Method and apparatus for catheter injection

Claim 2

A medical injection device for injecting an elongated member into a passageway of the body of an animal or human, the device including a housing having a feeding nose portion with means for emplacing the feeding nose portion in said passageway and from which feeding nose portion said elongated member is to be ejected into said passageway after the feeding nose portion has been inserted therein, said feeding nose portion having an open-ended lumen communicating with a fluid-holding space within said housing, a limp elongated member to be injected into said passageway located in said space and having its front end eXtending into or in close proximity to said feeding nose portion lumen where at least when pressure is applied to said space there is a clearance between said elongated member and the defining walls of said feeding nose portion lumen and so the entire front end of the elongated member and the portion behind the same except for the rear end portion thereof can be impelled through said feeding nose portion lumen and be guided thereby into said body passageway said elongated member having a gum rubber-like limp consistency, means for preventing the ejection of the rear end portion of said elongated member from said feeding nose portion lumen, and means for selectively applying pressure to fluid in said space to provide a cushion of fluid flowing around said elongated member and out of said feeding nose portion which fluid cushion impels the elongated member through the outer end of the feeding nose portion lumen where it is ejected from the device.

Claim 3

A medical injection device for injecting an elongated member into a passageway of the body of an animal or human, the device including a housing having a feeding nose portion with means for emplacing the feeding nose portion in said passageway and from which feeding nose portion said elongated member is to be ejected into said passageway after the feeding nose portion has been inserted therein, said feeding nose portion having an open-ended lumen communicating with a fluid-holding space within said housing, a limp elongated member to be injected into said passageway located in said space and having its front end eXtending into or in close proximity to said feeding nose portion lumen where at least when pressure is applied to said space there is a clearance between said elongated member and the defining walls of said feeding nose portion lumen and so the entire front end of the elongated member and the portion behind the same except for the rear end portion thereof can be impelled through said feeding nose portion lumen and be guided thereby into said body passageway said elongated member having a gum rubber-like limp consistency, means for preventing the ejection of the rear end portion of said elongated member from said feeding nose portion lumen, and means for selectively applying pressure to fluid in said space to provide a cushion of fluid flowing around said elongated member and out of said feeding nose portion which fluid cushion impels the elongated member through the outer end of the feeding nose portion lumen where it is ejected from the device.

Claim 4

A medical injection device for injecting an elongated member into a passageway of the body of an animal or human, the device including a housing having a feeding nose portion with means for emplacing the feeding nose portion in said passageway and from which feeding nose portion said elongated member is to be ejected into said passageway after the feeding nose portion has been inserted therein, said feeding nose portion having an open-ended lumen communicating with a fluid-holding space within said housing, a limp elongated member to be injected into said passageway located in said space and having its front end eXtending into or in close proximity to said feeding nose portion lumen where at least when pressure is applied to said space there is a clearance between said elongated member and the defining walls of said feeding nose portion lumen and so the entire front end of the elongated member and the portion behind the same except for the rear end portion thereof can be impelled through said feeding nose portion lumen and be guided thereby into said body passageway said elongated member having a gum rubber-like limp consistency, means for preventing the ejection of the rear end portion of said elongated member from said feeding nose portion lumen, and means for selectively applying pressure to fluid in said space to provide a cushion of fluid flowing around said elongated member and out of said feeding nose portion which fluid cushion impels the elongated member through the outer end of the feeding nose portion lumen where it is ejected from the device.

Claim 5

The injection device of claim 1 wherein said feeding nose portion is a cannulated needle whose front end can pierce skin and tissue, and said injection device includes means for preventing the reverse movement of said catheter after termination of said application of fluid pressure.

Claim 6

The injection device of claim 1 wherein said elongated member has a permanently unset conformation so it has a substantially straight conformation when guided into such a conformation, said elongated member having a portion coiled a number of times in said housing so it has a length much greater than the length of said barrel-like member and held in a coiled condition where the catheter readily uncoils.

Claim 7

The injection device of claim 1 wherein said feeding nose portion is a cannulated needle adapted to be extended into a blood vessel into which the member is to be injected.

Claim 8

The injection device of claim 1 wherein said elongated member is beveled at the front tip thereof.

Claim 9

The injection device of claim 4 wherein said fluid is a sterile liquid, said housing is initially completely separate from said liquid, the assembly of said housing and feeding nose portion and elongated member being packaged dry in a sterile condition and sealed within an enclosure, and said housing includes liquid-passing connecting means for externally connecting the same to a source of said liquid when said enclosure is opened to permit such connection.

Claim 10

The injection device of claim 6 wherein said is a barrel-like member, and said fluid forcing means is a syringe-like unit containing said sterile liquid.

Claim 11

The injection device of claim 1 wherein the elongated member is resilient and has a permanently unset conformation so it has a substantially straight conformation when guided into such a conformation, said elongated member having a portion coiled a number of times within the housing so it has an overall length much greater than the length of the housing, and said coiled portion of said elongated member resiliently engaging a portion of said housing which holds the coils in position readily to unwind one coil at a time.

Claim 12

A medical injection device for injecting an elongated member into a passageway of an animal or human, the device in-cluding a housing having a feeding nose portion from which nose portion said elongated member is to be ejected into said passage-way, and includes means for emplacing the feeding nose portion in said passageway, said feeding nose portion having an open-ended lumen communicating with a space for holding liquid within said housing, a elongated member to be injected into said passageway and located in said housing space and having its front end extending into or in close proximity to said feeding nose portion lumen where at least when pressure is applied to said space there is a clearance between said elongated member and the defining walls of said feeding nose portion lumen and so the entire front end of the elongated member and the portion behind the same except for the rear end portion thereof can be imPelled through said feeding nose portion lumen, said elongated member having a gum rubber-like consistency, means for preventing the ejection of the rear end portion of said elongated member from said feeding nose portion lumen, and means for selectively applying pressure to liquid in said space for pressurizing said liquid around said elongated member to provide a cushion of liquid flowing around said elongated member and out of said feeding nose portion which impels the elongated member through the outer end of the feeding nose portion lumen where it is ejected from the device, and the clearance space between the elongated member and the walls of the nose portion lumen being so small during application of said pressure that a relatively small volume of liquid relative to the volume of liquid required to fill said space is required to impel the entire length of the elongated member into said passageway.

Claim 13

A medical injection device for injecting an elongated member into a passageway of an animal or human, the device in-cluding a housing having a feeding nose portion from which nose portion said elongated member is to be ejected into said passage-way, and includes means for emplacing the feeding nose portion in said passageway, said feeding nose portion having an open-ended lumen communicating with a space for holding liquid within said housing, a elongated member to be injected into said passageway and located in said housing space and having its front end extending into or in close proximity to said feeding nose portion lumen where at least when pressure is applied to said space there is a clearance between said elongated member and the defining walls of said feeding nose portion lumen and so the entire front end of the elongated member and the portion behind the same except for the rear end portion thereof can be imPelled through said feeding nose portion lumen, said elongated member having a gum rubber-like consistency, means for preventing the ejection of the rear end portion of said elongated member from said feeding nose portion lumen, and means for selectively applying pressure to liquid in said space for pressurizing said liquid around said elongated member to provide a cushion of liquid flowing around said elongated member and out of said feeding nose portion which impels the elongated member through the outer end of the feeding nose portion lumen where it is ejected from the device, and the clearance space between the elongated member and the walls of the nose portion lumen being so small during application of said pressure that a relatively small volume of liquid relative to the volume of liquid required to fill said space is required to impel the entire length of the elongated member into said passageway.

Claim 14

The injection device of claim 9 wherein said elongated member is a catheter where both ends thereof are initially open so flow of said liquid through said catheter is theoretically possible, but the relative size of the catheter interior and exterior dimensions and that of said clearance between the catheter and the feeding nose portion lumen are such that the relative friction and pressure condition inside and around the catheter result in little or no liquid passing through the catheter during the ejection thereof from said feeding nose portion of the device.

Claim 15

The injection device of claim 1 wherein the elongated member is a catheter open at both ends and which can expand outwardly when there is a positive pressure inside the catheter, and the clearance space between the catheter and the wall of the surrounding nose portion passageway during catheter injection is such that the pressure conditions around the catheter will be greater than the pressure conditions within the catheter so that the catheter will not expand outwardly against the walls of the feeding nose portion lumen to jam therein during catheter injection.

Claim 16

The injection device of claim 11 wherein the elongated member is a catheter open at both ends and is made of a relatively flexible material which can expand outwardly when there is a positive pressure inside the catheter, and the rear end of the catheter has an enlargement which, when the end of the catheter reaches the feeding nose portion lumen, leaves little or no clearance space between the catheter and the walls of the feeding nose portion lumen, so that suddenly pressure in the catheter expands the catheter outwardly positively to lock the same against the walls of the feeding nose portion lumen to prevent the end of the catheter from leaving the same.

Claim 17

The injection device of claim 1 wherein said fluid is a sterile liquid and said housing has relatively deep annular pockets at the periphery thereof which catch and hold gas bubbles.

Claim 18

The injection device of claim 13 wherein said pockets are formed by semi-rigid but flexible longitudinally spaced pleats formed in the walls of said housing to form accordian pleated-like fluid forcing means, the housing being longitudinally collapsible by collapsing said pleats, to provide the pressure therein for ejecting the elongated member from the device into said passageway.

Claim 19

The injection device of claim 1 wherein said pressure applying means comprise pleats formed in said housing enabling the housing to expand or contract at least about 10% of its normal extent and said housing is initially completely filled with a sterile liquid constituting said fluid.

Claim 22

The device of claim 16 wherein the device is provided with a liquid-passing connector adapted to fit a complimentary liquid-passing connector communicating with a liquid-holding container, said liquid-passing connector and catheter, on the one hand, and at least said feeding nose portion of said body on the other hand being manually separable after the catheter has been injected into said passageway, and said connector having a passageway initially in spaced surrounding relationship with said catheter and with a passageway portion within which the rear end portion of the catheter sealingly fits at least after the catheter has been injected into said passageway and at least said feeding nose portion of said body has been separated from said catheter and connector.

Claim 23

The device of claim 17 wherein said enlarged portion at the end of the catheter includes an inner section of intermediate enlargement which sealingly fits within said connector passageway, functionally to hold the same in place thereon, and an outer section of maximum enlargement which acts as a stop preventing the pulling of the catheter through said connector unit passageway.

Claim 24

The device of claim 17 wherein there is provided means forming an enclosure for said catheter which supports the rear end portion of the catheter when the catheter is separated from said feeding nose portion and is pulled toward the front of the connector sealingly to seat the enlarged rear end portion of the catheter in said passageway portion.

Claim 25

The injection device of claim 6 in combination with a sterile liquid containing means having connecting means interfitted with said connecting means of said device, said sterile liquid containing means being a syringe unit with a plunger which can force sterile liquid through said connecting means into said housing to eject said elongated member therefrom.

Claim 28

THe device of claim 22 wherein said projecting portion of said member retaining means longitudinally projects into the front of the feeding nose portion and has an open-ended passageway through which liquid and air can pass to the outside of the device even when the elongated member is in abutment with the rear end thereof.

Claim 29

The injection device of claim 6 wherein said elongated member is a catheter, and said device is combined with a bedside infusion bottle assembly which con-stitutes said source of liquid, the infusion bottle assembly having a connector which connects with and forms a liquid passing joint with said connecting means of said housing.

Claim 30

The injection device of claim 6 wherein said elongated member is a catheter and said housing is an elongated tube with said liquid-passing connecting means thereof on the rear end thereof.

Claim 31

The injection device of claim 24 wherein said tube includes an enlarged manually compressible section, the compression of which forces the infusion liquid through the assembly to impel the catheter through the feeding nose portion.

Claim 34

The device of claim 6 wherein said elongated member is a catheter, said feeding nose portion is a cannulated needle and the catheter has means pre-venting the rear end of the same normally from passing through the needle and there is provided a needle cover positionable around at least the front end of the needle after the desired length of catheter has been injected into said passageway and the needle withdrawn therefrom.

Claim 41

The device of claim 30 wherein said liquid forcing means is a compressible bulb-like portion on said body, the bulb-like portion having a collapsible wall portion secured to the rest of the bulb-like portion through a snap-action-forming joint, said collapsible wall portion when depressed inwardly snapping into a stable collapsed position.

Claim 44

The injection device of claim 32 wherein said feeding nose portion and catheter are adapted to be injected into a human blood vessel, said catheter is coiled a number of times within the body so it has an overall length much greater than the length of the body and uncoils without any significant curvature so the flow of said fluid around the catheter in said feeding nose portion readily keeps the catheter spaced from the walls of the feeding nose portion lumen, and said catheter is made of a material which can remain for months in said uncoiled condition and then be uncoiled without any significant curvature set therein.

Claim 45

The injection device of claim 32 where there is provided an open-ended sleeve into which said body and feeding nose portion thereof extend with the feeding nose portion projecting therefrom, said liquid-passing connector being removably secured to the front end of said sleeve, and said body and feeding nose portion being bodily removable from the rear of said sleeve.