Valve assembly including a dissolvable valve member
First Claim
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1. A urinary catheter assembly comprising:
- a catheter having a body defining a central drain lumen for positioning within a bladder of a patient, the body having an outlet end defining a drain lumen outlet; and
a valve assembly including a housing adapted to releasably engage the outlet end of the body of the catheter, the housing defining a fluid channel and a chamber, the valve assembly further including a dissolvable valve member positioned to prevent flow through the channel in its undissolved state, the dissolvable valve member being formed of a material which is dissolvable at a predetermined rate upon contact with a preselected fluid to automatically permit flow through the channel when a predetermined time has elapsed after contact with the preselected fluid.
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Abstract
A valve assembly is provided which includes a housing having an inlet end and an outlet end and defining a fluid channel and a central chamber. A dissolvable valve member is positioned to obstruct flow through the channel within the chamber. The dissolvable valve member is formed of a material which is dissolvable at a predetermined rate upon contact with a preselected fluid. The preselected fluid is selected from the group consisting of blood, urine, saline and antimicrobial solutions. The dissolvable valve member can be formed from a fluid soluble glass or a starch based material.
50 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A urinary catheter assembly comprising:
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a catheter having a body defining a central drain lumen for positioning within a bladder of a patient, the body having an outlet end defining a drain lumen outlet; and a valve assembly including a housing adapted to releasably engage the outlet end of the body of the catheter, the housing defining a fluid channel and a chamber, the valve assembly further including a dissolvable valve member positioned to prevent flow through the channel in its undissolved state, the dissolvable valve member being formed of a material which is dissolvable at a predetermined rate upon contact with a preselected fluid to automatically permit flow through the channel when a predetermined time has elapsed after contact with the preselected fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification