Patent Publication Number: US-2006009738-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for providing access to fluid transmitting vessels of a patient

Description:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
      1. Technical Field  
      The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for providing access to fluid transmitting vessels of a patient.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Health care providers routinely inject medicines into patients using typical syringes. However, patients sometimes need medicine to be administered over an extended period of time. Patients may also require many different injections of medicine over a short period of time. In such a case, administering many different “shots” to the patient would be uncomfortable to the patient. Also, some medications should be administered directly into a blood vessel, such as a vein, rather than into muscle tissue as is often the case with syringe injections. To address these conditions, health care providers often utilize the intravenous (“IV”) catheter.  
      The IV catheter is typically administered to the patient in the following manner. First, the patient&#39;s skin is prepared with a cleansing solution to avoid infection at the injection site. Then the clinician obtains an IV catheter. As demonstrated in  FIG. 1 , a typical IV catheter comprises a catheter  100  that is coupled to a hub  110 . A needle  120  is also coupled to a needle housing  130 . The IV catheter is typically shipped to the clinician with the needle  120  located within the hub  110  and catheter  100 . An example of this arrangement can be seen in  FIG. 2 .  
      After obtaining the IV catheter, the clinician inserts the IV catheter across the patient&#39;s skin and into, for example, a fluid transmitting vessel  290  such as a vein or artery. The clinician then verifies that the tip of the needle  220  is located within a vessel. This can be done by examining whether blood flows from the vessel  290  of the patient to the needle  220 . If that is the case, the clinician may grasp the needle housing  230  and remove the needle  220  from the vessel  290 . The catheter  200  and hub  210  remain in place. If the catheter  200  is located within a vessel  290 , pressure in the blood stream will typically cause a fluid, such as blood, to flow from the vessel  290  of the patient through the conduit  200 . This flow may be continuous if the clinician does not apply pressure to the vessel  290  or seal the proximal end of the hub  280 . The clinician then may connect the hub  210  to a fluid delivery device such as, for example, tubing that leads to an IV bag. In other instances, as seen in  FIG. 1 , the clinician may connect the hub  110  to a cap  140 . The cap  140 , which may or may not have a membrane disposed within, may screw onto the proximal end of the hub  180  thereby substantially sealing the proximal end of the hub  180  and, in addition, providing substantial resistance to fluid flow from the vessel of the patient though the conduit of the catheter. After the cap  140  is attached, the hub  210  is usually taped to the patient&#39;s body so that the catheter  200  does not slide out of the vessel  290 .  
      A problem with the traditional method of applying an IV catheter, as described above, is that the clinician must attempt to keep blood from leaking from the IV catheter while he attempts to couple the cap  140  to the hub  110 . Usually the clinician uses one hand to hold pressure on the vessel  290  and to hold the hub  210  in place while the other hand is used to locate the cap and couple the cap  140  to the hub  210 . In a calm situation, this multitasking is challenging. In a scenario involving a traumatized patient, the problem is compounded as a clinician struggles to apply pressure to a vessel, hold the hub in place so the catheter doesn&#39;t slide out of the vessel, and locate a cap that is free to roll around on the bed or onto the floor. Once a cap falls onto the floor or comes in contact with a non-sterile environment, the cap may not be coupled to the hub in order to limit the chances for infection.  
      Therefore, an improved apparatus and method for providing access to fluid transmitting vessels of a patient is needed. The invention should address the difficulties a clinician experiences in starting or managing an IV catheter. More specifically, the invention should address the problems involved in starting or managing an IV catheter that are caused by interconnections, or lack thereof, between the catheter, hub and cap.  
     SUMMARY DESCRIPTION  
      In one embodiment of the invention, a cap is coupled to a hub. More specifically, a catheter is coupled to a hub. A needle, coupled to a needle housing, may be received substantially within the hub and catheter. The cap, which is coupled to the hub at a first location, may be actuated between an open position and a closed position. In the closed position, the cap interfaces the hub in a second position, thereby sealing an end of the hub. In the open position, the cap is situated so that is does not substantially seal the proximal end of the hub.  
      In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a method for providing access to fluid transmitting vessels of a patient entails obtaining the previously described embodiment of the invention, inserting the needle and catheter into a fluid transmitting vessel of a patient, removing the needle from the conduit of the hub and the conduit of the catheter; and actuating the cap into the closed position.  
      The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter, which form the subject of the claims of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a side view of an example of a prior art hub, catheter, needle, needle housing and cap.  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of an example of a prior art catheter and needle engaging a fluid transmitting vessel of a patient.  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of a hub, catheter and cap, with the cap in the open position, in an embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a side view of a hub, catheter and cap, with the cap in the closed position, in an embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 5  is a side view of a hub, catheter, cap and fluid delivery device in an embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 6  is a side view of a hub, cap and means for fastening in an embodiment of the invention.  
      FIGS.  7 A-B are side views of a catheter, hub, cap and means for fastening in an embodiment of the invention.  
      FIGS.  8 A-B are side views of a hub, cap and multiple means for fastening in an embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       FIG. 3  illustrates an apparatus for providing access to fluid transmitting vessels of a patient. The vessels need not be limited to the transport of blood or blood parts. Suitable vessels may be closed orifices or cavities where synovial fluid, for example, resides in a somewhat stagnant state. The fluid, such as synovial fluid, may be transmitted within the closed cavity. In addition, in certain embodiments of the invention, the fluid transmitted may be in a gaseous state such as, for example, gaseous carbon dioxide or various gases present, for example, within the peritoneal cavity.  
      The apparatus comprises a catheter  300 , sometimes known as a cannula, having a proximal end  302  and a distal end  301 , and a conduit  306  extending between the proximal end of the catheter  302  and the distal end of the catheter  301 . The apparatus further comprises a hub  310 , having a proximal end  304  and a distal end  303 , and a conduit  385  extending between the proximal end of the hub  304  and the distal end of the hub  303 , wherein the proximal end of the catheter  302  is coupled to the distal end of the hub  303  and further wherein, the conduit of the hub  385  is substantially aligned with the conduit of the catheter  306 . The hub  310  and catheter  300  may be contiguous with one another or may be independent parts that are coupled to one another. A needle, such as the needle  120  shown in  FIG. 1 , may be received substantially within the conduit of the hub  385  and the conduit of the catheter  306 . In some embodiments of the invention, the needle is not necessarily received completely within the conduit of the hub or catheter. A needle housing, such as the needle housing  130  shown in  FIG. 1 , may be coupled to the needle. The apparatus further comprises a cap  340  coupled to the hub  310 . The cap  340  may comprise a proximal end  307 , a distal end  306  and a conduit  375  extending between the distal end of the cap  306  and the proximal end of the cap  307 . The conduits of the cap  375 , catheter  306  and hub  385  may not necessarily extend to the outer most limits of the cap  340 , hub  310  and catheter  300 .  
       FIG. 3  depicts the cap  340  in an open position wherein the cap does not seal the proximal end of the hub  304 . As a consequence, fluid may continuously travel through the catheter conduit  306  and through the hub conduit  385 , moving from the distal end of the catheter  301  towards the hub  310  or from the hub  310  towards the distal end of the catheter  301 . The cap  340  may be actuated from the open position to the closed position illustrated in  FIG. 4 . In the closed position the cap  440  interfaces the hub  410  thereby sealing the proximal end of the hub  304  and providing for the conduit of the cap  475  to be being substantially aligned with the conduit of the hub  485 . In the closed position, the cap  440  disallows fluid flow to or from the vessel of a patient through the conduit of the catheter  406  and the conduit of the hub  485 . The actuation of the cap  340  is not limited to any one range. For example, in an embodiment of the invention, the cap is actuated through a 90 degree range of motion as it travels from the closed position to open position. In another embodiment, the cap is actuated through a 180 degree range of motion as it travels from the closed position to the open position.  
       FIG. 3  illustrates a hinge  315  as an example of a means for fastening the cap  340  to the hub  310 . The cap  340  may pivot about the hinge  315  when being actuated between the open and closed positions. The groove  335  and notch  325  cooperate together to fasten the cap  340  to the hub  310  in the closed position. The lever  345  and latch  305  cooperate together to fasten the cap  340  to the hub  310  in an open position. In one embodiment of the invention, a projection  355  may cooperate with orifice  365 , in a closed position, to operably couple the conduit of the hub  385  to the conduit of the cap  375 . The cap may comprise a membrane  395  that may be pierced by, for example, a needle thus providing the needle access to the cap conduit  375  while the cap  340  is in a closed position. The needle may comprise a traditional sharp tip or a slip tip, which is less sharp than a traditional sharp tip. Fluid may then be injected into or withdrawn from the cap conduit  375  and/or hub conduit  385 . The projection  355  may cooperate with the orifice  365  in such a way that a space exists between the edges of the cap  340  and hub  310  when the cap  340  is in the closed position. The space may prevent pinching the patient&#39;s skin when actuating the cap  340  from the open position to the closed position. Also illustrated are a curved recess  306  that provides for a clinician&#39;s finger when the clinician grips the hub  310 . Also, the hub  310  may have a flat surface  316  to provide stability to the hub once the catheter  300  is placed within a vessel.  
      In  FIG. 5 , an embodiment of the invention is illustrated wherein the cap  540  is in a closed position. The cap  540  is operatively coupled to a fluid deliver device  525  such as tubing that leads to an IV bag. The fluid deliver device  525  may have projections  515  that fasten to the cap  540  by extending into recesses  505  within the cap  540 . These recesses  505 , in another embodiment of the invention, may exist within the hub  510 . Fluid may flow from the fluid deliver device  525 , across membrane  501  and into the conduit of the cap  575 .  FIG. 6  depicts an embodiment of the invention wherein the cap  640  has threads  660  as a means for fastening the cap  640  to a device that has reciprocating threads. Such a device may be a fluid delivery device such as tubing, a syringe or the fluid delivery device  525  of  FIG. 5 .  
       FIG. 7A  depicts an embodiment of the invention wherein the cap  740  has threads  750  as an example of a means for fastening the cap  740  to a hub  710  with reciprocating threads  770 . In the open position, the cap  740  remains coupled to the hub  710  due to a fastening means such as a tether  705 . In the closed position, the cap  740  is coupled to the hub  710  due to a fastening means comprising reciprocating threads  770 ,  750  as well as the tether  705 . In addition, as a person of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate, the cap  740  may still engage the hub  710 , in any number of ways, while in the open position. For example, the cap  740  may be unscrewed to the extent that holes  771  are exposed. While the holes  771  may exposed, the threads  750  of the cap  740  may still be engaged, in a limited fashion, with the threads of the hub  770 . Consequently, fluid may fluid from the hub conduit  785  through the holes  771 .  FIG. 7B  depicts a fluid transmitting device  776  that is coupled, using threads of the fluid transmitting device  773  and threads of the hub  772 , to the hub  740 . The hub  740  is in an open position because the cap  740  does not cover holes  771 . Fluid is free to travel through the holes  771  and into the holes  777  and fluid transmitting conduit  778  of the fluid transmitting device  776 .  
       FIG. 8A  demonstrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the cap  840  may reside within a recess  835  in the hub  810  when the cap  840  is in the open position. In the open position, the cap  840  is coupled to the hub  810  using a fastener such as a tether  805  that cooperates with a car  815  that travels within a chamber  825 . The cap  840  may then be withdrawn from the recess  835  and then, in the closed position, coupled to the hub  810  using fastening means such as threads  855  that cooperate with reciprocal threads  845  on the hub  810 .  
      As a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciated, the aforementioned means for fastening one element, such as the cap  340 , to another element, such as the hub  310 , need not be limited to those embodiments specifically described within this application. For example, a bolt, cable, clamp, dowel, hook, key, latch, lug, nut, pin rivet or seam comprise a non-exhaustive list of fasteners that may be incorporated within various embodiments of the invention.  
      It will be understood that certain of the above-described structures, functions and operations of the above-described embodiments are not necessary to practice the present invention and are included in the description simply for completeness of an example embodiment or embodiments. For example, the patient need not be a human as the invention is applicable in the veterinary sector as well as human medicine sector. In addition, it will be understood that specific structures, functions and operations set forth in the above-referenced patents and publications can be practiced in conjunction with the present invention, but they are not essential to its practice. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described without actually departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Finally, all patents, publications and standards referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.