Wire guided intestinal catheter

Claim 2

A catheter for nasogastric insertion into the small intestine, said catheter comprising: a flexible tube having upstream and downstream ends; said tube having a length such that when the downstream end of the tube is in the small intestine, the upstream end of the tube extends outwardly through the nose; said tube having an opening in the tip of the downstream end of the tube; a feeding lumen in said tube, communicating with said tip opening in the tube's downstream end and terminating at an upstream end adjacent the upstream end of the tube; means at said upstream end of said feeding lumen for connecting said lumen to a source of nutritive or medicinal material; said feeding lumen comprising means for receiving a guide wire inserted through the feeding lumen's upstream end or through said tip opening in the downstream end of the tube; said tube having gastric openings for aspirating the stomach; said tube having a length such that when its downstream end is in the small intestine, at least some of said gastric openings are in the stomach; a suction lumen in said tube, communicating with each gastric opening and terminating at an upstream end adjacent the upstream end of the tube; means at said upstream end of said suction lumen for connecting said lumen to suction; a vent lumen terminating at an upstream end adjacent the upstream end of the tube; a channel connecting said suction lumen to said vent lumen at a location no further upstream than the furthest downstream gastric opening; and vent means at said upstream end of the vent lumen for communicating said vent lumen to the atmosphere; said channel, said vent lumen and said vent means comprising means for preventing said gastric openings from becoming clogged when aspirating the stomach.

Claim 3

A catheter as recited in claim 1 wherein: said channel is substantially upstream of said downstream end.

Claim 4

A catheter as recited in claim 2 wherein: said vent lumen and said suction lumen terminate just downstream of said channel.

Claim 5

A catheter as recited in claim 1 and comprising: a radio-opaque stripe on the exterior surface of said tube running from the tube's downstream end to the tube's upstream end.

Claim 6

A catheter as recited in claim 4 wherein: said gastric openings are located on an area of the exterior surface of the tube in line with said radio-opaque stripe; and said gastric openings serve as gaps in said radio-opaque stripe.

Claim 7

A catheter as recited in claim 1 and comprising: a radio-opaque area at the downstream end of said tube.

Claim 8

A catheter as recited in claim 1 and comprising: a first marking on said tube, upstream of said gastric openings; and a second marking on said tube, upstream of said first marking; the spacings between said gastric openings and said first marking and between said first marking and said second marking being such that when said gastric openings are in a patient's stomach, said first marking is just downstream of the patient's nostril and said second marking is just upstream of the patient's nostril.

Claim 9

A catheter as recited in claim 7 wherein: said first marking is located 171/2 inches (44.5 cm) upstream of the most upstream of said gastric openings; and said second marking is located 5 inches (12.7 cm) upstream of said first marking.

Claim 10

A catheter as recited in claim 1 wherein: the distance between the downstream end of the tube and the furthest downstream of said gastric openings is about 21 inches (53.3 cm)

Claim 11

A catheter as recited in claim 1 wherein: said tube has a total length of about 60 inches (152.4 cm).

Claim 12

In combination with the catheter recited in claim 1: a guide wire; said guide wire comprising means for emplacing said tube within a patient's gastrointestinal tract.

Claim 13

A gastrostomy catheter for insertion into the small intestine, said catheter comprising: a flexible tube having upstream and downstream ends; said tube having a length such that when the downstream end of the tube is in the small intestine, the upstream end of the tube extends outwardly through the patient's skin adjacent the stomach; said tube having an opening in the tip of the downstream end of the tube; a feeding lumen in said tube, communicating with said tip opening in the tube's downstream end and terminating at an upstream end adjacent the upstream end of the tube; means at said upstream end of said feeding lumen for connecting said lumen to a source of nutritive or medicinal material; said feeding lumen comprising means for receiving a guide wire inserted through the feeding lumen's upstream end or through said tip opening in the downstream end of the tube; said tube having gastric openings for aspirating the stomach; said tube having a length such that when the tube's downstream end is in the small intestine, at least some of said gastric openings are in the stomach; a suction lumen in said tube, communicating with each gastric opening and terminating at an upstream end adjacent the upstream end of the tube; means at said upstream end of said suction lumen for connecting said lumen to suction; a vent lumen terminating at an upstream end adjacent the upstream end of the tube; a channel connecting said suction lumen to said vent lumen at a location no further upstream than the furthest downstream gastric opening; and vent means at said upstream end of the vent lumen for communicating said vent lumen to the atmosphere; said channel, said vent lumen and said vent means comprising means for preventing said gastric openings from becoming clogged when aspirating the stomach.

Claim 14

A gastrostomy catheter for insertion into the small intestine, said catheter comprising: a flexible tube having upstream and downstream ends; said tube having a length such that when the downstream end of the tube is in the small intestine, the upstream end of the tube extends outwardly through the patient's skin adjacent the stomach; said tube having an opening in the tip of the downstream end of the tube; a feeding lumen in said tube, communicating with said tip opening in the tube's downstream end and terminating at an upstream end adjacent the upstream end of the tube; means at said upstream end of said feeding lumen for connecting said lumen to a source of nutritive or medicinal material; said feeding lumen comprising means for receiving a guide wire inserted through the feeding lumen's upstream end or through said tip opening in the downstream end of the tube; said tube having gastric openings for aspirating the stomach; said tube having a length such that when the tube's downstream end is in the small intestine, at least some of said gastric openings are in the stomach; a suction lumen in said tube, communicating with each gastric opening and terminating at an upstream end adjacent the upstream end of the tube; means at said upstream end of said suction lumen for connecting said lumen to suction; a vent lumen terminating at an upstream end adjacent the upstream end of the tube; a channel connecting said suction lumen to said vent lumen at a location no further upstream than the furthest downstream gastric opening; and vent means at said upstream end of the vent lumen for communicating said vent lumen to the atmosphere; said channel, said vent lumen and said vent means comprising means for preventing said gastric openings from becoming clogged when aspirating the stomach.

Claim 15

A catheter as recited in claims 12 wherein: said channel is located substantially upstream of said downstream end.

Claim 16

A catheter as recited in claim 13 wherein: said vent lumen and said suction lumen terminate just downstream of said channel.

Claim 17

A catheter as recited in claim 12 and comprising: a radio-opaque stripe on the exterior surface of said tube running from the tube's downstream end to the tube's upstream end.

Claim 18

A catheter as recited in claim 15 wherein: said gastric openings are located on an area of the exterior surface of the tube in line with said radio-opaque stripe; and said gastric openings serve as gaps in said radio-opaque stripe.

Claim 19

The catheter of claim 12 and comprising: a radio-opaque area at the downstream end of the tube.

Claim 20

A catheter as recited in claim 12 wherein: the distance between the downstream end of the tube and the furthest downstream of said gastric openings is about 21 inches (53.3 cm).

Claim 21

A catheter as recited in claim 12 wherein: said tube has a total length of about 45 inches (114.3 cm).

Claim 22

In combination with the catheter recited in claim 12: a guide wire; said guide wire comprising means for emplacing said tube within a patient's gastrointestinal tract.

Claim 25

A method as recited in claim 21 wherein: said guide wire is emplaced within the gastrointestinal tract by inserting said guide wire into the open upstream end of an intestinal catheter also having an open downstream end and which was previously emplaced in the gastrointestinal tract; said method comprising removing said previously emplaced catheter by withdrawing it over said guide wire and out of the patient's body.