JP6891618B2 - Medical connector - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to medical connectors, especially medical connectors that can be used in enteral nutrition.

When performing medical treatment, an extracorporeal line may be connected to the patient in order to administer a drug, supplement nutrition, collect a sample, perform dialysis treatment, and the like. By providing a standardized luer connector on the extracorporeal line, it is possible to easily connect a container of a drug to be administered or a device for treatment.

On the other hand, depending on the medical condition, a plurality of extracorporeal lines may be connected to one patient. If multiple lines are provided with luer connectors of the same standard, there is a risk of connecting the container or device to the wrong line. Such a misconnection becomes a big problem.

In order to prevent erroneous connection of lines, it is being studied to change the shape of the connector provided on each line so that different lines cannot be connected to each other. For example, in nutritional applications, ISO 80369-3 has established standards. According to this standard, a male connector made of a hard material having a lock ring around a tapered portion is provided at the base end of an enteral feeding catheter, and a female connector is provided at the tip of a container-side tube. Development of a connector that satisfies such a standard is also underway (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-119837

The connector of the enteral feeding catheter inserted into the nose is located near the face. Therefore, at the time of use, for example, the patient may turn over and the female connector may come into contact with the skin of the face, causing discomfort. In order to reduce the discomfort of the patient, it is important to make the connector as small as possible within the range of the standard and to make the discomfort as small as possible when it comes into contact with the skin. On the other hand, in order to improve the operability of the connector and prevent connection errors and the like, it is important to make the connector easy to grip.

An object of the present disclosure is to reduce discomfort when touching the skin and to realize a medical connector with improved operability.

One aspect of the connector of the present disclosure is provided at a cylindrical connector connecting portion to which a pair of connectors are connected, a tube connecting portion provided on the proximal end side of the connector connecting portion, and a proximal end of the connector connecting portion. It is provided with a collar portion that has been formed and a wing portion that protrudes to both sides of the tube connection portion on the proximal end side of the collar portion. The flange portion has an oval or elliptical flat shape, and the major axis of the collar portion is , Larger than the outer diameter of the lock ring of the paired connector, the minor axis of the collar matches the outer diameter of the base end of the connector connection, the wing extends in the direction of the major axis of the collar, and the wing The maximum width between the wings is less than or equal to the major axis of the collar.

In one aspect of the connector, the major axis of the collar is larger than the outer diameter of the lock ring of the paired connector, and the minor axis of the collar is consistent with the outer diameter of the base end of the connector connection. Therefore, the portion on the minor axis side in which the collar portion does not project outward is in contact with the skin and is stable, so that discomfort can be reduced. Further, since the wing portion expands in the direction of the major axis of the flange portion, the operation is facilitated by gripping the wing portion. Further, the maximum width between the wings of the wing portion is equal to or less than the major axis of the flange portion, and the wing portion does not protrude from the collar portion, so that the patient can be less likely to feel uncomfortable.

In one aspect of the connector, the flange portion may have a chamfered R shape at least on the side surface in the major axis direction of the outer peripheral side surface. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the discomfort when the collar portion touches the skin.

In one aspect of the connector, the wing portion may have a chamfered R shape on the axial side surface. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the discomfort when the wing portion touches the skin.

In one aspect of the connector, the blades can be such that the width between the blades gradually decreases towards the proximal end of the tube connection. With such a configuration, it does not get in the way when gripping the wing portion, and the operability is improved.

In one aspect of the connector, the tube connection has a ridge that projects in a direction deviated from the major and minor directions of the collar and extends along the axis, the ridge not protruding more than the collar. Can be done. With such a configuration, operability can be further improved.

In one aspect of the connector, the tube connection may have a flat surface provided on the minor radial outer surface of the collar so that the flat surface does not have a portion protruding from the collar. it can. Even in such a configuration, the operability can be further improved.

According to the medical connector of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce discomfort when touching the skin and improve operability.

It is a perspective view which shows the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a bottom view which shows the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the state which the connector which concerns on one Embodiment is connected with a male connector. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the modification of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the modification of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the modification of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a bottom view which shows the modification of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the medical connector of the present embodiment is a female connector to which a pair of male connectors 200 are connected, and is based on a cylindrical connector connecting portion 101 and a connector connecting portion 101. A tube connecting portion 102 provided on the end side, a flange portion 103 provided at the base end of the connector connecting portion 101, and a wing portion 104 protruding from both sides of the tube connecting portion 102 on the base end side of the flange portion 103. And have.

The flange portion 103 has an elliptical shape or an elliptical shape in a planar shape, the major axis of the flange portion 103 is larger than the outer diameter of the lock ring 202 of the paired male connector, and the minor axis of the collar portion 103 is connected to the connector. It matches the outer diameter of the base end of the portion 101. The wing portion 104 extends in the direction of the major axis of the flange portion 103, and the maximum width W between the blades of the wing portion 104 is equal to or less than the major axis of the flange portion 103.

The medical connector of the present disclosure may be used in any direction, but for convenience, the connector connection portion 101 side will be described as the upper side and the tube connection portion 102 side as the lower side. Further, the axial direction of the connector is the height, the major axis direction of the collar 103 is the width, and the minor axis direction is the thickness, and the axial direction of the connector is substantially perpendicular to the reference plane. It will be described as a state in which the state is laid down.

In the connector of the present embodiment, since the flange portion 103 has an oval shape or an elliptical shape, it is stable in a direction in which the minor axis direction of the flange portion 103 is substantially orthogonal to the plane when the connector is placed sideways on a plane. The layout is such that the connector does not roll. Further, since the collar portion 103 has a flat shape with no corners, the corners do not hit the patient's skin and cause discomfort. Further, since the length of the minor axis of the flange portion 103 matches the outer diameter of the base end of the connector connecting portion 101, the flange portion 103 does not protrude in this direction, and the contact area between the connector and the flat surface is large. Become. Therefore, even if the connector comes into contact with the skin of the patient, no force is applied to one point, and discomfort can be reduced. On the other hand, the major axis of the flange portion 103 can meet the ISO standard.

The outer peripheral side surface of the flange portion 103 may have a chamfered R shape. As a result, the discomfort caused by the collar portion 103 can be further reduced. The entire outer peripheral side surface of the flange portion 103 can be chamfered, but it is preferable that at least the side surface in the major axis direction is chamfered.

Since the connector 100 of the present embodiment has wing portions 104 protruding from both sides of the tube connecting portion 102 on the proximal end side of the flange portion 103, the connector 100 has a wing portion 104 as compared with the case of the simple cylindrical tube connecting portion 102. Easy to operate. When connecting or disconnecting the male connector, a force can be easily applied by putting a finger on the wing portion 104, and the male connector can be operated smoothly.

Since the wing portion 104 extends in the major axis direction of the collar portion 103, when the connector comes into contact with the patient's skin, the wing portion 104 also comes into contact with the patient's skin on the surface, reducing discomfort. Can be done. Further, since the maximum width W between the blades of the blade portion 104 is equal to or smaller than the major axis of the flange portion 103, the blade portion 104 does not protrude from the collar portion 103, and the blade portion 104 does not get in the way. If the width between the wings at the upper end of the wing portion 104 matches the length of the major axis of the flange portion 103, the collar portion 103 and the wing portion 104 are smoothly connected without a step, so that it is not possible to hit the skin. It can make it harder to give pleasure.

It is preferable that the blade portion 104 smoothly changes so that the width between the blades gradually decreases from the upper end to the lower end. By doing so, the wing portion 104 can be prevented from being caught on the patient's skin. However, the width W between the blades of the blade portion 104 does not decrease monotonically, but a shape or the like having a recess on which a finger can be hung may be provided. In this way, gripping becomes easy and the operability of the connector is improved.

The axial side surface of the wing portion 104 may have a chamfered R shape. As a result, the discomfort caused by the wing portion 104 can be further reduced.

In the present embodiment, four ridges 106 extending in the axial direction are provided on the surface of the tube connecting portion 102. By providing the ridge portion 106, gripping becomes easier. The ridge portion 106 is formed so as to project in a direction deviated from the minor axis direction and the major axis direction of the flange portion 103. Further, the ridge portion 106 is provided so as not to protrude from the flange portion 103 when the connector is viewed in a plan view in an upright state. By doing so, the ridges 106 can be made less likely to hit the skin, and discomfort can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, a flat surface 107 may be formed in which a part of the outer surface of the tube connecting portion 102 is cut off in the minor axis direction of the flange portion 103. By providing the flat surface 107, gripping becomes easy. Further, since the portion in contact with the skin is flat, the pressure can be dispersed and the discomfort can be further reduced. Since the flat surface 107 is formed by cutting off a part of the outer surface of the tube connecting portion 102, it does not have a portion protruding from the flange portion 104. Therefore, it does not increase the discomfort when it comes into contact with the skin. A flat surface 107 may be provided, and a ridge portion 106 may be provided.

The connector paired with the connector of the present embodiment can be, for example, an ISO 80369-3 compliant male luer connector. The connector connecting portion 101 has an opening having a tapered inner wall surface for receiving the male luer connector, and a male screw 111 screwing with a lock ring of the male luer connector is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the connector connecting portion 101. ing. Therefore, excellent liquidtightness and connection strength can be realized.

When the connector of the present embodiment is a connector conforming to ISO80369-3, the flange portion 103 can have, for example, a major axis of 13.3 mm or more and 30 mm or less. The minor diameter is determined by the outer diameter of the base end of the connector connecting portion 101, and the outer diameter of the base end of the connector connecting portion 101 can be 5.0 mm or more and 8.2 mm or less.

The tube connecting portion 102 can be connected to, for example, a container containing a nutritional supplement for enteral nutrition to connect the tube. Although an example is shown in which the tube connecting portion 102 is configured to be fitted on the outside of the tube, it may be configured to be fitted on the inside of the tube.

The connector of the present disclosure is useful as a connector provided at the end of the enteral feeding line on the patient side, but the idea of the present disclosure can be reflected in the connector used for other purposes.

The connector of the present disclosure can reduce discomfort when it comes into contact with the skin and can improve operability, and is useful as a medical connector or the like.

100 Connector 101 Connector connection 102 Tube connection 103 Collar 104 Wing 106 Convex 107 Flat surface 202 Lock ring

Claims (7)

Cylindrical connector connection to which a pair of male connectors are connected,
A tube connection portion provided on the base end side of the connector connection portion and
A collar provided at the base end of the connector connection portion and
A wing portion protruding from both sides of the tube connecting portion on the proximal end side of the collar portion is provided.
The flange portion has an elliptical shape or an elliptical shape in a planar shape.
The major axis of the collar is larger than the outer diameter of the lock ring of the paired male connector.
The minor diameter of the collar portion coincides with the outer diameter of the base end of the connector connection portion.
A medical connector in which the wing portion extends in the direction of the major axis of the flange portion, and the maximum width between the blades of the wing portion is equal to or less than the major axis of the collar portion. The medical connector according to claim 1, wherein the collar portion has a chamfered R shape at least on the side surface in the major axis direction of the outer peripheral side surface. The medical connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wing portion has a chamfered R shape on the axial side surface. The medical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the width between the wings gradually decreases toward the base end of the tube connection portion. The tube connecting portion has a ridge portion that protrudes in a direction deviated from the major axis direction and the minor axis direction of the collar portion and extends along an axis.
The medical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the convex portion does not protrude from the flange portion. The tube connecting portion has a flat surface provided on the outer surface of the collar portion in the minor axis direction.
The medical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the flat surface does not have a portion protruding from the collar portion. The medical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the wing portion is in contact with a surface on the proximal end side of the collar portion.

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