US 5,810,790 AGrant

Catheter With Viewing System and Port Connector

Issue Date:1998-09-22

•8 Claims

•1 Drawing Sheets

Abstract

A balloon-retention catheter for insertion into a chamber of a living being. The catheter includes a length of catheter tubing having an inflatable balloon immediately behind the distal end. Within the tubing is a fluid lumen, a balloon inflation lumen, and a third lumen to accommodate an endoscope whose distal end projects beyond the distal end of the catheter tubing. Accommodation of an endoscope permits required longevity of use of the catheter without its removal and reintroduction each time a visual inspection is indicated.

Metadata

Inventors

Wendell V. Ebling
Theodore Leonard Hendrickson

Application Information

Application Number:US 7531087

Filing Date:1996-11-19

Priority Date:1996-11-19

Art Unit:374

Classifications

IPC:

A61M 2500

Field of Search:

604128606600280;264;283;96;102;20;21633;6342;13-16;7101;115;116

Patent Drawings (1 sheets)

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to catheters, and in particular to a catheter having a distal balloon retention member and an inner lumen within- which an endoscope can be housed for simultaneous insertion through an orifice into a chamber of a living being for diagnostic viewing.

Background of the Invention

A typical fluid delivery and fluid collection catheter is one having an inflatable balloon near its distal end for retention of the catheter at a particular location. Probably the most common catheter of this type is the Foley catheter. In particular, a Foley catheter is typically used for entry into the urinary bladder to accomplish urine flow therefrom and to introduce medication into the bladder. Patients requiring such treatment generally must have the catheter in place for a period of time. As a result, once the catheter is in place and the balloon is just beyond the neck of the bladder, the balloon is inflated to thereby secure the catheter and prevent its outward passage.

If medical treatment within the bladder of a catherized patient is required, it many times is necessary for a physician to inspect the interior thereof with an endoscope. To accomplish insertion of the endoscope obviously requires removal of the catheter and subsequent insertion of the endoscope through the urethra. After viewing, the endoscope must be removed and the catheter once again inserted. These insertion and removal procedures are unpleasant and possibly painful, are time consuming, and certainly interfere with ongoing internal observations at will.

In view of these limitations on patient treatment, it is apparent that a need is present for instrumentation that can permit continued treatment while observations of treated areas can simultaneously occur. It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a balloon-retained catheter having a designated additional lumen to house an endoscope.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a balloon-retained catheter wherein the endoscope can be releasably retained.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a balloon-retained catheter system wherein an endoscope situated within a lumen of the catheter can be encased in a sterile sleeve such that the endoscope itself need not be sterilized prior to use.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description which now follows.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention is a balloon-retention catheter for insertion into a chamber of a living being. In particular, the catheter comprises a length of catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end, with the distal end thereof having immediately there behind an inflatable balloon surrounding a portion of the tubing. The catheter has a first lumen having an open proximal end and an open distal end and extends through the tubing from the proximal end to the distal end for conveying fluid therethrough. The catheter additionally has a second lumen having an open proximal end and an open distal end extending through at least a portion of the tubing to terminate distally at an interior site of the balloon for conveying inflation fluid to and from the balloon, and a third lumen having an open proximal end and an open distal end and extending through at least a portion of the tubing to terminate at the distal end of the tubing. The third lumen is constructed to accommodate an endoscope having a distal end such that the distal end of the endoscope will project beyond the distal end of the tubing. When an endoscope is in place, its distal end projects minimally beyond the distal end of the catheter, with such projection distance being no more than is necessary to effectuate desired viewability of tissue. The endoscope can be encased within a sterile sleeve so that the fiber optic image bundle of the endoscope need not be sterilized prior to any use.

The present invention provides a significant advance in both patient comfort and disease diagnosis. As is evident, incorporation of a lumen within a balloon-retained catheter to accommodate an endoscope permits required longevity of use of the catheter without its removal and reintroduction each time a visual inspection is indicated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a prior art balloon-retained catheter;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a balloon-retained catheter having a lumen for accommodating an endoscope;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the distal portion of the catheter as shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the releasable connector members for releasable engagement of the proximal ends of the endoscope and its lumen structure.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 1, a prior-art balloon-retained catheter 10, here being a Foley catheter, is shown. The catheter 10 includes a length of tubing 12 having an open proximal end 14 and an open distal end 16, with the distal opening including laterally disposed apertures. Immediately behind the distal end 16 is an inflatable balloon 18 surrounding a portion of the tubing 12. A first lumen 20 defined by the tubing 12 extends from the proximal end 14 to the distal end 16 thereof for conveying fluid therethrough. A second lumen 22 is disposed within the tubing 12 and is accessible via an open proximal end 24. The second lumen 22 leads to the interior of the balloon 18 for passage of fluid for balloon inflation and deflation.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 5, a balloon-retained catheter 30 is shown wherein an endoscope can be retained. The catheter 30 is identical to the prior art catheter 10 of FIG. 1, except with the capability of housing an endoscope as hereafter described. Thus, the catheter 30 includes a length of tubing 32 having an open proximal end 34 and an open distal end 36, with the distal end opening being four uniformally laterally disposed apertures as exemplified by aperture 40. Immediately behind the distal end 36 is an inflatable balloon 38 surrounding a portion of the tubing 32. A first lumen 41 defined by the tubing 32 extends from the proximal end 34 to the distal end 36 for conveying fluid therethrough. A second lumen 42 is disposed within the tubing 32 and is accessible via an open proximal end 44 situated in connector tubing 47. The second lumen 42 has an open distal end 46 leading to the interior 48 of the balloon 38 for passage of fluid to inflate or deflate the balloon 38.

A third lumen 45 is disposed within the tubing 32 and is accessible via an open proximal end 50 situated distally from the proximal end of the tubing 32 in lateral connector tubing 43. The third lumen 45 has an open distal end 52 at the distal tip 54 of the tubing 32, and accommodates an endoscope 56 such that the distal end 58 of the endoscope 56 projects beyond the distal tip 54 a distance sufficient to provide beneficial viewing. As shown in FIG. 5, the open proximal end 50 of the lateral connector tubing 43 may be defined by a port connector 60 complimentarily engageable with an endoscope connector 62 of the endoscope 56. In the embodiment shown, the port connector 60 has a receptor channel 64 within which a projection 66 of the connector 62 is releasably received by friction fit. The endoscope 56 itself can be encased in a sterile sleeve 68, as generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,990, to thereby eliminate the need to sterilize the endoscope itself. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, the endoscope assembly comprises a fiber bundle 70 having a sheath 72 thereabout inside the sleeve 68. At least the distal end of the sleeve 68 is transparent to thereby permit viewing of the endoscope 56.

Operation of the catheter 30 is commenced by first positioning the distal end 36 at a desired site usually within a cavity such as a urinary bladder. When desired placement is attained, fluid such as a saline solution is introduced into the second lumen 42 for travel to the interior 48 of the balloon 38 and inflation thereof and retention of the catheter 30 in place. Once so situated, the catheter 30 permits free fluid flow from and/or to the site of its distal end 36. To visually inspect the site of the distal end 36 of the catheter 30, an endoscope 56 is inserted into the third lumen 45 and advanced until its distal end 58 resides beyond the distal tip 54 of the tubing 32. Such advancement results in engagement of the port connector 60 and endoscope connector 62 for releasable retention of the endoscope 56 for use in viewing the catherized site. In this manner, a physician or other healthcare worker can endoscopically view a site without first removing a catheterized site. In this manner, a physician or other healthcare worker can endoscopically view a site without first removing a catheter treating that site.

While an illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A urinary catheter, comprising: an elongate catheter tube having proximal and distal ends, said catheter tube defining a first lumen for conveying fluid therethrough; an inflatable balloon attached to and extending at least partially about the catheter tube adjacent the distal end thereof; an inflation tube extending within the first lumen and having a proximal end and a distal end which is in fluid communication with the interior of the balloon, the inflation tube defining a second lumen for conveying inflation fluid to and from the balloon; an endoscope tube extending within the first lumen and having a proximal end and a distal end which protrudes from the distal end of the catheter tube, the endoscope tube defining a third lumen; an elongate endoscope slidably disposed within the third lumen, said endoscope having proximal and distal ends and a connector including a projection extending therefrom; and a port connector attached to the proximal end of the endoscope tube, said port connector including an opening for allowing passage of the endoscope into the third lumen and a receptor channel for receiving the projection of the connector of the endoscope; wherein the receipt of the projection into the receptor channel occurring as a result of the proximal advancement of the endoscope within the third lumen effectively locks the endoscope in a position within the third lumen whereat the distal end of the endoscope protrudes from the distal end of the endoscope tube.

2. The urinary catheter of claim 1 wherein the catheter tube includes at least one flow aperture disposed therein adjacent the distal end thereof.

3. The urinary catheter of claim 2 wherein the catheter tube includes multiple flow apertures disposed therein adjacent the distal end thereof.

4. The urinary catheter of claim 1 wherein the endoscope is encased in a sterile sleeve.

5. A urinary catheter, comprising: an elongate catheter tube having proximal and distal ends, said catheter tube defining a first lumen for conveying fluid therethrough; an endoscope tube extending within the first lumen and having a proximal end and a distal end which terminates at the distal end of the catheter tube, said endoscope tube defining a third lumen; an elongate endoscope slidably disposed within the third lumen, said endoscope having proximal and distal ends and a connector including a projection extending therefrom; and a port connector attached to the proximal end of the endoscope tube, said port connector including an opening for allowing passage of the endoscope into the third lumen and a receptor channel for receiving the projection of the connector of the endoscope; wherein the receipt of the projection into the receptor channel occurring as a result of the proximal advancement of the endoscope within the third lumen effectively locks the endoscope in a position within the third lumen whereat the distal end of the endoscope protrudes from the distal end of the endoscope tube and the distal end of the catheter tube.

6. The urinary catheter of claim 5 wherein the catheter tube includes at least one flow aperture disposed therein adjacent the distal end thereof.

7. The urinary catheter of claim 6 wherein the catheter tube includes multiple flow apertures disposed therein adjacent the distal end thereof.

8. The urinary catheter of claim 5 wherein the endoscope is encased in a sterile sleeve.

Patent Citations (165)

Patent	Date	Inventor
USRe33166	1990-02-01	Samson
USRe33854	1992-03-01	Adair
US1680490	1928-08-01	Wappler
US2067031	1937-01-01	Wappler
US2129391	1938-09-01	Wappler
US2541976	1951-02-01	Bogart
US2691370	1954-10-01	Wallace
US2922415	1960-01-01	Campagna
US2975785	1961-03-01	Sheldon
US2990830	1961-07-01	Hett
US3043309	1962-07-01	McCarthy
US3144020	1964-08-01	Zingale
US3162190	1964-12-01	Del Gizzo
US3373736	1968-03-01	Fiore et al.
US3470876	1969-10-01	Barchilon
US3485237	1969-12-01	Bedford
US3495586	1970-02-01	Regenbogen
US3521620	1970-07-01	Cook
US3547103	1970-12-01	Cook
US3605725	1971-09-01	Bentov
US3625200	1971-12-01	Muller
US3636940	1972-01-01	Gravlee
US3674014	1972-07-01	Tillander
US3720203	1973-03-01	Brown
US3729008	1973-04-01	Berkovits
US3757768	1973-09-01	Kline
US3773034	1973-11-01	Burns et al.
US3794091	1974-02-01	Ersek et al.
US3809072	1974-05-01	Ersek et al.
US3866601	1975-02-01	Russell
US3890977	1975-06-01	Wilson
US3945371	1976-03-01	Adelman
US3947089	1976-03-01	Rapp
US3980078	1976-09-01	Tominaga
US4033331	1977-07-01	Guss et al.
US4040413	1977-08-01	Ohshiro
US4076018	1978-02-01	Heckele
US4085742	1978-04-01	Okada
US4132227	1979-01-01	Ibe
US4146019	1979-03-01	Bass et al.
US4176662	1979-12-01	Frazer et al.
US4201199	1980-05-01	Smith
US4243049	1981-01-01	Goodale et al.
US4248214	1981-02-01	Hannah et al.
US4249533	1981-02-01	Komiya
US4254762	1981-03-01	Yoon
US4327735	1982-05-01	Hampson
US4329995	1982-05-01	Anthracite
US4375818	1983-03-01	Suwaki et al.
US4389208	1983-06-01	LeVeen et al.
US4401123	1983-08-01	Baba
US4403985	1983-09-01	Boretos
US4445892	1984-05-01	Hussein et al.
US4448188	1984-05-01	Loeb
US4456017	1984-06-01	Miles
US4470407	1984-09-01	Hussein
US4538622	1985-09-01	Samson et al.
US4543090	1985-09-01	McCoy
US4545390	1985-10-01	Leary
US4554929	1985-11-01	Samson et al.
US4576145	1986-03-01	Tsuno et al.
US4581017	1986-04-01	Sahota
US4582181	1986-04-01	Samson
US4586923	1986-05-01	Gould et al.
US4601705	1986-07-01	McCoy
US4616653	1986-10-01	Samson et al.
US4624243	1986-11-01	Lowery et al.
US4627436	1986-12-01	Leckrone
US4631052	1986-12-01	Kensey
US4641654	1987-02-01	Samson et al.
US4646722	1987-03-01	Silverstein et al.
US4647149	1987-03-01	McCartney et al.
US4650466	1987-03-01	Luther
US4654024	1987-03-01	Crittenden et al.
US4669465	1987-06-01	Moore et al.
US4676249	1987-06-01	Arenas et al.
US4685449	1987-08-01	Bonnet
US4690175	1987-09-01	Ouchi et al.
US4694828	1987-09-01	Eichenbaum
US4710176	1987-12-01	Quick
US4719924	1988-01-01	Crittenden et al.
US4721097	1988-01-01	D'Amello
US4721117	1988-01-01	Mar et al.
US4723936	1988-02-01	Buchbinder
US4724846	1988-02-01	Evans
US4726369	1988-02-01	Mar
US4741326	1988-05-01	Sidall
US4742817	1988-05-01	Kawashima
US4748981	1988-06-01	Crittenden
US4748982	1988-06-01	Horzewski
US4757381	1988-07-01	Cooper
US4757827	1988-07-01	Buchbinder et al.
US4758222	1988-07-01	McCoy
US4763647	1988-08-01	Gambale
US4765314	1988-08-01	Kolditz et al.
US4770653	1988-09-01	Shturman
US4772275	1988-09-01	Erlich
US4775371	1988-10-01	Mueller
US4776340	1988-10-01	Moran et al.
US4779611	1988-10-01	Grooters et al.
US4798598	1989-01-01	Bonello et al.
US4813400	1989-03-01	Washizuka et al.
US4813434	1989-03-01	Buchbinder et al.
US4815478	1989-03-01	Buchbinder et al.
US4820349	1989-04-01	Saab
US4827941	1989-05-01	Taylor et al.
US4832047	1989-05-01	Sepetka et al.
US4836187	1989-06-01	Iwakoshi et al.
US4841952	1989-06-01	Sato et al.
US4846186	1989-07-01	Box et al.
US4846193	1989-07-01	Tremulis et al.
US4850351	1989-07-01	Herman et al.
US4858001	1989-08-01	Milbank et al.
US4860731	1989-08-01	Matsuura
US4869238	1989-09-01	Opie
US4875481	1989-10-01	Higgins
US4875489	1989-10-01	Messner et al.
US4877031	1989-10-01	Conway et al.
US4886067	1989-12-01	Palermo
US4889106	1989-12-01	Watanabe
US4892099	1990-01-01	Ohkawa et al.
US4892519	1990-01-01	Songer et al.
US4907395	1990-03-01	Opie et al.
US4911148	1990-03-01	Sosnowski et al.
US4916534	1990-04-01	Takahashi et al.
US4921482	1990-05-01	Hammerslag et al.
US4934340	1990-06-01	Ebling et al.
US4960411	1990-10-01	Buchbinder
US4979498	1990-12-01	Oneda et al.
US4986257	1991-01-01	Chikama
US4997084	1991-03-01	Opie et al.
US4998527	1991-03-01	Meyer
US4998916	1991-03-01	Hammerslag et al.
US5002041	1991-03-01	Chikama
US5030227	1991-07-01	Rosenbluth et al.
US5031603	1991-07-01	Gautier et al.
US5037391	1991-08-01	Hammerslag et al.
US5041108	1991-08-01	Fox et al.
US5090959	1992-02-01	Samson et al.
US5108368	1992-04-01	Hammerslag
US5116317	1992-05-01	Carson, Jr. et al.
US5127393	1992-07-01	McFarlin et al.
US5152277	1992-10-01	Honda et al.
US5156590	1992-10-01	Vilmar
US5163950	1992-11-01	Pinchuk et al.
US5186596	1993-02-01	Condon et al.
US5188094	1993-02-01	Adair
US5193525	1993-03-01	Silverstein et al.
US5213093	1993-05-01	Swindle
US5230621	1993-07-01	Jacoby
US5235283	1993-08-01	Lehne et al.
US5255668	1993-10-01	Umeda
US5285795	1994-02-01	Ryan et al.
US5328365	1994-07-01	Jacoby
US5335647	1994-08-01	Brustad
US5344419	1994-09-01	Spears
US5347990	1994-09-01	Ebling et al.
US5370640	1994-12-01	Kolff
US5417653	1995-05-01	Sakota et al.
US5437637	1995-08-01	Lieber et al.
US5443057	1995-08-01	Elmore
US5466234	1995-11-01	Loeb et al.
US5536234	1996-07-01	Newman
US5569161	1996-10-01	Ebling et al.
SEX193885	1965-01-01