Enteral feeding assembly with lock assembly
View Patent ↗There is provided an enteral feeding assembly having a base and a connector. The base has a catheter with a lumen for communication with a body lumen. The base also has an opening with a predetermined shape on its proximal side that also communicates with the catheter lumen. The connector has a key configured to complement the predetermined shape of the opening in the base, which occurs desirably in one position only, so that the connector and base may be joined together. The connector is also connected to a feeding tube that provides a nutrient solution from a replaceable feeding bag. Once the connector is in position in the base, liquid may from the bag to the body lumen. Once in position, the connector may rotate 360 degrees relative to the base before being again in the installation/removal position.
1. An enteral feeding assembly with a lock assembly, comprising:
a base configured to be disposed on a skin surface of a patient, the base having a distal surface configured to be positioned adjacent a skin surface, the base including an uppermost horizontal proximal surface having a key-hole opening with a predetermined non-circular shape formed therein and the base including a space formed below the proximal surface of the base, the space extending radially outward of the key-hole opening below the proximal surface of the base;
a catheter carried by the base and having a lumen formed therethrough which is in communication with the proximal opening in the base, a portion of the catheter extending distally away from the distal surface of the base, at least a portion of the distal end of the catheter configured to be positioned in a body lumen;
a feeding set connector disconnected and removed from said base, said connector axially insertable from above into the key-hole opening in the proximal surface of said base for use of said enteral feeding assembly to supply liquid nutrients to said body lumen, said connector including a flange key and a cuff extending from the flange key, and an opening formed through the feeding set connector, flange key and cuff;
wherein the flange key has a predetermined non-circular circumferential shape that matches the predetermined non-circular shape of the key-hole opening in the proximal surface of the base so that the flange key moves vertically through the key-hole opening and into the space below the proximal surface of the base when the feeding set connector is at a rotational position such that the noncircular key flange is aligned with the non-circular key-hole opening, and the flange key is rotatable within the space between a locked position and an unlocked position relative to the base to connect said feeding set connector to said base, in the locked position, the flange key engaging against an underside of the proximal surface such that the feeding set connector cannot be pulled away from the base;
wherein when the flange key is positioned within the base, the flange key can rotate through an angle of at least 90 degrees without becoming unlocked, and;
when the flange key is positioned within the base, the cuff extends through the opening in the base and is in fluid communication with the lumen of the catheter so that liquid nutrients connected by tubing to said feeding set connector move through the feeding set connector and through the catheter lumen to said body lumen; and
at least one detent defined in the base at a location relative to the unlocked position of the flange key such that, upon being rotated to the unlocked position, the flange key engages the detent thereby providing a tactile indication of increased resistance to rotation of the flange key prior to the flange key being rotated to the unlocked position.
2. The enteral feeding assembly of claim 1 wherein said flange key is engaged against said detent to such an extent that a force of between a positive amount and 3.5 N-cm is required to overcome resistance and rotate said flange key past said detent.
3. The enteral feeding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the base is a low profile base configured to be positioned on a skin surface of a patient.
4. The enteral feeding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flange key has one axis of symmetry in an X-Y plane.
5. The enteral feeding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flange key is shaped like an arrowhead.
6. The enteral feeding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flange key has no axis of symmetry in an X-Y plane.
7. The enteral feeding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flange key has at least two points of contact with a lower surface of the proximal side of the base at all times after entering the space below the opening and being rotated.
8. The enteral feeding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the connector may rotate up to 360 degrees after connection to the base.
9. The enteral feeding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the connector rotates between 300 and 345 degrees after connection to the base prior to the flange key engaging the at least one detent.
10. A method of using a lock assembly with an enteral feeding assembly, comprising:
providing an enteral feeding assembly, including
a base configured to be disposed on a skin surface of a patient, the base having a distal surface configured to be positioned adjacent a skin surface, the base including an upper horizontal proximal surface having an opening formed therein;
a catheter carried by the base and having a lumen formed therethrough which is in communication with the opening in the base, a portion of the catheter extending distally away from the distal surface of the base, at least a portion of the distal end of the catheter configured to be positioned in a body lumen;
wherein the base includes a key-hole opening formed through a portion of the proximal surface, the key-hole opening having a predetermined non-circular shape, the base including a space formed below the proximal surface of the base, the space extending radially outward of the key-hole opening in the proximal surface;
providing a feeding set connector disconnected and axially separated from said base, said feeding set connector including a flange key having a predetermined non-circular circumferential shape matching the predetermined non-circular shape of the key-hole opening and a cuff extending from the flange key, and an opening formed through the feeding set connector, flange key, and cuff,
inserting the feeding set connector vertically into the base by positioning the flange key of the feeding set connector through the key-hole opening in said base and into the space below the proximal surface to connect the feeding set connector to the base;
locking the flange key into a position relative to the base by rotating said connector such that the key flange engages against an underside of the proximal surface, the flange key able to rotate through an angle of at least 90 degrees without becoming unlocked, the cuff extending through the opening in the base and in liquid communication with the lumen of the catheter so that liquid nutrients connected by tubing to the feeding set connector move therethrough and through the catheter lumen to a body lumen; and
unlocking the flange key from the base by rotating the flange key to an unlock position, wherein at least one detent is defined in the base at a location relative to the unlock position such that the flange key engages the detent prior to reaching the unlock position, thereby providing a tactile indication of increased resistance to rotation of the flange key prior to the flange key being rotated to the unlock position.
11. The method of claim 10 further including the step of un-locking the flange key and removing the feeding set connector from the base.