Closed system catheter with guide wire

Claim 1

A catheter system for the introduction and placement of a flexible catheter in and into the lumen of a blood vessel such as an artery or vein by a practitioner and using an advancement of a guide wire into said lumen to guide the catheter as it is positioned in said lumen, said catheter system including: (a) a hollow cannula of a determined length and having a sharpened entering end and an exit end; (d) a needle hub axially secured and mounted to said cannula and in an assembled condition providing a manipulable needle, said hub positioned at a selected distance from the sharpened end of the cannula, this hub having a skirt portion providing an interior cavity and open to the rear thereof, this hub having a contoured forward end; (c) a flashback indicating means disposed at or near the exit end of said cannula, this flashback indicating means in flow communication with said cannula to indicate an initial penetration of said wall of the vessel by a flow of blood through this cannula; (d) a flexible catheter that is formed with a through bore that is sized so as to be slideable on and along the outer diameter of the cannula, said catheter having an entering end tapered so as to be easily insertable with the introduction of the cannula into the lumen and with a rear end of said catheter attached to a hub, the catheter of a length so that in mounted condition on the cannula and with the hub of the catheter slideably and removably mounted on the contoured forward end of the cannula whereat the sharpened end of the cannula extends beyond the tapered entering end of the catheter, the hub of the needle being manipulated and advanced by a practitioner so that penetration of a wall of a vessel is achieved by the sharpened end of the cannula; (e) a centering plug within the needle hub and means for retaining said centering plug within said cavity, this plug having a small through guideway axially positioned and terminating so as to be substantially contiguous with the exit end of the cannula and in alignment with the bore of the hollow cannula; (f) a guide wire positioned and sized so as to be a slide fit in the guideway in the centering plug and in the bore of the cannula and disposed to be advanced by manipulation to and through said guideway and bore of the cannula and as said guide wire exits from the entering end of the cannula the advancing guide wire is bent as it enters and follows the lumen of the vessel; (g) inhibiting means cooperatively positioned in and with the guideway and guide wire so as to prevent accidental and unwanted advancement of the guide wire into the guideway and bore of the cannula, and (h) a tubular enclosure of a very thin wall and flexible and secured at one end to the needle hub and providing within said enclosure a sterile environment as and while attached to the needle hub and said guide wire is advanced, whereas and after the guide wire and catheter are advanced to the desired placement in the lumen of the vessel said needle hub and attached cannula, guide wire and tubular enclosure are separated as an array from the catheter and its hub and with said separated array now discarded.

Claim 18

A method for introducing and placing a flexible catheter into the lumen of a vessel such as an artery or vein by a practitioner using an advancement of a guide wire into said lumen and then over and along said guide wire advancing said catheter, said method including the steps of: (a) supplying a hollow cannula of a determined length and sharpening an entering end of the cannula providing an exit end; (b) securing axially a needle hub on and to said cannula and at a selected distance from said sharpened end, and forming this hub with an outward and forward contoured end and a skirt portion in which the annular cavity open to the rear is provided, this hub and cannula providing a manipulable needle assembly; (c) providing a flashback indicating means so as to be in fluid communication with or near the exit end of the cannula, this flashback indicating means showing a penetration of the wall of the vessel by the sharpened end of the cannula; (d) forming a flexible catheter with a through bore and sliding this catheter on the outer diameter of the cannula, and securing the rear end of the catheter to a hub formed so that its rearwardly facing end is releaseably retained on the contoured end of the needle hub, the flexible catheter when mounted on the shank of the cannula adapted to have the needle hub releaseably mounted to the catheter hub and when so positioned having the entering end of the catheter so as to be slightly to the rear of the sharpened end of the cannula; (e) positioning a centering plug with the needle hub and retaining said centering plug in position so that a small through guideway is axially positioned so as to terminate at or substantially at the exit end of said cannula and in alignment with the bore of said hollow cannula; (f) positioning a guide so as to be advanced to and through the guideway of the centering plug and into the bore of the cannula and as said guide wire is advanced bending the guide wire as it enters and follows the lumen of the vessel; (g) positioning inhibiting means in the guideway of the centering plug so as to prevent unwanted and accidental movement of the guide wire, and (h) enclosing the guide wire in a very thin and flexible tubular sheath and securing the end of the sheath to said needle hub to provide a sterile environment as and while the guide wire is advanced to a desired placement in the lumen of the vessel, and after said placement is made advancing the catheter forward over the cannula to follow the path of the guide wire until placement in the vessel is achieved followed by separation of the cannula, attached needle hub and removal of the needle hub and attached cannula, the guide wire and sheath and discarding of same.

Claim 19

A method for introducing and placing a flexible catheter into the lumen of a vessel such as an artery or vein by a practitioner using an advancement of a guide wire into said lumen and then over and along said guide wire advancing said catheter, said method including the steps of: (a) supplying a hollow cannula of a determined length and sharpening an entering end of the cannula providing an exit end; (b) securing axially a needle hub on and to said cannula and at a selected distance from said sharpened end, and forming this hub with an outward and forward contoured end and a skirt portion in which the annular cavity open to the rear is provided, this hub and cannula providing a manipulable needle assembly; (c) providing a flashback indicating means so as to be in fluid communication with or near the exit end of the cannula, this flashback indicating means showing a penetration of the wall of the vessel by the sharpened end of the cannula; (d) forming a flexible catheter with a through bore and sliding this catheter on the outer diameter of the cannula, and securing the rear end of the catheter to a hub formed so that its rearwardly facing end is releaseably retained on the contoured end of the needle hub, the flexible catheter when mounted on the shank of the cannula adapted to have the needle hub releaseably mounted to the catheter hub and when so positioned having the entering end of the catheter so as to be slightly to the rear of the sharpened end of the cannula; (e) positioning a centering plug with the needle hub and retaining said centering plug in position so that a small through guideway is axially positioned so as to terminate at or substantially at the exit end of said cannula and in alignment with the bore of said hollow cannula; (f) positioning a guide so as to be advanced to and through the guideway of the centering plug and into the bore of the cannula and as said guide wire is advanced bending the guide wire as it enters and follows the lumen of the vessel; (g) positioning inhibiting means in the guideway of the centering plug so as to prevent unwanted and accidental movement of the guide wire, and (h) enclosing the guide wire in a very thin and flexible tubular sheath and securing the end of the sheath to said needle hub to provide a sterile environment as and while the guide wire is advanced to a desired placement in the lumen of the vessel, and after said placement is made advancing the catheter forward over the cannula to follow the path of the guide wire until placement in the vessel is achieved followed by separation of the cannula, attached needle hub and removal of the needle hub and attached cannula, the guide wire and sheath and discarding of same.