JP2018198835A - Coupler for blood purifier - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a coupler for a blood purifier in which operability is good, sealability is also preferable, cleanliness is easily secured, and assembly and disassembly are easy with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A coupler for a blood purifier includes a hollow cylindrically-shaped wetted part having a wetted surface where the dialysate comes in contact therewith in an inner circumferential side, and a slide part sliding to the wetted part when separated or connected from/with a partner member. The coupler for the blood purifier is a pair of coupler being connected to the blood purifier in the hemodialysis, and being connected in a communication state with each other in the cleaning of the wetted part. A cylindrical shell-shaped sleeve part is interposed between the slide part and the wetted part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a coupler for a blood purifier, and in particular, is connected to a dialysate port of a blood purifier such as a dialyzer that is equipped in a dialyzer, and dialysate supplied through a tube from the dialyzer to the blood purifier. The present invention relates to a coupler for blood purifier that can be used as a connecting tool for supplying.

  In a dialyzer in a blood purifier, for example, a hemodialysis apparatus, a tube of an external circuit can be normally attached to and detached from the inlet / outlet side by a coupler method. In the hemodialysis apparatus, after dialysis is completed, the dialysate supply / discharge coupler connected to the inlet / outlet side connection port of the dialyzer is removed and used for washing. This coupler part is sufficiently washed from the viewpoint that the inside is likely to become a contamination source for the next dialysis and the like, and the dialysate to be supplied next can be kept as clean as possible. There is a need. As a cleaning method of the coupler, a blood purifier is bypassed and a cleaning adapter is provided, and at the time of cleaning, the coupler connected to the inlet / outlet side connection port of the blood purifier is removed, and they are connected to the adapter inlet / outlet side. A system (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2) in which a cleaning liquid is made to flow through a connection port is known.

  When the two couplers themselves are connected for cleaning and the flow path is short-circuited, they are connected via a connecting rod having nozzles of international standard (ISO8637) for dialysate inlet / outlet ports at both ends of the coupler. The structure of such a coupler is excellent in that the coupler can be easily detached from the nozzle simply by moving a cylindrical slider set on the outer periphery, but by attaching an O-ring or ball lock mechanism parts to the inner surface of the coupler. Since it has a complicated inner surface structure and the distal portion from the O-ring does not directly contact the cleaning flow path, it becomes a hydrodynamic dead space and becomes a hotbed for bacterial contamination.

  Further, when cleaning, a connecting rod for connecting the coupler is inserted into the coupler, and this portion is not exposed to the flow path, so that cleaning is not performed, which is a serious cause of contamination. For example, when a conventional coupler is used to desorb the dialysate supply pipe in hemodialysis for the treatment of patients with chronic renal failure, bacteria and endotoxin actually migrate from the contaminated coupler section to the flow path. There are concerns about harmful effects. Although antibacterial couplers have been devised to solve such contamination of conventional couplers, although a certain degree of pollution control effect is recognized, the release of a small amount of endotoxin is observed from one to several weeks after installation, and bacteriology It is still not perfect for maintaining cleanliness. That is, it can be said that the use of the connecting rod for connecting the coupler during cleaning is unavoidable, and the portion in close contact with the connecting rod is not cleaned.

  Therefore, it is composed of a pair of tubular members having rubber-like elasticity, and each of the pair of tubular members has a close contact portion with a medical member to be connected in its lumen, and is axially perpendicular to the joint side. A dialysis coupler having a smooth surface has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-051945 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-248924 JP 2002-065846 A

  The dialysis coupler described in Patent Document 3 has a simple internal structure because it does not require mounting of an O-ring, a ball lock mechanism component, or the like in order to connect the coupler in a liquid-tight state. In addition, since a connecting rod is not required for washing, the risk of contamination of bacteria and endotoxin and bacterial growth is reduced, and furthermore, it can be connected easily and reliably in a liquid-tight state. For this purpose, the couplers are directly connected to each other without requiring a connecting tool. However, when silicone rubber is used as the material of the coupler body, the slidability is poor, so that the operability of the cylindrical member (slide grip) is deteriorated, and when the silicone rubber is connected to the blood purifier nozzle, Since the outer shape swells, it is necessary to move the cylindrical member to a rear position that is not affected in advance.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is for a blood purifier that solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the background art, has good operability, has good sealing properties, easily ensures cleanliness, and is easy to assemble and disassemble with a simple structure. It is to provide a coupler.

  In order to solve the above problems, a coupler for a blood purifier according to the present invention is provided when a hollow cylindrical liquid contact portion having a liquid contact surface with which a dialysate is in contact on the inner circumferential side and a counterpart member are separated or connected. A pair of couplers, each of which is connected to a blood purifier at the time of hemodialysis, and is connected in communication with each other at the time of washing of the liquid contact part. A cylindrical shell-shaped sleeve portion is interposed between the liquid portions.

  In such a blood purifier coupler, since the sleeve portion can be formed of a material different from the liquid contact portion, the liquid contact portion is formed of a material excellent in cleanness, and the sleeve portion is formed of a material excellent in slipperiness. By forming, good slipperiness can be exhibited between the sleeve portion and the slide portion. As a result, the operability when the slide part is slid with respect to the liquid contact part to attach / detach the pair of couplers is improved.

  In the coupler for blood purifier according to the present invention, it is preferable that a slit extending over the entire length is formed in the sleeve portion. For example, by configuring the sleeve portion with a flexible material, the sleeve portion can be flexibly deformed, so that the blood purifier can be easily assembled and disassembled. Also, when the coupler is connected to the blood purifier, the inner diameter of the wetted part is expanded, but by expanding the slit width, the sleeve part can also be expanded following the expanded diameter of the wetted part. .

  In the coupler for blood purifier according to the present invention, it is preferable that the sleeve portion is formed so as to be able to be fitted to the slide portion via a protrusion, and particularly when connected to the blood purifier, the sleeve portion. Is preferably configured to fit with the slide portion. In order to realize such a configuration, for example, when the coupler is not connected to the blood purifier, the fitting portion formed on the slide portion and the protrusion do not fit, and the coupler is connected to the blood purifier. Only when the diameter of the wetted part is increased, the dimension of the protrusion may be set so that the sleeve part and the slide part are fitted via the protrusion by the diameter of the sleeve part.

  In the coupler for blood purifier according to the present invention, it is preferable that the liquid contact portion is made of silicone rubber. Silicone rubber is a material with excellent cleanliness, but it has a high coefficient of friction and poor slipperiness, which has been a factor that deteriorates the operability of the slide part. By interposing the shell-shaped sleeve portion, it is possible to improve the operability of the slide portion while maintaining good cleanliness of the liquid contact portion.

  In the blood purifier coupler according to the present invention, it is preferable that the wetted part is washed in a state where the central axis of the wetted part is held at an angle of 15 ° to 90 ° with respect to a horizontal plane. For example, by cleaning the wetted part while holding the coupler at an angle of 15 ° to 90 ° with a coupler hanger, it is possible to prevent bubble accumulation and improve the cleaning efficiency.

  According to the coupler for blood purifier according to the present invention, since a sleeve portion having a cylindrical shell shape is interposed between the slide portion and the liquid contact portion, good slipperiness is achieved between the sleeve portion and the slide portion. It is possible to improve the operability when the pair of couplers are attached / detached by sliding the slide portion with respect to the liquid contact portion.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the coupler for blood purifier according to one embodiment of the present invention and showing a stage before joining a pair of couplers. It is side surface sectional drawing after joining the coupler for blood purifiers shown in FIG. 1 for washing | cleaning. It is a front view which shows the operation procedure at the time of connecting the coupler for blood purifiers of FIG. 1 to the connection port of a dialyzer. FIG. 2 is an external view when the blood purifier coupler of FIG. 1 is connected for cleaning and the coupler is installed on a coupler hanger provided in the dialysis apparatus.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment shown below exemplifies a dialysis coupler for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and is not intended to specify the present invention. Other embodiments included in are equally applicable.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a coupler for blood purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a side sectional view showing a stage before joining a pair of couplers. The couplers 1 and 2 are respectively attached to the dialyzer 20 during dialysis as shown in FIG. 3, and are joined to each other as shown in FIG.

  The coupler 1 includes a liquid contact part (coupler body) 3, a slide part 5, and a pipe joint 9, and a sleeve part 4 is interposed between the liquid contact part 3 and the slide part 5. Similarly, the coupler 2 includes a liquid contact portion 6, a slide portion 8, and a pipe joint 10, and a sleeve portion 7 is interposed between the liquid contact portion 6 and the slide portion 8.

  The liquid contact parts 3 and 6 are composed of a seal part of the connection port (nozzle) of the dialyzer, a fitting part to the nozzle constriction, a joint part between the pipe joints 9 and 10, and a flange seal part. The liquid contact parts 3 and 6 are made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, butyl rubber, or EPDM. Since the flange seal surface is held in a tightly bonded state for a long time and easily adheres, the original flange surface can be tapered to have a taper angle θ1 to reduce adhesion. In addition, if the innermost surface of the flange has the highest taper shape, the innermost peripheral surface can be sealed, so that the stagnant portion can be reduced and the remaining of the cleaning agent or the like can be suppressed.

  Since the sleeve portions 4 and 7 in FIG. 1 are provided with a slit extending over the entire length at one place on the circumference, assembly is easy even when the liquid contact portions 3 and 6 are formed of silicone rubber. Moreover, since the sleeve parts 4 and 7 cover the outer periphery of the wetted part after assembly, the sliding property when the slide parts 5 and 8 are slid or rotated is good. The sleeve portions 4 and 7 are formed of a material having good sliding properties such as hard plastics such as polyacetal, ABS resin, and polysulfone, and include flanges that back up the flange seal surfaces of the liquid contact portions 3 and 6. Further, a plurality of partial slits may be provided in the sleeve portions 4 and 7 so as to be easily deformed.

  Since the slide parts 5 and 8 in FIG. 1 are used as sliding grips, the slide parts 5 and 8 are configured with smooth irregularities so that they are easy to adjust to the hand and easy to wipe off when blood or the like adheres. When the couplers 1 and 2 are joined for cleaning, the fitting protrusion (male thread) 17 provided on the slide portion 5 is fitted into the fitting groove (female thread) 18 to maintain the joined state. The slide parts 5 and 8 are made of hard plastic such as polyacetal, ABS resin, polysulfone, for example. In addition, the springs for urging the slide parts 5 and 8 toward the flanges of the sleeve parts 4 and 7 are incorporated in the couplers 1 and 2 so that the joining operation of the couplers and the couplers 1 and 2 are connected to the connection port (nozzle of the dialyzer). ) Can be easily fixed.

  The pipe joints 9 and 10 in FIG. 1 are made of, for example, hard plastic such as polyacetal, ABS resin, or polysulfone, and are made of PPSU material for hot water cleaning. The pipe joints 9 and 10 liquid-tightly connect a tube that is a flow path of the dialysate supplied from the dialyzer and the liquid contact parts 3 and 6. In view of the handling of the tube, the shapes of the pipe joints 9 and 10 are preferably L-shaped.

  The stopper members 15 and 16 in FIG. 1 are made of, for example, hard plastic such as polyacetal, ABS resin, polysulfone, etc., and are formed of slit-containing rings. The stopper members 15 and 16 are interposed between the liquid contact portion and the slide portion so that the slide portions 5 and 8 attached to the liquid contact portions 3 and 6 are not easily detached from the liquid contact portions 3 and 6. It is. Since the stopper members 15 and 16 cover the outer circumferences of the liquid contact parts 3 and 6, the stopper parts 15 and 16 assist the functions of the sleeve parts 4 and 7 to further improve the sliding property with the slide parts 5 and 8.

  FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view after the blood purifier couplers shown in FIG. 1 are joined together for cleaning. When the coupler 1 and the coupler 2 are joined, the joining seal surfaces 13 and 14 are brought into close contact with each other, the fitting protrusion 17 is fitted into the fitting groove 18, and the washing liquid is supplied from the dialysate / washing liquid inlet 12 of the pipe joint 10. It flows in and cleans the surfaces of the liquid contact parts 3, 6, and the washing drainage is discharged from the dialysate / washing liquid outlet 11 of the pipe joint 9.

  FIG. 3 is a front view showing an operation procedure when the blood purifier coupler of FIG. 1 is connected to the connection port of the dialyzer. When the connection port (nozzle) of the dialyzer 20 is inserted toward the joint seal surface 13 of the coupler 1, the outer diameter of the liquid contact portion 3 is increased. At this time, the slit width of the sleeve portion 4 is increased and the sleeve portion is increased. The outer diameter of 4 is also expanded. By sliding the slide part 5 downward in this state, the slide part 5 is fitted with the round protrusion 19 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve part 4. In this way, by providing protrusions at about 3 to 6 locations on the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve portion 4, the slide portion 5 can be slid and fixed toward the dialyzer 20 when connected to the dialyzer. Deformation (expansion) is suppressed, the liquid contact part 3 is unlikely to come off from the connection port of the dialyzer 20, and the sealing performance can be improved. In addition, by sliding the slide part 5 to the dialyzer 20 side and fixing it, the connection part of the coupler 1 and the dialyzer 20 can be covered with the slide part 5 and the appearance can be kept clean.

  FIG. 4 is an external view when the blood purifier couplers of FIG. 1 are joined together for cleaning, and the couplers are installed on the coupler hangers provided in the dialysis apparatus. When the inside of the dialysis apparatus including the couplers 1 and 2 is cleaned, the coupler hanger 21 that holds the couplers 1 and 2 detects whether the couplers 1 and 2 are placed at predetermined positions. A limit switch 22 is provided. The limit switch 22 formed like a push button has a built-in spring. When the couplers 1 and 2 are fitted to the coupler hanger 21, a click feeling is generated, and the coupler is unintentionally detached by pressing the coupler. Can be prevented.

  In FIG. 4, the couplers 1 and 2 are held by the coupler hanger 21 so that the central axes of the liquid contact parts 3 and 6 are inclined at an angle θ2 with respect to the horizontal plane. The range of θ2 is preferably an angle of 15 ° to 90 °. Furthermore, it is preferable to hold it perpendicular to the horizontal plane, because the bubbles stay in the couplers 1 and 2 when the liquid (dialysis solution and washing solution) flowing in the couplers 1 and 2 contains bubbles. It is because it can discharge easily without. Also, the inner diameter of the expanded portion of the coupler is usually larger than the inner diameter of the tube hose, which is the passage of the liquid flowing into the couplers 1 and 2 (tube inner diameter: about φ6, inner diameter of the expanded portion of the coupler: about φ13). ) If the coupler is held horizontally, depending on the flow rate of the fluid, the enlarged diameter part in the coupler cannot be filled with the fluid, and a space is created in the upper part, which cannot be cleaned. End up. Therefore, it is preferable to incline the central axes of the liquid contact parts 3 and 6 of the couplers 1 and 2 so that the flow path (space) in the coupler can be filled with liquid. In order to obtain a sufficient effect by the inclination, θ2 is preferably 15 ° or more.

  The coupler for blood purifier according to the present invention can be widely applied to couplers connected to blood purifiers, and is particularly suitable for a coupler for supplying and discharging dialysate connected to a dialyzer in a hemodialysis apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2, Coupler 3, 6 Liquid contact part 4, 7 Sleeve part 5, 8 Slide part 9, 10 Pipe joint 11 Dialysate / washing liquid outlet 12 Dialysate / washing liquid inlet 13, 14 Joint seal surface 15, 16 Stopper member 17 Mating protrusion (Male thread)
18 Fitting groove (Female thread)
19 Round projection 20 Dializer 21 Coupler hanger 22 Limit switch

Claims (6)

  A hollow cylindrical wetted part having a wetted surface in contact with the dialysate on the inner peripheral side, and a slide part that slides against the wetted part when separated or connected to the counterpart member, and blood purification during hemodialysis A pair of couplers that are connected to each other and connected in communication with each other when the wetted part is cleaned, and a cylindrical shell-shaped sleeve part is interposed between the slide part and the wetted part A coupler for blood purifiers.   The blood purifier coupler according to claim 1, wherein a slit extending over the entire length is formed in the sleeve portion.   The coupler for blood purifiers according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sleeve portion is formed so as to be able to be fitted to the slide portion via a protrusion.   The blood purifier coupler according to claim 3, wherein the sleeve portion is fitted to the slide portion when connected to the blood purifier.   The blood purifier coupler according to claim 1, wherein the liquid contact portion is made of silicone rubber.   The blood purification according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the wetted part is washed in a state in which the wetted part is held so as to be inclined at an angle of 15 ° to 90 ° with respect to a horizontal plane. Cage coupler.