JP2019155146A - Medical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a medical connector from which an elastic valve body is unlikely to come off while preventing the connector from becoming upsized.SOLUTION: A medical connector 100 includes a cylindrical housing part 101 that has an insertion port 111 in which a male connector is inserted; and an elastic valve body 102 fixed to the housing part 101 in the way that it closes the insertion port 111. The elastic valve body 102 includes a main body 103 and a stopper member 104 formed by a material harder than the main body 103 and embedded in the main body 103. The main body 103 has a center part 121 and an outer edge part 123 encircling the center part 121. The outer edge part 123 has an embedding part 126 in which the stopper member 104 is embedded and a narrow part 127 which is provided nearer on the center part 121 side than the embedding part 126 and is gripped by the housing part 101. The stopper member 104 is thicker than the narrow part 127.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present disclosure relates to medical connectors.

  By providing a connector in a fluid flow path for infusion, blood collection, etc., it becomes possible to mix and inject chemicals. As a medical connector used for such an application, for example, a connector having a structure in which a disc-shaped elastic valve body called a split septum is mounted on an opening of a housing is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

  The male connector can be connected to the fluid flow path by directly inserting the distal end portion of the male connector into the slit of the elastic valve body and pushing the slit open. Moreover, if the front-end | tip part of the connected male connector is extracted from a valve body, an opening part can be returned to a obstruction | occlusion state by the restoring action of an elastic valve body.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-197254

  However, such a medical connector has a problem that when the male connector is pushed into the elastic valve body, the elastic valve body easily drops from the housing.

  The housing holds the elastic valve body so as to sandwich the outer edge portion of the elastic valve body from both the upper and lower directions. As a method for making the elastic valve body difficult to drop off, it is conceivable to increase the area of the portion sandwiched by the housing of the elastic valve body. However, if it does in this way, the outer diameter of an elastic valve body will become large and a connector will enlarge.

  Although a configuration in which a groove portion is provided in the elastic valve body and a claw provided in the housing is inserted into the groove portion has been studied, the effect is not sufficient.

  The subject of this indication is enabling it to implement | achieve the medical connector from which an elastic valve body cannot fall easily, keeping a connector large.

  One aspect of the medical connector includes a cylindrical housing portion having an insertion port into which a male connector is inserted, and an elastic valve body fixed to the housing portion so as to close the insertion port. The main body includes a stopper member formed of a material harder than the main body and embedded in the main body. The main body has a slit, a central portion exposed from the insertion port, and an outer edge portion surrounding the central portion. The outer edge portion includes an embedded portion in which the stopper member is embedded, and a narrow portion that is provided closer to the center than the embedded portion, is thinner than the embedded portion, and is sandwiched between the housing portions.

  In one aspect of the medical connector, the stopper member can be thicker than the narrow portion.

  In one aspect of the medical connector, the cross-section of the stopper member may have a shape having a thickness larger than the radial width and no corners.

  In one aspect of the medical connector, the stopper member can be embedded at least in a position facing a central portion of a line connecting two adjacent ends of the slits in a plan view.

  According to the medical connector of the present disclosure, it is possible to make the elastic valve body difficult to drop off while preventing the connector from becoming large.

It is a perspective view which shows the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing in the III-III line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the modification of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the modification of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment.

  Although the direction at the time of using the medical connector of this embodiment is not limited, Below, the state arrange | positioned with the insertion port where a male connector is inserted upwards is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the medical connector 100 of the present embodiment closes the insertion port 111 and a cylindrical housing portion 101 having an insertion port 111 into which a male connector (not shown) is inserted. The elastic valve body 102 is fixed to the housing portion 101. The elastic valve body 102 includes a main body 103 and a stopper member 104 formed of a material harder than the main body 103 and embedded in the main body 103. The main body 103 is provided with a slit 121 a and has a central part 121 exposed from the insertion port 111 and an outer edge part 123 surrounding the central part 121. The outer edge portion 123 is provided with an embedded portion 126 in which the stopper member 104 is embedded, and a narrow portion 127 that is provided closer to the central portion 121 than the embedded portion 126, is thinner than the embedded portion 126, and is sandwiched between the housing portions 101. And have. In the present embodiment, the narrow portion 127 is formed between an upper groove portion formed on the upper surface and a lower groove portion formed on the lower surface.

  In the present embodiment, the elastic valve body 102 is such that the upper end of the outer edge portion 123 is at a position lower than the upper surface of the central portion 121, and the lower end protrudes greatly below the lower surface of the central portion 121 to form a hook-shaped portion 125. ing.

  In this embodiment, the upper part of the housing part 101 is a female connector into which a male connector is inserted, and has an appearance in which a cylindrical part 131 including the insertion port 111 protrudes upward from the base body 132. The upper part of the housing part 101 is formed by an outer cylinder member 151 and an inner cylinder member 152 fitted inside the outer cylinder member 151, and the elastic valve body 102 is interposed between the outer cylinder member 151 and the inner cylinder member 152. Is sandwiched. The lower part of the housing part 101 is formed by a lower member 153 connected to the outer cylinder member 151 and the inner cylinder member 152. The lower part should just be the structure which can be connected to a fluid flow path, for example, can be made into a male connector.

  On the back surface of the end surface 134 of the cylindrical portion 131, an annular upper convex portion 141 protruding downward is provided. An annular lower convex portion 142 protruding upward is provided at a position facing the upper convex portion 141. The upper convex portion 141 and the lower convex portion 142 sandwich the narrow portion 127 of the elastic valve body 102. The upper convex portion 141 is provided on the outer cylindrical member 151, and the lower convex portion 142 is provided on the inner cylindrical member 152. The flanged portion 125 of the elastic valve body 102 is sandwiched between the outer cylinder member 151 and the inner cylinder member 152. By the outer cylinder member 151 and the inner cylinder member 152, the outer edge portion 123 of the elastic valve body 102 is pressed and compressed in an annular shape.

  When the male connector is inserted into the insertion port 111, the central portion 121 of the elastic valve body 102 is pushed downward so as to open the slit 121a. At this time, the outer edge portion 123 of the elastic valve body 102 is also pulled downward. Since the portion of the back surface of the elastic valve body 102 in contact with the lower convex portion 142 serves as a fulcrum, the downward pulling force exceeds the holding force of the outer edge portion 123, and the portion outside the narrow portion 127 is the upper convex portion 141. When passing between the lower convex portion 142, the elastic valve body 102 is detached from the housing portion 101. In the present embodiment, the elastic valve body 102 has a stopper member 104 embedded in the main body 103. The stopper member 104 is made of a material harder than the main body 103 and is embedded outside the narrow portion 127. For this reason, the part outside the narrow part 127 is not easily deformed, and it is difficult to pass between the upper convex part 141 and the lower convex part 142. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the elastic valve body 102 to fall off the housing portion 101. Since the stopper member 104 can be embedded without increasing the outer diameter of the elastic valve body 102, it is possible to make the elastic valve body 102 difficult to drop off without increasing the size of the connector 100.

  The main body 103 of the elastic valve body 102 can be formed of a material having elasticity. For example, materials such as synthetic rubber such as isoprene rubber or silicone rubber, natural rubber, or thermoplastic elastomer can be used from the viewpoint of airtightness and resealability. For molding, press molding, mold molding, or the like can be used. The slit 121a can be, for example, linear, Y-shaped or cross-shaped. The slit 121a can be formed by penetrating a sharp blade in the thickness direction of the molded elastic valve body 102. The diameter of the elastic valve body 102 can be about 4.0 mm to 6.5 mm when a standard luer connector is used.

  The stopper member 104 can be made of a material harder than the main body 103. For example, it can be hard resin, metal or ceramics. Of these, metals are preferred from the standpoint of ensuring strength and ease of molding. Although it does not specifically limit as a metal, Aluminum, iron, stainless steel, etc. can be used. The hard resin is not particularly limited, but polyethylene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyester, or the like can be used.

  Although the thickness (height) of the stopper member 104 is not particularly limited, it is preferably thicker than the narrow portion 127 from the viewpoint of enhancing the drop-off prevention effect, and is three times or more the thickness of the narrow portion 127. Is more preferable. However, the thickness may be not more than twice the thickness of the narrow portion 127, and even if it is about 1 of the thickness of the narrow portion 127, a drop-off preventing effect is produced. Further, from the viewpoint of not increasing the size of the embedded portion 126, it is preferably 5 times or less the thickness of the narrow portion 127, and more preferably 4 times or less.

  The radial width of the stopper member 104 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of preventing the embedded portion 126 from becoming large, the radial width is preferably smaller than the thickness and is ½ or less of the thickness. Is more preferable, and 1/4 or less is more preferable. However, depending on the size of the elastic valve body 102, the radial width can be made larger than the thickness.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the stopper member 104 is formed in a ring shape surrounding the central portion 121, so that a great drop prevention effect can be obtained. However, the stopper member 104 may not be ring-shaped. When the stopper member 104 is not ring-shaped, the stopper member 104 can be plural.

  When the stopper member 104 is not ring-shaped, the length in the circumferential direction of the stopper member 104 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1/10 or more of the outer peripheral length of the outer edge portion 123 of the elastic valve body from the viewpoint of enhancing the drop-off preventing effect. 1/5 or more is more preferable.

  When a plurality of stopper members 104 are embedded, the stopper members 104 are preferably arranged at equal intervals. Further, it is preferably arranged at least at a position other than the position facing the end of the slit 121a, and at least arranged at a position facing the center of a line connecting two adjacent ones of the ends of the slit 121a. It is more preferable. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the straight slit 121a is provided, it is preferable that the stopper member 104 is provided in at least two places facing the center part of the slit 121a. In addition, when Y-shaped slits 121a are provided as shown in FIG. 5, stopper members 104 are provided at at least three locations facing the center of a straight line connecting adjacent ends of the slit 121a. Preferably it is. However, the stopper member 104 may be arranged at a position other than these positions.

  Specifically, in the case of the elastic valve body 102 in which the diameter of the central part 121 is 5 mm and the thickness of the narrow part 127 is 0.2 mm, the thickness of the stopper member 104 is preferably about 0.2 mm to 1 mm. More preferably, it is about 0.6 mm to 0.8 mm. Further, the width of the stopper member 104 in the radial direction is preferably smaller than the thickness of the stopper member 104 and about 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm, and more preferably about 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm. The circumferential length of the stopper member 104 is preferably about 0.8 mm or more, more preferably about 1.5 mm or more, and further preferably a ring shape.

  The stopper member 104 is preferably embedded so that its upper end is above the upper end of the narrow portion 127. However, the upper end of the stopper member 104 may be embedded at a position lower than the upper end of the narrow portion 127. Further, at least a part of the stopper member 104 may be embedded in the hook-shaped portion 125.

  The elastic valve body 102 in which the stopper member 104 is embedded can be formed by insert molding, for example. If insert molding is performed, the integrity of the stopper member 104 and the main body 103 is improved, and the strength of the elastic valve body 102 is improved. Not only the insert molding but also the main body 103 having a groove or hole corresponding to the shape of the stopper member 104 may be formed, and then the stopper member 104 may be inserted into the groove or the like of the main body 103.

  By adopting a configuration in which the stopper member 104 is completely embedded in the main body 103, it is possible to make it difficult to cause a problem of dropping from the main body 103 from the stopper member 104. However, a part of the stopper member 104 may be exposed on the surface of the main body 103. The cross-sectional shape of the stopper member 104 is preferably a plate shape that is chamfered and has no corners. By adopting such a shape, the problem that the main body 103 is torn from the portion in contact with the stopper member 104 can be made difficult to occur.

  In this embodiment, although the example using the elastic valve body 102 which has the hook-shaped part 125 was shown, the elastic valve body 102 which does not have the hook-shaped part 125 can also be used. In addition, the narrow portion 127 is sandwiched between the upper convex portion 141 and the lower convex portion 142 of the housing part 101, but only one of the upper convex portion 141 and the lower convex portion 142 is provided. You can also. In addition, the housing part 101 and the elastic valve body 102 can take various configurations.

  The housing portion 101 can be formed using a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polystyrene, or polyacetal from the viewpoint of securely holding the elastic valve body 102. The materials of the outer cylinder member 151, the inner cylinder member 152, and the lower member 153 of the housing portion 101 may be the same or different.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the central portion 121 of the elastic valve body 102 is a flat surface is shown, but the central portion 121 of the elastic valve body 102 may be a curved surface.

  In the present embodiment, a thread 137 that engages with the lock ring of the male connector is cut on the outer wall of the tubular portion 131. When a standard luer lock is used, the thread 137 may be formed in accordance with ISO594. When a dedicated male connector other than a standard male luer connector is inserted into the insertion port 111, a thread 137 may be formed in accordance with the shape of the male connector. Further, a configuration in which the screw thread 137 is not provided may be employed.

  The lower member 153 of the housing part 101 can be a male connector, for example. Not only this but what kind of composition connected to a fluid channel can also be considered. For example, the lower member 153 can be a stopcock or an infusion tube.

  The medical connector of the present disclosure can be made difficult to drop the elastic valve body while preventing the connector from becoming large, and is useful as a medical connector or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Connector 101 Housing part 102 Elastic valve body 103 Main body 104 Stopper member 111 Insertion port 121 Center part 121a Slit 123 Outer edge part 125 Gutter-like part 126 Embedding part 127 Narrow part 131 Cylindrical part 132 Base surface 134 End surface 137 Thread 141 Upper convex part 142 Lower convex portion 151 Outer cylinder member 152 Inner cylinder member 153 Lower member

Claims (5)

A cylindrical housing portion having an insertion port into which the male connector is inserted;
An elastic valve body fixed to the housing part so as to close the insertion port,
The elastic valve body includes a main body and a stopper member formed of a material harder than the main body and embedded in the main body.
The main body is provided with a slit, and has a central portion exposed from the insertion port, and an outer edge portion surrounding the central portion,
The outer edge portion includes an embedded portion in which the stopper member is embedded, and a narrow portion that is provided closer to the central portion than the embedded portion, is thinner than the embedded portion, and is sandwiched between the housing portions. Have
The medical connector in which a thickness of the stopper member is thicker than a thickness of the narrow portion in a cross-sectional view in a direction in which the male connector is inserted.   The medical connector according to claim 1, wherein the stopper member is embedded so that an upper end thereof is located above an upper end of the narrow portion.   The medical connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stopper member has a cross-sectional shape in which a thickness is larger than a width in a cross-sectional view in a direction in which the male connector is inserted.   The medical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stopper member has a cross-sectional shape having no corners in a cross-sectional view in a direction in which the male connector is inserted.   The medical device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the stopper member is embedded at least at a position facing a central portion of a line connecting two adjacent end portions of the slit in a plan view. Connector.

Images