JP2022135914A - Male connector for medical care - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve operability of a male connector.SOLUTION: A male connector for medical care comprises: a male connector body 150A which has a male lure part 151 insertable into a female connector at its distal end side and has a tube connected to its proximal end side; a coupler 180 which is screwed with the female connector and capable of moving a relative position to the male connector body 150A; and a coupler stopper 100 which is positioned on the tube and restricts the moving of the coupler 180. The color stopper 100 functions as an information tag displaying information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a medical male connector, and more particularly to a medical male connector in which a coupler can be slid.

There are various connections in medical equipment. As one of the connecting portions, there is a slide coupler provided slidably on the downstream side. In such a slide coupler, it has been considered to provide a coupler stopper for restricting the movement of the coupler on the tube downstream of the coupler (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-229550 A

However, even though tubes of various thicknesses are combined at the connecting part, conventional coupler stoppers cannot handle various tubes of different thicknesses. It is not efficient because multiple coupler stoppers must be prepared.

In addition, there is room for improvement in operability while treatment according to various uses is conceivable. For example, when combining tubes of various sizes with a connecting part, various information such as the size of the tube should be written on the surface of the tube on the downstream side so that the user can confirm the size of the tube. is considered, but this information may be hidden by the coupler or coupler stopper. It is troublesome to correct the position of the coupler in order to read the information, or to move the coupler to a position where the information is not hidden in advance.

Furthermore, when the coupler stopper is hard, when the tube is pressed by the hard coupler stopper, the tube may be crushed and blocked.

In addition, if the connector is repeatedly connected and disconnected, the coupler stopper may get caught on other equipment when not in use.

Also, when the male connector is not connected to the female connector, it is preferable to attach a cap to cover the opening of the male connector in order to prevent dust from entering. The cap is generally connected to the male connector with a loop or the like in order to prevent loss and improve operability. However, in such a case, the cap may also rotate when the coupler and the female connector are screwed together or released, or the cap may hit the hand when the luer is engaged or released, resulting in poor handleability.

An object of the present disclosure is to make it possible to solve at least one of the above problems that arise in male connectors.

A first aspect of the medical male connector of the present disclosure includes a male connector main body having a male luer portion that can be inserted into a medical female connector on the distal end side and a tube connected to the proximal end side; A coupler that mates and can move relative to the male connector body, and a coupler stopper that is positioned on the tube and restricts the movement of the coupler. The coupler stopper functions as an information tag that displays information.

A first aspect of the medical male connector has a coupler stop that is located on the tube and limits the movement of the coupler so that free movement of the coupler can be restricted proximally. In particular, in the case of a connector for enteral nutrition, the coupler can be prevented from being contaminated by coming into contact with unsterilized articles, the patient's skin, or the like. In addition, unlike tubes and connecting parts, a member called a coupler stopper, which has a high degree of freedom in shape, is provided with a function as an information tag that displays information, making it possible to convey information to the user in an easy-to-understand manner. For example, the information tag may be a space for the user to write, and the user can write information such as the date of placement, the length of the tube implanted in the patient, and the thickness of the tube to display the information. can. Also, for example, the information tag may be given a specific color at the time of manufacture so that the user can determine the intended use simply by looking at the coupler stopper.

In a first aspect of the medical male connector, the information tag may have a flag-like tab that carries the information. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to ensure a large area for writing information, and to prevent information from being hidden by the coupler.

A second aspect of the medical male connector includes a male connector main body having a male luer portion on the distal end side that can be inserted into the medical female connector and a tube connected to the proximal end side, and a male connector body screwed with the female connector and It comprises a coupler that can move relative to the male connector body, and a coupler stopper that is positioned on the tube and restricts the movement of the coupler. The tube insertion portion is softer than the tube, and elastically deforms when the tube is inserted.

A second aspect of the medical male connector is that a coupler stopper positioned on the tube and restricting movement of the coupler has a tube insertion portion, the tube insertion portion being softer than the tube and through which the tube is inserted. It deforms with elastic force. Therefore, one type of coupler stopper can be used for various tubes having different thicknesses. Also, the soft tube insertion portion can reduce the risk of the tube being crushed and clogged.

In a second aspect of the medical male connector, the opening may be a slotted hole whose length is longer than its width, and which may partially have a wide portion. Slotted openings allow for frictional engagement with tubes of different thicknesses. In addition, by providing a wide portion in a part of the slot hole, even if the slot hole has a narrow width suitable for a thin tube, it is possible to reduce the situation where the slot is greatly deformed and torn when a thick tube is inserted. It is possible to realize a tube stopper corresponding to thin tubes to thick tubes. A plurality of slot holes may be arranged radially.

In the second aspect of the medical male connector, a plurality of openings may be provided, and the minimum widths of the respective openings may be different from each other. Even with such a configuration, the coupler stopper can be easily brought into frictional engagement with tubes of various thicknesses.

In a second aspect of the medical male connector, the tube insertion portion has an opening peripheral portion in which the opening is formed, and the opening peripheral portion surrounds the opening and is thicker than other portions of the opening peripheral portion. You may have a thick part. With such a configuration, the portion around the opening of the coupler stopper is reinforced, so that the situation in which the coupler stopper is torn from the opening is less likely to occur. In addition, when the coupler stopper is relatively moved, it is possible to reduce the situation where the opening is turned upside down and the relative movement cannot be performed smoothly.

A third aspect of the medical male connector comprises a male connector main body having a male luer portion on the distal end side that can be inserted into the medical female connector and a tube connected to the proximal end side, and screwing the female connector and A coupler that can move relative to the male connector body, and a coupler stopper that is positioned on the tube and restricts the movement of the coupler. , a cap that closes the openings of the male connector main body and the coupler on the distal end side, and a connecting portion that connects the cap and the tube insertion portion.

A third aspect of the medical male connector has a coupler stopper located on the tube and restricting movement of the coupler having a cap that closes the opening on the distal side of the male connector main body and the coupler. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dust and the like from entering the male connector and the coupler when the male connector is not in use. Moreover, since the cap and the tube insertion portion are connected by the connecting portion, it is possible to prevent the cap from being lost and prevent the cap from becoming an obstacle when the coupler is moved.

In a third aspect of the medical male connector, the tube insertion portion has an outer shape in which the length is longer than the width, the opening is an elongated hole extending in the length direction of the coupler stopper, and is located on the opposite side of the connecting portion. The end portion may be formed wider than the width of the portion where the central portion of the opening is located. With such a configuration, the opening can be easily deformed, and the end of the tube insertion portion can be prevented from being torn.

A fourth aspect of the medical male connector comprises a male connector main body having a male luer portion on the distal end side that can be inserted into the medical female connector, and a tube connected to the proximal end side; A coupler capable of moving relative to the male connector body, and a coupler stopper for restricting the movement of the coupler. there is

In a fourth aspect of the medical male connector, a coupler stopper for restricting the movement of the coupler is provided on the coupler and has a frictional engagement portion that frictionally engages with the tube. This allows the coupler to be clamped onto the tube with the coupler stopper. In addition, there is no need to move the coupler and the coupler stopper separately, which facilitates the operation.

In a fourth aspect of the medical male connector, the frictional engagement portion may be positioned on the tube when the coupler is moved to the most distal side. With such a configuration, when the coupler is screwed to the female connector, it is possible to prevent the frictional engagement portion from engaging with the male luer portion and hindering the screwing.

A fifth aspect of the medical male connector comprises a male connector main body having a male luer portion on the distal end side that can be inserted into the medical female connector and a tube connected to the proximal end side, and a male connector body screwed with the female connector and A coupler capable of moving relative to the male connector main body and a coupler stopper restricting the movement of the coupler are provided. The coupler stopper has a cap covering the male connector main body.

In the fifth aspect of the medical male connector, the position of the coupler stopper can be kept within a predetermined range when not in use, and the situation that the coupler stopper is caught by other instruments can be reduced. Also, since the moving range of the cap can be controlled, it is possible to prevent the cap from slipping off or being lost.

A sixth aspect of the medical male connector includes a male connector main body having a male luer portion on the distal end side that can be inserted into the medical female connector and a tube connected to the proximal end side, and a male connector that can be screwed with the female connector. A coupler, a male luer part, and a cap part that covers the opening on the distal end side of the coupler. The cap part has a cap body and an opening through which a tube is inserted. and a connection portion that connects the cap body and the tube insertion portion.

According to the sixth aspect of the medical male connector, the cap portion is connected to the tube by the tube insertion portion. The cap can be prevented from rotating when the is screwed or unscrewed. Further, since the tube insertion portion is frictionally engaged with the tube, it can be freely moved. Therefore, the cap can be easily attached and detached, and the removed cap can be prevented from hitting the hand when various operations are performed on the male connector. In addition, since unintended movement can be prevented, it is possible to prevent the cap from unintentionally moving and touching the patient.

According to the medical male connector of the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a male connector with excellent operability.

It is a perspective view showing a medical male connector concerning one embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which moved the coupler to the 2nd position. It is a perspective view showing a coupler stopper. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a coupler stopper; FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which a thin catheter is connected; FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a first modified example of the tube insertion portion; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a second modification of the tube insertion portion; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a third modified example of the tube insertion portion; It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a male connector main body. It is a perspective view which shows the 1st modification of a medical male connector. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a thin catheter is connected to the medical male connector of the first modified example; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a second modification of the medical male connector; It is a sectional view showing the 2nd modification of a medical male connector. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a third modified example of the medical male connector;

A medical male connector according to one embodiment is, for example, a male connector for enteral nutrition, and includes a male connector main body 150A, a coupler 180, and a coupler stopper 100, as shown in FIGS. . In the following, an example of an enteral nutrition application will be described, with the side opposite to the patient being the upstream side (distal side) and the patient side being the downstream side (proximal side). For applications other than enteral nutrition, the upstream side and downstream side may be reversed.

The male connector main body 150A has a male luer portion 151 to be inserted into an upstream female connector (not shown) and a tube connecting portion 152 to which a tube can be connected. In this embodiment, the tube is a flexible catheter 200A that is inserted into the patient's (downstream) body cavity. The upstream end of the catheter 200A is fixed to the tube connector 152 and exposed outside the body cavity. The downstream side of the catheter 200A is inserted into the patient's body cavity, and the nutrient solution can flow out to the stomach and intestines through a side hole, which is an opening formed at the downstream end.

The coupler 180 has a cylindrical shape having a female thread that can be screwed with the male thread provided on the outer surface of the female connector, and has a first position (FIG. 1) that can be screwed with the male thread of the female connector, and a first and a second position (FIG. 2) where the male luer portion 151 is exposed on the downstream side of the position of . Coupler 180 is movable over externally exposed catheter 200A between male luer portion 151 and the patient (eg, the patient's abdomen). In addition, the medical male connector is not limited to the form in which it is directly fixed to the catheter 200A inserted into the patient. For example, the medical male connector of this embodiment can be provided on an extension tube that connects a gastrostomy button left in the body cavity and a container.

In this embodiment, the coupler stopper 100 includes a cap 101 that closes the opening of the male luer portion 151, a tube insertion portion 120 that has an opening into which the catheter 200A is inserted, and a connecting portion that connects the cap 101 and the tube insertion portion 120. 103.

In this embodiment, the tube insertion portion 120 is a thin plate-like member having a slot hole 121 which is an opening, as shown in FIGS. The tube insertion portion 120 is a relatively soft member, and the slot hole 121 is elastically deformed by the inserted catheter 200A so as to be expanded, and frictionally engages with the catheter 200A inserted into the slot hole 121. Therefore, the tube insertion part 120 can slide on the catheter 200A passing through the slot hole 121 and move its position by applying a force such as by pulling it by hand. If not, it is fixed on the catheter 200A and does not move. Further, the width and length of the slot hole 121 are set so that the slot hole 121 is frictionally engaged with a thin catheter 200B as shown in FIG. For example, by setting the slot hole 121 to have a width of 1.0 mm or less and a length of about 8 mm to 12 mm, it can be attached to any catheter having a thickness of about 1 mm to 6 mm that is normally used in enteral nutrition. , can be fixed and moved. Depending on the thickness of the catheter to be inserted, the slot hole 121 can be formed in a slit shape with almost no gap.

of this embodiment. Since the tube passing portion 120 is frictionally engaged with the catheter 200A, the coupler 180 does not move just by dropping along the catheter 200A due to gravity and hitting the tube passing portion 120. FIG. Therefore, it functions as a stopper that prevents the coupler 180 from moving further downstream than the second position, and prevents the coupler 180 from slipping down the catheter 200A until it hits the patient. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the coupler from hitting the patient and injuring the patient, or from contamination of the coupler hitting an undisinfected portion. On the other hand, when force is applied by pulling the coupler 180 by hand, the tube insertion portion 120 moves together with the coupler 180, so the tube insertion portion 120 is upstream of the second position where the male luer portion 151 can be exposed. The coupler 180 can easily be moved to the second position even if it is positioned on the side.

In this embodiment, the cap 101 connected to the tube insertion portion 120 by the connection portion 103 has an inner cylinder portion 111 that fits onto the male luer portion 151 and an outer cylinder portion 112 that fits onto the coupler 180 . . Therefore, when the coupler 180 is at the first position, the cap 101 can close the openings of both the male luer portion 151 and the coupler 180 . It should be noted that the cap 101 preferably has a configuration capable of holding the coupler 180 while blocking the opening of the male luer portion 151 .

Since the cap 101 of this embodiment is connected to the tube insertion portion 120 frictionally engaged with the catheter 200A, the position of the cap 101 is largely displaced when the cap 101 is not attached to the male luer portion 151. You can avoid the situation that you are in. Further, when attaching the cap 101 to the male luer portion 151, the tube insertion portion 120 can be pulled by hand to move it to a position where it is easy to attach. Therefore, the length of the connecting portion 103 can be set to such a length that the cap 101 can be easily attached when the tube insertion portion 120 is moved to the vicinity of the downstream end of the male connector main body 150A. Although it depends on the length of the male connector main body and the like, for example, in the case of a general enteral nutrition male connector, the length of the connecting portion can be about 30 mm to 50 mm. As a result, the length of the connecting portion 103 can be shortened compared to the case where the end portion of the connecting portion 103 is fixed at the second position so as not to move. It is possible to make it difficult to cause a situation in which the long connecting portion 103 shaped like a shape is caught. It is also possible to prevent the removed cap 101 from being too far away from the catheter 200A. The same is true when a thin catheter 200B is connected.

When connecting the medical male connector of this embodiment with the female connector, first, the cap 101 is removed from the male luer portion 151 and the coupler 180 . Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the coupler 180 is moved to the second position to expose the male luer portion 151 . The coupler 180 is prevented from unintentionally sliding toward the downstream end by the tube insertion portion 120 of the coupler stopper 100 . If the male luer portion 151 is inserted into the female connector while the male luer portion 151 is exposed, even if the enteral nutrition solution overflows during the insertion, the enteral nutrition solution will not flow into the coupler 180 separated downstream. It rarely sticks. In addition, since the male luer part 151 is exposed, even when the male luer part 151 is inserted into the female connector, the overflowing enteral nutrient solution can be easily wiped off. After wiping off the enteral nutrition solution, moving the coupler 180 to the first position allows the coupler 180 to engage and lock with the female connector without the enteral nutrition solution adhering to the inside of the coupler 180. can be done. Therefore, medical operations can be performed while the connector is kept clean.

When separating the connectors, first the coupler 180 is disengaged from the female connector and the coupler 180 is moved to the second position. Next, the male luer portion 151 is pulled out from the female connector. In this way, even if the enteral nutrient solution overflows when the male luer portion 151 is pulled out from the female connector, the male luer portion 151 is exposed and can be easily wiped off. In addition, since the coupler 180 is separated from the upstream end of the male luer portion 151 , the enteral nutrition liquid overflowing inside the coupler 180 hardly enters. After that, the coupler 180 is returned to the first position, and the tube insertion portion 120 to which the cap 101 is connected is also moved upstream. Thereby, the cap 101 can be attached to the openings of the male luer portion 151 and the coupler 180 to close the openings.

The second position may be a position where the male luer portion 151 is exposed and can be wiped off, but it can be a position where the downstream male connector main body 150A is completely exposed. In this case, by slightly bending the catheter 200A at the second position, the axial direction of the male connector main body 150A and the axial direction of the coupler 180 can be easily shifted. By shifting the axial direction of the male connector main body 150A from the axial direction of the coupler 180 and inserting/removing the male luer portion 151, it is possible to make it more difficult for the overflowing enteral nutrition solution to enter the coupler 180. The same is true when a thin catheter 200B is connected.

In the medical male connector of this embodiment, the male luer portion is exposed by sliding the coupler toward the downstream tube side instead of extracting the coupler upstream. Therefore, not only is the operation easy, but there is no fear of dropping or losing the removed coupler.

In this embodiment, the slot hole 121 of the tube insertion portion 120 has wide portions 122 at both ends thereof, the width of the hole being wider than that of the other portions. Since the deformability in the direction orthogonal to the length direction is improved by providing the wide portion 122, the range of thickness of the catheter that can be attached can be widened. By forming the wide portion 122 into a substantially circular shape with no corners, it is possible to prevent concentration of force when the slot hole 121 is pushed and widened, and to make the slot hole 121 less likely to tear. The wide portion 122 may or may not be provided at only one end depending on the width of the slot hole 121 and the thickness of the catheter to be attached. Alternatively, by forming both ends of the slot hole 121 in a curved shape, a wide portion can be formed and the slot hole 121 can be made difficult to tear.

In the present embodiment, the tube insertion portion 120 has a thin plate shape and has an opening peripheral portion 124 in which a slot hole 121 is formed. The opening peripheral portion 124 has a thick portion 125 surrounding the slot hole 121 . In the present embodiment, the thick portion 125 has a portion surrounding the slot hole 121 of the opening peripheral portion 124 that gently rises toward the slot hole 121 and is thicker than the other portions of the opening peripheral portion 124 . . By providing the thick portion 125 surrounding the slot hole 121, it is possible to increase the strength and make the slot hole 121 difficult to tear. In addition, since the portion of the tube insertion portion 120 that is in contact with the catheter surface is thick, the frictional force between the tube insertion portion 120 and the catheter can be increased. Furthermore, it is possible to obtain the effect of making it difficult for the portions on both sides of the slot hole 121 of the tube insertion portion 120 to twist or turn inside out.

In this embodiment, the tube insertion portion 120 has, at the end opposite to the connecting portion 103, a widened end portion 126 having a maximum width larger than the minimum width of the intermediate portion where the center portion of the slot hole 121 is located. . If the tube insertion portion 120 is in the shape of an elongated plate, providing the widened end portion 126 can make the slot hole 121 less likely to tear. Also, widened ends 126 may be provided to facilitate gripping. On the other hand, by narrowing the width of the tube insertion portion 120 at the intermediate portion, the slot hole 121 can be easily widened to accommodate a thick catheter.

In the present embodiment, the tube insertion portion 120 has a thin plate shape with one slot hole 121 extending from the connecting portion 103 side toward the opposite end portion as an opening. With such a configuration, even if the width of the tube insertion portion 120 is narrowed, it is possible to accommodate catheters of various thicknesses. However, the tube insert 120 may have other shapes. For example, as in a first modified example shown in FIG. 6, the opening 130 can be shaped to have a first slot hole 131 and a second slot hole 132 that are independent of each other. By providing a plurality of slotted openings, it is possible to further expand the range of catheter thicknesses that can be accommodated. In FIG. 6, the width W1 of the first slot hole 131 is smaller than the width W2 of the second slot hole 132, and the first slot hole 131 is used when the catheter is thin, and when the catheter is thick. A second slotted hole 132 can be used in some cases. In FIG. 6, the length of the second slot 132 is shorter than the length of the first slot 131, but may be the same length or longer than the length of the second slot 132, depending on the corresponding catheter. can be lengthened. Also, although the first slot hole 131 and the second slot hole 132 are arranged in parallel, they can also be arranged sequentially in the longitudinal direction. Additionally, opening 130 may be three or more independent slotted holes.

The opening 130 can be of other shapes than slotted holes, provided that it can be frictionally engaged through the catheter. For example, in the second modification shown in FIG. 7, the openings 130 are a first hole 133 with a diameter of φ1, a second hole 134 with a diameter of φ2, and a third hole 135 with a diameter of φ3. By providing a plurality of holes with different diameters, it is possible to accommodate a plurality of catheters with different thicknesses. Although the three holes are arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction in FIG. 7, they may be arranged in any way. Also, the number of holes is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more. The holes are not limited to perfect circles, and may be distorted or elliptical. In the case of non-perfect circles, the maximum widths of the openings should be different from each other. Although the three holes are independent from each other in FIG. 7, a slit-like connecting hole portion may be provided to connect the holes.

As in the third modification shown in FIG. 8, the opening 130 can be formed by a plurality of slot holes 136 extending radially. A wider range of catheter thicknesses can be accommodated by the radially expanding slots 136 . In FIG. 8, a wide portion 137 is provided at the end of each slot hole 136 . By providing the wide portion 137, it is possible to make the slot hole 136 less likely to tear even when a thick catheter is inserted. It is preferable that the wide portion 137 has a substantially circular shape without corners. However, the wide portion 137 may not be provided, and may be provided only in some of the slot holes. Although FIG. 8 shows an example in which the slot hole 136 expands in six directions, the slot hole 136 may expand in three or more directions. Note that the slot hole 136 can also be formed in a slit shape with almost no gap. Moreover, the length and the width of the gap may not be the same for all the slot holes 136 .

Although an example in which the tube insertion portion 120 has a closed opening has been shown, a notch or the like connecting the outside of the tube insertion portion 120 and the opening may be provided. By providing an incision or the like to connect the opening to the outside, the catheter can be inserted into the opening from the position of the incision. It can be attached to a catheter.

The tube insertion portion 120 can be made of a relatively soft material that elastically deforms when the catheter is inserted into the opening. For example, it can be formed from soft vinyl chloride, silicon rubber, isoprene rubber, urethane rubber, various elastomers, and the like. The tube passing portion 120 may be softer than the catheter. By making the tube insertion portion 120 soft, even a relatively thick catheter can be easily inserted. In addition, it is preferable that the tube insertion part 120 presses the catheter inserted into the opening to some extent so that a sufficient frictional engagement force is generated. You can avoid situations that can lead to blockages. However, in the case of a configuration in which a plurality of openings are provided in accordance with the outer diameter of the catheter as in the second modified example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the openings are not deformed by insertion of the catheter. Therefore, the tube insertion portion 120 can also be formed from a hard material.

In this embodiment, the cap 101 has a cap gripping portion 113 projecting radially outward on the opposite side of the connecting portion 103 . By providing the cap gripping portion 113, attachment and detachment of the cap 101 are facilitated. Also, a notch or the like that engages with the catheter can be provided in the cap gripping portion 113 . When the cap gripping portion 113 is fixed to the catheter when the cap 101 is not engaged with the male luer portion 151, the cap 101 does not become an obstacle. Also, when the coupler 180 is in the second position, fixing the cap gripping part 113 to the catheter upstream of the second position prevents the coupler 180 from unintentionally returning to the upstream side. can also The cap gripping portion 113 may have any shape as long as the cap 101 can be easily gripped. Further, it may be provided as necessary, and may not be provided.

In this embodiment, the connecting portion 103 is formed in a plate shape that is thinner than the tube insertion portion 120 . For this reason, it is possible to support the removed cap 101 so that the relative position of the removed cap 101 with respect to the tube insertion portion 120 does not fluctuate greatly, and to realize elasticity to the extent that the cap 101 can be easily bent when attached. A thin portion and a thick portion may be provided in the connecting portion 103 so that the connecting portion 103 can be easily bent and strength for supporting the cap 101 at a fixed position can be ensured. In addition, the connection part 103 can also be made into a string shape.

The cap 101 and the connecting portion 103 are preferably integrally molded with the tube insertion portion 120, but they may be separately molded into a plurality of portions and then assembled into a single piece. The cap 101 can be made of the same material as the tube insertion portion 120, but can also be made of a material different from that of the tube insertion portion 120. FIG.

In this embodiment, an example in which the coupler stopper 100 functions as a cap is shown. Since the cap 101 is connected to the tube insertion portion 120 via the connecting portion 103, the coupler 180 does not climb over the coupler stopper 100 during normal operation. However, the cap 101 and the connecting portion 103 may be provided as required, and the coupler stopper 100 may be the tube inserting portion 120 only. In this case, if the diameter (maximum outer diameter) of the circle circumscribing the tube insertion portion 120 is made larger than the minimum inner diameter of the coupler 180 , the coupler 180 can be prevented from climbing over the tube insertion portion 120 . Further, the maximum outer diameter of the coupler stopper 100 may be increased by providing a protrusion projecting radially outward from the tube insertion portion 120 . Note that the cap 101 may be attached to the catheter using a member other than the tube insertion portion 120 or may be attached to the coupler 180 .

In this embodiment, the coupler 180 includes a cylindrical female threaded portion 181 having a female thread on the inner surface thereof to be screwed with the female connector, and a small diameter portion 182 having a small diameter. The male connector main bodies 150A and 150B have a collar-shaped portion 155 that protrudes radially outward from the male luer portion 151, and the outer diameter of the collar-shaped portion 155 is larger than the inner diameter of the female screw portion 181 of the coupler 180. It is small and larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter portion 182 . Therefore, the small diameter portion 182 of the coupler 180 cannot pass through the collar portion 155, and the coupler 180 is prevented from moving upstream beyond the first position. Further, when the coupler 180 is screwed to the female connector, the small diameter portion 182 abuts against the brim-like portion to generate a frictional force, making it difficult for the coupler 180 to loosen. Any mechanism may be used to prevent the coupler 180 from moving upstream from the first position, and may be realized by a method other than providing the flange 155 .

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, instead of the brim-shaped portion 155, a plurality of retainer protrusions 157 projecting radially outward may be provided. The diameter of the circumscribed circle of the retainer projection 157 should be smaller than the inner diameter of the female threaded portion 181 and larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter portion 182 . By using a plurality of retaining projections 157 instead of the ring-shaped flange 155, the contact area with the small diameter portion 182 can be reduced to adjust the locking effect. Although the number of retaining projections 157 is not particularly limited, it is preferable to provide four or six at equal intervals from the viewpoint of preventing the coupler 180 from moving upstream. Also, the coupler 180 can be pulled out to the upstream side. Note that even in the first position, the coupler 180 is free to rotate around the male connector bodies 150A and 150B.

The male connector main bodies 150A and 150B have a tube connection portion 152 downstream of the flange portion 155 . When the coupler 180 is in the first position, at least a portion of the tube connecting portion 152 protrudes downstream from the coupler 180 and can be easily gripped. Therefore, the tube connecting portion 152 functions as a gripping portion that is gripped when attaching and detaching the coupler 180 to and from the female connector. It can also be gripped when moving the coupler 180 from the first position to the second position. In the case of the relatively thick catheter 200A, it is easy to grasp the catheter and pull the coupler 180 downstream, but in the case of the thin catheter 200B, the catheter is easily bent and cannot be pulled well. However, by gripping the tube connecting portion 152, the coupler 180 can be easily moved downstream even in the case of the thin catheter 200A. In addition, in the present embodiment, the tube connection portion 152 can be held even when the coupler 180 is in the second position, so the tube connection portion 152 can be held and operated even when the coupler 180 is moved upstream. . In this embodiment, the tube connecting portion 152 is a portion on the downstream side of the brim portion 155, and includes portions other than the portion where the catheter is inserted and connected.

In this embodiment, the outer surface of the tube connecting portion 152 has a plurality of ribs 153 protruding radially outward. Therefore, fingers can be put on the ribs 153, so that it can be easily grasped. Further, if the surface between the ribs 153 is formed as an inwardly curved surface, the surface 154 between the ribs 153 can be firmly pressed with the pads of the fingers, making it easier to grip. By providing a gripping portion that can be easily gripped when the coupler 180 is in either the first position or the second position, the coupler 180 can be moved to the second position to clean the male luer portion 151, The operator can be guided to insert and remove the male luer portion 151 while the coupler 180 is in the second position, and the male connector can be easily kept clean.

In addition, if the thin catheter 200B is directly connected to the tube connecting portion 152, bending is likely to occur at the connecting portion. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is connected to the tube connecting portion 152 via a tube 156 that is thicker than the catheter 200B. This makes it difficult for even the thin catheter 200B to bend at the connection portion.

Instead of providing the ribs 153 on the tube connecting portion 152, the cross section of the tube connecting portion 152 can be formed in a polygonal shape such as a quadrangular shape or a hexagonal shape so that the tube connecting portion 152 can be easily gripped. In this case, if the outer surface that forms the tube connecting portion 152 is formed as a curved surface that is recessed inward, it will be easier for fingers to fit, and gripping will be further facilitated.

The medical male connector of this embodiment can also be provided with a weak fitting mechanism that prevents the coupler 180 from loosening when the coupler 180 is screwed to the female connector. The weak fitting mechanism can be realized, for example, by tapering the outer surface of the male connector main body or adjusting the dimensions of the inner surface of the coupler 180, but may be realized by other methods.

Any coupler stopper may be used as long as it can prevent the coupler 180 from moving downstream. For example, the coupler stopper 140 of the medical male connector according to the first modified example shown in FIG. 10 has a function as an information tag that displays information about catheters and the like. The coupler stopper 140 of this modified example has a tab 141, which is an information display portion on which information is written, and an attachment portion 142 attached to the catheter. The tab 141 of this modified example protrudes outward in the radial direction of the catheter 200A in a flag-like shape, and the coupler 180 cannot move downstream beyond the tab 141 unless it is forcibly pulled.

The tab 141 can display product information such as thickness, length, and use of the catheter, manufacturing information such as lots, and various other information. If such information is imprinted on the surface of the catheter, the coupler and coupler stopper moved onto the catheter may overlap and become unreadable. However, since the information tag, which is a coupler stopper, is not hidden by the coupler, the movement of the coupler does not interfere with the reading of the information. In addition, in the case of a thin catheter, it is difficult to engrave or read the information. However, as shown in FIG. Easy to write and read. Such information can be displayed not only by characters but also by symbols, bar codes, and the like. Color display is also possible. For example, by changing the color for each use such as nerve anesthesia, enteral nutrition, and blood vessel use, it is possible to prevent misuse. Furthermore, it is also possible for the user to be able to add information freely during use. For example, by describing the date of placement of the catheter, the length of insertion into the body, and the like, medical practice can be performed more safely. Multiple pieces of information may be displayed on a tab.

In this embodiment, the coupler stopper 140, which is an information tag, can be formed by bonding the adhesive surfaces of one sheet coated with an adhesive with the catheter sandwiched therebetween. With such a method, the coupler stopper 140 can be provided very inexpensively and easily. Alternatively, two sheets may be laminated with the catheter sandwiched therebetween, or the adhesive-applied end of a sheet having an adhesive applied only near one end thereof may be attached to the catheter. can be formed. Furthermore, the attaching portion is not limited to being attached to the catheter, and may be one that frictionally engages with the catheter. For example, a loop-shaped portion formed by inserting the other end of a ribbon-shaped sheet having a slit near one end into the slit can be used as the mounting portion. It should be noted that the mounting portion and the tab may be configured as separate bodies.

The information display section is not limited to a flag-shaped tab as long as information can be written. For example, a large-diameter tube or the like through which the coupler cannot pass can be attached to the catheter, and the surface of the tube can be used as the information display section. Moreover, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which both ends in the longitudinal direction of the sheet-like information display portion are fixed to the catheter.

10 and 11 show an example in which a cap 160 is attached between the coupler 180 and the coupler stopper 140. FIG. The cap 160 has a cap main body 161 , a ring-shaped portion 162 through which a catheter is inserted, and a connecting portion 163 that connects the cap main body 161 and the ring-shaped portion 162 . The ring-shaped portion 162 is configured so as not to climb over the coupler stopper 140 . With such a configuration, not only the coupler 180 but also the cap 160 can be restricted from moving downstream. The ring-shaped portion 162 need not frictionally engage the catheter, but may. Moreover, as long as it does not fall off easily from the catheter, it is not limited to a ring, and may be a partially cut C-shape or the like. Note that the cap 160 can also be configured to be attached to the coupler 180 . Also, the cap 160 may not be provided.

A coupler stopper 170 of the medical male connector according to the second modified example shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is attached to a coupler 180 . The coupler stopper 170 has a tube insertion portion 172 through which the catheter 200A is inserted, a cap main body 171 , and a connection portion 173 that connects the cap main body 171 and the tube insertion portion 172 . The tube insertion portion has an insertion hole 175 that is elastically deformed by insertion of the catheter 200A, and a friction engagement portion 174 that frictionally engages with the inserted catheter 200A. Further, the tube insertion portion 172 has an engaging convex portion 176 that engages with an engaging concave portion 183 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the coupler 180 on the downstream side, and is attached to the coupler 180 . Therefore, the coupler 180 can be stopped at any position on the catheter 200A when the user intentionally does not move it.

By forming the insertion hole 175 provided in the frictional engagement portion 174 into a slot shape, the frictional engagement portion 174 can be easily frictionally engaged with catheters having different thicknesses. The insertion hole 175 can also have a shape in which a plurality of slots are combined as shown in FIG. The friction engagement portion 174 provided with the insertion hole 175 is preferably made of rubber or a relatively soft resin such as polyurethane. It can also be made of a softer material than the catheter.

An example of attaching the tube inserting portion 172 to the coupler 180 by engaging the engaging convex portion 176 of the tube inserting portion 172 with the engaging recessed portion 183 of the coupler 180 has been shown. may be of any type, and may be screwed or glued. Also, the tube insertion portion 172 and the coupler 180 can be integrally molded. The tube insertion part 172 can also be configured to be relatively rotatable with respect to the coupler 180 . In this way, the coupler 180 can be easily screwed onto the female connector.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, the disk-shaped frictional engagement portion 174 is configured to be separate from other portions of the tube insertion portion 172 . With such a configuration, the friction engagement portion 174 can be easily made softer than the catheter. However, the tube insertion portion 172 including the frictional engagement portion 174 may be integrally formed. Also, the tube insertion portion 172 other than the frictional engagement portion 174 can be molded integrally with the coupler 180 .

The frictional engagement portion 174 is preferably located on the catheter when the coupler 180 is threaded with the female connector. With this arrangement, it is not necessary to allow the tube connecting portion 152 having a diameter larger than that of the catheter to pass through the insertion hole 175 . For this reason, the insertion hole 175 can be made into a slot shape with a narrow width, and can be easily frictionally engaged with a thin catheter.

An example has been shown in which the tube insertion portion 120 frictionally engages with the catheter and functions as a coupler stopper. It is also possible to make it easier to temporarily move the coupler stopper with respect to the tube by adopting a configuration that allows switching between a state in which the tube is clamped and a state in which the tube is not clamped. For example, it can be configured to be slidable in the axial direction of the tube so that it can be switched between the sandwiched state and the non-sandwiched state.

An example of using the tube inserting portion that frictionally engages with the catheter as a coupler stopper has been shown, but the tube inserting portion may be configured not to have the function as a coupler stopper. For example, the male connector according to the third modification shown in FIG. 14 is formed at the proximal end of the male connector main body 150C, and a projecting portion 197 projecting radially outward is a coupler stopper that restricts movement of the coupler 180 to the downstream side. function as A cap portion 190 having the same configuration as the coupler stopper 100 shown in FIG. 3 and the like is inserted through the catheter 200A, which is a tube.

The cap portion 190 is attached to the tube via the tube insertion portion 120 instead of the male connector main body 150C or the coupler 180. As shown in FIG. The tube insertion part 120 is frictionally engaged with the tube and can be moved freely on the tube, so it can be moved to a position where the cap can be easily attached and detached, and a position where the male connector is not touched when operating the male connector. You can easily move to In addition, since the cap can be stopped at an intended position, it is possible to prevent the cap from unintentionally moving to a position where it touches the patient.

If the cap portion is fixed to the coupler, the cap portion rotates together with the coupler when the coupler is screwed to or disengaged from the female connector, which greatly reduces operability. In the case of a free lock type or slide type coupler where the coupler rotates freely relative to the male connector body, if the cap part is attached to the male connector body, the cap part and the coupler should not rotate together. can be done. However, in this case as well, the cap must be attached close to the coupler, so there is a risk that the cap may get in the way when the coupler is rotated or moved. Further, in the case of a fixed lock type coupler that rotates integrally with the male connector main body, the cap rotates together with the coupler even when the cap is attached to the male connector main body. In a fixed lock type coupler, the tube also rotates together with the coupler, so even when the cap portion is fixed to the tube so as not to move, the cap rotates together with the coupler. However, since the cap portion 190 of this modified example is in frictional engagement with the tube through the tube insertion portion 120, even in any type of coupler, if the cap portion 190 is lightly pressed, the cap portion 190 can be removed. It can easily be prevented from rotating with the coupler. In this way, the cap portion 190 attached to the tube by the tube insertion portion 120 is useful not only for connectors having slide type couplers, but also for connectors having free lock type couplers and fixed lock type couplers.

The tube insertion part 120 having a vertically long slot shown in FIG. 3 and the like can be used not only for thick tubes but also for thin tubes, and it is possible to prevent clogging of the tubes. However, the tube insertion portion 120 can have various configurations illustrated in the embodiment and each modified example.

In this modified example, the coupler stopper is a pair of wing-like protrusions 197 formed at the proximal end of the male connector main body 150C, but various configurations that can prevent passage of the coupler 180 can be employed. For example, it can be a convex portion that protrudes only on one side, or a flange-like convex portion. Further, the coupler stopper is not limited to that formed on the male connector main body. For example, it can be formed on the downstream side of the male connector body and separated from the male connector body. Furthermore, it can be configured like a tab as shown in FIG.

In this modified example, the coupler 180 is provided with a notch 195 into which the projecting portion 197 is inserted. can be rotated. As a result, the male connector main body 150C can be rotated by gripping the coupler 180, which facilitates insertion and removal of the luer portion. However, the mechanism for restricting the relative rotation between the coupler 180 and the male connector main body 150C is not limited to such a configuration. Further, it may be provided as necessary, and may not be provided.

Further, in this modified example, a flange-shaped convex portion 196 is formed in the vicinity of the protruding portion 197 . The inner surface of the small-diameter portion 182 of the coupler 180 is formed with projections and depressions that detachably engage with the convex portion 196, so that the coupler 180 can be temporarily held at the position of the coupler stopper. Therefore, unintended movement of the coupler 180 to the upstream side can be made difficult, and contamination of the coupler can be further made difficult. The structure for holding the coupler at the position of the coupler stopper is not limited to such a structure. Further, it may be provided as necessary, and may not be provided.

Although an example in which the medical male connector is a male connector for enteral nutrition has been shown, other medical male connectors can have a similar configuration.

The male connector of the present disclosure has excellent operability and is particularly useful in the medical field.

100 coupler stopper 101 cap 103 connecting portion 111 inner cylindrical portion 112 outer cylindrical portion 113 gripping portion 120 tube insertion portion 121 slot hole 122 wide portion 124 opening peripheral portion 125 thick portion 126 widened end portion 130 opening portion 131 first slot hole 132 Second slot hole 133 First hole 134 Second hole 135 Third hole 136 Slot hole 137 Wide part 140 Coupler stopper 141 Tab 142 Mounting parts 150A, 150B, 150C Male connector body 151 Male luer part 152 Tube connecting part 153 Rib 154 Surface 155 Collar 156 Tube 157 Retaining protrusion 160 Cap 161 Cap main body 162 Ring-shaped portion 163 Connecting portion 170 Coupler stopper 171 Cap main body 172 Tube insertion portion 173 Connecting portion 174 Friction engagement portion 175 Insertion hole 176 Engaging Convex portion 180 Coupler 181 Female screw portion 182 Small diameter portion 183 Engaging concave portion 190 Cap portion 195 Notch 196 Convex portion 197 Projecting portion 200A Catheter 200B Catheter

Claims (10)

a male connector main body having a male luer portion that can be inserted into a medical female connector on the distal end side and a tube connected to the proximal end side;
a coupler screwed to the female connector and capable of moving relative to the male connector body;
a coupler stopper located on the tube and restricting movement of the coupler;
A medical male connector, wherein the coupler stopper functions as an information tag that displays information. 2. The medical male connector of claim 1, wherein the information tag has a flag-like tab for carrying information. a male connector main body having a male luer portion that can be inserted into a medical female connector on the distal end side and a tube connected to the proximal end side;
a coupler screwed to the female connector and capable of moving relative to the male connector body;
a coupler stopper located on the tube and restricting movement of the coupler;
The coupler stopper has a tube insertion portion provided with an opening through which the tube is inserted,
The medical male connector, wherein the tube insertion portion is softer than the tube and elastically deforms when the tube is inserted. 4. The medical male connector according to claim 3, wherein the opening is a slot hole whose length is longer than its width, and which has a wide portion with a wide width. The medical male connector according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a plurality of said openings are provided, and the minimum widths of the respective openings are different from each other. The tube insertion part has an opening peripheral edge where the opening is formed,
The medical male connector according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the opening peripheral portion has a thick portion surrounding the opening and having a thickness greater than other portions of the opening peripheral portion. a male connector main body having a male luer portion that can be inserted into a medical female connector on the distal end side and a tube connected to the proximal end side;
a coupler screwed to the female connector and capable of moving relative to the male connector body;
a coupler stopper located on the tube and restricting movement of the coupler;
The coupler stopper connects a tube insertion portion provided with an opening through which the tube is inserted, a cap that closes the openings of the male connector main body and the coupler on the distal end side, and the cap and the tube insertion portion. A medical male connector having a coupling portion. The tube insertion part has an outer shape with a length longer than the width, with the connection part connected to one end,
The opening is an elongated hole extending in the length direction of the tube insertion portion,
8. The medical male connector according to claim 7, wherein an end portion of said tube insertion portion opposite to said connecting portion is formed to be wider than a width of a portion where a central portion of said opening is located. a male connector main body having a male luer portion that can be inserted into a medical female connector on the distal end side and a tube connected to the proximal end side;
a coupler screwed to the female connector and capable of moving relative to the male connector body;
and a coupler stopper that limits the movement of the coupler,
A medical male connector, wherein the coupler stopper has a cap covering the male connector main body. a male connector main body having a male luer portion that can be inserted into a medical female connector on the distal end side and a tube connected to the proximal end side;
a coupler that can be screwed with the female connector;
a cap portion that covers the male luer portion and the opening on the tip side of the coupler,
The cap portion has a cap main body, an opening through which the tube is inserted, a tube insertion portion that frictionally engages with the inserted tube, and a connection portion that connects the cap main body and the tube insertion portion. and a medical male connector.

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