Thomas Medical Products, Inc.

Burron Medical, Inc.

Kurth, Paul a.

Joseph J Thomas

Andrew W Armour

David G Catlin

Robert W Thomas

Paul A Kurth

Apparatus for introducing a catheter percutaneously into the body of a living being. The apparatus comprises a tubular member having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion. The proximal end portion is in the form of a hollow housing for a hemostatic valve assembly comprising a lubricant reservoir and a valve element. The reservoir is formed of a foam material impregnated with a lubricant liquid, e.g., silicone. The valve element is a disk-like member formed of resilient material, e.g., silicone impregnated with polydimethylsiloxane, located distally of the reservoir and has a openable passageway extending through it for the catheter to pass. The reservoir applies the lubricating fluid-in a controlled manner onto the catheter as it is passed through it, to thereby facilitate the passage of the catheter through the openable passageway in the valve element. The hollow housing is arranged to produce peripheral pressure on the valve element to facilitate its closure.

Catheter introducer with lubrication means

An obturator for use with a conventional sheath introducer or any other tubular member providing access to the interior of the body of a living being. The obturator comprises a shaft in the form of an elongated rod-like element having a distal end. The rod-like element is formed of a first material, e.g., polyester based polyurethane, having a first durometer, e.g., 75 (Shore D). The distal end of the rod like element is in the form of a tip formed of a second material, e.g., aliphatic polyurethane, having a second durometer, e.g., 80 (Shore A), substantially less than that of the first material. The tip is a hollow tubular body having a domed free end. The distal end of the rod-like element includes an annular recess about its periphery which cooperates with the mating shaped hollow interior surface of the tip to secure the tip in place. A radiopaque material, e.g., barium sulfate in a concentration of at least 20 percent by weight, is incorporated into the tip to facilitate radiographic location of the obturator when it is in place within the body of the being.

Soft tip obturator

A needleless device for introducing or withdrawing a fluid to/from the vascular system of a being. The device includes first and second housing sections movably connected with respect to each other and which define a hollow interior in which a pair of resilient valve elements are located. The first housing section includes a first luer fitting for connection to an input line. The second housing section includes a second luer fitting for connection to an output line. A tubular plunger is located within the device and is arranged, when the housing sections are in a first position, to be automatically extended through a first valve element if the input line is connected to the first luer fitting, so that a liquid can be forced from the input line through the device to the output line. When the housing sections are in the first position and the input line disconnected from the first luer fitting, the tubular plunger is retracted out of both valve elements so that the device is fully occluded. The housing sections are movable to a second position with the input line connected to the first luer fitting, whereupon the tubular plunger is extended through both valve elements to provide free fluid communication between the input and output lines.

Needleless introducer with hemostatic valve

A catheter anchoring assembly includes a winged section which is easily anchored to a patient to securely attach the assembly to that patient. The winged section includes a tubular body attachable to a catheter hub and through which the catheter extends. The winged section extends beyond a stem on the catheter hub and is larger than the outer diameter of the catheter tube whereby kinking of that catheter tube is prevented. The tubular body can be tilted with respect to the wing of the winged section.

Growing community of inventors

Berwyn, PA, United States of America

Joseph J Thomas