C. R. Bard, Inc.

Bard Access Systems, Inc.

Becton Dickinson and Company Limited

Gidon Ofek

Bret Hamatake

Blake Allen

Samuel A Francis

Todd P McFarland

Jay Allen Muse

James Freasier

Teresa Ta

Garrick T Smith

Samuel Akins

Todd P Mcfarland

Jason R Stats

Giridhar Thiagarajan

Christopher Quach

Brendan Laine

A catheter assembly or other elongate tubular device for use in establishing vascular or other access within the body of a patient is disclosed. The catheter assembly is equipped with one or more sensors that enable monitoring of one or more physiological aspects of the patient or physical aspect of the catheter assembly itself when the catheter assembly is disposed within the patient. Such aspects include central venous pressure, body temperature, ECG heart signals, oxygen levels, ultrasound data, glucose, etc. The catheter assembly includes the ability to wirelessly transmit or otherwise forward data relating to the detected physiological parameters to another location, such as a patient electronic medical record, smartphone or other mobile device, nurse station, etc. Catheter assemblies configured to detect the frequency of catheter flushing, flushing quality, etc., are also disclosed.

Catheter assembly including monitoring capabilities

A venous catheter assembly includes a hub with opposing suture wings, an extension leg coupled to the hub, and an elongate catheter tube designed for insertion into a blood vessel of a patient. The elongate catheter tube is coupled to the hub and includes at least one fluid-carrying lumen within the outer wall extending between a proximal end and a distal end of the elongate catheter tube. The fluid-carrying lumen is in fluid communication with the extension leg and an opening in the outer wall at the distal end of the elongate catheter tube. The elongate catheter tube also includes at least one terminating lumen within the outer wall extending to a closed termination point.

Catheter assembly including transitioning lumens

A catheter configured to release nitric oxide and chlorhexidine providing anti-platelet and antimicrobial properties is manufactured by impregnating a thermoplastic polyurethane catheter extrusion with a nitric oxide releasing compound and with chlorhexidine. Thereafter, the impregnated catheter extrusion is coated with a polyurethane coating comprising chlorhexidine and/or a nitric oxide releasing compound. In the impregnating step, the catheter extrusion may be exposed to a solvent having the nitric oxide releasing compound and chlorhexidine dissolved therein. The solvent is removed from the catheter extrusion. In the coating step, the impregnated catheter extrusion may be dip coated in a polymer solution comprising polyurethane and chlorhexidine and/or a nitric oxide releasing compound in a suitable solvent. The nitric oxide releasing compound, impregnated and/or coated, may be selected from s-nitroso-n-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), s-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), and mixtures thereof. The chlorhexidine, impregnated and/or coated, may be selected from chlorhexidine diacetate, chlorhexidine base, chlorhexidine gluconate, and mixtures thereof.

Nitric oxide and chlorhexidine releasing catheter for anti-platelet and antimicrobial dual functionality

A stylet for use in guiding a catheter to a predetermined location within the body of a patient includes a continuous core member for transmitting an electrical signal from a distal section of the stylet to a proximal end. The stylet includes a differing stiffness profile along its length. The differing stiffness characteristics are achieved by varying the number of strands of a wire, the diameter of each individual strand, twisting or braiding the strands, or varying the number of turns per unit length of the twisted strands. The stiffness of the stylet may decrease intermittently or continuously from the proximal end to the distal section. By using multiple strands bundled together, the beneficial conductive and, optionally, magnetic properties can be maximized while at the same time the stiffness characteristics can be modified.

Apparatus and methods to modulate stylet stiffness profile

A patency device for catheter assemblies and other elongate tubular devices used for establishing access to an interior body portion of a patient is disclosed. The patency device establishes and preserves patency of one or more lumens defined by the catheter assembly by providing impulses of positive pressure to fluid disposed in the lumen of the catheter assembly. In one embodiment, the patency device comprises a fluid reservoir configured to provide a fluid path to at least one lumen of the catheter assembly, and a pressure input portion. The pressure input portion is configured to provide pressure for one or more impulses of positive pressure to a fluid disposed within the lumen. The impulses are configured to dislodge occlusions that may have formed in the lumen. A negative pressure can then be provided to the lumen to aspirate the occlusion.

Systems and methods for correcting and preventing occlusion in a catheter

Diagnostic systems and methods including temperature-sensing vascular devices. A diagnostic system can include a catheter assembly for establishing vascular or other access within a body of a patient. The catheter assembly can be equipped with one or more sensors such as temperature sensors that enable monitoring of one or more physiological aspects of the patient, such as temperature, when a portion of the catheter assembly is disposed within the patient. The catheter assembly can be configured to transmit or otherwise forward data relating to the physiological aspects to another location, such as a console, a smartphone or another mobile device, a nurse station, a patient electronic medical record, etc. A method of the diagnostic system can include an instantiating step of instantiating in memory of the console a diagnostic process having one or more functions for at least processing temperature data from the catheter assembly.

Diagnostic systems and methods including temperature-sensing vascular devices

A system for infusing a gas into a vascular access device may include a catheter interface, which may include a distal end, a proximal end, and a lumen extending between the distal end and the proximal end. The system may also include a connector disposed on an outer surface of the catheter interface. The connector may be configured to couple to a reservoir. The reservoir may include a housing, which may include an opening and an impermeable wall. The opening may be configured to couple to the connector of the catheter interface. The reservoir may also include a molecular precursor to a gaseous agent that is suspended in a hydrogel and disposed within the housing. The gaseous agent may be antimicrobial, antithrombogenic, or both antimicrobial and antithrombogenic.

Antimicrobial and antithrombogenic gaseous release device and related systems and methods

Disclosed herein are wound-healing systems and methods thereof. A wound-healing system can include a wound dressing, a catheter-stabilization device, and an electrical-stimulation means for applying electrical stimulation to heal or protect at least a wound associated with a percutaneous insertion site of a patient. The wound dressing can be configured as an electrode for placement around the wound. The catheter-stabilization device can include an anchor pad and a retainer coupled to the anchor pad. The anchor pad can be configured to adhere to skin of the patient proximate the insertion site. The retainer can be configured to stabilize a catheter assembly while a catheter tube of the catheter assembly is disposed in the insertion site. The electrical-stimulation means can include an electrical power source and an external circuit between the catheter-stabilization device and the wound dressing for applying the electrical stimulation.

Wound-healing systems and methods thereof

An antimicrobial catheter assembly can include a hub, a catheter tube connected to the hub, at least one extension leg connected to the hub, and a non-eluting antimicrobial coating on an internal or external surface of the catheter assembly. The hub includes at least one hub lumen defining a corresponding hub portion of a fluid pathway through the catheter assembly. The catheter tube includes at least one catheter-tube lumen defining a corresponding catheter-tube portion of the fluid pathway through the catheter assembly. The extension leg can include an extension-leg lumen defining a corresponding extension-leg portion of the fluid pathway through the catheter assembly. The antimicrobial coating can include a copper-based layer between a corrosion-preventing layer and the internal or external surface of the catheter assembly, an adhesion-promoting layer between the copper-based layer and the internal or external surface of the catheter assembly, or a combination thereof.

Antimicrobial catheter assemblies and methods thereof

A closed-ended catheter assembly that includes an electrically conductive pathway is disclosed. The conductive pathway enables electrical ECG signals from a patient's heart to pass through the closed-ended tip of the indwelling catheter while still preventing unintended fluid flow. In one embodiment, a catheter assembly is disclosed and comprises an elongate catheter tube including a closed distal end. The catheter tube defines a lumen and includes a valve defined in the catheter tube to selectively enable fluids to pass therethrough. The catheter tube includes a conductive element that provides an electrically conductive pathway between the lumen and an exterior portion of the catheter. The conductive element includes an electrically conductive sleeve disposed within the lumen and is positioned proximate a hole defined in a catheter tube wall. The hole enables fluids in a vessel of the patient body in which the catheter tube is disposed to contact the sleeve.

Growing community of inventors

Millcreek, UT, United States of America

Gidon Ofek