GB2094635A

GB2094635A - Air vent splash guard for drip chamber

Info

Publication number: GB2094635A
Application number: GB8205991A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: CR Bard Inc
Current assignee: CR Bard Inc
Priority date: 1981-03-13
Filing date: 1982-03-02
Publication date: 1982-09-22
Also published as: DE3208850A1; JPS57160455A; ES263719Y; SE8200766L; GB2094635B; FR2501500A1; BR8201321A; ES263719U

Abstract

A drip chamber splash guard comprising an elongated hollow member having the upper end thereof engaged with the vented top of a drip chamber in sealed relation thereto outwardly of the vents for maintenance of a free flow of air inwardly through the vents. The lower end of the splash guard member engages the centrally located depending drip sleeve of the drip chamber toward the lower end thereof and defines limited air discharge openings at spaced points about the drip sleeve whereby inwardly directed air flow is maintained through the splash guard itself while the filter vents are protected against gross or excessive splashing. In a preferred form, the splash guard will be in the form of an inverted truncated member, providing a tapered external surface for a more effective deflecting of splash.

Description

SPECIFICATION Air vent splash guard for drip chamber The present invention generally relates to urine drainage systems, and is more specifically concerned with the drip chambers normally interposed between the drainage tube, extending from the patient, and the collection or urine bag. Such chambers function primarily to provide a break in the flow path of the liquid and thereby prevent backward movement of microbes, thus avoiding retrograde infection.

These drip chambers, as a means of enhancing movement of liquid therethrough and into the collection bag, incorporate about the drainage tube receiving top thereof filtered air vents. Such air vents, and more particularly the air permeable filter membranes associated therewith, tend to become clogged and/or contaminated. This problem of fouling of the air vent filters is especially prevalent when excessive or gross splashing is encountered. Such a situation in turn affects the air flow, and thus the operation of the system. More particularly, a contamination of the air vents and filters gives rise to the possibility of development of infection.

Prevention of contamination of the air vents and associated filters is the primary object of the present invention. Pursuant thereto, a splash guard is mounted within the drip chamber in surrounding depending relation relative to the filtered air vents.

The splash guard depends inwardly into the drip chamber to a point toward the lower end of the drainage tube receiving drip sleeve. At this point, the splash guard is intimately engaged with the drip sleeve peripherally thereabout and in a manner so as to provide limited air ports at spaced points circumferentially about the drip sleeve. These ports are so positioned and configured asto allowforthe free downward flow of air, while at the same time restricting any excessive movement of upwardly splasing liquid therethrough.

The shielding function of the guard is enhanced by providing for an inverted tapered configuration which forms a substantial downwardly directed outer surface for deflection of the splashing liquid, in conjunction with a narrow air discharging lower end combined with a flaring interior which would greatly inhibit any upward movement of splashing liquid to the filtered air vents.

Additional objects and advantages, for example the possible enhancement of inward airflow achieved by the tapered guard configuration, will become apparent from the following more detailed description of the construction and operation of the invention.

FIGURE 1 is a partial view of a drainage collection system illustrating a drip chamber incorporating the splash guard of the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional detail taken substantially on a plane passing along line 2-2 of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the splash guard; and FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the drip chamber cap with the splash guard of the present invention mounted thereto.

Figure 1 generally presents the environment of the invention illustrating, in a urine drainage or collection system, a drainage tube 10, the remote, unillustrated end thereof being adapted for engagement with a patient, a drainage or collection bag 12, and an interposed drip chamber 14.

The drip chamber 14 comprises a vertically elongated, normally transparent, body 16 having a main chamber 18 and a top portion 20 which may be integrally formed with the main chamber or formed as a separate cap and bonded to the main chamber.

The lower end of the drip chamber is sealed within the drainage bag 12 in communication with the interior thereof, an appropriate tube extension 22 normally being associated with the bag receiving end of the drip chamber.

The top 24 of the drip chamber body 16 includes a central drainage tube receiving aperture 26 therethrough and a plurality of outwardly positioned and peripherally spaced air vents 28. Air permeable membranes 30 are associated with the vents 28 to bothfilterthe incoming air and preclude an outward splashing of the liquid.

In order to assist in stabilizing and properly posi tioningthe inner end of the drainage tube 10, an elongated depending drip sleeve 32 is sealed to the under surface of the chambertop 24 in surrounding relation to the central aperture 26. This sleeve extends centrally into the chamber in substantially spaced relation to the surrounding wall and terminates well above the bottom of the chamber to provide for a free falling discharge of the liquid therefrom. The inner end portion of the drainage tube is in turn rigidly affixed within the sleeve with the lower end of the drainage tube substantially coextensive with the lower end of the drip sleeve 32.

The construction as above described provides no protection against fouling of the filtered air vents, other than that inherent in the basic drip chamber construction and provided by a central positioning of the drip sleeve and the height of the chamber itself.

Under conditions of gross or excessive splashing, there is a substantial possibility of fouling occurring in the drip chamber construction as thus far described. The present invention proposes avoidance of this problem by utilization of a splash guard 34.

In the preferred embodiment of splash guard 34, as illustrated in the drawings, the guard is basically of a hollow, inverted, truncated conical configuration presenting a downwardly and inwardly tapering body wall 36, an upwardly directed enlarge open base end 38, and a reduced downwardly opening lower end 40. The splash guard 34 is of a relatively thin-walled construction with the tapered body wall 36 having an inner surface generally paralleling the outer surface to provide for an upwardly increasing confined interior space. If deemed desirable, the upper portion of the tapered wall 36, adjacent the enlarged annular base end 38, may, as indicated at reference numeral 42, be cylindrical. The truncated downwardly directed apex end 40 includes an annular flange 44 defined peripherally about and extending inwardly in from the lower end of the tapered side wall 36.This flange 44 is in turn provided with a series of Ercuatel y con f igured inwardly directed air passing ports 46 defined about and opening inwardly through the inner edge of the flange 44.

Noting Figures 2 and 4 in particular, the splash guard 34 is received within the upper portion or cap of the drip chamber 14 with the enlarged base end 38 in intimate fluid-tight engagement with the under surface of the top 24 in surrounding or outwardly spaced relation to the filtered air vents 28. In this manner, air moving into the drip chamberthrough the vents will pass into the interior of the splash guard 34.

The lower or truncated end 40 of the splash guard 34 is positioned with the inner edge of the annular flange 44 in intimate engagement with the drip sleeve 32 toward the lower end thereof. As such, it will be appreciated that the overall height of the splash guard 34 is only slightly less than the length of projection of the drip sleeve 32 into the chamber.

The air-passing ports 46 provide for a continued downward or inward discharge of the air into the drip chamber 14 itself.

The positioning of the splash guard 34, as described above, effectively encloses and protects the filtered air vents 28 against excess splashing of the liquid without encumbering, to any appreciable degree, the desired inflow of air. In fact, the funnelling of the air flow, due to the basic conical configuration of the splash guard 34, may even enhance the airflow.

The actual retention of the splash guard 34 in position can be achieved by a bonding thereof to one or both of the under surface of the top 24 or the outer surface of the drip sleeve 32. Alternatively, reliance might be had on a tight frictional engagement of the inwardly directed flange 44 with the exterior of the drip sleeve 32.

While the illustrated embodiment of splash guard is considered particularly effective, in view of the splashing-deflecting tapered exterior surface of the wall 36 and the reduced lower end 40 with the opening restricting flange 44, sleeve encircling and vent enclosing splash guards of other specific configurations are also contemplated. For example, the wall of the splash guard may be other than of conical configuration. Also, other provisions might be made for the formation of the desired air-passing meansatthe lower end of the splash guard. Accordingly, itisnot desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of lhe invention

Claims

as claimed. CLAIMS

1. In a drip chamber, a top, drainage tube receiv ing means through said top for receiving and positioning an end of a drainage tube within said chamber, air passing vent meansthrough said top laterally of said drainage tube receiving means, and a splash-deflecting relation to said vent means.

2. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 1, wherein said drainage tube receiving means com prises an aperture through said top with a drip sleeve depending from said top in surrounding relation to said aperture, said drip sleeve being located to one side of said vent means, said splash guard including an upper end positioned adjacent said top in spaced relation to said vent means and said drip sleeve, said splash guard depending from the upper end thereof.

3. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 2, wherein said splash guard terminates in a lower end portion vertically spaced below said top.

4. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 3, wherein said splash guard extends into generally underlying relation to said vent means.

5.. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 4, wherein the upper end of said splash guard is located to the opposite side of said vent means from said drip sleeve, said lower end portion of the splash guard being positioned closely adjacent said drip sleeve.

6. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 5 including air passing means defined in the lower end portion of the splash guard.

7. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 6 wherein the aperture through the top, and the depending sleeve, are centrally located, said vent means surrounding said aperture, the upper end of said splash guard engaging said top in outwardly surrounding relation to said vent means.

8. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 7 wherein the lower end portion of the splash guard surrounds said sleeve.

9. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 8 wherein said lower end portion of the splash guard includes an inwardly directed flange terminating immediately adjacent said sleeve, said air passing means being defined through said flange.

10. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 9 wherein said flange includes an inner peripheral edge, said air passing means being formed by peripherally spaced recesses defined in said edge.

11. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 10 wherein said splash guard tapers inwardly from approximately the upper end thereof to said lower end portion.

12. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 11 wherein said splash guard is of an inverted generally conical configuration.

13. A drip; chamber in accordance with claim 8 wherein said splash guard tapers inwardly from approximately the upper end thereof to said lower end portion.

14. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 3 wherein the aperture throuthe top, and the depending sleeve, are centrally located, said vent means surrounding said aperture, the upper end of said splash guard engagirrg said top in outwardly surrounding relation to said vent means.

15. A drip chamber in accordance with claim 14 wherein the lower end portion of the splash guard surrounds said sleeve.

16 A drip chamber in accordance with claim 15 wherein said lower end portion of the splash guard includes an inwardly directed flange terminating immediately adjacent said sleeve, said air passing means being defined through said flange.

17. For use in a drip chamber having a top with a central depending drip sleeve opening therethrough and filtered vents peripherally thereabout, a hollow splash guard, said splash guard including an elongated peripheral wall terminating in an upper end peripherally engageable with the top outward of the vents, and a lower end positionable in surrounding relation to the sleeve in spaced relation belowthe top.

18. The splash guard of claim 17 wherein the lower end of said peripheral wall includes an inwardly projecting peripheral flange, and air passing vent means defined through said flange.

19. The splash guard of claim 18 wherein said peripheral wall tapers inwardly between the upper and lower ends thereof.

20. The splash guard of claim 19 wherein said peripheral wall is generally of an inverted truncated conical configuration.

21. The splash guard of claim 17 wherein said peripheral wall is generally of an inverted truncated conical configuration.

22. A drip chamber, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

23. A hollow splash guard for use in a drip chamber, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.