Abstract:
A catheter connector system, including a catheter hub and a coupling member. The catheter hub includes a cannula portion connected to a housing portion and a distal interface including a tapered seal post fixed to the housing portion, a deformable sealing element surrounding the tapered seal post, and a retention collar surrounding the sealing element. The coupling member includes an opening to receive the distal interface, an inwardly extending portion to engage the retention collar, and an actuating member to engage the deformable sealing element.

Description:
PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/879,673, filed Sep. 10, 2010, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/535,245, filed Sep. 26, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,177,772, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/720,443, filed Sep. 26, 2005, each of which is incorporated by reference into this application as if fully set forth herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Catheters may be employed for draining fluids from various organs or other locations within a patient. For example, catheters may be used for draining urine, a surgical wound, or any other body location that may be beneficial. Further, it may be desirable to selectively couple and decouple such a catheter to and from a drainage system or other system (e.g., aspiration system, cleansing system, etc.), respectively, for cleaning or for any other suitable reason. Such a connection system can enable an increase in ambulation for the patient and thereby increase quality of life. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0003]    One aspect of the instant disclosure relates to a catheter connection system comprising at least two components and a deformable sealing element positioned between the at least two components configured to allow, upon deformation, fluid flow through the at least two components. Another aspect of the instant disclosure relates to a catheter connection system comprising a sealing element positioned between at least two components, wherein the components are coupled to one another by a locking member. 
         [0004]    Features from any of the above-mentioned embodiments may be used in combination with one another in accordance with the instant disclosure. In addition, other features and advantages of the instant disclosure will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art through consideration of the ensuing description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following detailed description and drawings, which illustrate representations (not necessarily drawn to scale) of various embodiments of the invention, wherein: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a catheter coupling system; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the catheter coupling system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3   a  is a side, cross-sectional view of the catheter coupling system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3   b  is a side, cross-sectional view of the catheter coupling system shown in  FIG. 1  but with the catheter hub disconnected from the coupling member; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a seal post. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    One aspect of the instant disclosure relates to apparatuses and systems for selective coupling of a tubular member to another tubular element. Specifically, the instant disclosure contemplates that a catheter may include a connection structure for selectively coupling the catheter to another tubular element by way of a sealing element that forms a seal between the catheter and tubular element. 
         [0012]    One aspect of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 1 , includes a catheter connection system  10  comprising a catheter hub  20 , a coupling member  30 , and at least one deformable sealing element positioned within the catheter hub. The deformable sealing element is configured to allow fluid flow through catheter hub  20  upon deformation. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 through 3   b,  the catheter connector system  10  comprises catheter hub  20  having a cannula  40  on a proximal end thereof sized for insertion into a lumen of a catheter  50 , and a housing  45  on a distal end thereof. Further, catheter hub  20  has a distal interface  60  having a seal post  70  positioned within a deformable sealing element  80  positioned further within a retention collar  90 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the coupling member  30  includes a cavity  100  for receiving at least a portion of the distal interface  60  of catheter hub  20  and an actuating member  110  for engaging at least a portion of deformable sealing element  80 . 
         [0013]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b , deformable sealing element  80  may abut seal post  70  to effectively seal a bore  115  of catheter hub  20  at one end. In an unbiased position  80   a , deformable sealing element  80  creates a seal wherein any fluids attempting to pass through catheter hub  20  are precluded from movement past the seal. When engaged by coupling member  30 , deformable sealing element  80  deforms to a biased position  80   b  thereby allowing fluid to flow through or by deformable sealing element  80  and into coupling member  30 . When coupling member  30  is removed from catheter hub  20 , deformable sealing element  80  reversibly returns to its unbiased position  80   a.  The ability of deformable sealing element  80  to reversibly return to its unbiased position  80   a  permits reuse of catheter hub  20 . Furthermore, it advantageously creates a flush surface which facilitates cleaning of distal interface  60  of catheter hub  20 . Referring now to  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b , catheter hub  20  can further comprise an open space  120  between retention collar  90  and deformable sealing element  80 . Open space  120  provides an area for deformable sealing element  80  to deform when it is engaged by coupling member  30 . In one aspect of the invention, retention collar  90  may extend beyond deformable sealing element  80  and seal post  70 . Such a configuration may minimize inadvertent deformation of deformable sealing element  80  by a user. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment, actuating member  110  can be disposed concentrically within cavity  100 . Further, coupling member  30  can be configured with a through-center bore  130  for communicating a fluid from catheter hub  20  through coupling member  30 . In an additional embodiment, actuating member  110  comprises a raised surface located within cavity  100  of coupling member  30 . The raised surface of actuating member  110  can be shaped to approximate the shape of deformable sealing element  80  such that when coupling member  30  and catheter hub  20  are secured together, as shown in  FIG. 3   a , actuating member  110  deforms deformable sealing element  80  thereby allowing fluid to pass through catheter hub  20  and into coupling member  30 . In another embodiment, actuating member  110  may be configured to deform only a portion of deformable sealing element  80 . 
         [0015]    In an additional embodiment, seal post  70  may be positioned near deformable sealing element  80  to facilitate deformation of deformable sealing element  80  and passage of fluids through catheter hub  20  to coupling member  30 . In one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 4 , seal post  70  comprises a top planar surface  140  that, when seated in the body of catheter hub  20  and within the center of deformable sealing element  80 , creates a flush surface. The body of seal post  70  can be tapered such that the diameter of a distal top planar surface  140  is larger than the diameter of the proximal end  150  of seal post  70 . The body of seal post  70  can also comprise at least one channel  160 , wherein, when deformable sealing element  80  is deformed, fluid passes through channel  160  of seal post  70  and into coupling member  30 . In such a configuration, seal post  70  can be affixed (e.g., adhesively bonded, ultrasonically welded, solvent welded, or otherwise affixed) to the body of catheter hub  20 . In another embodiment, seal post  70  may be formed integrally or monolithically with the body of catheter hub  20 . 
         [0016]    In another embodiment of the present invention, coupling member  30  and catheter hub  20  may be secured together with a locking member  180 . The locking member  180  may be any device for securing catheter hub  20  and the coupling member  30  together, for example, a so-called “living hinge clip” or any cantilevered pivoting element.  FIGS. 1-3   b  illustrate a coupling member  30  comprising a biased hinge member  190  integrally formed with the wall of coupling member  30 . The hinge member  190  includes an engagement feature  200  configured to engage at least a portion of retention collar  90  of the body of catheter hub  20 . Additionally, handles  210  may be formed with hinge member  190  to facilitate removal and attachment of coupling member  30 . In one aspect of the invention, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the catheter connection system  10  may comprise an aperture  220  positioned on an outer portion of coupling member  30 . Advantageously, aperture  220  allows the user to verify engagement of deformable sealing element  80  by actuating member  110 . In another embodiment, the catheter hub  20  also comprises a cover member  230  configured to reduce the likelihood of accidental removal of catheter  50  from cannula  40  of catheter hub  20 . A proximal end of coupling member  30  may further comprise a luer fitting  240  configured to receive a device, for example, for vacuum assisted removal of fluids from the patient. In another embodiment, the proximal end of coupling member  30  may be configured for gravity evacuation of fluids from the patient. 
         [0017]    The catheter hub  20  and coupling member  30  described above can be formed from any material suitable for connection to any elongated tubular member placed within the corpus of a patient. By way of example, the connector system  10  may be prepared from of any suitable thermo-plastically formed material. The deformable sealing element  80  can be formed from a resilient material that is flexible, inert, and impermeable to fluid, such as silicone or polyurethane. 
         [0018]    The above embodiments may be used, for example, in connection with a pleural drainage system. One example of components of a pleural drainage system are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/595,450 entitled “Portable Hand Pump for Evacuation of Fluids” which is incorporated herein in its entirety. More specifically, the present invention may be used to connect a catheter placed within the corpus of a patient for the purposes of evacuating fluid from the corpus of the patient to a manually-operated pump and a device for storage of the evacuated fluid. The pump may be adapted to connect to an inflow conduit and an outflow conduit. For purposes of clarity, the pump, outflow conduit, and inflow conduit are all downstream from the connection system of the present invention. Near the connection of the inflow conduit, the pump can be provided with a one-way inflow valve that acts to permit flow of fluids from the inflow conduit into the interior of the pump but limits or restricts any back flow of the same into the inflow conduit. Similarly, near the connection of the outflow conduit, a one-way outflow valve permits flow of fluids out of the pump interior and into and through a lumen of the outflow conduit. This outflow one-way valve also serves to limit or restrict the back flow of fluids from the outflow conduit into the pump interior. 
         [0019]    While certain embodiments and details have been included herein for purposes of illustrating aspects of the instant disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the instant disclosure, which is defined, in part, in the appended claims. The words “including” and “having,” as used herein including the claims, shall have the same meaning as the word “comprising.”