The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 15, 2012
Filed:
Dec. 23, 2010
Alison S. Bagwell, Alpharetta, GA (US);
Thomas G. Estes, Bonifay, FL (US);
Donald J. Mcmichael, Roswell, GA (US);
John A. Rotella, Roswell, GA (US);
Scott M. Teixeira, Cumming, GA (US);
Alison S. Bagwell, Alpharetta, GA (US);
Thomas G. Estes, Bonifay, FL (US);
Donald J. McMichael, Roswell, GA (US);
John A. Rotella, Roswell, GA (US);
Scott M. Teixeira, Cumming, GA (US);
Kimberly-Clark Wordwide, Inc., Neenah, WI (US);
Abstract
An inflatable retention system for an enteral feeding tube having a base deployed outside the human body and an indwelling retainer which is deployed within a lumen or cavity of the body by insertion through a stoma from outside the body. The retention system includes a tube having a proximal end, a distal end, an external tube diameter, and tube walls defining a feeding lumen and an inflation lumen. The retention system also includes an inflatable balloon located at a distal end of the tube in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, the balloon having thin, flexible walls, a predetermined spheroid shape, and a volume at which a fluid in the balloon is under no pressure such that upon inflation with a fluid to pressurize fluid in the balloon, the balloon assumes a stable spheroid shape and exhibits a substantially linear pressure versus volume curve.