• Filed: 06/08/1998
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qd Enterprises, LLC
• Original Assignee: Qd Enterprises, LLC
• Inventors: Segal, Scott, Corn, Stephen B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Teri Pham
• Application Number:
  US09/094,433
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: 285/914, 285/330, 285/360, 285/376, 285/401, 285/402, 285/396, 285/361, 285/913
• US Class Current: 285/330
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/1033 Swivel nut connectors, e.g. threaded connectors, bayonet-connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/1072 with a septum present in the connector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/1094 at least partly incompatible with standard connectors, e.g. to prevent fatal mistakes in connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6045 having complementary physical shapes for indexing or registration purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/10 Tube connectors; Tube couplings A61M39/02 takes precedence; connecting needles to syringes or hubs A61M5/34; connecting catheter tubes to hubs A61M25/0014
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/248 Bayonet-type couplings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 285/914 Irreversible

Abstract

A medical connector adapted for placement between a catheter and a medical infusion or injection source includes a pair of interlocking half medical connector portions, one side of which attaches to the infusion source and the other side of which is coupled to the catheter connected to the patient. The connection to the catheter and the infusion source can be via standard medical luer taper fittings, with or without specially designed locking mechanisms that prevent inadvertent disconnection. The medical connector itself is uniquely shaped and includes a raised surface feature and a recessed surface feature formed on the medical connector portions.

Claims

1. A medical connector suitable for use in coupling a fluid delivering conduit to a fluid receiving conduit for administering fluid to a patient, said medical connector comprising:

a first medical connector housing part having a first end sized to mate with a first medical fitting on the fluid receiving conduit and a second end having a selected first surface feature formed thereon,

second medical connector housing part having a first end configured to mate with a second medical fitting on the fluid delivering conduit, and a second end having a selected second surface feature complementary in shape to the first surface feature of the first housing part, so that when assembled the first surface feature of the first housing part couples with the second surface feature of the second housing part to form a fluid connection therebetween, and

a locking mechanism for locking together one of said medical connector housing parts and one of said medical fittings,

wherein said first surface feature is sized and configured so as to only mate with the complementary shaped second surface feature to prevent another fluid delivering conduit associated with a differently configured surface feature from being connected to the fluid receiving conduit, thereby preventing the accidental administration of another fluid to the patient through the first and second housing parts.

2. The medical connector of claim 1, wherein said first medical connector housing part further includes means forming a first fluid conduit therein, and said second medical connector housing part includes forming a second fluid conduit therein, wherein when said housing parts are assembled, the first and second fluid conduits allow passage of a fluid therethrough and from the fluid delivering conduit to the fluid receiving conduit.

3. The medical connector of claim 1, further comprising

a set of first medical connector housing parts, each housing part being adapted for connection at one end to the fluid receiving conduit and having a selected surface feature formed on the other end, each first housing part having a differently shaped surface feature, and

a set of second medical connector housing parts, each housing part being adapted for connection at one end to the fluid delivering conduit and having a selected surface feature formed on the other end, each second housing part having a differently shaped surface feature, each of which is complementary in shape to one of said first surface features,

wherein said first and second medical connector housing parts when assembled couple multiple fluid delivering conduits to multiple fluid receiving conduits such that only a particular fluid receiving conduit is coupled to a particular fluid delivering conduit.

4. The medical connector of claim 1, wherein said first surface feature is a protrusion and said second surface feature is a recess.

5. The medical connector of claim 1, wherein said first and second housing parts when assembled form a non-universal medical connector that inhibits universal connectors from coupling the fluid delivering conduit to the fluid receiving conduit.

6. The medical connector of claim 1, wherein said medical connector further comprises a locking element formed on at least one of said first and second medical connector housing parts for securing said first connector housing part to said second medical connector housing part.

7. The medical connector of claim 1, wherein the first medical connector housing part and the second medical connector housing part convert a universal fluid path connection into a fluid path connection that is specific to a particular fluid.

8. The medical connector of claim 1, wherein the fluid delivering conduit is a syringe chamber, and the second medical fitting comprises a distal end of a syringe.

9. The medical connector of claim 8, wherein the second medical connector housing part is permanently attached to the distal end of the syringe by the locking mechanism.

10. The medical connector of claim 1, wherein the first and second medical connector housing parts include a set of valves to prevent the flow of fluid through the connector unless the first housing part is properly mated with the second housing part.

11. A medical connector for coupling a fluid delivering conduit to a fluid receiving conduit for administering fluid to a patient, said medical connector comprising

a first medical connector housing part having a first end sized to mate with the fluid receiving conduit and a second end having a selected first surface feature formed thereon,

a second medical connector housing part having a first end configured to mate with the fluid delivering conduit, and a second end having a selected second surface feature complementary in shape to the first surface feature of the first housing part, so that when assembled the first surface feature of the first housing part couples with the second surface feature of the second housing part to form a fluid connection therebetween, and

a set of valves in the first and second medical connector housing parts to prevent the flow of fluid through the connector unless the first housing part is properly mated with the second housing part,

wherein said first surface feature is sized and configured so as to only mate with the complementary shaped second surface feature to prevent another fluid delivering conduit associated with a differently configured surface feature from being connected to the fluid receiving conduit, thereby preventing the accidental administration of another fluid to the patient through the first and second housing parts.

12. A method of administering fluid to a patient, comprising

providing a fluid receiving conduit connected to the patient and having a first medical fitting coupled to the distal end of the fluid receiving conduit,

attaching a first medical connector housing part to said first medical fitting, wherein said first medical connector housing part has a first end adapted to mate with the first medical fitting and a second end having a selected first surface feature formed thereon,

providing a fluid delivering conduit associated with a fluid source and having a second medical fitting coupled to the distal end of the fluid delivering conduit,

attaching a second medical connector housing part to said second medical fitting, wherein said second medical connector housing part has a first end adapted to mate with the second medical fitting, a second end having a selected second surface feature complementary in shape to the first surface feature of the first housing part and a set of valves to prevent the flow of fluid through the second medical connector housing part, and

connecting said first medical connector housing part to said second medical connector housing part so that when assembled the first surface feature of the first housing part couples with the second surface feature of the second housing part to form a dedicated fluid path from the fluid source to the patient,

wherein said first surface feature is sized and configured so as to only mate with the complementary shaped second surface feature to prevent another fluid delivering conduit associated with a differently configured surface feature from being connected to the fluid receiving conduit and wherein one of the first and second medical connector housing parts includes a set of valves to prevent fluid flow through the dedicated fluid path unless the first housing part is properly mated with the second housing part, thereby preventing the accidental administration of another fluid to the patient through the first and second housing parts and.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second medical connector housing parts convert a universal fluid path connection into a fluid path connection that is specific to a particular fluid.