Abstract:
A switchable device for closed suction catheters includes a device body and a two-way switch valve. The device body is formed with a valve sleeve, a patient tubing adaptor, a side port, and a catheter adaptor. The valve sleeve is formed with a cavity therein to allow the two-way switch valve to correspondingly rotate with respect to the device body. The catheter adaptor and the patient tubing adaptor are formed on opposing ends of the valve sleeve, thereby able to establish an unobstructed path therebetween. The side port is slantingly formed and extended from the patient tubing adaptor for smooth passage of flow therebetween. A groove is formed on one end of the patient tubing adaptor as a 360-degree freely rotatable coupling element thereof.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The instant disclosure relates to a switchable device for close suction catheters and systems thereof; in particular, to a device having a 360-degree rotatable tubing, and a two-way switch valve that allows a user to quickly and effectively switch directions of flow for secretion suctioning and providing oxygen supply to patients. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Close suction catheters differs from regular catheters in which the prior can perform the suctioning or aspiration procedure on a patient while maintaining the oxygenation and ventilation to patients without removing the tubing to supply oxygen or ventilation, thereby effectively reducing the chances of affecting the critical oxygen supply to patients, preventing the patients from respiratory infections and the environment from exposure to infectious materials. 
         [0005]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , during the suctioning procedure, a conventional closed suction catheter  1   a  is typically connected to the patient through a fitting  11   a . However, the conventional catheter  1   a  lacks a device providing an opening and closing control which prevents the materials which flow through a catheter  12   a,  a tubing  13   a,  and a ventilation tubing  14   a  to intermix, thereby rendering inconvenience and additional risks on the patients. To prevent such inconvenience, an additional flow control device (not shown in figure) can be disposed between the fitting  11   a,  the catheter  12   a,  and the tubing  13   a  to control flow therebetween. However, such device requires at least three isolated valves and has a complicated structure. Thus, the conventional device increases production cost and functional inconvenience. 
         [0006]    Furthermore, in common suctioning procedures, physicians usually consider the safer application of catheters to help patients remove secretions from the airways especially for patients who are not capable of removing the secretions themselves. During the suctioning procedure, the catheter must be advanced into the trachea, reached the intersection of the trachea and the bronchus of the patient, and then withdrawn approximately one to two centimeters in order to perform suctioning. As a resulting, such procedure can cause discomfort in patients, and increase the chance of infections caused by bacteria. In addition, since the procedure requires moving of the trachea, such actions may lead to cardiac arrhythmia, slowing of the heart, or heart failure which may directly endanger the lives of the patients. 
         [0007]    To address the above issues, the inventor strives via associated experience and research to present the instant disclosure, which can effectively improve the limitation described above. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The instant disclosure provides a switchable device for closed suction catheter systems for facilitating medical staffs to quickly and effectively change fluid flow via a two-way switch valve. Through a 360-degree of free rotational tubing, the instant disclosure is compatible with the various types of medical environment and effectively enhances the setup speed to alleviate the burden on the patients. The switchable device includes a device body integrally formed with a valve sleeve defining a cavity interconnected with an opening arranged proximate to the top of the valve sleeve. A patient tubing adaptor is formed on and interconnected with a side of the valve sleeve and is formed with a groove on an end of the patient tubing adaptor to engage and freely rotate with respect to a patient end adaptor. A side port is slantingly extended from and interconnected with the patient tubing adaptor, and a catheter adaptor is formed on and interconnected with a side opposing the patient tubing adaptor of the valve sleeve. A two-way switch valve is defined by a stem and a knob and is engaged to the device body in a freely rotatable fit. The stem is securely disposed in the cavity and formed with a first opening and a second opening to communicate flow therebetween. The knob is integrally formed with a plurality of handles and is generally arranged on the apex of the stem. 
         [0009]    Moreover, the switchable device may also include a catheter sleeve and a press control valve to form a closed suction catheter system. 
         [0010]    What is noteworthy are the junction formed between the patient tubing adaptor and the catheter adaptor of the switchable device via the two-way switch valve, and the side port formed slantingly on the patient tubing adaptor which lower production cost and enhance efficiency of fluid flow control. In addition, the switchable device is compatible with various medical environments due to the 360-degree freedom of rotation from the structural design of the patient tubing adaptor and the patient end adaptor. Furthermore, the closed suction catheter system includes an indicator which is selectively paired with a plurality of depth markings formed on the catheter. Successively, the catheter can advance into an airway of the patient with a pre-determined distance in a safe and reduced infectious fashion. 
         [0011]    In order to further understand the instant disclosure, the following embodiments and illustrations are provided. However, the detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the disclosure, rather than limiting the scope being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional closed suction catheter device; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the switchable device according to an embodiment of the instant disclosure; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the switchable device according to the embodiment of the instant disclosure; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4A  is a schematic diagram of the switchable device according to the embodiment of the instant disclosure; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4B  is a second schematic diagram of the switchable device according to the embodiment of the instant disclosure; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5A  is a third schematic diagram of the switchable device according to the embodiment of the instant disclosure; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5B  is a fourth schematic diagram of the switchable device according to the embodiment of the instant disclosure; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the closed suction catheter system according to the embodiment of the instant disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    The instant disclosure relates to a switchable device  1  for closed suction catheter systems to aspirate secretions from a patient defined as a distal end while maintaining respiratory support to the patient via a closed suction catheter system defined as a proximal end, ventilation tubing, and related components. Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the device  1  includes a device body  10 , and a two-way switch valve  20 . The device  1  includes and is formed integrally with a valve sleeve  101 , a patient tubing adaptor  102 , a side port  103 , and a catheter adaptor  104  to effectively prevent incidence of secondary and viral infections. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the patient tubing adaptor  102  and the catheter adaptor  104  are formed on opposite sides of the valve sleeve  101 . The valve sleeve  101  defines a cavity  101   a  for communicating fluids between the patient tubing adaptor  102  and the catheter adaptor  104 , and for conformingly retaining a two-way switch valve  20  in the cavity  101   a.  The valve sleeve  101  also defines an opening  101   b.  The side port  103  is slantingly formed at an obtuse angle and extended from the patient tubing adaptor  102  for smoothly communicating gas flow therebetween without restrain, thus facilitates breathing for tracheostomy patients and reduces the chance for accidents. Moreover, the two-way switch valve  20  accurately controls fluid flow directions such as communicating fluid flow between the patient tubing adaptor  102  and the catheter adaptor  104  or communicating fluid flow between patient tubing adaptor  102  and the side port  103  for preventing fluid flow between the side port  103  and the cavity  101   a  via a misalignment design (as illustrated in  FIG. 4A and 4B ). As a result, the conventional three-way valve (referring to  FIG. 1 ) can be eliminated, production cost can be effectively reduced and the efficiency of fluid control can be improved. 
         [0021]    The two-way switch valve  20  includes a knob  202  and a stem  201  while rotationally engaged to the device body  10 . The stem  201  is conformingly disposed in the cavity  101   a  of the valve sleeve  101  through the opening  101   b . Moreover, the stem  201  defines a first opening  201   a  and a second opening  201   b  forming on opposing sides of the stem  201  thereby forming a channel for communicating fluids therein. The proximal end of the patient tubing adaptor  102  is correspondingly arranged to communicate flow with the first opening  201   a,  the distal end of the catheter adaptor  104  is correspondingly arranged to communicate flow with the second openings  201   b  or the vice versa, thereby establishing an inline configuration for communicating flow between the first and second openings  201   a,    201   b,  the patient tubing adaptor  102  and the catheter adaptor  104 . The knob  202  is formed with a plurality of handles  202   a  extending therefrom for facilitating turning of the knob  202  and is integrally formed on the apex of the stem  201 . Furthermore in  FIG. 3 , the patient tubing adaptor  102  of the device body  10  is coupled with a patient end adaptor  30 . The patient tubing adaptor  102  defines a groove  102   a  forming around the periphery of the tubing adaptor  102  to allow a 360-degree freedom of rotation with the patient end adaptor  30  while coupled therewith. While suitable in all kinds of medical environment, the freedom of rotation prevents accidental suction loss caused by obstruction of flow when patients flip and turn. To summarize the aforementioned, the device  1  is functionally convenient wherein the knob  202  enables the two-way switch valve  20  to be rotated respectively with the device body  10 , rendering the catheter adaptor  104  to have an open state, thus allowing the side port  103  to supply oxygen or ventilation to the patient while secretions are being aspirated. By closing the two-way switch valve  20  after aspiration, the catheter adaptor  104  is isolated from the patient end while maintaining the PEEP (positive end expiratory pressure) level of the patient without being affected by a suctioning force from a vacuum source (not shown in figures) at the proximal end. The two-way switch valve  20  also prevents backwash of secretions to the patient end. The instant disclosure is conveniently produced by forming the generally hollowed device body  10  having two open ends and the two-way switch valve  20  conformingly and rotatably arranged within the body  10  to facilitate control of the fluid flow within the catheter adaptor  104 , thus resulting in the structurally simple, easily operable, and low cost switchable device  1 . 
         [0022]    Turning to  FIG. 2  in conjunction with  FIG. 3  for the perspective view and the exploded view of the instant embodiment, respectively. Both figures further illustrates the instant embodiment wherein the patient tubing adaptor  102  defines a ring member  102   b  and a plurality of shoulders  102   c  forming around the periphery of the patient tubing adaptor  102  near the proximal end. The shoulders  102   c  are preferably formed by elastic materials. The ring member  102   b  and the shoulders  102   c  form the groove  102   a  which engages within the patient end adaptor  30 . Specifically, the patient end adaptor  30  includes two generally hollowed layers, an inner layer  301  and an outer layer  302 . The inner layer  301  is formed with a lip  301   a  therein which conformingly engages with the groove  102   a  thereby allowing the patient tubing adaptor  102  to conformingly engage while rotate with respect to the patient end adaptor  30 . Therefore, the instant disclosure is not limited to a single directional application and is compatible with various types of medical equipment (such as suction machines) in hospitals. To facilitate rotation between the patient tubing adaptor  102  and the patient end adaptor  30 , silicone oil can be applied between the lip  301   a  and the groove  102   a  for the purpose of electrical insulation, waterproof, and seal strengthening. Additionally, the side port  103  has similar structure as the patient tubing adaptor  102  to enable directionally unrestricted compatibility with medical equipment (such as breathing machine) and prevent restricted ventilation or removal of secretions. As mentioned, arranged opposing from the patient tubing adaptor  102  is the catheter adaptor  104 . The catheter adaptor  104  is formed with a flush port  104   a,  and a flush tubing  104   b  disposed within the flush port  104   a  for communicating fluid flow between the catheter adaptor  104 , the flush port  104   a,  and the flush tubing  104   b.    
         [0023]    Furthermore, the patient end adaptor  30  further includes a transparent housing  303 . The patient tubing adaptor  102  is formed with an indicator  102   d  having a colored signage. The indicator  102   d  can also be arranged on a tangent, a slot, a protrusion, or as an indicator ring integrally formed with the tubing adaptor  102  or be directly printed in the form of a printing mark on the tubing adaptor  102 . While the entire side port  103  and tubing adaptor  102  are preferably produced by transparent materials, portions or the entire transparent housing  303  are preferably produced with transparent materials, and the indicator  102   d  is preferably a colored protrusion. The first opening  201   a  and the second opening  201   b  are arranged on opposing sides of the stem  201  forming a channel to communicate fluids between the first opening  201   a,  the second opening  201   b,  the tubing adaptor  102  and the catheter adaptor  104 . Two handles  202   a  are correspondingly formed with the first and second openings  201   a,    201   b  while a directional marking is integrally formed on the apex of the knob  202  for facilitating directional control of fluid flow. 
         [0024]    Moreover, the catheter adaptor  104  may be formed with at least one rib  104   c  arranging on the exterior surface of the catheter adaptor  104  to structurally support the radially retracted design of the catheter adaptor  104 , thereby significantly reducing production cost. In the instant embodiment, two radially opposing pairs of ribs  104   c  are arranged on the exterior surface of the catheter adaptor  104  extending along the entire length thereof. However, the shape, quantity, and arrangement of the ribs  104   c  can be modified based on the desired design and is not limited to the examples of the instant embodiment provided therein. 
         [0025]    Furthermore, the catheter adaptor  104  of the instant embodiment includes a catheter (not shown in figures) having a protective sleeve (not shown in figures) inserted from the proximal end. By rotating the knob  202  to a configuration as illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the first and second openings  201   a,    201   b  are correspondingly arranged with the patient tubing adaptor  102  and the catheter adaptor  104  in the inline configuration for communicating flow. Successively, the catheter can be advanced into an airway of the patient through the catheter adaptor  104 , the second, first openings  201   b    201   a,  and the patient tubing adaptor  102 . Consequently, through the suction provided by the vacuum source (not shown in figures) connecting to the catheter (not shown in figures) at the proximal end, sputum and secretions can be removed from the patient along with a tracheostomy tube (not shown in figures) through the inline configuration. In addition, during the aspiration procedure, the side port  103  continuously supplies oxygen to the patient through the patient tubing adaptor  102 . After the aspiration procedure, the catheter is retracted through the patient tubing adaptor  102 , the first and second openings  201   a,    201   b,  and then drawn back into the catheter adaptor  104 . Thereafter, the knob  202  is rotated through which the patient tubing adaptor  102  is isolated from the catheter adaptor  104  at the patient end as illustrated in  FIG. 4B . As a result, PEEP (positive end expiratory pressure) level of the patient is maintained without affected by the suctioning force from the vacuum source. Since the catheter adaptor  104  is isolated, a rinsing region (not labeled) arranged between the knob  202  and the catheter adaptor  104  may be flushed via the flush tubing  104   b,  which increases the cleanliness and efficiency while effectively prevent backwash of secretions or cleaning solution to the patient end or to the environment during flushing. More importantly, while the rinsing region is being flushed via the flush tubing  104   b,  the side port  103  can continuously and hermetically supply oxygen to the patient through the interconnected patient tubing adaptor  102 . In summary, the instant embodiment, despite the rotation of the knob  202 , the side port  103  still continuously supplies oxygen to the patient through the patient tubing adaptor  102 . 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 5A and 5B , the switchable device  1  may also be applied with a catheter sleeve  40  engaged to the proximal end of the catheter adaptor  104 . The catheter sleeve  40  includes a generally long flexible catheter  401  defined with at least one concaved opening  401   b  on the distal end of the catheter  401 . In addition, the catheter  401  is formed with a plurality of depth markings  401   a  on the external surface thereof. Each of the depth markings  401   a  can be formed at a pre-determined distance therebetween as a printed mark. However, the formation of the depth markings  401   a  is not limited to the examples of the instant embodiment provided therein. The catheter  401  can be inserted through the device body  10  from the proximal end through the inline configuration towards the distal end. As the catheter  401  is advanced through the device body  10  towards the distal end, the indicator  102   d  is selectively paired with one of the depth markings  401   a . Hence, medical staffs can selectively pair the desired depth marking  401   a  with the indicator  102   d  by viewing through the transparent patient tubing adaptor  102  and the transparent housing  303  of the patient end adaptor  30 , thereby controlling the exact distance the catheter  401  is extended from the patient tubing adaptor  102  (not shown in figures). 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 5A , as the catheter  401  is advanced from the catheter adaptor  104  towards the patient tubing adaptor  102 , the indicator  102   d  is correspondingly paired with the depth marking  401   a  at an example value of  40 . The example value of  40  represents the distal end of the catheter  401  defined with at least one concaved opening  401   b  is 40 inches away from the patient tubing adaptor  102 . Similarly in  FIG. 5B , as the indicator  102   d  is correspondingly paired with the depth marking  401   a  at an example value of 25. The example value of 25 represents the distal end of the catheter  401  defined with at least one concaved opening  401   b  is 25 inches away from the patient tubing adaptor  102 . Therefore, through the application of the indicator  102   d,  the distance extending from the patient tubing adaptor  102  can be quickly and conveniently identified and the setup time can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, an injection port  105  may be formed on the patient tubing adaptor  102  for medication injections which removes secretion residue. The injection port  105  includes an injection tubing  105   a,  and an injection cap  105   b  disposing on one end of the injection tubing  105   a.    
         [0028]    Turning to  FIG. 6 , the instant embodiment of instant disclosure also includes a closed suction catheter system  2  having a press control valve  50  and a corrugated tubing  60  coupled with the patient tubing adaptor  102 . The catheter sleeve  40  is disposed between and engaged with the switchable device  1  and the press control valve  50  on opposite ends. Specifically, the catheter sleeve  40  also includes a seal bushing (not numbered), a scraper ring (not shown), and two collars  402 , wherein each of the collars  402  secures the sleeve  40  with an inferential fit around the periphery of the press control valve  50  and the device  1 . Thus, the catheter  401  can be advanced and drawn back from the airway of the patient through the corrugated tubing  60 . In the instant embodiment, the seal bushing is a rubber material which seals off the catheter  401  to the environment, thus preventing medical staffs from exposure to the bacteria or viruses in secretions. The scraper ring is disposed between the collar  402  and the device  1  for scraping and removing secretions. The scraper ring is preferably fabricated from a rubber material. 
         [0029]    Furthermore, the press control valve  50  includes a valve adaptor  501  and a suction adaptor  502  to facilitate medical staffs to perform the suction procedure. In addition, the patient tubing adaptor  102  may be coupled with an oxygenating machine (not shown in figures) to provide the patient with oxygen, and the injection port  105  may be formed with a scraper structure (not shown in figures) to scrap off and collect secretions. 
         [0030]    In summary, the instant disclosure includes the device body  10  generally opened in two opposing ends and the two-way switch valve  20  correspondingly rotatable with respect to the body  10 . With the misalignment design of the two-way switch valve  20  and the side port  103 , the switchable device  1  provides a simple, easy to operate, and low cost structure for effectively control the opening and closing of fluid flow within, Moreover, the 360-degree freedom of rotation is provided by the structural elements such as the shoulder  102   c  and the groove  102   a  of the patient tubing adaptor  102 . As a result, the freedom of rotation is suitable in various medical environments and prevents accidental suction loss caused by obstruction of flow when patients turn and flip. In addition, the instant disclosure also provides the indicator  102   d  which selectively pairs with one of the depth markings  401   a.  Hence, through the transparent patient tubing adaptor  102  and the transparent housing  303 , the indicator  102   d  can be clearly and selectively paired with the desired depth marking  401   a,  thereby controlling the exact distance of the catheter  401  being advanced into an airway of the patient in a safe, comfortable, and bacterial infection reducing fashion. Besides clear pairing with the depth markings  401   a,  the indicator  102   d  also provides quick and convenient control of the exact distance of the catheter  401  extending from the patient tubing adaptor  102 , thereby reducing setup time. Furthermore, whereby with the ribs  104   c  providing structural support to the radially retracted design of the catheter adaptor  104 , cost is significantly reduced. 
         [0031]    The figures and descriptions supra set forth illustrated the preferred embodiments of the instant disclosure; however, the characteristics of the instant disclosure are by no means restricted thereto. All changes, alternations, combinations or modifications conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the instant disclosure delineated by the following claims.