Abstract:
A guide wire insertion device for a catheter includes a needle portion provided with a hollow portion, the needle portion having a needle mounted on a front end; a valve mounted in the hollow portion of the needle portion to control flow of blood, a cap portion mounted on a rear end of the hollow portion of the needle portion to fix the valve means in the needle portion, and a syringe for absorbing the blood through the needle portion by penetrating the valve means.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation of pending International Patent Application No. PCT/KR02/01173 filed on Jun. 20, 2002 which designates the United States and claims priority of pending Korean Application No. 2001-37403 filed on Jun. 28, 2001. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a guide wire insertion device for a catheter and, more particularly, to a guide wire insertion device having a check valve, for preventing blood from being gush out through a needle inserted in the body.  
         DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
         [0003]    Generally, a medical catheter is a hollow tube for insertion into a body cavity for diagnostic purposes, medicine injection or distending a contracted passageway or treatment purposes including fluid infusion, drug injection, and dilation of stenotic tracts. Such a catheter is used to treat diseases relating to a variety of internal organs such as heart, duodenum and the like. Particularly, catheter is used to treat disease of a blood vessel such as artery and vein.  
           [0004]    The catheter can be inserted into the body either by a surgical cut down technique or by the Seldinger technique. In the Seldinger technique, a catheter can be inserted less invasively by using a guide wire.  
           [0005]    FIGS.  1 ( a ) and  1 ( b ) show a process for inserting the catheter into the human body. As shown in the drawings, to insert the catheter into the body, a guide wire insertion device for the catheter is first assembled. That is, a syringe  2  is mounted on a rear end of a needle portion  1 . At this point, since a piston  7  of the syringe  2  is in a state pulled rearward, an internal pressure of the syringe  2  becomes lower than the atmosphere pressure.  
           [0006]    In this state, an operator inserts ‘the guide wire insertion device for a catheter’ into the human body so that the needle  4  can be advanced into a blood vessel.  
           [0007]    When the needle  4  is advanced into the blood vessel, as the internal pressure of the blood vessel is higher than the internal pressure of the syringe  2 , the blood flows into the syringe  2  through the needle  4 . Accordingly, the operator can confirm the accurate insertion position of the needle by observing the blood flowing into the syringe  2 .  
           [0008]    After identifying the blood flowing into the syringe  2 , the syringe  2  is separated from the rear end of the needle  1  to insert the guide wire  6 . At this point, the blood in the needle portion  1  is gushed out.  
           [0009]    Accordingly, the administrator blocks the rear end of the needle portion  1  using his/her finger to prevent the gush out of the blood.  
           [0010]    After the above, the administrator prepares a guide wire  6  and removes the finger from the rear end  3  of the needle portion  1 , after which the guide wire  6  is inserted in the blood vessel through a hollow hole  8  of the needle portion  1 , and the guide wire  6  is placed into the desired portion of the blood vessel.  
           [0011]    Although the above procedures have been a standard in catheter insertion, there are several limitations.  
           [0012]    However, it is troublesome for an operator to block the rear end of the needle using the finger for preventing gush out of the blood during the procedures. As it often makes the needle position unstable, the sharp end of the needle tends to damage the vessel wall.  
           [0013]    Furthermore, there may be sometimes possibility that the needle portion is not completely blocked, which results on gush out of blood and contamination.  
           [0014]    In addition, the blood may be gushed out through the needle portion even during the process for inserting the guide wire.  
           [0015]    Furthermore, of the guide wire insertion devices, one system allows a guide wire to be inserted through the rear end of the syringe without separation from the needle. However, it is sometimes difficult for an operator to handle because its wide range of hand motion and long working distance.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0016]    Therefore, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above-described problems. It is an objective of the present invention to provide a guide wire insertion device for a catheter, which can prevent blood from being gush out when a needle is inserted into a blood vessel, thereby sanitarily inserting the guide wire into the blood vessel.  
           [0017]    To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a guide wire insertion device for a catheter, comprising a needle portion provided with a hollow portion, the needle portion having a needle mounted on a front end; valve means mounted in the hollow portion of the needle portion to control flow of blood; a cap portion mounted on a rear end of the hollow portion of the needle portion to fix the valve means in the needle portion; and a syringe for absorbing the blood through the needle portion by penetrating the valve means.  
           [0018]    According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve means comprises a check valve for controlling the flow of the blood, a rod portion mounted on a rear portion of the check valve to open/close the check valve, and a spring for biasing the rod rearward to prevent the check valve from being opened when the syringe is removed by pushing the rod portion rearward.  
           [0019]    The check valve comprises a circular flange having a central circular hole and a hemispherical portion projected from a surface of the circular flange and facing the needle, the hemispherical portion being provided at its top with a cut-away portion and a hollow portion communicating with the circular hole of the circular flange.  
           [0020]    The check valve is designed such that the cut-away portion is elastically closed by self-elastic force.  
           [0021]    The rod portion is formed in a hollow tube, one end of the rod portion has a diameter less than that of the circular hole such that the one end can be advanced into the hemispherical portion through the circular hole, wherein when the syringe is pushed forward, a front end of the syringe pushes the rod portion forward to open the cut-away portion.  
           [0022]    One end of the spring is supported on the circular flange of the check valve and the other end of the spring is supported on a middle step formed on a middle portion of the rod portion.  
           [0023]    The cap portion is provided with a hollow portion in which the rod portion is reciprocally mounted, the cap portion being fixed on the needle portion by a hook step formed on a front end of the cap portion and coupled to a hook groove formed on an inner circumference of the needle portion.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0024]    FIGS.  1 ( a ) and  1 ( b ) are views illustrating a method for inserting a guide wire into a blood vessel using a conventional guide wire insertion device for a catheter;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a guide wire insertion device for a catheter according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a guide wire insertion device depicted in FIG. 2;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an internal structure of a guide wire insertion device depicted in FIG. 2;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cut-away portion formed in front of a valve depicted in FIG. 4; and  
         [0029]    FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ) are views illustrating a method for inserting a guide wire into a blood vessel using a guide wire insertion device for a catheter according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0030]    A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described more in detail hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of a guide wire insertion device for a catheter according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a guide wire insertion device depicted in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an internal structure of a guide wire insertion device depicted in FIG. 2.  
         [0032]    As shown in the drawings, the inventive guide wire insertion device of a catheter comprises a needle portion  10  having a needle  16  to be inserted into a human body and a syringe  11 , through which blood flows in, coupled to the needle portion  10 .  
         [0033]    The needle portion  10  comprises a hollow body  15 , front end of which the needle  16  is coupled, valve means  50  disposed in a hollow portion of the hollow body  15  to check the flow of the blood, and a cap portion  20 , in which the syringe  11  is inserted, the cap being integrally mounted on a rear end of the hollow body  15 .  
         [0034]    Accordingly, the valve means  50  prevents the blood flowed into the body through the needle  16  from being flowing backward. The blood flowed into the body flows into the syringe  11  only when the front end of the syringe  11  penetrates the valve means  50 .  
         [0035]    The hollow portion  12  of the body  15  comprises a front portion  13  through which the blood flows in, and a rear portion  14  having an inner diameter larger than that D of the front portion.  
         [0036]    The inner diameter D of the front portion is designed such that the guide wire  45  can pass there through. The needle  16  has an inner diameter designed such that the guide wire can also pass there through. Accordingly, it is possible to insert the guide wire  45  for guiding the catheter (not shown) into the human body into the human body through the hollow portion  12  of the body  45 .  
         [0037]    The valve means  50  is provided in the rear portion  14 . The valve means  50  comprises a check valve  17  for controlling the flow of the blood, a rod portion mounted on a rear portion of the check valve  17  to open/close the check valve  17 , and a spring  19  for biasing the rod rearward to prevent the check valve  17  from being opened.  
         [0038]    The check valve  17  is formed of a synthetic resin having a proper elasticity and disposed in the rear portion  14 . The check valve  17  has a circular flange  25  provided at its center portion with a circular hole  26  and hooked on a first hook portion  21  formed on the rear portion  14  and a hemispherical portion  27  projected from a surface of the circular flange  25  and facing the needle  16 .  
         [0039]    The hemispherical portion  27  is provided with a space communicating with the circular hole  26  of the flange  25 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the hemispherical portion  27  is further provided at its top with a cut-away portion  28  having a predetermined length. The cut-away portion  28  is closed by the check valve  17  formed of the elastic synthetic resin as far as outer force is not applied. The cut-away portion  28  is opened by being widened when the rod portion  18  pushes the cut-way portion  28 . Therefore, when the blood flowed through the needle  16  flows into the check valve  17  through the cut-away portion  28 . The cut-way portion may be formed in a straight line-shape or a Y-shape.  
         [0040]    The rod portion  18  is formed of a tube provided with a hollow portion  30  and reciprocally mounted in the rear portion  14  of the body  15 . One end portion  31  of the rod portion  18  has a diameter less than that of the circular hole  26  such that it can be located in the hemispherical portion  27  over the circular hole  26 . The front end of the syringe  11  is inserted into the other end of the rod portion  18  to press the rod portion  18 .  
         [0041]    Accordingly, when the rod portion  18  is biased forward by the syringe  11 , the one end  31  of the rod portion  18  pushes the check valve  17  to open the check valve  17 , whereby the blood flows into through the check valve  17  and passes through the rod portion  18 .  
         [0042]    In addition, an elastic member such as a spring  19  is disposed between the check valve  17  and the rod portion  18 . One end  41  of the spring  19  is supported on a side portion the circular flange  25  and the other end of the spring  19  is supported on a side portion of a middle-step  33  of the rod portion  18 .  
         [0043]    Accordingly, the rod portion  18  pushed forward by the syringe  11  is biased rearward by the spring  19 . As a result, when the syringe  11  is biased forward, the rod portion  18  is pushed forward, thereby opening the cut-away portion  28  of the check valve so that the blood flows in. When the biasing force applied to the syringe  11  is released, the rod portion  18  is pushed rearward by the biasing force of the spring, thereby closing the cut-away portion  28  of the check valve  18 .  
         [0044]    In addition, the cap portion  20  is fitted in the rear portion  14  of the body  15  so as to prevent the check valve  17 , the rod portion  18  and the spring  19  from being removed away. The cap portion  20  is provided with a hollow portion  36 . The front end of the cap portion  20  is fitted in the rear portion  14  of the body  15 . The cap portion  20  is provided at an outer portion of the front end with a hook step  23  coupled to a hook groove formed on an inner circumference of the rear portion  14 .  
         [0045]    Formed on a middle portion of the cap portion  20  is a second hook step  38  hooked on a side portion of the rear end of the body  15 . Accordingly, the cap portion  20  is integrally coupled to the rear end of the body  15 , thereby fixing the check valve  17 , the spring  19 , and the rod portion  18  in the body  15 .  
         [0046]    The syringe  11  is mounted on the rear end of the cap portion  20  so as to store the blood flowing out through the cap portion  20 .  
         [0047]    The operation of the above described wire insertion device for the catheter will be described more in detail hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
         [0048]    To insert the catheter in the human body, as shown in FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ), the guide wire insertion device is first assembled. That is, the check valve  17 , the spring  19  and the rod portion  18  are in this order inserted in the hollow portion of the body  15 , after which the cap portion  20  is mounted on the body  15 . Then, the syringe  11  is inserted through the hollow portion  36  of the cap portion  20 . At this point, since the piston  39  of the syringe  11  is in a state where it is pulled rearward, the inner space of the syringe  11  has pressure lower than the atmosphere pressure.  
         [0049]    In this state, when the syringe  11  is pushed forward, the front end  40  of the syringe  11  pushes the rod portion  18  forward. As a result, the rod portion  18  pushes the cut-away portion  28  of the check valve  17  to open the cut-away portion  28 . At this point, the spring  19  is in a compressed state.  
         [0050]    When the assembling process of the guide wire insertion device for the catheter is completed, the administrator inserts the guide wire insertion device into the human body  44  so that the needle  16  is advanced into the blood vessel.  
         [0051]    When the needle  16  is advanced into the blood vessel, since the inner pressure of the blood vessel is higher than that of the syringe  11 , the blood is gushed out through the needle  16  and then flows in the syringe  11  through the check valve  17 , the rod portion  18  and the cap portion  20 .  
         [0052]    Accordingly, the administrator can object the blood flowing in the syringe  11 , thereby identifying that the needle  16  can exactly inserted into the blood vessel.  
         [0053]    After the above, to insert the guide wire  45  into the blood vessel, the syringe  11  is separated from the needle portion  10 . At this point, since the force of the syringe  11  which pushes the rod portion  18  forward is released, the rod portion  18  is biased rearward by the elastic force of the spring  19 . As a result, the front end  31  of the rod portion  18  can be removed from the cut-away portion  28 . Therefore, the cut-away portion is closed to prevent the blood from being gush out from the blood vessel.  
         [0054]    In this state, the guide wire  45  is inserted into the needle portion  10  through the cap portion  20 . At this point, the front end  46  of the guide wire  45  is advanced into the needle  16  after passing through rod portion  18  and the cut-away portion of the check valve  17 , and then inserted into the blood vessel.  
         [0055]    By the above-described procedure, the guide wire can be inserted into a desired location of the blood vessel.  
         [0056]    After the guide wire  45  is inserted into the blood vessel, the guide wire insertion device is removed from the human body and the catheter is inserted in the human body to treat the human body.  
         [0057]    As described above, the guide wire insertion device for a catheter of the present invention has an advantage that it can prevent blood from being gush out when a needle is inserted into a blood vessel.  
         [0058]    In addition, when the guide wire is advanced into the human body after the guide wire insertion device for the catheter is inserted into the human body, since the wire is directly inserted into the needle portion after the syringe is removed, the whole length of the device can be shortened, making it easy for the administrator to operate the device.  
         [0059]    Although the embodiments of the present invention have been explained in detail above, the present invention can be modified in a variety of ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.