Patent ID: 8568371

Claim:
A medical valve having an open mode that permits fluid flow, and a closed mode that prevents fluid flow, the medical valve comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet, the housing also having at least one relief zone in fluid communication with the outlet when the valve is in the closed mode; a plug member movably mounted within the passageway and having a proximal end and a distal end, the plug member having a hole between its proximal and distal end; and a resilient member having a first seal member, the seal member sealing the hole when the valve is in the closed mode, the relief zone being radially outward of the first seal member relative to a longitudinal axis of the medical valve, the at least one relief zone being configured such that a proximally directed pressure within the valve increases the seal at the hole by creating a radially inward pressure on the resilient member and the first seal member.