Abstract:
A device for organizing medical lines so as to facilitate identification and prevent entanglement and dislodgement of the lines includes a rigid elongated base panel and an upwardly directed securing panel. Mounting features located beneath the base panel enable the apparatus to be quickly and removably attached to virtually any type of rail. A series of slots in the securing panel extend toward the base panel and terminate in confining apertures having dimensions larger than the width of the associated slot. The device permits transverse insertion of a medical line into a slot and positioning in a confining aperture, thereby allowing longitudinal and limited lateral movement of the line while preventing entanglement with adjacent lines.

Description:
[0001]     The present patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application No. 10/323,270, filed on Dec. 20, 2002, entitled, Organizer for Medical Tubes and Cables, and is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Technical Field  
         [0003]     This invention relates to an apparatus for neatly organizing medical lines that administer to a patient and, more particularly, to an apparatus that functionally secures a plurality of flexible cables and tubes interactive with a patient and, even more particularly, to the management and identification of multiple IV lines adjacent to a patient.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     The subject matter of this invention will be discussed primarily in conjunction with flexible lines in the form of fluid-conducting tubes that are commonly used within the medical profession. However, it is considered to be within the scope of this invention that the apparatus of the invention could be utilized in conjunction with lines other than tubes such as, for example, electrical and fiber optic cables employed for monitoring or diagnostic purposes.  
         [0006]     During the course of medical procedures, a human patient is often infused simultaneously with a plurality of different medications and fluids. Those medications and fluids are fed into the patient through tubes. Additionally, catheters are frequently utilized to monitor body functions. Many of these catheter, fluid-conducting tubes and monitoring lines are placed on the patient prior to when the patient is transported from a surgery area to a convalescing area. These different lines have a tendency to become entangled, making it difficult for attending physicians and nurses to ascertain which line is being utilized for which purpose. At times certain medications are injected into a fluid line. Extreme care has to be exercised to make sure that the right medicine is being injected into the correct line. This problem of confusing lines and catheters entering a patient&#39;s body is accentuated under emergency conditions. The foregoing problems increase the risk of patient injury by either infusing medicine or blood at the wrong entry site, or by failure to infuse needed medications.  
         [0007]     The entanglement of the different lines is exceedingly common in the hospital room while the patient is recovering from a surgical operation. The entanglement is caused primarily by the patient moving around in either a conscious or unconscious condition. Some means is therefore needed in a hospital room for organizing the various medical lines servicing a bedridden patient, said organization facilitating the location and identification of each line and preventing their entanglement and dislodgement.  
         [0008]     Devices for organizing medical lines that service a patient in a hospital bed are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,334,186; 5,336,179; 5,427,338; 5,624,403; 5,876,371 and elsewhere.  
         [0009]     Most earlier organizer devices restrict movement of the lines they secure. Such restriction enables tensile stress to be placed upon a line with movement of the patient. The resultant stress can cause the medical line to separate from its interaction with the patient or with a monitoring instrument. Earlier medical line organizers may also be incompatible with typical hospital beds or may be difficult to attach thereto. The individual lines may not be easily engageable by the organizer, and inadequate means are provided for the identification of each line.  
         [0010]     It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for organizing medical lines interactive with a patient.  
         [0011]     It is another object of this invention to provide an organizer apparatus as in the foregoing object adapted to separately constrain a number of medical lines without preventing axial or lateral motion thereof.  
         [0012]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an organizer apparatus of the aforesaid nature, which is easily securable to a hospital bed or other structures, and readily accepts said medical lines.  
         [0013]     It is yet another object of this invention to provide an organizer apparatus of the aforesaid nature that readily permits association of identifying indicia with each of said medical lines.  
         [0014]     It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an organizer apparatus of the aforesaid nature of durable, compact construction amenable to sterilization treatment.  
         [0015]     It is an additional object of this invention to provide an organizer apparatus of simple construction amenable to sufficiently low cost manufacture as to justify disposal following limited use.  
         [0016]     These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]     The above and other beneficial objects and advantages are accomplished in accordance with the present invention by an organizer apparatus for mounting upon a rail for receiving flexible medical lines. One embodiment of the present invention comprises: 
        a) a rigid base panel of elongated rectangular contour bounded in part by a upper surface and opposed inner surface,     b) mounting means associated with said inner surface for the purpose of releasably engaging a rail, and     c) a securing panel orthogonally emergent from said upper surface and terminating in a distal extremity parallel to said upper surface, and having a series of spaced apart slots which open upon said distal extremity and terminate in a confining aperture within said securing panel and dimensioned larger than the width of the associated slot, whereby     d) flexible medical line can be laterally inserted through a slot and caused to reside within an associated confining aperture which permits axial and lateral sliding movement of the line, and said upper surface permits placement of indicia to identify each confined line.        
 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]     For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is a top and side perspective view of one embodiment of the organizer apparatus of the present invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is an end view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  secured to a bed rail.  
         [0028]      FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  secured to a vertically-oriented pole.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0029]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-6 , one embodiment of the organizer apparatus  10  of the present invention is shown as a monolithic structure which may be fabricated of thermoplastic material by way of a molding operation or by an extrusion operation with a subsequent punching or machining step. This design facilitates the disposability of the present invention following limited use. However, the unit also can be cold sterilized for re-use if so desired.  
         [0030]     The organizer apparatus is shown comprised of a rigid base panel  11  of generally rectangular contour elongated between end extremities  12  and bounded in part by flat upper or outer surface  13  and an opposed lower or inner surface  14 . The length of said base panel, measured between said end extremities may range from about 6 to 12 inches. The width of upper surface  13 , measured between opposed side edges  22  may range from about 1 to 3 inches.  
         [0031]     Opposed side panels  15 , downwardly directed from said lower surface, are spaced apart a proper distance to frictionally embrace a bed rail. Said side panels, in concert with said lower surface thereby function as mounting means that permit rapid, releasable attachment of the apparatus to a bed rail. A layer of rubbery material  17  may be adhered to the facing surfaces  18  of said side panels for the purpose of preventing slippage of the apparatus while mounted upon the bed rail. Said side panels may typically have a height of 1 to 3 inches, as measured between upper surface  13  and the lower edge  26  of said side panel.  
         [0032]     In the embodiment exemplified in  FIGS. 1-6 , side panels  15  are downwardly convergent. Such configuration enables the side panels to operate resiliently to embrace the bed rail. However, the side panels  15  may extend orthogonally from the base panel  11  such that they are parallel to each other. The diameter of most hospital bed rails is 1.378 inches. By causing the lowermost edges  26  of said side panels to be spaced slightly less than 1.378 inches apart, the side panels function as a spring-like mounting clip which receives and secures a rail.  
         [0033]     In addition, at least one of the side panels  15  is provided with at least one retention device  30 . In the embodiment shown, each side panel  15  has two retention devices  30 , which are thumbscrews. The retention devices  30  are adjustable in length along their axes with respect to side panels  15  in order to accommodate a wide range of sizes, types (e.g., round, square, etc.), and orientations (e.g., horizontal, vertical, etc.) of rails (see  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) to which apparatus  10  may be attached. The retention devices  30  may be extended through the rubbery material  17  to rigidly secure the apparatus  10  thereto and effectively prevent motion therebetween.  
         [0034]     The retention devices  30  may be formed from the same material as the remainder of the apparatus  10 . In addition, the retention devices  30  may be identical to each other or provided in different sizes, depending on the application. In the version illustrated, each retention device  30  is provided with a head  32 , a threaded shaft  34  (which engages a tapped hole in side panel  15 ), and a flanged end  36  opposite head  32 . The head  32  may be provided with a hexagonal shape and/or knurled about its perimeter and is sized so that it may be grasped and turned easily by a user. The flanged end  36  ensures that the retention device  30  is not easily removed or lost from the side panel. The retention devices  30  on each side panel  15  are centered with respect to axis  50  on side panel  15 . In addition, each retention device  30  is offset from their respective edges  12  by about one-fourth of the overall length of base panel  11 .  
         [0035]     A securing panel  20  is, in the embodiment shown, orthogonally emergent from upper  10  surface  13  in parallel relationship to side edges  22 . Said securing panel is preferably centered upon upper surface  13 , thereby causing the apparatus to have a longitudinal plane of symmetry  21 . Securing panel  20  is upwardly terminated by straight distal extremity surface  23  parallel to upper surface  13 . Said distal surface has a series of spaced apart slots  24  elongated toward said upper surface and terminating in a confining aperture  25  within said securing panel. Slots  24  preferably have a widened upper extremity in the form of an upwardly flared configuration  27  which facilitates insertion of a line  42  laterally (along axis  50  in  FIG. 1 ), namely in a direction transverse to the direction of elongation of said line. Slots  24  can be straight or tapered. In one version, slots have a width between about 3 and 10 millimeters at their narrowest point, and can be varied within the organizer apparatus.  
         [0036]     A confining aperture  25 , as measured in both horizontal and vertical directions relative to upper surface  13 , is larger than the narrowest width of associated slot  24 . Confining apertures  25  may typically have a circular, oval or rectangular configuration and is much larger in diameter, or major/minor axes, than the diameter of the lines  42  that they secure. It is important that said configuration be horizontally elongated, namely elongated upon axis  52 , parallel to upper surface  13 . The apertures  25  also have a thickness along axis  54  that, in the embodiment shown, is the same as the thickness of panel  20 . In some embodiments, securing panel  20  may be fabricated of a resilient or rubbery material, and attached to base panel  11 .  
         [0037]     By virtue of the aforesaid construction, the organizer apparatus  10  ( FIG. 1 ) can accommodate medical lines  42  (shown with clips or valves  44 ) in an orderly manner. The medical lines may be tubes that convey liquids or gasses to or from the patient, or may be electrical or fiber optic cables utilized to monitor or otherwise administer to the patient&#39;s condition or needs. Such medical lines, when laterally inserted through a slot, are caused to reside within an associated confining aperture in a manner that permits axial and lateral sliding movement of the lines. Thus, although the lines  42  are retained in apparatus  10 , they are free to move back and forth along axis  54 , and even have a limited range of motion along axes  50  and  52 . The flat upper surface  13  permits placement of indicia  40  to identify such confined line. Suitable indicia  40  may include, for example, self-adhesive labels, pen markings, etc. The indicia  40  may also include instructional information. On/off control valves, clamps, hypodermics or other operational features may be associated with appropriate lines adjacent the organizer apparatus.  
         [0038]     Referring once again to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , in one embodiment, multiple ones of the lines  42  may be positioned in at least one of the apertures  25  as shown. This design is particularly well suited for critical care patients. Even with more than one line  42  in one of the apertures  25 , the aperture  25  is sized to provide ample room for the multiple lines  42  to simultaneously move both axially (e.g., longitudinally along axis  54  in  FIG. 1 ) and laterally (e.g., vertically and horizontally along axes  50 ,  52 ). This ample provision of mobility for the lines  42  is important to prevent the lines  42  (i.e., and their catheters from the patient&#39;s veins, etc.) from being dislodged or removed from the patient to whom they are attached, particularly when the patient rolls over or moves suddenly or quickly. Even small amounts of friction between the line(s)  42  and their respective aperture  25  (such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,458,104) can facilitate the accidental removal of the lines  42  from the patient&#39;s body. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the diameter of aperture  25  is much larger than the diameter of a line  42 , and is also significantly larger than the combined diameters of multiple ones of the lines  42 .  
         [0039]     Moreover, in one embodiment, the size of the opening (e.g., the “width opening”) in at least one of the slots  24  (e.g., in the direction of axis  52 ) is smaller than the diameter of one of the lines  42 , as shown. Ideally, the width openings of the slots  24  are smaller than a diameter of the smallest line  42 . Thus, a line  42  will not simply “slip out” of slot  24  without being forcibly squeezed through it by an outward pull (e.g., away from panel  20  in the direction of axis  50 ) through slot  24 . Even a slight about of flexibility in the sidewalls of a line  42  permit this geometric configuration. For example, a line  42  may be grasped in two places (i.e., on both sides of panel  20 ), and then pulled outward from aperture  25  and slot  24 . As the line  42  moves from aperture  25  through slot  24 , its sidewalls undergo a slight elastic deformation to permit its removal from panel  20 . This size restriction of slot  24  prevents the accidental removal of one or more of the lines  42  from aperture  25  without the need of a clamp or closure. See, clamp 70 in FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,458,104. The lack of a clamp or closure also permits an attendant to move or replace individual lines  42  without exposing the entire set of lines  42  to the risk of imminent dislodgement by a patient.  
         [0040]     The present invention has many other advantages as well. For example, the use of patient safety devices and techniques are emphasized by governmental initiatives in hospitals (e.g., The Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation). The present invention is the only IV organizer design that meets the requirements of these initiatives. More specifically, it both contains features that prevent IV medication errors (e.g., placing medication in the wrong line) and interruption of said medication administration by means of a patient accidentally dislodging one or more of his or her IV lines. The most critical patients, which are most likely to need multiple intravenous medications, are also the most often sedated, agitated or obtunded, and therefore also the most likely to disengage themselves from life-supporting medications without knowing anything has gone wrong. IV pumps have alarms to signify that a line has been pinched off, but none to indicate that the medication is flowing freely onto the patient&#39;s bed sheets. The present invention is a failsafe in this regard. Anyone in the federal healthcare bureaucracy would immediately identify this design as a unique and needed addition to the list of technologies geared toward preventing medication mishaps.  
         [0041]     While particular examples of the present invention have been shown and described, it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broadest aspects.