CN114366669A

CN114366669A - Adapter

Info

Publication number: CN114366669A
Application number: CN202210124369.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 幸毅彦; 浮田纯次
Original assignee: JMS Co Ltd
Current assignee: JMS Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-02-19
Filing date: 2017-02-13
Publication date: 2022-04-19
Also published as: CN108472478A; JP6807012B2; JP2017144184A; KR20180114085A; WO2017141858A1

Abstract

The adapter (1) is provided with a female connector (110) at one end thereof and a male connector (120) at the other end thereof. The female connector (110) is provided with a tubular part (111) having a hollow cylindrical shape, and a helical projection (115) provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular part (111). The male connector (120) is provided with a cylindrical male member (121), an outer cylinder (123) provided so as to surround the male member (121), and a female thread (125) provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder (123). The tubular portion (111) communicates with the male member (121).

Description

Adapter

The application is a divisional application with application date of 2017, 2, 13 and application number of 201780005818.4, and is named as an adapter.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an adaptor that can be mounted on a male connector for enteral nutrition therapy.

Background

Enteral nutrition therapy is known as a method of administering a liquid material containing a nutritional agent, a drug, or the like to a patient who cannot ingest food orally. In enteral nutrition therapy, a catheter is left in a patient in a state of being inserted into a digestive tube (e.g., stomach) from the outside of the body. As catheters, an intra-nasal tube inserted from a nasal cavity of a patient, a peg (percutaneous Endoscopic surgery) catheter inserted into a gastric fistula formed in an abdomen of a patient, and the like are known. A liquid substance such as a nutrient, a liquid food (generally referred to as an "enteral nutrient"), or a drug is administered to a patient via a catheter. When administering a liquid substance to a patient, a container storing the liquid substance and a catheter (e.g., an intra-nasal tube, a PEG catheter, etc.) to be placed in the patient are connected via a flexible tube or the like. In order to connect different components, conventionally, a male connector is used as an upstream side (container side) connector (hereinafter referred to as "container side connector") and a female connector is used as a downstream side (patient side) connector (hereinafter referred to as "patient side connector") for the flow of a liquid substance (see, for example, patent document 1).

In recent years, in order to prevent erroneous connection with a connector used in a field other than enteral nutrition, studies have been made to: the female connector 910 shown in fig. 13A and 13B as a container-side connector and the male connector 920 shown in fig. 14A and 14B as a patient-side connector are internationally standardized to international standard ISO80369-3 relating to medical equipment for nutrition.

The female connector (container-side connector) 910 shown in fig. 13A and 13B has a tubular portion (female member) 911 having a hollow cylindrical shape. An inner peripheral surface 912 of the tubular portion 911 is a tapered surface (so-called female tapered surface) whose inner diameter increases as it approaches the distal end. A spiral protrusion (male screw) 915 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 911.

The male connector (patient-side connector) 920 shown in fig. 14A and 14B includes a cylindrical male member 921 and an outer cylinder 923 surrounding the male member 921. The male member 921 and the outer tube 923 are coupled to each other via a bottom plate 924 that protrudes radially from a base end portion of the male member 921 and has a flange shape. The outer peripheral surface 922 of the male member 921 is a tapered surface (so-called male tapered surface) whose outer diameter becomes smaller as it approaches the distal end. The male member 921 is provided with a flow path 927 penetrating the male member 921 along the longitudinal direction thereof. An inner circumferential surface of the outer tube 923, which faces the male member 921, is provided with female threads 925.

As shown in fig. 15, the container-side connector 910 and the patient-side connector 920 are connected by inserting the male member 921 into the tubular portion 911 and screwing the spiral protrusion 915 into the internal thread 925. The inner peripheral surface 912 of the tubular portion 911 and the outer peripheral surface 922 of the male member 921 are tapered surfaces having the same diameter and taper angle, and therefore, they form liquid-tight seals and come into surface contact with each other. The helical projection 915 and the internal thread 925, which are screwed together, constitute a thread locking mechanism for locking the connection state of the container-side connector 910 and the patient-side connector 920. The container-side connector 910 and the patient-side connector 920 provide a connection excellent in liquid tightness (a property that a liquid does not leak from a connection portion between the container-side connector 910 and the patient-side connector 920 even if a pressure is applied to the liquid) and connection strength (a property that the connected container-side connector 910 and the patient-side connector 920 are not separated even if a tensile force is applied thereto).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2008/152871 pamphlet.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the case of enteral nutrition therapy, in order to reduce the amount of air injected into the patient as much as possible, a liquid material is introduced into the distal end of the tubular portion 911 of the container-side connector 910 immediately before the container-side connector 910 and the patient-side connector 920 are connected. When the container-side connector 910 and the patient-side connector 920 are connected in this state, the male member 921 of the male connector 920 is inserted into the tubular portion 911, and the liquid material in the tubular portion 911 flows out into the gap 926 between the male member 921 and the outer cylinder 923. After the enteral nutrition therapy is completed and the container-side connector 910 and the patient-side connector 920 are separated, the liquid substance remains in the gap 926.

The interval between the outer peripheral surface 922 of the male member 921 and the internal thread 925 of the outer cylinder 923 is very narrow. Therefore, for example, it is difficult to insert a cotton swab into the gap 926 between the male member 921 and the outer tube 923 to wipe off liquid material remaining in the gap 926.

When the patient-side connector 920 is provided at the upstream end of the catheter inserted into the patient, the patient-side connector 920 is continuously left in the patient together with the catheter. In the case of PEG catheters, the exchange of the catheter is usually performed every 1 to 3 months. If the patient-side connector 920 with the liquid remaining therein is left in the patient for a long period of time, the patient-side connector 920 becomes unsanitary. Then, finally, bacteria propagate in the patient-side connector 920, and the bacteria invade the body of the patient, possibly causing severe complications.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce a liquid substance adhering to a gap between a male member of a patient-side connector and an outer tube.

Means for solving the problems

The adapter of the present invention includes a female connector at one end thereof and a male connector at the other end thereof. The female connector includes a tubular portion having a hollow cylindrical shape, and a helical projection provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion. The male connector includes a cylindrical male member, an outer cylinder provided coaxially with the male member and surrounding the male member, and a female screw provided on an inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder. The tubular portion communicates with the male member.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

In the case of enteral nutrition therapy, the female connector of the adaptor is first connected to the patient-side connector, the container-side connector is then connected to the male connector of the adaptor, and then the liquid substance is administered to the patient via the adaptor. Thus, even if the liquid substance is introduced into the distal end of the tubular portion of the container-side connector, the liquid substance adhering to the gap between the male member of the patient-side connector and the outer tube can be reduced. Therefore, even if the patient-side connector is left in the patient for a long period of time, the possibility that the patient-side connector becomes unsanitary can be reduced.

The adapter can be separated from the patient-side connector and the container-side connector after enteral nutrition therapy is performed, and can be exchanged and cleaned.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a perspective view of an adapter according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, as viewed from a female connector side. Fig. 1B is a perspective view of an adapter according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, as viewed from the male connector side.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of an adapter according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 3A is an exploded perspective view illustrating a method of using an adapter according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 3B is a cross-sectional view of fig. 3A.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing a state in which the adapter according to embodiment 1 of the present invention is connected to the patient-side connector.

Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view of fig. 4A.

Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing a state in which a patient-side connector and a container-side connector are connected via an adapter according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 5B is a cross-sectional view of fig. 5A.

Fig. 6A is a perspective view of the adapter according to embodiment 2 of the present invention, as viewed from the female connector side.

Fig. 6B is a sectional view of an adapter according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 7A is a perspective view of the adapter according to embodiment 3 of the present invention, as viewed from the female connector side.

Fig. 7B is a sectional view of an adapter according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an adapter according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of an adapter according to embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing a state in which a patient-side connector and a container-side connector are connected via an adapter according to embodiment 4 of the present invention.

Fig. 11A is an enlarged sectional view showing a connection portion between an adapter and a patient-side connector according to embodiment 4 of the present invention. Fig. 11B is an enlarged sectional view showing a connection portion between the adapter and the patient-side connector according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 12A is a perspective view of an adapter according to embodiment 5 of the present invention, viewed from the male connector side. Figure 12B is a cut-away perspective view of an adapter of embodiment 5 of the present invention.

Fig. 13A is a perspective view of a female connector discussed as ISO 80369-3. Fig. 13B is a cross-sectional view of the female connector along a plane including the central axis.

FIG. 14A is a perspective view of a male connector discussed as ISO 80369-3. Fig. 14B is a cross-sectional view of the male connector along a plane including the central axis.

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the male connector and the male connector are connected, which is discussed as ISO 80369-3.

Detailed Description

The adapter of the present invention may be an integrally molded product integrally molded as one piece. This facilitates the attachment/detachment work of the adapter to/from the patient-side connector and the tank-side connector and the ease of manufacturing the adapter.

In the adaptor according to the present invention, the male connector may further include a bottom plate connecting a proximal end portion of the male member and the outer cylinder. In this case, at least one through hole may be provided in the bottom plate or the outer cylinder. This is advantageous for improving the cleanliness of the adapter after enteral nutrition therapy has been performed.

In the adaptor according to the present invention, the outer tube member including the outer tube and the female screw may be detachable from the male member. This is advantageous for improving the cleanliness of the adapter after enteral nutrition therapy has been performed.

In the above, the adaptor body including the female connector and the male member may be integrally molded as one piece. This facilitates the attachment/detachment work of the outer cylinder member to/from the adapter body and the manufacture of the adapter body.

In the adaptor according to the present invention, the female connector may further include a cylindrical portion having a hollow cylindrical shape disposed coaxially with and surrounded by the tubular portion. In this case, the cylindrical portion may be configured to form a liquid-tight seal between the cylindrical portion and a patient-side connector including a cylindrical male member when the female connector is connected to the patient-side connector. This configuration is advantageous in preventing liquid matter from flowing into the gap between the male member of the patient-side connector and the outer cylinder after the adapter and the patient-side connector are separated.

In the above, the liquid-tight seal may be formed between an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and an inner peripheral surface of the male member of the patient-side connector. This facilitates the formation of a liquid-tight seal with a simple construction.

A filter may be provided in a flow path connecting the tubular portion and the male member. This is advantageous in preventing a situation in which a flow path (for example, a catheter to be left in a patient) on the downstream side of the adapter is clogged with a coarse solid material in the liquid material.

In the above, the filter is preferably provided at a tip of the male member. This facilitates easy confirmation of the presence or absence of clogging of the filter.

The female connector and the male connector provided in the adaptor are preferably based on ISO 80369-3. Thus, the adapter can be connected to the patient-side connector and the container-side connector based on ISO80369-3 with desired liquid-tightness and connection strength.

The present invention will be described in detail below while showing preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. For convenience of explanation, the drawings referred to in the following description simply show the main components constituting the embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can include any component not shown in the following figures. In addition, within the scope of the present invention, the components shown in the following drawings may be modified or omitted.

[ embodiment 1]

Fig. 1A is a perspective view of an adaptor 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention as viewed from a female connector 110, and fig. 1B is a perspective view of the adaptor 1 as viewed from a male connector 120. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the adapter 1. As shown in these figures, the adaptor 1 includes a female connector 110 at one end thereof and a male connector 120 at the other end thereof. The coupling cylinder 130 couples the female connector 110 and the male connector 120.

The female connector 110 includes a tubular portion (female member) 111 having a hollow cylindrical shape. The inner peripheral surface 112 of the tubular portion 111 is a tapered surface (so-called female tapered surface) whose inner diameter increases as it approaches the distal end. A spiral protrusion (male screw) 115 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 111. Female connector 110 is preferably ISO80369-3 compliant with female connector 910 shown in fig. 13A and 13B.

The male connector 120 includes a cylindrical male member 121 and a substantially cylindrical outer cylinder 123. The outer cylinder 123 is provided coaxially with the male member 121 and surrounds the male member 121. The male member 121 and the outer cylinder 123 are coupled to each other via a bottom plate 124 that protrudes radially from a proximal end of the male member 121 and has a flange shape. The outer peripheral surface 122 of the male member 121 is a tapered surface (so-called male tapered surface) whose outer diameter becomes smaller as it approaches the tip. The male member 121 is provided with a flow passage 127 that penetrates the male member 121 along the longitudinal direction thereof. An inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 123 facing the male member 121 is provided with female threads 125. The male connector 120 is preferably ISO80369-3 compliant with the male connector 920 shown in fig. 14A and 14B.

The female connector 110 and the male connector 120 are coaxially arranged via a coupling cylinder 130. The connecting cylinder 130 has a hollow cylindrical shape provided with a flow path 131. The tubular portion 111 communicates with the flow passage 127 of the male member 121 via the flow passage 131. The two ribs 133 protrude radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the connecting cylinder 130. The rib 133 extends in the longitudinal direction of the connecting cylinder 130 in the region between the female connector 110 and the male connector 120. The rib 133 is provided to easily apply a rotational force to the adapter 1. However, the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the connecting cylinder 130 is not limited to this. For example, instead of the ribs 133, the outer peripheral surface of the connecting cylinder 130 may have any shape such as a polygonal prism surface (a regular quadrangular prism surface, a regular hexagonal prism surface, or the like). The rib 133 may also be omitted.

The adaptor 1 is preferably made of a hard material, and for example, a resin material such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyacetal, polyamide, rigid polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, styrene ethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, butylene styrene block copolymer, or the like can be used without limitation. The adapter 1 is integrally manufactured as one piece by injection molding the above-described resin material.

A method of using the adapter 1 will be described.

In the case of performing enteral nutrition therapy, as shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the adapter 1 is inserted between a patient-side connector (male connector) 700 and a container-side connector (female connector) 800, and is used to connect them. The patient-side connector 700 corresponds to a male connector (patient-side connector) 920 shown in fig. 14A and 14B, and the container-side connector 800 corresponds to a female connector (container-side connector) 910 shown in fig. 13A and 13B, both of which are based on ISO 80369-3. In fig. 3A and 3B, the same components as those shown in fig. 13A, 13B, 14A, and 14B are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The patient-side connector 700 includes a connection portion 702 at an end opposite to the male member 921. As shown in fig. 3B, the connection portion 702 communicates with the flow path 927 of the male member 921, and the inner peripheral surface thereof is a cylindrical surface coaxial with the male member 921. Although not shown, a flexible pipe is inserted into and fixed to the connection portion 702. The tubing may also be a catheter (nasal cannula, PEG catheter, etc.) that is left in place on the patient. Alternatively, the conduit may be a pipe connected to the conduit. The pair of gripping portions 705 sandwich the connection portion 702 to facilitate the operator to hold the patient-side connector 700 (see fig. 3A). The patient-side connector 700 is merely an example, and the shape of a part not defined in ISO80369-3 can be changed arbitrarily. For example, the shape of the grip portion 705 may be changed, or the grip portion 705 may be omitted. The pipe may be inserted into the pipe without inserting the pipe into the connection portion 702.

In the present embodiment, the container side connector 800 is provided as a barrel tip (nozzle) at the tip of an outer barrel 809 of a syringe (injector). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the tank-side connector 800 may be provided in any member. For example, the tank-side connector may be provided at the end of a flexible pipe. The configuration of the opposite side (upper side in fig. 3B) from the tubular portion 911 with respect to the small diameter portion 913 having a smaller inner diameter than the tubular portion 911 may be arbitrarily changed.

First, as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the female connector 110 of the adapter 1 is connected to the patient-side connector 700. The male member 921 is inserted into the tubular portion 111, and the spiral protrusion 115 is screwed into the internal thread 925. The inner peripheral surface 112 of the tubular portion 111 and the outer peripheral surface 922 of the male member 921 are tapered surfaces having the same diameter and taper angle, and therefore, they form liquid-tight seals and are in surface contact with each other. Since both the patient-side connector 700 and the female connector 110 are based on ISO80369-3, the patient-side connector 700 and the female connector 110 are connected with the same liquid-tightness and connection strength as those in the case where the male connector 920 and the female connector 910 are connected (see fig. 15).

Next, as shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the container side connector 800 is connected to the male connector 120 of the adapter 1. The male member 121 is inserted into the tubular portion 911, and the spiral protrusion 915 is screwed into the internal thread 125. The inner peripheral surface 912 of the tubular portion 911 and the outer peripheral surface 122 of the female member 121 are tapered surfaces having the same diameter and taper angle, and therefore, they are in surface contact with each other while forming liquid-tight seal. Since both the container-side connector 800 and the male connector 120 are based on ISO80369-3, the container-side connector 800 and the male connector 120 are connected with the same liquid-tightness and connection strength as those in the case where the male connector 920 and the female connector 910 are connected (see fig. 15). In this way, the container-side connector 800 and the patient-side connector 700 communicate via the adapter 1.

In this state, the liquid substance is administered to the patient through the container-side connector 800, the adapter 1, and the patient-side connector 700 in this order.

Then, the patient-side connector 700 is separated from the adapter 1, and the container-side connector 800 is separated from the adapter 1. The used adapter 1 is preferably discarded. Alternatively, the adapter 1 may be cleaned (e.g., washed with water) and reused.

As described above, in the case of performing enteral nutrition therapy, in order to reduce the amount of air injected into the patient as much as possible, a liquid material is introduced into the distal end of the tubular portion 911 of the container-side connector 800 immediately before the connection between the container-side connector 800 and the male connector 120 (see fig. 4A and 4B). When the container-side connector 800 and the male connector 120 (see fig. 5A and 5B) are connected in this state, the male member 921 is inserted into the tubular portion 911, and the liquid material in the tubular portion 911 overflows into the gap 126 between the male member 121 and the outer cylinder 123. However, the adapter 1 having the liquid substance overflowing into the gap 126 can be discarded and replaced with a new adapter 1 after the enteral nutrition therapy is performed, and can be removed by cleaning the adapter 1 alone. The liquid substance adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 911 of the tank-side connector 800 can be easily removed by cleaning or wiping.

By performing the enteral nutrition therapy, although the liquid substance flows through the flow path 131 of the adapter 1 and the flow path 927 of the male member 921 of the patient-side connector 700, the female connector 110 and the patient-side connector 700 are connected with reference to ISO80369-3, and therefore the liquid substance does not leak into the gap 926 between the male member 921 and the outer tube 923 of the patient-side connector 700.

In this way, the adapter 1 is first connected to the patient-side connector 700, the container-side connector 800 is then connected to the adapter 1, and the liquid material is flowed to perform the enteral nutrition therapy, whereby the liquid material can be prevented from adhering to the gap 926 of the patient-side connector 700. Therefore, even if the patient-side connector 700 is left on the patient for a long period of time, the patient-side connector 700 can be prevented from becoming unsanitary.

[ embodiment 2]

Fig. 6A is a perspective view of the adapter 2 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention as viewed from the female connector 110 side, and fig. 6B is a sectional view of the adapter 2. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the same reference numerals as those of embodiment 1 are given to components corresponding to those shown in the drawings referred to in embodiment 1. In the present embodiment, redundant description of such components is omitted, and the description of embodiment 1 should be considered as appropriate. Hereinafter, the present embodiment 2 will be described mainly focusing on differences from embodiment 1.

The adapter 2 of embodiment 2 is different from the adapter 1 of embodiment 1 in that: the bottom plate 124 of the male connector 120 is provided with 2 holes 129. The hole 129 penetrates the bottom plate 124. The gap 126 between the female part 121 and the outer cylinder 123 communicates with the outside via the hole 129.

The method of using the adapter 2 of embodiment 2 is the same as the adapter 1 of embodiment 1. The aperture 129 of the adapter 2 facilitates cleaning of the adapter 2 alone after enteral nutrition therapy has been administered. That is, the cleaning liquid (e.g., water) can be passed into and out of the gap 126 through the hole 129 and the outside. Therefore, the liquid material remaining in the gap 126 (for example, the valley portion of the female screw 125 and the inner surface of the bottom plate 124) can be easily washed away. Since the used adapter 2 can be cleaned, a problem such as propagation of bacteria in the adapter 2 (particularly, the gap 126) due to poor cleaning of the adapter 2 is unlikely to occur.

In the above example, the bottom plate 124 is provided with 2 holes 129, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of the holes 129 may be 1, or 3 or more. The position of the hole 129 is arbitrary as long as it allows the gap 126 to communicate with the outside. For example, the hole 129 may be provided in the outer cylinder 123 (for example, a valley portion of the female screw 125) instead of or in addition to the bottom plate 124. The shape and size of the hole 129 are not limited and can be set arbitrarily.

Embodiment 2 is the same as embodiment 1 except for the above. The description of embodiment 1 can be appropriately applied to embodiment 2.

[ embodiment 3]

Fig. 7A is a perspective view of the adapter 3 according to embodiment 3 of the present invention, as viewed from the female connector 110 side, and fig. 7B is a sectional view of the adapter 3. Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the adapter 3. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the same reference numerals as those of embodiment 1 are given to components corresponding to those shown in the drawings referred to in embodiment 1. In the present embodiment, redundant description of such components is omitted, and the description of embodiment 1 should be considered as appropriate. Hereinafter, the present embodiment 3 will be described mainly focusing on differences from embodiment 1.

The difference from the adapter 1 of embodiment 1 and the adapter 2 of embodiment 2, which are integrally formed as one component, is that: the adapter 3 of embodiment 3 is composed of 2 members, i.e., an outer cylinder member 320 including the outer cylinder 123 provided with the female screw 125 and the other part (adapter body) 310 of the adapter 3. The adapter body 310 and the outer cylinder member 320 are integrally formed as one-piece integral molding by injection molding using a hard resin material as described in the preferred embodiment 1.

The outer cylinder member 320 is detachable from the adapter body 310 at a position corresponding to the bottom plate 124 (see fig. 2) of the adapter 1 according to embodiment 1. As shown in fig. 7B and 8, a male screw 311 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion of the male member 121, and a female screw 321 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end (female connector 110 side end) of the outer cylinder member 320. The outer tube member 320 can be repeatedly attached to and detached from the adapter body 310 by screwing and unscrewing the female screw 321 and the male screw 311.

The method of using the adapter 3 of embodiment 3 is the same as the adapter 1 of embodiment 1. In a state where the outer cylinder member 320 is attached to the adapter main body 310 (see fig. 7A and 7B), the adapter 3 is connected to and separated from the patient-side connector 700 and the container-side connector 800. The outer cylinder member 320 is detachable from the adaptor body 310 including the male member 121 to facilitate cleaning of the adaptor 3 after enteral nutrition therapy has been performed. That is, the adapter 3 can be cleaned in a state of being separated from the adapter main body 310 and the outer cylinder member 320. Since the outer cylindrical member 320 is removed to expose the outer peripheral surface 122 of the male member 121, the outer peripheral surface 122 can be directly contacted and cleaned by fingers, sponge, brush, or the like. Further, since the outer tube member 320 from which the male member 121 is pulled out has a hollow cylindrical shape with both ends open as a whole, the female screw 125 provided in the outer tube 123 can be cleaned by inserting a thin brush or the like into the inner surface thereof. Therefore, in embodiment 3, the cleanability of the liquid material remaining in the gap 126 of the male connector 120 is significantly improved. Since the used adapter 3 can be cleaned, there is less possibility of a problem such as propagation of bacteria in the adapter 3 (particularly, the gap 126) due to poor washing of the adapter 3.

The position where the outer cylinder member 320 is separated from the adapter body 310 is not limited to the above example. For example, the structure may be detachable at an arbitrary position of the outer cylinder 123 (for example, a position on the lower side of the outer cylinder 123 (the female connector 110 side)). The mechanism for detachably attaching the outer cylinder member 320 to the adapter body 310 is not limited to the above-described structure in which the male screw 311 and the female screw 321 are screwed together. For example, the adapter body 310 and the outer cylinder member 320 may be provided with a fitting structure including a convex portion and a concave portion that are fitted to each other. The convex portion and the concave portion may extend in the longitudinal direction of the adapter 3, or may extend in the circumferential direction of the adapter 3. Alternatively, the screwing structure and the fitting structure may be combined. A sealing material such as an O-ring may be provided at the boundary between the adapter body 310 and the outer cylinder member 320.

The adapter 3 of embodiment 3 may be provided with the hole 129 described in embodiment 2. The hole 129 can be provided in, for example, the outer cylinder 123 of the outer cylinder member 320 (e.g., a valley portion of the female screw 125). This further improves the cleaning performance of the outer cylinder member 320.

Embodiment 3 is the same as embodiment 1 except for the above. The description of embodiment 1 can be appropriately applied to embodiment 3.

[ embodiment 4]

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the adapter 4 according to embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the same reference numerals as those of embodiment 1 are given to components corresponding to those shown in the drawings referred to in embodiment 1. In the present embodiment, redundant description of such components is omitted, and the description of embodiment 1 should be considered as appropriate. Hereinafter, the present embodiment 4 will be described mainly focusing on differences from embodiment 1.

The adapter 4 of embodiment 4 is different from the adapter 1 of embodiment 1 in that: the female connector 110 is provided with a cylindrical portion 117 having a hollow cylindrical shape. The cylindrical portion 117 is provided at the base end portion of the tubular portion 111 (the boundary portion between the tubular portion 111 and the connecting cylinder 130) so as to communicate with the flow path 131 of the connecting cylinder 130. The cylindrical portion 117 is disposed coaxially with the tubular portion 111 so as to be surrounded by the tubular portion 111. The cylindrical portion 117 is radially separated from the tubular portion 111. A tapered surface (so-called male tapered surface) whose outer diameter becomes smaller as it approaches the distal end is provided on the outer peripheral surface 118 of the cylindrical portion 117. The adapter 4 can be injection-molded using a hard resin material as described in embodiment 1, and the entire part including the cylindrical portion 117 can be integrally manufactured as one piece.

The method of using the adapter 4 according to embodiment 4 is the same as that of the adapter 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing a state in which the patient-side connector 700 and the container-side connector 800 are connected via the adapter 4. The cylindrical portion 117 of the female connector 110 is inserted into the male part 921 of the patient-side connector 700.

Fig. 11A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a connection portion of the female connector 110 and the patient-side connector 700 of fig. 10. As described above, the outer peripheral surface 118 of the cylindrical portion 117 is provided with a sharp male tapered surface. On the other hand, the inner peripheral surface 928 of the flow path 927 of the male member 921 is defined as a cylindrical surface. The minimum outer diameter on the distal end side of the male tapered surface of the cylindrical portion 117 is smaller than the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface 928 of the male member 921, and the maximum outer diameter on the proximal end side of the male tapered surface is larger than the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface 928. Therefore, the male tapered surface of the cylindrical portion 117 is fitted to the distal end portion of the inner peripheral surface 928 of the male member 921 (i.e., the end edge of the distal end side opening of the flow path 927), and the liquid-tight seal 119 is formed therebetween. As a result, the cylindrical portion 117 communicates with the male member 921 in a liquid-tight manner.

In this state, the liquid substance is administered to the patient in the order of the case-side connector 800, the adapter 4, and the patient-side connector 700 in fig. 10.

The operation of the adapter 4 according to embodiment 4 will be described.

Fig. 11B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a connection portion between the female connector 110 of the adapter 1 and the patient-side connector 700 in a state where the patient-side connector 700 and the tank-side connector 800 are connected via the adapter 1 (see fig. 5A and 5B) in embodiment 1. When a liquid substance is administered to a patient, a space (a portion marked with a plurality of dots in fig. 11A) from the flow path 131 of the adapter 1 to the flow path 927 of the male member 921 is filled with the liquid substance.

Then, the adapter 1 is separated from the patient-side connector 700. After the adapter 1 is separated, a part of the liquid substance in the space adheres to and remains on the distal end outer peripheral surface 922a of the male member 921 of the patient-side connector 700. The liquid material attached to the distal end outer peripheral surface 922a of the male member 921 flows into a gap 926 (see fig. 3A and 3B) between the male member 921 and the outer tube 923.

In contrast, in embodiment 4, as shown in fig. 11A, since the liquid-tight seal 119 is formed between the tubular portion 117 and the male member 921, the liquid substance does not flow into the space 401 surrounded by the tubular portion 111, the tubular portion 117, and the male member 921. Therefore, after the adapter 4 is separated, the liquid substance does not adhere to the distal end outer peripheral surface 922a of the male member 921. Therefore, the liquid material does not flow into the gap 926 between the male member 921 and the outer tube 923.

As described above, the adapter 4 according to embodiment 4 can prevent the liquid substance from flowing into the gap 926 of the patient-side connector 700 after the adapter 4 is separated from the patient-side connector 700 after the enteral nutrition therapy is performed. As described above, it is difficult to wipe and remove the liquid material in the gap 926, and when the liquid material in the gap 926 is placed, bacteria may propagate in the gap 926, and the patient-side connector 700 may be in an unsanitary state. The adapter 4 of embodiment 4 can avoid this, and the possibility that the patient-side connector 700 is in an unsanitary state can be further reduced.

In the above example, the entire adapter 4 is made of the same material (for example, hard material), but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the cylindrical portion 117 may be made of a soft material. The soft material is not limited, but a material having rubber elasticity (also referred to as an elastomer) such as a rubber such as natural rubber, isoprene rubber, or silicone rubber, or a thermoplastic elastomer such as a styrene elastomer, an olefin elastomer, or a urethane elastomer can be used. The portion (hereinafter referred to as a body portion) other than the cylindrical portion 117 of the adapter 4 can be made of the hard material described above. The method of combining the cylindrical portion 117 and the main body portion of different materials is not limited, and a method of integrating the cylindrical portion 117 and the main body portion by two-color molding (two-color molding method), a method of manufacturing the cylindrical portion 117 separately from the main body portion and then connecting them liquid-tightly (connecting method), or the like can be used. In the connection method, any method such as a method using an adhesive or a fusion method can be used to connect the cylindrical portion 117 and the main body portion, which are separately manufactured. The cylindrical portion 117 is made of a soft material, which is advantageous for easing the dimensional accuracy of the cylindrical portion 117 and improving the liquid tightness of the seal 119.

The outer peripheral surface 118 of the cylindrical portion 117 has a male tapered surface, and it is advantageous that the liquid-tight seal 119 can be easily formed between the outer peripheral surface 118 of the cylindrical portion 117 and the inner peripheral surface 928 of the male member 921 with a simple configuration. However, the outer peripheral surface 118 may have a shape other than a tapered surface. For example, the outer peripheral surface 118 of the cylindrical portion 117 may have a cylindrical surface whose outer diameter is constant in the longitudinal direction. In this case, if the accuracy of the outer peripheral surface 118 is appropriately controlled, the outer peripheral surface 118 of the cylindrical portion 117 and the inner peripheral surface 928 of the male member 921 are brought into surface contact with each other, and a liquid-tight seal can be formed therebetween. The cylindrical portion 117 is made of the soft material described above, which is advantageous in order to improve the liquid-tightness of the seal.

The liquid-tight seal between the cylindrical portion 117 and the male member 921 may be formed by a configuration other than the above.

For example, an annular protrusion may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 117. The annular projection is continuous in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 117 and projects toward the tubular portion 111. The annular projection can be formed by, for example, an O-ring attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 117. When the female connector 110 of the adaptor 4 is connected to the patient-side connector 700, the annular projection can be brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface 928 of the male member 921, and a liquid-tight seal can be formed between the annular projection and the inner peripheral surface 928.

Alternatively, the cylindrical portion 117 may be brought into contact with the male member 921 in the longitudinal direction of the male member 921 without inserting the cylindrical portion 117 into the male member 921. In this case, a liquid-tight seal is formed between the front end of the cylindrical portion 117 and the front end of the male member 921.

In embodiment 4, when the female connector 110 of the adaptor 4 is connected to the patient-side connector 700 (that is, when the screw projections 115 are screwed into the internal threads 925), a liquid-tight seal is formed between the cylindrical portion 117 and the male member 921. When the liquid-tight seal is formed, the inner peripheral surface 112 of the tubular portion 111 and the outer peripheral surface 922 of the male member 921 may or may not be liquid-tightly fitted to each other.

Embodiment 4 is the same as embodiment 1 except for the above. The description of embodiment 1 can be appropriately applied to embodiment 4.

The cylindrical portions of embodiment 4, which are configured to form a liquid-tight seal with the male member 921 of the patient-side connector 700, can be provided in the adapter 2 of embodiment 2 and the adapter 3 of embodiment 3.

[ embodiment 5]

Fig. 12A is a perspective view of an adaptor 5 according to embodiment 5 of the present invention, viewed from the male connector 120 side, and fig. 12B is a sectional perspective view of the adaptor 5. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the same reference numerals as those of embodiment 1 are given to components corresponding to those shown in the drawings referred to in embodiment 1. In the present embodiment, redundant description of such components is omitted, and the description of embodiment 1 should be considered as appropriate. Hereinafter, the present embodiment 5 will be described mainly focusing on differences from embodiment 1.

The adaptor 5 according to embodiment 5 is provided with a filter 150 at an opening at the distal end of the male member 121. The filter 150 is a mesh filter provided with a plurality of fine pores. The adapter 5 is injection-molded using a hard resin material as described in embodiment 1, and the entire body including the filter 150 can be integrally manufactured as one component.

The method of using the adapter 5 of embodiment 5 is the same as the adapter 1 of embodiment 1.

The function of the filter 150 will be explained.

The liquid substance administered to a patient in enteral nutrition therapy contains coarse solid matter. In this case, a situation may occur in which a flow path of the catheter indwelling in the patient is clogged with coarse solid matter. For example, in the case where the liquid material is a drug solution in which a powdered drug is dissolved, a part of the drug is not dissolved and directly forms a coarse solid material. In a catheter (particularly, an intra-nasal tube) to be left in a patient, the inner diameter is a very small diameter of, for example, about 0.6 mm. When the coarse solid material contained in the liquid material is equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the flow path of the duct, the flow path of the duct is easily clogged.

The filter 150 provided in the adapter 5 of embodiment 5 captures coarse solid materials in the liquid material, and prevents the coarse solid materials from flowing through the flow path on the downstream side of the adapter 5. Therefore, embodiment 5 is advantageous in preventing a situation in which a flow path (for example, a catheter to be left in a patient) located further downstream than the adapter 5 is clogged with a coarse solid material.

The size (so-called mesh) of each small hole provided in the filter 150 is not limited, but is preferably the same as or smaller than the minimum inner diameter of the flow path on the downstream side of the adapter 5 (particularly, the flow path of the catheter indwelling in the patient). For example, the size of the small hole of the filter 150 may be set to 0.8 times or less, and further 0.5 times or less, the minimum inner diameter of the flow path on the downstream side of the adapter 5. The size of the small hole may be set to 0.6mm or less, and further 0.3mm or less.

In the above example, the filter 150 is integrally molded together with the other portions of the adapter 5 using the same material. This is advantageous in terms of ease of manufacture and cost reduction of the adapter 5 including the filter 150. However, other portions of the filter 150 and the adapter 5 may be prepared as separate independent members. For example, a known mesh filter made of resin, metal, or the like can be used as the filter 150. The method of fixing and integrating the mesh filter to the adapter is arbitrary, and for example, a two-color molding method, a method of fixing by an adhesive or fusion, or the like can be used. Alternatively, the filter 150 may be detachable from the adapter so that a new component can be exchanged when the filter 150 is clogged.

In the above example, the filter 150 is provided in the opening on the tip side (upstream side) of the flow passage 127 of the male member 121. This facilitates easy observation of the state (clogging state) in which coarse solid matter is captured by the filter 150. However, the position of the filter 150 is not limited, and the filter 150 may be provided at any position on the flow path of the liquid material flowing from the male member 121 to the tubular portion 111.

In the above example, the coupling cylinder 130 between the female connector 110 and the male connector 120 is shorter than that of embodiment 1. The rib 133 provided in the adapter 1 of embodiment 1 is omitted in embodiment 5. Their difference is not essential in the present invention. The connecting cylinder 130 and the rib 133 similar to those in embodiment 1 may be provided in the adapter 5.

Embodiment 5 is the same as embodiment 1 except for the above. The description of embodiment 1 can be appropriately applied to embodiment 5.

The filter according to embodiment 5 can be provided in the flow path between the male member 121 and the tubular portion 111 of the adapters 1 to 4 according to embodiments 1 to 4.

In the adapters 1 to 5 described above, the connecting cylinder 130 is made of a hard material, and the connecting cylinder 130 is integrally formed as one piece with the female connector 110 and the male connector 120 (male member 121 in embodiment 3) on both sides thereof. In contrast, the adapter of the present invention can be configured by, for example, forming the connecting cylinder 130 from a flexible tube and connecting the female connector 110 and the male connector 120 (male member 121 in embodiment 3) that are separately manufactured to both ends of the tube. However, the configurations of embodiments 1 to 5 described above are advantageous in (1) the integration of the female connector 110 to the male connector 120 (the male member 121 in embodiment 3) with a hard material, and therefore the attachment and detachment work of the adapter can be performed by gripping an arbitrary portion of the adapter with respect to the patient-side connector 700 and the container-side connector 800, and (2) the number of components constituting the adapter is reduced, and therefore the manufacture of the adapter is easy, and the like.

Shortening the connector barrel 130 facilitates reducing the volume of the flow path within the adapter. Therefore, the connecting cylinder 130 may be substantially omitted and may be directly connected to the female connector 110 and the male connector 120. In this case, the tubular portion 111 of the female connector 110 communicates with the male part 121 of the male connector 120.

Industrial applicability

The invention is not limited but can be used as a male connector and as a female connector area based on ISO 80369-3. Among them, it can be preferably used in medical areas, and more preferably in areas where enteral nutrition therapy is performed. The adapter of the present invention is particularly preferably used as a male connector to be connected to an upstream end of a catheter inserted into a patient for enteral therapy.

Description of the symbols

1. 2, 3, 4, 5 adapter

110 female connector

111 tubular portion

115 spiral protrusion (external thread)

117 cylindrical part

118 outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion

119 liquid tight seal

120 male connector

121 male part

123 outer cylinder

124 bottom plate

125 internal screw thread

129 holes (through hole)

150 filter

310 adapter body

320 outer cylinder part

700 patient-side connector

921 male member of patient-side connector

928 inner peripheral surface of male member

Claims

1. An adapter having a female connector at one end and a male connector at the other end, the adapter being characterized in that,

the female connector includes a tubular portion having a hollow cylindrical shape, and a helical projection provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion;

the male connector includes a cylindrical male member, an outer cylinder provided coaxially with the male member and surrounding the male member, and a female screw provided on an inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder;

the tip of the male member protrudes from the outer cylinder,

the tubular portion is in communication with the male member,

the female connector is configured to be connectable to a patient-side connector compatible with the male connector,

the male connector is configured to be connectable to a receptacle-side connector compatible with the female connector.

2. The adapter of claim 1,

the whole is integrally molded as one piece.

3. The adapter of claim 1 or 2,

the male connector further includes a bottom plate connecting a proximal end portion of the male member and the outer cylinder, and at least one through hole is provided in the bottom plate or the outer cylinder.

4. The adapter of claim 1,

the outer tube member having the outer tube and the female screw is detachable from the male member.

5. The adapter of claim 4,

the adaptor body including the female connector up to the male part is integrally molded as one piece.

6. The adapter of claim 1 or 2,

the female connector further includes a cylindrical portion having a hollow cylindrical shape disposed coaxially with the tubular portion and surrounded by the tubular portion;

the cylindrical portion is configured to form a liquid-tight seal between the cylindrical portion and a patient-side connector including a cylindrical male member when the female connector is connected to the patient-side connector.

7. The adapter of claim 6,

the liquid-tight seal is formed between an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and an inner peripheral surface of the male member of the patient-side connector.

8. The adapter of claim 1 or 2,

a filter is provided in a flow path connecting the tubular portion and the male member.

9. The adapter of claim 8,

the filter is provided at the front end of the male member.

10. The adapter of claim 1 or 2,

the female connector and the male connector are based on ISO 80369-3.