Valve connector for medical lines

Abstract

A valve connector for infusion medical lines includes an outer tubular body, an inner hollow spike and an intermediate sealing member formed by an elastic hollow element including a head with a pre-slit normally closed. The elastic hollow element has a base part substantially generally barrel-shaped and a wall having a differentiated radial thickness.

Claims

1. Valve connector for medical lines, comprising: a tubular body having an inlet end designed for the engagement of a fluid introducer and an outlet end, a hollow spike arranged axially within the cavity of the tubular body and having a closed tip facing said inlet end of the tubular body and axially spaced therefrom, said hollow spike being in communication with said outlet end, a sealing member formed by an elastic hollow element interposed between said tubular body and said hollow spike and having an elastic head provided with a pre-slit and normally arranged in a closure condition in said inlet end of the tubular body, wherein said pre-slit is closed; said elastic head being axially moveable against said closed tip of the hollow spike for interacting with said closed tip so as to take an elastically deformed condition of opening of said pre-slit, and said elastic hollow element further comprising a base part radially spaced from said hollow spike so as to define therewith an annular chamber, said base part of the elastic hollow element having a generally barrel-like shape with a wall having a differentiated radial thickness and formed externally with thickened axial lobes, each lobe of said axial lobes having a radial thickness progressively decreasing towards axial areas having minimum thicknesses of said wall, said axial lobes arranged circumferentially adjacent to each other on said base part, and each axial area of said axial areas having minimum thicknesses located circumferentially between a plurality of said axial lobes, said elastic hollow element comprising a first cylindrical portion and said hollow spike comprising a second cylindrical portion, said elastic hollow element elastically deformable in response to an insertion of the fluid introducer into the inlet end such that said axial lobes bend in the annular chamber to fasten the first cylindrical portion against the second cylindrical portion.

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 an axial section schematic view of a valve connector according to the prior art addressed previously,

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view and in larger scale of a component of the connector according to the prior art of FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 is an elevational view of an embodiment of the calve connector according to the invention,

(5) FIG. 4 is an axial sectional view of FIG. 3,

(6) FIG. 5 is an elevational view and in larger scale of a component of the valve connector according of FIG. 3,

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of FIG. 5,

(8) FIG. 7 is an axial sectional view of FIG. 5,

(9) FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view according to line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7, and

(10) FIG. 9 is a perspective view and in larger scale of a detail of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(11) FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of the valve connector according to the prior art document EP-2123322A1 addressed previously. It essentially comprises four components: an outer tubular body 1, an inner hollow spike 2 coaxially arranged in the cavity of the tubular body 1, an elastic sealing member indicated in its entirety with 3, and an annular member 4. Typically, the tubular body 1, the hollow spike 2 and the ring 4 are made of rigid plastic material, while the sealing member 3 is made of an elastic material, silicone rubber for example.

(12) The tubular body 1 has an inlet end 5 shaped to form a female Luer-lock connection member for engagement, in a conventional fashion, with a male Luer-lock connection member of a fluid introducer, constituted by a needleless syringe for example.

(13) The hollow spike 2 has a base part 6 shaped to form a male Luer-lock connection member, or of any other type, permanently joined in 7 to the end of the tubular body 1 opposite to the inlet end 5 thereof. On the base side 6 there integrally projects a tubular pin 8 having an initial portion with a conical outer surface 9 followed by a cylindrical portion 10 formed with at least one through hole 11 and whose free end consists in a closed tip 18 facing the inlet end 5 of the tubular body 1, at a given distance therefrom.

(14) The sealing member 3 comprises, in a single piece, an elastic head 12 having a central pre-slit 13, a generally cylindrical intermediate portion 14 and a base part 15 terminating with an annular flange 16 axially locked between the base 6 of the hollow spike 2 and the hollow body 1.

(15) In the condition of closing the elastic head 12 in the inlet end 5 of the hollow body 1, the pre-slit 13 is kept fastened and closed, thus obtaining an anti-bacterial protection barrier between the interior of the valve connector and the external. In such condition the cylindrical intermediate part 14 of the elastic hollow element 3 is at sealing contact with the cylindrical portion 10 of the hollow spike 2 on sides opposite to the hole 11, and the base part 15 thereof has a substantially cylindrical undeformed configuration, also better observable in FIG. 2. The base part 15 delimits an annular chamber 17 with the conical surface portion 9 of the hollow spike 2.

(16) The containment ring 4 is inextensible and surrounds a part of the cylindrical intermediate portion 14 of the elastic hollow element 3 so as to hold it fastened, in the operative condition of the connector even in the presence of high internal pressure, against the cylindrical portion 10 of the hollow spike 2 thus guaranteeing an airtight sealing on opposite sides with respect to the through opening 11.

(17) In use, when the fluid introducer is engaged through the inlet opening 5 of the tubular body 1, the elastic head 12 is axially pushed towards the internal of the connector thanks to the elastic deformation of the base part 15, which bends in the annular chamber 17. When the elastic head 12 interacts with the closed tip 18 of the hollow spike 2, the pre-slit 13 is opened thus allowing the passage of flow from the introducer to the base connector 6 of the hollow spike 2, through the hole 11 thus placed in communication with the inlet end 5 of the tubular body 1.

(18) The general configuration and operation of the valve connector according to the invention represented in FIGS. 3 and 4 are similar to the ones described previously with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and only the differences will be described in detail using the same reference numbers for the identical or similar parts.

(19) The valve connector according to the invention, as represented in the example, consists in a so-called Y fitting, whose outer body 1 defines a main duct in communication with a secondary lateral duct 2. It should be observed that the valve connector according to the invention could have a general configuration entirely similar to the one represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, i.e. without the secondary duct 2.

(20) The only actual conceptual and distinctive difference of the valve connector according to the invention with respect to the previously described prior art lies in the absence of the containment ring indicated previously with reference number 4, and in a different configuration of the base part 15 of the elastic hollow element 3 comprised between the cylindrical portion 14 thereof and the end flange 16. As illustrated further in detail in FIGS. 5 to 8 the base part 15 has a substantially general barrel-like shape with differentiated radial thickness instead of a cylindrical section with constant section. As even more clearly observable in FIG. 6 and in FIGS. 8 and 9 such base part 15 is externally formed with thickened axial lobes 19 whose radial thickness is maximum at the centre and progressively decreases towards axial areas of minimum thickness 20 of the wall of the base part 15.

(21) Thanks to this distinctive configuration, it was surprisingly observed that the behaviour of the elastic hollow element 15, and thus of the valve connector as whole, is entirely similaras concerns sealing in the operative condition thereofto that of the known connector provided with the containment ring 4, even in case of high internal pressure. It is deemed that this is due to the fact that, when the elastic hollow element 3 is elastically deformed due to the insertion of the fluid introducer into the valve connector and the ensuing opening of the pre-slit 13, the base portion 15 of the elastic hollow element 3 bends in the annular chamber 17 analogously to the case of the connector according to the prior art, but the barrel-like configuration thereof with lobes as previously described acts, deforming, so as to surprisingly fasten the cylindrical portion 14 of such elastic hollow element 3 against the corresponding cylindrical portion 8 of the hollow spike 2, albeit the absence of the containment ring 4. Thus, this allows obtaining a functional result similar to that of the valve connector described previously with reference to the prior art, but obtained in a simpler and more economic fashion in particular as regards the assembly of the valve connector.

(22) In addition, such configuration advantageously allows reducing the overall radial dimensions of the valve connector.

(23) 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.