Catheter and Seal Assembly
A laboratory specimen sealed within a chamber on an animal holder may be injected or otherwise administered material such as drugs and radioactive imagining materials from the ambient, or outside the chamber, through a sealed catheter assembly. The animal holder can be mounted on imaging machines such as MRI, X-ray, PET, CT and like imaging machines. Biologically contaminated animals are isolated within the chamber from the ambient, yet may be injected from outside the chamber thereby protecting lab technicians from contamination and isolating the animal from additional contamination from an ambient environment, such as an imaging laboratory.
This application claims the benefit and priority of provisional patent application No. 61/196,371 filed Oct. 17, 2008, and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDA need exists for a catheter which can he used to inject laboratory animals isolated within imaging chambers constructed for use in imaging machines such as MRI, X-ray, PET, CT and the like. In some studies, it is necessary to isolate a laboratory specimen, such as a mouse or rat, within a hermetically-sealed container during imaging procedures. Such test specimens may be biologically contaminated and should not be exposed to ambient.
During such studies, it is common to inject the specimen in its tail vein with various materials, including radioactive materials, which enhance the quality of images of the specimen produced by an imaging machine. After imaging is complete, it is generally desirable to discard the catheter as it may be contaminated with pathogens, injectates and the like.
In the drawings:
In the various view of the drawings like numerals designate like or similar parts.
DESCRIPTION OF A REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTAs seen in
An interconnection panel 18 includes electrical and fluid ports and connectors for monitoring, treating and conditioning a specimen during imaging. Sensor leads, warming air and anesthesia gas can be channeled through the interconnection panel 18. A specimen, such as a mouse or rat, can be hermetically enclosed while on the alignment bed 14 with a cylindrical tube 24 which forms a closed sealed chamber which can form a hermetic seal around the specimen. Tube 24 is open at one end 26 adjacent the specimen's head to receive threaded shaft 27 and open at its opposite or rear end 28. Tube end 26 is hermetically sealed by O-rings on shaft 27 when threaded end cap or nut 25 is torqued down on shaft 27. The O-rings form a seal with an internal cylindrical collar extending inwardly from the end wall 26. The tube 24 can be formed of thin transparent plastic so as to be low cost and potentially disposable after one or more imaging procedures.
As seen in
In order to accommodate a remote catheter which communicates with the interior of tube 24 and with the external ambient environment, a second hermetic seal assembly 50 (
The second seal assembly 50 also includes a recess or pocket 64 (
The axial length of pocket 64 is less than the axial length of the plug 54 so that when the tube 24 is fully axially seated against the radial wall 70, the axially-tapered inner wall 72 of pocket 64 axially pushes the outer tapered wall 74 of plug 54 toward radial wall 70 to form a sealing interface between the rear wall 98 (
As seen in
In the example shown in the drawings, the plug 54 has a contoured or concave radially inner bottom wall 90 (
The upper portion 92 and bottom or radially inner wall 90 taper outwardly (circumferentially) from the smaller front wall 96 to the larger rear wall 98.
With the seal 50 as described above, a simple, inexpensive and disposable catheter and seal assembly 100 (
Claims
1. A catheter and seal assembly comprising:
- a catheter tube having an axis, and
- a seal provided on said catheter tube, said seal having an axially and radially compressible plug portion, said plug portion having a radially-extending sealing wall and an axially-extending and axially tapering sealing wall.
2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a radially necked down sleeve and a radially enlarged flange coupled to said catheter.
3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein said plug portion comprises a concave radially inner wall portion and an arched radially outer wall portion.
4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said plug portion further comprises a radially-extending front wall and wherein said front wall is axially spaced from said sealing wall and wherein said front wall is smaller than said sealing wall.
5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein said front wall and said sealing wall each comprises radially-extending planar walls.
6-12. (canceled)
13. A catheter and seal assembly, comprising:
- a catheter tube having an axis and a first end and a second end;
- a needle provided on said first end of said catheter tube; and
- an axially and radially compressible elastomeric plug provided on said catheter tube and configured to form a seal.
14. The catheter and seal assembly of claim 13, further comprising a fluid fitting provided on said second end of said catheter tube.
15. The catheter and seal assembly of claim 13, further comprising a locating sleeve provided on said catheter tube adjacent to said plug.
16. The catheter and seal assembly of claim 13, further comprising an annular flange provided on said catheter tube adjacent to said plug.
17. The catheter and seal assembly of claim 13, wherein said plug comprises a concave bottom wall.
18. The catheter and seal assembly of claim 13, wherein said plug comprises an axially tapered plug.
19. The catheter and seal assembly of claim 13, wherein said plug comprises an arched upper portion.
20. The catheter and seal assembly of claim 13, wherein said plug comprises a planar front radial wall and a planar rear radial wall.
21. The catheter and seal assembly of claim 20, wherein said front wall is smaller than said rear wall.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 1, 2012
Publication Date: Mar 7, 2013
Inventor: Chris D. Chiodo (Warren, MI)
Application Number: 13/665,979
International Classification: A61B 6/00 (20060101);