Venous access port assembly with X-ray discernable indicia

• US 9,517,329 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medical Components, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Medical Components, Inc.
• Inventors: Bizup, Raymond, Sanford, Kevin, Linden, Christopher, Zinn, Kenneth M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LANDRY II, GERALD ERNEST
• Application Number:
  US13/088,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20110257609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,066 Days
• Field of Search: 600/424, 604/175, 60428801-28804, 604/539, 604/891.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/0009 Assemblies therefor designed for particular applications, e.g. contrast or saline injection, suction or irrigation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/0045 Radiopaque indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/0205 for injecting media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/0238 having means for locating the implanted device to insure proper injection, e.g. radio-emitter, protuberances, radio-opaque markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/04 implanted
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/32 with radio-opaque indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/0208 Subcutaneous access sites for injecting or removing fluids transcutaneous access sites A61M39/0247; implantable infusion devices A61M5/14276
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/04 having pierceable self-sealing members

Abstract

A venous access port assembly having a housing base with a discharge port, a septum, and a cap, with an interior reservoir. The housing base is provided with X-ray discernable indicia to identify an attribute of the assembly after its implantation and clearly appear on an X-ray of the patient in a manner informing the radiologist or technologist and the medical practitioner of that particular attribute. Such indicia can be depicted as cutouts through a disc of radiopaque material where the cutouts are in the form of alphabetical letters such as “CT”, or can be a set of discrete elements of radiopaque material, that are affixed along the bottom surface of the housing base or embedded within the thickness of the bottom housing wall.

Claims

1. An implantable venous access port assembly, comprising:

a needle-penetrable septum; and

a housing securing the needle-penetrable septum, the housing comprising a housing base having a bottom wall, including X-ray discernable indicia embedded into a thickness of the bottom wall, wherein the X-ray discernible indicia visually indicate, under X-ray examination, an attribute of the port assembly.

2. The port assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the bottom wall of the housing base comprises a bottom surface, and

the X-ray discernable indicia are recessed into the bottom surface of the bottom wall, whereby the X-ray discernable indicia are visible by an unaided eye prior to implantation of the port assembly.

3. The port assembly of claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises a generally planar portion of radiopaque material recessed into the bottom surface of the bottom wall, the generally planar portion of radiopaque material comprising one or more cutouts forming the X-ray discernable indicia that visually indicate, under X-ray examination, the attribute of the port assembly.

4. The port assembly of claim 2, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia comprise one or more discrete elements of radiopaque material separately recessed into the bottom surface of the bottom wall, the one or more discrete elements visually indicating, under X-ray examination, the attribute of the port assembly.

5. The port assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the attribute of the port assembly is a pressure property of the port assembly, and

the X-ray discernable indicia visually indicate, under X-ray examination, the pressure property of the port assembly.

6. The port assembly of claim 5, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia visually indicate, under X-ray examination, that the port assembly is rated to be used for power injection.

7. The port assembly of claim 5, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia visually indicate, under X-ray examination, that the port assembly is adapted to withstand high pressures used for injection of contrast fluid.

8. The port assembly of claim 1, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia are formed by titanium.

9. The port assembly of claim 1, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia are formed by silicone and a barium sulfate filler.

10. The port assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a skirt formed from radiotransparent material molded around at least a portion of the housing base.

11. The port assembly of claim 1, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia comprise one or more alphabetical letters.

12. The port assembly of claim 11, wherein the one or more alphabetical letters comprise the letters “

C” and

“

T”

.

13. An implantable venous access port assembly, comprising:

a housing comprising a housing base comprising a bottom wall having X-ray discernable indicia embedded into a thickness thereof that indicate an attribute of the port assembly;

a needle-penetrable septum; and

a cap securing the needle-penetrable septum to the housing.

14. The port assembly of claim 13, wherein:

the bottom wall of the housing base comprises a bottom surface, and

the X-ray discernable indicia are recessed into the bottom surface of the bottom wall, whereby the X-ray discernable indicia are visible by an unaided eye prior to implantation of the port assembly.

15. The port assembly of claim 14, wherein the housing further comprises a generally planar portion of radiopaque material recessed into the bottom surface of the bottom wall, the generally planar portion of radiopaque material comprising one or more cutouts forming the X-ray discernable indicia that indicate the attribute of the port assembly.

16. The port assembly of claim 14, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia comprise one or more discrete elements of radiopaque material separately recessed into the bottom surface of the bottom wall, the one or more discrete elements indicating the attribute of the port assembly.

17. The port assembly of claim 13, wherein:

the attribute of the port assembly is a pressure property of the port assembly, and

the X-ray discernable indicia indicate the pressure property of the port assembly.

18. The port assembly of claim 13, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia indicate that the port assembly is rated to be used for power injection.

19. The port assembly of claim 18, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia indicate that the port assembly is adapted to withstand high pressures used for injection of contrast fluid.

20. The port assembly of claim 13, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia are formed by titanium.

21. The port assembly of claim 13, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia are formed by silicone and a barium sulfate filler.

22. The port assembly of claim 13, wherein the housing further comprises a skirt formed from radiotransparent material molded around at least a portion of the housing base.

23. The port assembly of claim 13, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia comprise one or more alphabetical letters.

24. The port assembly of claim 23, wherein the one or more alphabetical letters comprise the letters “

C” and

“

T”

.

25. An implantable venous access port assembly, comprising:

a housing comprising a housing base and a skirt overmolded around at least a portion of the housing base, the housing base comprising a bottom wall including a thickness, wherein X-ray discernable indicia that indicate an attribute of the port assembly are embedded into the thickness;

a needle-penetrable septum; and

a cap securing the needle-penetrable septum to the housing.

26. The port assembly of claim 25, wherein:

the bottom wall of the housing base comprises a bottom surface, and

the X-ray discernable indicia are recessed into the bottom surface of the bottom wall, whereby the X-ray discernable indicia are visible by an unaided eye prior to implantation of the port assembly.

27. The port assembly of claim 26, wherein the housing further comprises a generally planar portion of radiopaque material recessed into the bottom surface of the bottom wall, the generally planar portion of radiopaque material comprising one or more cutouts forming the X-ray discernable indicia that indicate the attribute of the port assembly.

28. The port assembly of claim 26, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia comprise one or more discrete elements of radiopaque material separately recessed into the bottom surface of the bottom wall, the one or more discrete elements indicating the attribute of the port assembly.

29. The port assembly of claim 25, wherein:

the attribute of the port assembly is a pressure property of the port assembly, and

the X-ray discernable indicia indicate the pressure property of the port assembly.

30. The port assembly of claim 25, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia indicate that the port assembly is rated to be used for power injection.

31. The port assembly of claim 30, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia indicate that the port assembly is adapted to withstand high pressures used for injection of contrast fluid.

32. The port assembly of claim 25, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia are formed by titanium.

33. The port assembly of claim 25, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia are formed by silicone and a barium sulfate filler.

34. The port assembly of claim 25, wherein the X-ray discernable indicia comprise one or more alphabetical letters.

35. The port assembly of claim 34, wherein the one or more alphabetical letters comprise the letters “

C” and

“

T”

.