Connector for a thoracic catheter
US5360418A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 15, 1992 |
| Grant date | Nov 1, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 15, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S604/905
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A connector and method is disclosed for connecting a thoracic catheter to a source of suction. The connector comprises a first tube approximately equal in inner diameter to the inner diameter of the main lumen of the thoracic catheter and a second tube connected to and in fluid communication with the first tube along a common longitudinal axis. The first and second tubes form a continuous non-constricted passage through the first and second tubes. In one embodiment, a connecting tube is placed over and in binding contact with the second tube at one end and in contact with the source of suction at the other end. In another embodiment, primarily for use with catheters with a funnel tip for connecting to the source of suction, the first and second tubes have inner diameters approximately equal to the inner diameter of the main lumen of the thoracic catheter. The catheter is cut near the funnel and the first and second tubes of the connector placed in the main lumen of the catheter to produce a continuous non-constricted passage through the catheter. A method for placing this catheter and connector in a patient's thoracic cavity is disclosed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.