Meditech, Ltd.

Microvasive, Inc.

Abbott Labs.

Michael A Ciannella

Arnold S Gould

Michael P Manzo

Barry A Sacks

Gary Sawicki

An enteral feeding catheter is characterized by being adapted for introduction through the mouth via a guidewire that extends from the mouth through the esophagus, stomach and abdominal puncture. The catheter has a relatively stiff leading portion of length sufficient to extend along the guidewire from the mouth through the abdominal puncture and of stiffness sufficient to permit it to be pushed along the guidewire, at least an initial length of the catheter being tapered to a narrow leading tip to enable the puncture to be dilated as its drawn therethrough. The catheter also has a relatively soft, large diameter trailing portion connected to the leading portion adapted to be drawn along said guidewire by grasping and pulling the stiff leading portion until the leading end of the soft portion extends outside the body through the widened puncture, while the trailing end remains in the stomach, whereby the relatively soft trailing portion can serve as a conduit for enteric feeding. A method of placing the device for enteral feeding is described, as is a retractable locking device of special configuration for use with the soft portion of this catheter, or others, the lock providing a relatively large, compared to the opening in an associated retainer, fixed protuberance about the catheter to prevent passage of the catheter through the opening absent application of abnormally high pulling force.

Enteral feeding device

A gastro-enterostomy device consists of an introducing catheter, stiffening member, and separable conical tip for providing an introduction lumen of relatively large bore.

Enteric feeding device

A medical device includes a flexible, elongated tube having a continuous, smooth, outer surface, adapted for introduction into the body, and a connection for introducing inflation fluid into the space defined by the length of the tube. The tube is elastomer and the tube wall is in a weakened state while adjacent portions of the tube are not so weakened, the wall of the selected portion having a lower resistance to expansion than adjacent portions. By use of heat-sensitive, annealable plastic, a tube of uniform thickness is weakened at a selected location by annealing. The selected limited-length portion, by reason of its weakened state, is adapted to preferentially respond to pressure of inflation fluid within the tube by expanding transversely to a balloon shape larger than adjacent portions of the tube that are subjected to the same pressure. In a preferred embodiment, the device includes a tube surrounded by a sleeve having the limited-length, preferentially expansive portion and anti-stick means in the preferred form of a porous inner sleeve extends between the outer sleeve and the central member. The outer sleeve extends about the end of the central member to define the lead surface.

Medical devices having inflatable portions

An introducing catheter for use in placing a large guidewire after a small guidewire is in position. The catheter has a tapered distal tip, decreased lumen size at the distal end, a side port and a ramp disposed within the tube at the distal end of the side port. The ramp is inclined distally toward the side port, the distal end of the ramp being fixed to the tube adjacent to the side port and the proximal end of the ramp being disposed adjacent the inner wall of the tube in the region opposite the side port in the manner that the small guidewire can move proximally past the ramp. The ramp deflects the distally moving larger wire so that it exists through the side port. In the embodiment shown, the ramp is formed integrally of low friction thermoplastic (PTFE) and the upper surface of the proximal end of the ramp has a convex, wire-deflecting contour as a result of thermoforming pressure.

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Marlboro, MA, United States of America

Michael A Ciannella