Patent ID: 7341058

Claim:
In a valved manifold of the type used in a patient ventilation/aspiration system, including a valve comprising a hollow stem defined by an approximately cylindrical sidewall and a first port through said sidewall, said stem being positioned within a valve housing, which openly communicates through a second port with a catheter entry channel in an arrangement permitting said stem to rotate within said housing between a first closed position in which said stem blocks fluid flow through said second port and a second open position in which said first port registers with said second port, whereby a catheter may be inserted through said entry channel and said first port into said hollow stem, an improvement which comprises: a pocket cavity associated with said first port and shaped and dimensioned to accommodate the local rotation of an inserted catheter, as structure of said valve is displaced toward a closed position, such that a wall portion of said catheter is folded over, preferentially to being sheared through by, structure associated with said valve.