Patent ID: 8038667

Claim:
A connection hub attachable to the free end of a catheter to enable selective fluid communication with the interior of the catheter, said connection hub comprising: a receiving body comprising at least one clamping jaw and configured to slidably admit the free end of the catheter into said connection hub, the exterior of said receiving body being configured as a planar first actuation handle; a compressible sealing sleeve disposed in the connection hub; a fluid coupling element configured to selectively effect fluid communication with the free end of the catheter when the free end of the catheter is attached to connection hub, said fluid coupling element being rotatably secured to said receiving body for movement relative thereto into and out of a catheter capture condition of said connection hub wherein said connection hub is attached to the free end of the catheter, the exterior of said fluid coupling element being configured as a planar second actuation handle useable in cooperation with said first actuation handle to move said fluid coupling element relative to said receiving body into and out of said catheter capture condition of said connection hub; wherein, in the catheter capture condition, a portion of the fluid coupling element is configured to radially urge the at least one clamping jaw radially inward toward the compressible sealing sleeve; and wherein said first actuation handle is configured as a first semicircular disk and said second actuation handle is configured as a second semicircular disk of diameter and thickness equal to the diameter and thickness of said first semicircular disk, wherein the periphery of said first semicircular disk and the periphery of said second semicircular disk include a linear, diametrical edge, wherein said linear, diametrical edge of the periphery of said first semicircular disk is rotatably abutted to said linear diametrical edge of said second semicircular disk.