FR2606285A2 - Improved probang - Google Patents

Abstract

Probang characterised in that the distal end 5 consists of two segments 5' and 5'', the first being integral with and unremovable from the pipe 8 and comprising an assembly means 16, the second being removable and comprising an assembly means 17 of complementary shape.

Description

This request for a certificate of addition is related to patent application no. 85.07271 filed on May 14, 1985.

It relates to an improvement of the esophageal probe, subject of the main patent application, improvement allowing the repeated use of the same probe, thanks to the possibility of replacing, each time, only the sheath which is part of it .

The probe, the subject of the main patent application, is indeed a relatively expensive item, and it may seem regrettable to have to discard the assembly after use, when only the sheath, split over its entire length, has become unusable .

This is why the invention allows, for the price of the single sheath and sterilization, to have a complete probe ready for use.

However, the installation of a new sheath on a probe, as described in the main patent application, is not possible. Indeed, the maximum diameter of the tapered distal end of the probe is greater than the inside diameter of the sheath.

Consequently, and despite the relative elasticity of the latter, it is not possible to thread it "over" the distal end without splitting it over its entire length (due to the existence of a pre-slit ), to place it around the internal tubing and balloon. A fortiori it is not possible to set up the sheath by presenting it at the proximal end of the probe, said end also having too large a diameter. However, the pre-slit must not be opened before the use of the probe, because the sheath, thanks to distal perforations with which it is provided, must allow the suction of the secretions (saliva and / or blood) staying in the lumen esophageal: this would be impossible with a sheath split along its length.

This is why, in accordance with the invention, the tapered distal end of the probe can be detached from the distal end of the internal tubing, the time to put in place a new sheath, then again made integral with said tubing. .

The description which follows with reference to the appended drawings will make it easier to understand what the invention lies in.

Figures 1 to 3 are taken from the main patent application, to which reference may be made for more detailed explanations of the elements which are not part of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the distal part of the probe, stripped of its sheath, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

It shows that, in accordance with the invention, and instead of being made in one piece as described in the main patent application, the tapered end 5 is made up of two sections whose union corresponds to a tapered end 5 as shown in Figures 1 to 3.

Thus a first section 5 ′, the largest diameter of which is less than the inside diameter of the sheath 2, covers and obturates the distal end of the tube 8, in a sealed and irremovable manner. The distal end of this section 5 ′ comprises an assembly means 16, for example a male thread, and the second section 5 ″ of the tapered end 5 comprises an assembly means of conjugate shape 17, for example a thread the union of the two sections 5 ′ and 5 ″ therefore takes place by screwing.

However, since the 5 "distal section is never subjected to large tensile forces with respect to the 5 ′ section, a simpler method of assembly may optionally be provided, for example a press-button or snap-fastening, one of the sections 5 'and 5 "having a male shape and the other a conjugate female shape. Such a type of snap-fastening is made possible by the relatively flexible material which constitutes the 5 "section, the 5 ′ section possibly being made of a more rigid material.

The method of replacing the sheath 2 on a probe already used follows from the description above: after cleaning the probe, the distal section 5 "is detached from the tapered end 5, a new sheath 2 is threaded around the tubing 8 and the deflated balloon 3, the 5 "distal section is replaced, and the entire probe is sterilized for new use.

The dimensions of the two sections are such that, once joined by their assembly means 16 and 17, they form a tapered end 5 of dimensions and shape equivalent to those given in the main patent application.

Thus the section 5 ′, integral with the distal end of the tubing 8, has a maximum diameter of 6 mm (in the case of a sheath of 7 mm inside diameter), and it is extended by a threaded male part 16 4 mm in diameter and 10 mm long.

The 5 "distal section includes a cylindrical (distal) portion 4 mm in diameter and a frustoconical portion 4 to 9 mm in diameter (in the case of a sheath 9 mm in outside diameter), the length of the assembly of the two portions being 12 cm. On its proximal flat face it has a blind thread 17 which can receive by screwing the conjugate male part of the section 5 ′.

Claims (3)

Claims 1. Esophageal probe according to any one of the claims of the main patent application, characterized in that the distal end (5) consists of two sections 5 'and 5 ", the first being integral and irremovable with the tubing 8 and comprising an assembly means (16), the second being removable and comprising an assembly means (17) of conjugate shape. 2. Probe according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the assembly means (16, 17) is a male thread and the other a conjugate thread. 3. Probe according to claim 1, characterized in that the assembly means (16, 17) consist of a latching device.