Sterile docking process, apparatus and system

Claim 2

A process of joining first and second thermoplastic tubes together comprising juxtaposing said tubes, forming a molten seal between a surface of a heated elongated body placed substantially perpendicularly to the axes of said tubes and an adjacent side section of each of said tubes thereby providing a seal between the interior and exterior of said tubes and moving the molten side sections of said tubes together while passing said tubes over an end of said body, thereby forming a joint between said tubes.

Claim 3

A process of forming a sterile connection between a first tube and a second tube, both formed of thermoplastic resin, comprising mounting said tubes in a pair of spaced-apart mounting means which hold said tubes in a contiguous, substantially parallel position; urging a hot elongated body having substantially elliptical or circular cross section through opposing side sections of said tubes substantially perpendicularly to the axes of said tubes at a rate such that the thermoplastic resin from which said tubes are formed and which is in contact with said body becomes molten, thereby forming a molten interface between the surface of said body and each of said tubes and providing a seal between the interior and exterior of said tubes; passing said tubes over an end of said body while urging the molten sections of said tubes together; and cooling the thusly joined molten interfaces whereby a sterile connection is formed between said tubes.

Claim 4

A process of forming a sterile connection between a first tube and a second tube, both formed of thermoplastic resin, comprising mounting said tubes in a pair of spaced-apart mounting means which hold said tubes in a contiguous, substantially parallel position; urging a hot elongated body having substantially elliptical or circular cross section through opposing side sections of said tubes substantially perpendicularly to the axes of said tubes at a rate such that the thermoplastic resin from which said tubes are formed and which is in contact with said body becomes molten, thereby forming a molten interface between the surface of said body and each of said tubes and providing a seal between the interior and exterior of said tubes; passing said tubes over an end of said body while urging the molten sections of said tubes together; and cooling the thusly joined molten interfaces whereby a sterile connection is formed between said tubes.

Claim 5

A process according to claim 2 wherein the hot elongated body is maintained at a temperature above about 260° C.

Claim 6

A process according to claim 3 wherein the hot elongated body is maintained at a temperature below the temperature where the thermoplastic resin from which the tubes are made begins to degrade in the time used.

Claim 7

A process according to claim 4 wherein the mounting means holding the tubes are a pair of blocks having slots therein which hold said tubes.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the elongated body is made of copper.

Claim 13

A sterile connection system for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in which a dialysis solution container with a transfer port that includes a segment of tubing is coupled to a tube extending from a patient's peritoneal cavity, wherein the improvement comprises an elongated body of substantially elliptical or circular cross section; means for heating said elongated body; a pair of spaced-apart mounting blocks positioned in facing relationship and adapted to receive and hold the transfer port tube and the patient's tube; means to provide movement between said blocks and said elongated body such that, in a first position, said elongated body is positioned substantially orthogonally between said blocks and traversing where the blocks are adapted to receive said tubes and, in a second position, said elongated body and said blocks are separated; and means for urging said blocks partially together as said mounting blocks and said elongated body are being separated.

Claim 14

A sterile connection system for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in which a dialysis solution container with a transfer port that includes a segment of tubing is coupled to a tube extending from a patient's peritoneal cavity, wherein the improvement comprises an elongated body of substantially elliptical or circular cross section; means for heating said elongated body; a pair of spaced-apart mounting blocks positioned in facing relationship and adapted to receive and hold the transfer port tube and the patient's tube; means to provide movement between said blocks and said elongated body such that, in a first position, said elongated body is positioned substantially orthogonally between said blocks and traversing where the blocks are adapted to receive said tubes and, in a second position, said elongated body and said blocks are separated; and means for urging said blocks partially together as said mounting blocks and said elongated body are being separated.

Claim 15

A sterile connection system according to claim 9 wherein the patient's tube is connector-free and has a sealed distal end.

Claim 16

A sterile connection system according to claim 10 wherein the transfer port tube is connector-free, has a sealed distal end, and is the same diameter as that of the patient's tube.

Claim 17

A sterile connection system for joining two blood bags, each bag having a tube which can be used for connection and sterile connection being made by joining said tubes, wherein the improvement comprises an elongated body of substantially elliptical or circular cross section, means for heating said elongated body; a pair of spaced-apart mounting blocks positioned in facing relationship and adapted to receive and hold the tubes to be joined; means to provide movement between said blocks and said elongated body such that, in a first position, said elongated body is positioned substantially orthogonally between said blocks and traversing where the blocks are adapted to receive said tubes and, in a second position, said elongated body and said blocks are separated; and means for urging said blocks partially together as said mounting blocks and said elongated body are being separated.

Claim 18

A sterile connection system for joining two blood bags, each bag having a tube which can be used for connection and sterile connection being made by joining said tubes, wherein the improvement comprises an elongated body of substantially elliptical or circular cross section, means for heating said elongated body; a pair of spaced-apart mounting blocks positioned in facing relationship and adapted to receive and hold the tubes to be joined; means to provide movement between said blocks and said elongated body such that, in a first position, said elongated body is positioned substantially orthogonally between said blocks and traversing where the blocks are adapted to receive said tubes and, in a second position, said elongated body and said blocks are separated; and means for urging said blocks partially together as said mounting blocks and said elongated body are being separated.

Claim 19

A sterile connection system according to claim 12 wherein one of the bags is a donor bag and its blood collection tube is one of the tubes to be joined.

Claim 20

A sterile connection system according to claim 13 wherein the two tubes to be joined are of the same diameter.

Claim 21

A sterile connection system according to claim 14 wherein the blood collection tube has a sealed distal end.

Claim 22

A sterile connection system according to claim 15 wherein the second bag is a transfer bag having a transfer port with a transfer tube and the transfer tube is the other tube to be joined.

Claim 23

A sterile connection system according to claim 16 wherein the transfer tube has a sealed distal end.

Claim 24

A sterile connection system according to claim 12 wherein one of the bags is a donor bag having, in addition to its blood collection tube, a connector-free tube to be used specifically for sterile connection, said tube having a sealed distal end.

Claim 25

A sterile connection system according to claim 18 wherein the donor bag is steam sterilizable and the other bag is a transfer bag made from material which is dry sterilizable only.

Claim 26

A sterile connection system according to claim 19 wherein the transfer bag has a connector-free tube having a sealed distal end.

Claim 27

A sterile connection system according to claim 20 wherein the two tubes to be connected are of the same diameter.