Extension transfer set

A flexible transfer set for filling multiple syringes from a single bottle of medical liquid, as in a hospital pharmacy. The transfer set includes a flexible tube with a bottle connecting spike at one end and a syringe coupler at an opposite end. This syringe coupler includes a longitudinally collapsible valve that opens upon insertion of a blunt syringe tip and closes upon removal of such syringe tip. An external skirt on the coupler protects an entrance to the valve area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In hospitals hypodermic syringes are frequently pre-filled with a 
particular dosage at the hospital pharmacy and then transferred to the 
hospital floor for administration to the patient. Frequently a diluent 
liquid, such as normal saline or sterile water, is added to a small amount 
of medication in a syringe to change the medication's concentration. These 
diluents, and sometimes the medications themselves, are supplied in bulk 
containers to the pharmacy. The pharmacist fills many hypodermic syringes 
from a single bulk container. 
In the past, there have been complicated systems for connecting and 
disconnecting a series of syringes with a bulk container of liquid. These 
sometimes included rotatable stopcocks to start and stop the flow of 
liquid. This stopcock twisting procedure became very time consuming and 
tedious when several hundred syringes had to be filled during a day. 
Another approach was to use a sharpened hypodermic needle on each syringe 
to puncture a rubber diaphragm to gain access to the sterile contents of 
the large reservoir container. A high number of repeated punctures through 
a single rubber diaphragm causes a problem in mechanical deterioration of 
the rubber. Small bits of rubber could be sucked into the syringe through 
its sharp piercing needle during filling. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
We have overcome the above mentioned problems encountered in a hospital 
pharmacy. Our invention includes a flexible tube with a rigid bottle 
connecting spike at one end and a special valved coupler at the opposite 
end. This valved coupler requires neither a stopcock with its rotational 
motion requirement nor repeated punctures of a rubber diaphragm. The 
valved coupling has a collapsible internal valve member which 
automatically opens the valve upon connection of the coupler to a blunt 
externally tapered adapter of a conventional syringe. An example of such 
an adapter is one with a luer taper. An external skirt on the valved 
coupler protects its valve area from contamination.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to FIG. 1 the assembled system includes a reservoir container, 
such as a 1 liter bottle of normal saline suspended in a mouth downward 
position. A rigid tubular spike 2 of the extension transfer set sealingly 
couples with a closure system 3 of bottle 1. This particular bottle has an 
air tube 4 to replenish air to the bottle as liquid is drained. 
A flexible tube 5 has its upper end joined to tubular spike 2 and its lower 
end joined to a valved coupling 6. This valved coupling is in turn 
connected to a conventional hypodermic syringe 7. 
Numerous syringes will be filled from this single reservoir bottle 1, and 
it is important to have a reliable valving system for quickly connecting 
and disconnecting each syringe. The valved coupler 6 requires only a 
simple longitudinal motion between the syringe and valved coupler for 
connecting and disconnecting. 
The details of the valved coupler are shown in FIG. 2. Here the coupler 
includes a body with a transverse wall 7 joined to a protector skirt 8. At 
a center of transverse wall 7 is a tubular syringe receiver 9 with a luer 
tapered internal wall surface 10. Transverse wall 7 also includes an 
annular sealing rib 11. 
Sealingly joined to this coupler body by ultrasonic welding, solvent 
bonding, adhesive bonding, etc. is a hollow valve member housing 12 that 
includes a tubular tip 13. Sealingly connected to tubular tip 13 is an end 
portion of flexible tube 5. An external collar 14 serves to protect the 
joint between flexible tube 5 and tubular tip 13. This tubular tip 13 can 
also contain a filter 15 for removing any particulate matter that may be 
present in the reservoir container. 
Confined within the valve member housing 12 is a longitudinally collapsible 
valve member 16. Valve 16 includes a sealing head 17 integrally joined to 
a longitudinally collapsible skirt 18. This skirt urges the sealing head 
17 into sealing engagement with annular rib 11. 
FIG. 2 shows a front portion of the hypodermic syringe with its 
conventional blunt tubular luer adapter or nozzle 20 being inserted in the 
tubular syringe tip receiver 9. As the syringe tip proceeds further into 
the coupler, it will contact sealing head 17 of the collapsible valve 
member pushing sealing head 17 away from annular sealing rib 11. A 
transverse groove 21 in sealing head 17 permits liquid to flow into the 
tubular syringe adapter it has passed through the optional filter 15 and 
through one or more grooves 22 in the valve member housing 12. Thus, when 
the collapsible valve member 16 is collapsed, liquid is free to flow 
around valve member 16 and into the syringe as its plunger is retracted. 
After the syringe has been filled, the protector skirt 8 is grasped in one 
hand, the syringe barrel is grasped with the other hand, and the syringe 
and coupling separated with a simple longitudinal motion. This causes the 
valved coupling to automatically reclose. As shown in FIG. 2, the tubular 
syringe tip receiver has a wall thickness sufficiently thin to clear the 
internal threads of a needle retention sleeve that is present on some 
types of syringes. If desired, the tubular syringe tip receiver 9 could 
have external threads to mate with the threaded collar 23. As this would 
require a rotational motion for coupling and uncoupling the syringe, such 
structure has not been included in this preferred embodiment of our 
invention. 
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a protective cap for the tubular syringe tip 
receiver when a syringe is not connected to the valved coupler. This 
protector includes a handle 24, a luer wedge plug 25, and a protective 
skirt 26. The wedge plug 25 is recessed inwardly from the end of skirt 26 
protecting the wedge plug 25 from inadvertent contamination. The wedge 
plug 25 fits against luer surface 10 of the tubular syringe tip receiver, 
while skirt 26 surrounds such syringe tip receiver 9. Preferably the luer 
surface 10 or wedge plug has a vent system of a groove or rib for passage 
of sterilizing gases. 
To provide a grasping area and protect the syringe tip receiver 9 from 
inadvertent contamination a skirt 8 extends beyond an end 27 of the 
tubular syringe tip receiver 9. This skirt, shown in FIG. 5, has opposed 
ribbed arcuate sections 28 and 29 and flat surfaces 30 and 31 for easy 
gripping. 
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the spike 2 shown in FIG. 1. As explained, 
this spike is intended for use with a container having a separate air 
tube. An alternate dual passage spike is shown in FIG. 8. This alternate 
spike has a first passage 32 joined to a flexible tube 33. A second 
passage 34 connects with a ball check valve 35 which is backed up with a 
filter 36. Thus air can enter through passage 34 into a bottle without an 
air tube. Check valve 35 prevents liquid seeping from such bottle, and 
filter 36 prevents contaminated air from entering the bottle. Either 
embodiment of the spike will preferably have a removable sterility 
protector (not shown) on it when sold, and such protector will be removed 
immediately prior to use. 
We have found the invention described above works very well with the tubing 
made of flexible polyvinylchloride, the coupler made of rigid 
polycarbonate, the collapsible valve made of rubber, such as silicone 
rubber, and the spike made of rigid polycarbonate thermoplastic. 
In the foregoing description, specific embodiments have been used to 
illustrate the invention. However it is understood that certain 
modifications can be made to these embodiments by those skilled in the art 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.