Pressure pod for haemodialysis medical lines

Abstract

A pressure pod for haemodialysis medical lines includes a hollow body with an intermediate flexible membrane which delimits a gas chamber and a liquid chamber with inlet and outlet tubular fittings for connection to the haemodialysis medical line. A female luer-lock connector has an outer tubular body and an inner tubular body on which the outer tubular body is axially blocked rotatably. A tubular fitting is engaged within an annular cavity formed between the inner and outer tubular bodies of the female connector.

Claims

1. A pressure pod for haemodialysis medical lines comprising: a hollow body formed by an upper half-shell and a lower half-shell which delimit a gas chamber and a liquid chamber, respectively, hermetically separated from each other by an intermediate flexible membrane, the liquid chamber having inlet and outlet tubular connectors for connection to a haemodialysis line, and a female connector comprising an outer tubular body made of a relatively rigid thermoplastic material and an inner tubular body made of a relatively soft thermoplastic material coaxially fitted within the outer tubular body, said outer tubular body being rotatable relative to the inner tubular body and axially blocked thereon to inhibit movement of said outer tubular body distally and proximally relative to said inner tubular body, an annular cavity defined between proximal axial portions of the inner and outer tubular bodies, and at least one of said tubular connectors received within said annular cavity and connected to said inner tubular body of the female connector.

2. The pressure pod according to claim 1, wherein said annular cavity is radially delimited by an outer annular stop of said proximal axial portion of the inner tubular body against which said at least one tubular fitting is frontally abutting.

3. The pressure pod according to claim 1 further comprising a male luer protection cap releasably applied to said female connector.

4. The pressure pod according to claim 1, wherein said proximal axial portion of the outer tubular body comprises radially projecting manoeuvre fins.

5. The pressure pod according to claim 2 further comprising a male luer protection cap releasably applied to said female connector.

6. The pressure pod according to claim 2, wherein said proximal axial portion of the outer tubular body comprises radially projecting manoeuvre fins.

7. The pressure pod according to claim 3, wherein said proximal axial portion of the outer tubular body comprises radially projecting manoeuvre fins.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will now be described in detail, purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a pressure pod for haemodialysis medical lines according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is a front elevational view—and in larger scale—of the pressure pod,

(4) FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view according to line III-III of FIG. 2,

(5) FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view according to line IV-IV of FIG. 3, and

(6) FIG. 5 shows—in larger scale—a detail of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) With reference to the drawings, a pressure pod for haemodialysis medical lines according to the invention is indicated in its entirety with 1.

(8) The pressure pod 1 consists in a hollow body made of moulded plastic material formed by an upper half-shell 2 and by a lower half-shell 3 whose perimeter edges are hermetically connected to each other in 4 by interposing an intermediate flexible membrane 6.

(9) The membrane 6 delimits a gas chamber 7 and a liquid chamber 8, mutually hermetically separated respectively with the upper half-shell 2 and the lower half-shell 3.

(10) The upper half-shell 2 is integrally formed with a tubular fitting 9 for connecting the gas chamber 7 to a pressure measuring device of the known type, in turn connected to an electronic unit that regulates the amount of gas in the chamber 7 so as to control the position of the membrane 6.

(11) The lower half-shell 3 is integrally formed, on opposite sides, with an inlet tubular fitting 10 and an outlet tubular fitting 11 for connecting the pressure pod 1 to a haemodialysis medical line.

(12) At least one of the fittings 10, 11, and in the case of the illustrated example the outlet fitting 11, is provided with a female luer-lock connector 12 for attaching a supplementary male luer lock connector of a duct of the medical line, usually connected to the dialyser.

(13) According to the distinctive characteristic of the invention, the female connector 12 is formed by an outer tubular body 13 made of relatively rigid thermoplastic material, and an inner tubular body 14 made of relatively soft thermoplastic material, coaxially inserted in the outer tubular body 13. The general configuration of the female connector 12 may be similar to the one described and illustrated in EP-0775501B1, on behalf of the Applicant, but with the substantial difference to be outlined hereinafter.

(14) The outer tubular body 13 is formed—on one side—with an outer threading 15 for fastening the male luer lock connector, and—on the opposite side—with a pair of juxtaposed manoeuvre radial fins 16, through which the rotation of the outer tubular body 13 is comfortably controlled. Internally, the outer tubular body 13 is formed with an annular relief 17 for the rotatable axial retention thereof in a corresponding outer annular groove 18 of the inner tubular body 14.

(15) The inner tubular body 14 defines—at the distal end thereof—a luer cone 19, and the proximal axial portion thereof—indicated with 20—forms—with the proximal axial portion 21 of the outer tubular body 13—an annular cavity 22 inside which the tubular fitting 11 of the lower half-shell 3 is engaged. Such tubular fitting 11 is hermetically sealingly fixed, by gluing for example, on the proximal portion 20 of the inner tubular body 14, while the proximal portion 21 of the outer tubular body 13 is rotatable on such tubular fitting 11.

(16) This arrangement is used to obtain—between the pressure pod 1 and the duct of the haemodialysis line—a connection that is rotatable but simultaneously rigid to flexion, with the guarantee of a perfect hermetic sealing and without risk of inadvertent blocking of the duct.

(17) As illustrated in detail in FIG. 5, the annular cavity 22 is radially delimited by a collar or outer annular stop 23 of the proximal portion 20 of the inner tubular body 14, against which the end of the tubular fitting 11 frontally abuts so as to further increase efficiency in terms of perfect hermetic sealing connection thereof with the female connector 12.

(18) A male luer protection cap removably applied to the female connector 12, is indicated with 24. The protection cap 24 is obviously removed when the pressure pod 1 is connected to the haemodialysis medical line.

(19) Obviously, the construction details and the embodiments may widely vary with respect to what has been described and illustrated, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention, as defined in the claims that follow.