GB2178135A

GB2178135A - A controlling device for an intravenous feeding or medicating device

Info

Publication number: GB2178135A
Application number: GB08518840A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Fang Cheng-Kuo
Original assignee: CHENG KUO FANG
Current assignee: CHENG KUO FANG
Priority date: 1985-07-25
Filing date: 1985-07-25
Publication date: 1987-02-04
Also published as: GB8518840D0; GB2178135B

Abstract

A controller for an intravenous device consists of a cylindrical housing (2) having an inlet (21) for receiving the liquid medication (7) and an outlet (23) supplying the liquid medication (7) to a needle, a float valve (3) capable of shutting off the outlet (23) or the inlet (21) with a respective end thereof, depending on the relative position of the cylindrical housing (2) and the needle, and a tube member (5) slidably mounted within the outlet (23) and capable of pushing the float valve (3) away from the outlet (23). The tube member (5) is preferably formed with orifices (53) at or adjacent its upper end. Such an arrangement avoids the waiting time required with known controllers, and allows full use of the medication. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A controlling device for an intravenous feeding or medicating device The present invention relates to a controlling device for an intravenous feeding or medicating device which can administer a safe and exact distribution of medication (which term includes a food) during the application of the intravenous device.

A conventional controlling device for an intravenous feeding or medicating device is shown in schematic perspective view in Figure 1, and conaists of a housing member 1 for holding the liquid medication 12 and adapted to permit the medication 12 to enter into a tube 19, a concave seat 13 is provided on the bottom thereof into which the tube 19 opens, and a float valve 10 which fits into the concave seat 13 when the buoyancy of the liquid medication 12 in the housing 1 is not enough to buoy it up. When one wishes to administer the medication, it is ususlly necessary to wait for a period until the liquid reaches a certain level in the housing 1 before the float valve 10 is sufficiently buoyed up and the liquid medication 12 can then start to flow into the tube 19. As a result, such a device is time-consuming.Furthermore, when the injection needle (not shown) is raised to a level higher than that of the housing 1 so as to tilt or overturn the housing 1, the liquid medication 12 will not reach the outlet 13, and any air which enters into the tube 19 at this time will inevitably be injected into the patient's body.

With the above drawbacks in view, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a controlling device for an intravenous feeding or medicating device which can be used safely and precisely.

According to the present invention, there is provided a controlling device for an intravenous feeding or medicating device, comprising: a housing member having an inlet at its upper end adapted to be connected to a source of medication and an outlet at its lower end adapted to be connected to a flexible tube terminating in a needle; a float valve disposed within said housing member, having a first end capable of shutting off said outlet and a second end capable of shutting off said inlet end; and a tube member movable in said outlet and relative to said float valve, said tube member having an upper end communicating with the interior of said housing member and a lower end connected to said flexible tube.

The tube member preferably has an exposed end formed with a flange to provide a horizontal contact surface with a bellows member forming part of the flexible tube.

The tube member may be provided with orifices around the upper end thereof.

The invention will now be further described with reference to Figures 2 to 4 of the drawings, Figure 2 is a side-sectional view of a controlling device according to a preferred embodiment of this invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the controlling device of Figure 2 in an application position thereof; and Figure 4 is a side-sectional view of a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring first to Figure 2, the controlling device generally consists of a housing member 2 having an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends thereof, and a float valve 3. The internal configuration of the housing member 2 is shown in the Figure, the upper and lower ends thereof including respective recesses having domed surfaces 22 and 24, the recesses communicating respectively with the inlet and outlet of the housing. These domed recesses are aligned with each other so that, depending on the liquid level and the position of the housing member 2, one of these two ends may be brought into a position in which one of the upper and lower ends of the float valve 3 is snugly fitted into the respective recess.

On the lower end of the housing member 2 there is provided a bellows portion 4, the free end of which is fitted over one end of a flexible tube 41 (Figure 3), while on the upper end of the housing member 2 a tubular section 21 is provided integrally formed therewith for providing communication between the housing 2 and liquid medication contained in a bottle 6, as seen in Figure 3.

A tube member S is fitted into the bellows portions 4, the upper end thereof being slidably inserted in the outlet 23 of the housing member 2, whilst an annular surface 51 having a curved profile is formed around the upper end of the tube member 5 having a shape conforming to the contours of the lower domed surface 24 and the end portion of the float valve 3. Therefore, when the float valve 3 falls, a closure effect can be exactly attained. In addition, the lower end of the tube member 5 is provided with a flange 52 which can bear horizontally against the plested walls 40 of the bellows 4, thus maintaining the tube member 5 in position.

A plurality of orifices 53 are formed around the wall of the tube member 5 near the upper end thereof so that when the tube member 5 is forced into a position in which it is in communication with the liquid medication, the liquid medication can first be introduced into the flexible tube 41 through the orifices 53 before the liquid in the housing member 2 rises to a level capable of buoying the float valve 3 up from the outlet 23 and permitting the liquid to enter into the tube member 5 at its opened upper end. Referring now to Figure 3, in which an assembly of the intravenous device and the controlling device is illustrated, it will be understood that the liquid medication 7 drips into the housing member 2 through a connecting tube 71 due to its weight and is stored in the housing member 2.When a sufficient fluid pressure is established, the liquid medication 7 buoys up the float valve 3 so that the liquid medication 7 can flow into the flexible tube 41 and supply the needle 8. At intermediate positions in the flexible tube 41, there are provided a flow regulator 90 for regulating the flow rate of the liquid medication 7, and a rubber bulb 91 located between the regulator 90 and the needle 8 for storing air introduced with the liquid medication 7.

Referring now to Figure 1, which shows the prior art device, at the initial stage of the application, the buoyancy of liquid 12 is not sufficient to move the float valve 10 away from the outlet 13, so that no medication 12 can be supplied to the tube 19. However, according to the present invention, the provision of the bellows portion 4 serves to eliminate the waiting time previously necessary for a sufficient buoyancy to be reached. When the intravenous device is ready for use, the operator can constrict the pleated wall 40 of the bellows portion 4 to force the tube member 5 upwardly, as shown by the broken lines in Figure 2, and as a result, the float valve 3 is pushed upwards and no longer blocks the outlet 23; the liquid medication 7 dripping into the housing 2 is therefore stored in the dome shaped portion 24, its level gradually increasing.The liquid 7 held in the domed portion 24 enters the tube member 5 through the orifices 53, and when the predetermined pressure is attained and the float valve 3 is buoyed up, the operator can let go of the bellows portion 4 4 and the latter returns to its original shape while the tube member 5 is also brought back to its original position, as shown by solid lines in Figure 2. The liquid medication 7 then enters the bellows portion 4 through the opened upper end of the tube member 5, and in turn enters the flexible tube 41.

The bellows portion 4 has other advantages. If any air enters the tube member 5 with the liquid medication 7, it can escape into the space 401 defined by the inner surface of the pleated wall 40. In addition, when the medication is about to be exhausted, and the float valve 3 falls to block the outlet 23 due to an insufficient buoyancy, if there is a considerable amount of liquid remaining, however, the operator can compress the bellows portion 4 to make the remaining medication 7 flow into the tube member 5, resulting in a more efficient use of the medication 7.

In addition, if during application of the liquid medication 7 the needle 8 is raised to a level higher than the housing member 2, then the housing member 2 is upturned, and the float valve 3 consequently blocks the inlet 21 with its other end.

An alternative embodiment of this invention is shown in Figure 4, and similarly to the first described embodiment, it also includes a housing member 20, a float valve 30, a bel lows portion 45 connected to the outlet end of the housing member 20, and a tube mem ber 50. However, the upper end of the tube member 50 is positioned in an outlet hole 201 but does not come into contact with the surface of the domed portion 202. The upper end 501 of the tube member 50 has a larger diameter than the other part thereof, and a plurality of apertures 502 are distributed ther eon. The lower end of the tube member 50 is attached to one end of the flexible tube 46 via the bellows portion 45, so that, when pushing the tube 46 toward the housing mem ber 20 the tube member 50 will be moved up to press the float valve 30 away from the outlet 201, thus permitting the medication to be supplied to the flexible tube 46.

Claims

1. A controlling device for an intravenous feeding or medicating device, comprising: a housing member having an inlet at its up per end adapted to be connected to a source of medication and an outlet at its lower end adapted to be connected to a flexible tube terminating in a needle; a float valve disposed within said housing member, having a first end capable of shutting off said outlet and a sec ond end capsble of shutting off said inlet end; and a tube member movable in said outlet and relative to said float valvs, said tube member having an upper end communicating with the interior of said housing member and a lower end connected to said flexible tube.

2. A controlling device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said housing member includes an inner upper end and an inner lower end, each formed with a concave recessed portion around said inlet and said outlet respectively, said two concave portions being aligned with each other, and with said first and sscond ends of said float valve which are shaped to conform to the contours of said concave por tions.

3. A controlling device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein a bellows member is fitted around the lower end of said tube mem ber and is adapted to be compressed to cause said tube member to move upwardly in said housing.

4. A controlling device as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said lower end of said tube mem ber is formed with a flange to provide a hori zontal contact surface with said bellows mem ber.

5. A controlling device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein a plural ity of orifices are formed around the upper end of said tube member.

6. A controlling device for an intravenous feeding or medicating device, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2 and 3, or Figure 4,of the drawings.