Intravenous catheter assembly

Claim 1

A single-channeled intravenous catheter and connection for use with an intravenous feeding system, said catheter and connection including: (a) a catheter member of flexible tubing having a relatively constant bore, said member having a distal end of tapered configuration and having its other end integral with a hub of enlarged outer diameter and having a receiving bore of a tapered configuration, the tapered bore axially aligned with and flow connected to the catheter bore, said tapered bore increasing from a bore diameter substantially equal to the bore of the catheter-connected end to a larger diameter toward the open end of the hub; (b) a length of initially imperforate rubber tubing readily bendable to a sharp angle and having one end connected to the hub in a fluidtight manner so as to extend outwardly therefrom, the rubber tubing being of a composition which is self-sealing at least to the extent of being fluidtight at the point of entrance into and through the sidewall of the tubing by a needle of determined diameter and having a sharpened point, after said needle is withdrawn from said rubber tubing, said tubing being of a size so that its other end is adapted to receive and retain the discharge end of an intravenous feeding tubing system, and (c) a needle removably received within the catheter and extending through the sidewall of said rubber tubing where the tubing is sharply bent so as to be brought in by way of the outer end of the tapered bore in the hub, said needle being of a hollow construction and having a sharpened point on one end and having its other end attachable to a blood receiving and indicating device such as a syringe and the like, the outer diameter of said needle being sized so as to be slidable in the bore of the catheter member and when in said catheter bore providing a fluid shutoff to any fluid flow from a intravenous feeding system connected to the open end of the rubber tubing, said needle further constructed so as to have a determined length so that when the resilient tubing is sharply bent and the sidewall thereof is brought in by way of the tapered opening in the hub and the point of the needle is inserted through said wall of the tubing and is caused to pass through the bore of the hub and bore of the catheter, the point of the needle extends beyond the distal end of the catheter member.