Patent Application
20140276467
The present invention is generally directed to a hanging bag assembly for enteral feeding systems and methods of the same.
Enteral feeding of patients is a common a medical procedure for patients whose physical condition does not require intravenous feeding, but at the same time are not yet prepared to take soft food or a liquid diet in normal manner. In some cases, enteral feeding can allow for a more complete diet than a diet provided by parenteral solution administration or with soft food if the patient is, for example, a child who is unwilling to eat.
It is known to use plastic bag containers that hold and store enteral feeding solution. Such plastic bag containers include an upper sealable mouth for filling the bag with solution, and a lower outlet for connection with a fluid delivery tube. These containers are relatively complicated, expensive to manufacture, and are not suitable for re-use. These containers also require enteral feeding solution to be poured through the sealable mouth, which can be burdensome and messy.
There is a need for an improved hanging bag assembly for enteral feeding systems that is simple, reliable, and inexpensive.
The present invention may be embodied as method of preparing an enteral feeding system. The method can comprise providing a feeding bag system including a feeding bottle, an adapter cap, and a bag. The feeding bottle can have a removable feeding cap. The adapter cap can have a threaded portion for threadbly receiving the feeding bottle, a funnel-shaped portion having a tip portion configured to cooperate with an enteral feeding tube, a vent passageway disposed through the adapter cap, and a fluid passageway disposed through the funnel-shaped portion. The bag may be configured to be suspended. The bag can include walls defining an inner cavity, an upper opening for inserting the feeding bottle therethrough, and a sealed lower portion. The sealed lower portion may include an aperture. The method can also comprise replacing the feeding cap with the adapter cap by removing the feeding cap from the feeding bottle and attaching the adapter cap to the feeding bottle. Additionally, the method may include inserting the feeding bottle through the upper opening of the bag and into the inner cavity such that the aperture receives a portion of the adapter cap therethrough, and suspending the bag with the received feeding bottle from a medical stand.
The present invention can also be embodied as a feeding bag system for providing enteral feed from a feeding bottle. The system can include an adapter cap having a threaded portion for threadbly receiving the feeding bottle, a funnel-shaped portion having a tip portion configured to cooperate with an enteral feeding tube, a vent passageway disposed through the adapter cap, and a fluid passageway disposed through the funnel-shaped portion. The system can also include a bag configured to be suspended by a medical hanger. The bag may include walls defining an inner cavity, an upper opening for positioning the feeding bottle therethrough, and a sealed lower portion. The sealed lower portion can include an aperture configured to receive a portion of the adapter cap therethrough.
In the drawings:
As shown in
The adapter cap 20 can be made of a plastic material, and be partially, or completely translucent such that liquid inside the adapter cap 20 can be observed by a caregiver. Graduation marks 27 may be provided on the funnel-shaped portion 22 to allow a caregiver to determine the fluid level inside the adapter cap 20. It is also contemplated that the graduation marks 27 can be included on tip portion 22a of adapter cap 20.
The system 10 can include the feeding bottle 40, or a feeding bottle 40 can be provided (e.g. bought from a supplier) for use with the system 10. The feeding bottle 40 may be a standard 40 mm threaded bottle, such as a common baby bottle, containing a solution. Preferably, the feeding solution is an enteral feeding solution, such as mother's milk or a prescribed feed. Alternatively, the feeding solution may be added to the feeding bottle 40 by the caregiver. The feeding bottle 40 can have a threadably removable feeding cap (not shown) that hermetically seals the feeding bottle 40.
The system 10 may be used by replacing a feeding bottle 40 feeding cap (not shown) with the adapter cap 20. The feeding bottle 40 with adapter cap 20 can be inserted through the upper opening 34 of bag 30 and into the inner cavity 33 such that the aperture 36 receives a portion of the adapter cap 20 therethrough. For example, the annular seat portion 25 can rest against the abutting portion 32a of bag 30, and the funnel-shaped portion 22 and tip portion 22a can extend through the aperture 36 of the bag 30. The bag 30 carrying the feeding bottle 40 and adapter cap 20 can be suspended by medical hanger 70, and a feeding tube 60 can be attached to the tip portion 22a of adapter cap 20. In a feeding position, the tip portion 22a of the adapter cap 20 can face downwardly such that feeding solution in the feeding bottle 40 can be fed to the pump 50 by gravity.
The present invention can also be embodied by as method 100 of preparing an enteral feeding system. As shown in
The method 100 can further comprise attaching the tip portion to the enteral feeding tube. The enteral feeding tube may be operatively connected to an enteral feeding pump for delivering fluid from the feeding bottle to a patient.
The present invention provides a simple, reliable, and inexpensive way to provide enteral feed to a patient. Unlike prior art bags, which are more complicated to use, expensive to manufacture, and must be disposed of after delivering solution to a patient, the bag of the present invention is simple to use, inexpensive to manufacture, and can be reused for a plurality of feeding operations.
Modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forth herein will be apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains in light of teachings presented in the present specification. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
