GB2037919A

GB2037919A - Tube & Connector Assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2037919A
Application number: GB7933359A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Baxter Travenol Laboratories Inc
Current assignee: Baxter International Inc
Priority date: 1978-12-18
Filing date: 1979-09-26
Publication date: 1980-07-16
Also published as: DE2934713A1; CA1139173A; GB2037919B; JPS5584172A

Abstract

The tube (12) has an end part enlarged by thickening of the tube material. The connector (14) has a bore with a constricted portion (20) and an enlarged portion (22) and the tube is fitted in the constricted portion with the enlarged end part fitted in the enlarged portion of the bore. A rigid funnel having an enlarged section 24 is fitted in the end part of the tube to prevent collapse of the enlarged part of the tube so that the latter cannot be pulled through the constricted portion of the bore. The assembly may apply to the connection of a catheter and catheter hub. The end 28 of the tube may be shaped in a mould or by heating the end of a stressed tube and pressing against a flat surface (Figs. 3, 4 not shown). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tube and Connector Assembly This invention relates to a tube and connector assembly and is particularly applicable to a catheter assembly comprising a catheter and catheter hub.

Many catheters, particularly intravenous and arterial catheters, carry a separate hub on one end thereof for attachment of the catheter to a source of parenteral solution, blood or the like. A serious occasional problem which has been encountered with intravenous and arterial catheters is that, upon withdrawing of the catheter from an artery or vein, the hub separates from the catheter. On occasion the catheter has actually been lost in the cardiovascular system of the patient. Obviously, it is important to avoid even a very occasional occurrence of this incident.

There are many ways of fitting a catheter into a hub. Adhesives or solvent bonding of the catheter tube to the hub may be used, and various friction fit attachments may also be used. However, these techniques have proven to be less successful for use in flexible catheters than the technique of this invention. Specifically, with the other bonding techniques the catheter and hub still can separate,especially with catheter materials which can have low friction surfaces such as fluorocarbon plastics and silicone-lubricated elastomers, and hydrogel-coated catheters.

The present invention permits a bond between the catheter hub and the catheter itself to be stronger than the tensile strength of the catheter, so the catheter can actually break before losing its bond with the hub. This can be so even when -catheter materials are used which are stronger than silicone rubber.

The present invention provides a tube and connector assembly comprising a tube having an end part provided with a relatively enlarged transverse dimension for the tube wall, and a thickened annular lip, when compared with an adjacent portion of said tube; a connector having a bore provided with a relatively constricted portion and a relatively enlarged portion, said end part of the tube being positioned within said relatively enlarged portion of the bore and the adjacent portion of the tube being positioned within the relatively constricted portion of the bore; and a rigid, tubular funnel member positioned within the bore of said tube, said funnel member having an enlarged funnel section positioned within said relatively enlarged portion of the connector bore; whereby the collapse and subsequent passage of said enlarged end of the tube through the relatively constricted portion of the connector bore is prevented upon attempted pulling of said tube out of the connector.

The funnel member may be advantageously made of stainless steel, rigid plastics, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, or various nylons which are of lower cost than stainless steel, or high friction plastics in order to assure even lower probability that the catheter may pull out before the ultimate strength of the catheter is approached. The commercially available Centrasil catheter sold by Travenol Laboratories, Inc. also uses a funnel member, but in a manner apart from the structure of this invention.

The result of the structure of this invention is that the collapse and subsequent passage of the enlarged catheter end through the relatively constricted portion of the bore is prevented upon attempted pulling of the catheter out of the hub.

Instead, as stated above, a properly designed catheter in accordance with this invention can actually be broken apart by pulling, without the end being pulled out of the hub, thereby having the advantage of the ultimate breaking resistance of the material being available for removing the catheter from the patient.

Preferably, the funnel member is substantially entirely positioned within the catheter bore serving to enclose the enlarged end of the catheter between the hub and funnel.

The catheter may be made out of any desired material. However, preferably, it is contemplated to make the catheter out of a mixture of thermoplastic olefin-type polymers which may contain a chemically reactive cross-linkable or graftable silicone gum.

Alternatively, other materials can be used as a substitute for the material described above, i.e., fluorinated poly-(ethylene-propylene), polytetrafloroethylene, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, (for example, Deseret semiflexible PVC), polyurethane, EVA, styrene-rubber block copolymers, block copolyosters, and similar materials. The polyurethane and other materials may be externally lubricated with silicone oil, glycerine, or the like. The advantages of external lubricants can be utilized in this invention without significantly weakening the adhesion of the catheter to the hub, since the adhesion in this invention depends upon bulk deformation rather than friction.

In general the term "flexible" as used in this application is intended to include the term "semiflexible" and "semi-rigid", including relatively stiff plastics which nevertheless are still flexible in the broad sense.

While the catheter assembly of this invention is specifically contemplated to be an IV catheter assembly, it may be arterial catheter assembly, or any other desired type of catheter assembly.

Figure 1 is a perspective exploded view of the parts of the catheter assembly of this invention prior to assembly.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the hub end of the catheter assembly of this invention after assembly.

Figure 3 is an elevational view showing a portion of the catheter to be assembled with a hub in accordance with this invention in the process of formation of its relatively enlarged transverse end.

Figure 4 is an elevational view, taken partly in section, of the enlarged end of the catheter of Figure 1 in a further processing step for forming the thickened annular lip.

Referring to the drawings, catheter assembly 10 is shown which comprises a catheter 12, which may be made of a thermoplastic material such as described above, or, alternatively, polyethylene, or a similar material. Silicone rubber can also be used.

Catheter hub 14 may be of generally conventional design, containing attachment wings 16 and a bore 18 which, in turn, is subdivided into a relatively constricted portion 20 and a relatively enlarged portion 22. A rigid tubular funnel member 23 which has an enlarged funnel section 24, and which carries a tubular section 26, is positionable within the bore of catheter 12 as shown in Figure 2.

The end 28 of catheter 12 defines a relatively enlarged transverse dimension for the catheter wall (as shown in Figures 2 and 4), and also a thickened annular lip 30 at the catheter end.

As shown in Figure 2, as the respective parts are assembled at least a substantial portion of the enlarged transverse end 28 with the thickened lip 30 occupies the enlarged bore portion 22 of the hub 14, while the adjacent portion 32 of the catheter 12 passes through the relatively constricted bore portion 20, with the catheter 12 projecting out of the bottom of hub 14 in a normal manner.

Funnel member 23 is then forcefully inserted through outer end 34 of the hub into the bore 36 of catheter 12, with the tubular portion 26 of the funnel extending through catheter 12 into the relatively constricted bore portion 20 of hub 14, while the funnel section 24 itself resides in the relatively enlarged bore portion 22 to define an annular space and to press relatively enlarged catheter end 28 into the approximate shape of that annular space. It is preferable for the width of the widest portion of funnel section 24 to substantially equal the width of relatively enlarged bore portion 22, being just sufficiently smaller if necessary to permit insertion into enlarged bore portion 22.

As can be seen, a still further enlarged bore portion 37 may also be provided to provide a fitting for a connector or the like of a fluid conduit.

As a result of the above, the thickened, stressed end 28 generally assumes a harder characteristic than the remaining portions of the catheter because it is thicker. Accordingly, when catheter 12 is pulled in an attempt to yank it out of the hub 14, the enlarged portion 28 of the catheter 12 serves as a resistant member, which for all practical purposes prevents the removal of the catheter from the hub. Instead, the catheter can be expected to break first. The presence of funnel 24 serves to enhance the strength of the connection between the hub and the catheter, since it prevents collapse of thickened end 28, which would facilitate its removal through the constricted bore portion 20.

The particular shape of end 28 of the catheter may be formed in the manner illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 in the case where a stressed thermoplastic material is used for catheter 12.

The extruded catheter tube 12 is placed through an aperture 38 in a plate member 40, which generally serves to protect the majority of the length of the catheter from the heat of heating coil 42, or other heating means.

The exposed end 28 of the catheter is heated by the heating coil 42, which may be a standard ring-shaped heating member, causing end 28 to shorten in length and to thicken in width as stresses are relieved in the heated portion of the catheter.

Alternatively, hot water, oil or the like may be used as a substitute heat source for the air heating step specifically illustrated in Figure 3.

Thereafter, plate 40 may be taken away from the heating coil and catheter 12 removed from aperture 38. Then, catheter 12 is preferably pressed against the surface of cool plate 44 while the plastics is of a temperature of about 1 500C., or another temperature above the softening temperature of the catheter material, to define the thickened annular lip 30 at the extreme end of catheter 12.

Alternatively, end 28 of the catheter 1 2 may be heat formed in a mould or die to the proper shape, if desired.

The resulting catheter is then assembled in the manner illustrated in Figure 1, and brought together as described above and as shown in Figure 2, to provide a catheter having an extra strong hub.

Specifically, a catheter having an outer diameter along its unthickened wall of 0.069 inch and an inner diameter of 0.040 inch may be mounted in accordance with this invention in hubs as shown herein, to withstand a 5 to 7 pound pull without separation of the hub from the catheter. On the other hand, similar catheters not using the invention of this application tend to separate from their hubs with as little as a two pound puil.

This invention can be used for connecting other tubing besides catheters, for example for connecting tubing for blood dialyzer or oxygenator circuits, or for connecting peristaltic pump tubing.

Claims

1. A tube and connector assembly comprising a tube having an end part provided with a relatively enlarged transverse dimension for the tube wall, and a thickened annular lip, when compared with an adjacent portion of said tube; a connector having a bore provided with a relatively constricted portion and a relatively enlarged portion, said end part of the tube being positioned within said relatively enlarged portion of the bore, and the adjacent portion of the tube being positioned within the relatively constricted portion of the bore; and a rigid, tubular funnel member positioned within the bore of said tube, said funnel member having an enlarged funnel section positioned within said relatively enlarged portion of the connector bore; whereby the collapse and subsequent passage of said enlarged end of the tube through the relatively constricted portion of the connector bore is prevented upon attempted pulling of said tube out of the connector.

2. The assembly of Claim 1 in which said funnel member is substantially entirely positioned within said tube bore.

3. The assembly of Claim 2 in which the widest portion of said funnel section is substantially equal to the width of said relatively enlarged bore portion.

4. The assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the tube is a catheter and the connector is a catheter hub.

5. A catheter assembly constructed substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A method of forming an end on a stressed thermoplastic tube, which comprises: heating the end of the tube to cause it to spontaneously reduce its length and increase its wall thickness, while not exposing the remainder of said tube to heat, and thereafter pressing the end of said tube at at least its softening temperature against a flat surface to form a thickened annular lip about the tube end.

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7. The method of Claim 6 in which said tube end projects through an aperture in a partition and is heated by radiant heat, while the partition shields the remainder of said tube from said radiant heat.

8. The method of Claim 6 or 7 in which said tube is thereafter placed in a connector having a bore which defines a relatively constricted portion and a relatively enlarged portion, said tube end being positioned within the relatively enlarged portion, while positioning the adjacent portion of the tube within the relatively constricted portion of the connector, and thereafter placing a rigid, tubular funnel member having an enlarged funnel section within the bore of said tube, in which the enlarged funnel section of the funnel member is positioned within the relatively enlarged bore portion of the connector.