Patent Application
20100010339
A portion of the disclosure of this patent contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved vascular access ports. In particular the present invention relates to a vascular access port designed for subintimal implantation wherein at least a portion of the port is made from a UV fluorescing polymer which allows the user to see the port during access use.
2. Description of Related Art
A vascular access port is a vascular implantable port that is designed for subintimally implantation. It is designed for repeated access to the vasculature, for example, for administration of a desired product by injection. Typically, a vascular access port is fixed in position by suturing to underlying fascia in the desired location. Both single and dual access ports (or multiple devices) are frequently utilized on a patient. These devices are made of polymers or metals such as a polysulfone, an acetal plastic or titanium.
Typically they are used for a patient requiring repeated access of the vascular system for delivery of medications, nutritional supplementation, fluids, blood, blood products, sampling of blood and the like. Where dual access ports are used, they are for combination therapy, simultaneous infusions, withdrawal of body fluids and bolus delivery during continuous infusion. A number of commercially available versions are currently sold, for example, the “Vortex” sold by Angiodynamics Inc.
These types of ports typically have a number of problems in their use including problems associated with finding the device. Typically, rubber or other material type beads are placed on the outside a top of the port to aid a technician in finding the port under the skin.
While the use of these ports substantially improves the repeated access problems to the vasculature, it is clear that ports have problems associated with their use. Injection into the port is typically accomplished by the nursing staff or worse lower level medical technicians without the ability to read ultra sound or other techniques for finding the port to access with a needle. Accordingly, it is typical that these technicians and staff thus use either touch or a previously done “diagram” to place the needle. Because of the location and the like of the port these personnel are almost attempting to access the port blindly. Stick site errors result in the patient presenting complications such as pseudoaneursms, aneurysms, thrombus, clots and blockage with the possibility of total occlusion of the graft needing replacement. This is not to mention the potential pain and discomfort the patient experiences.
The resulting complications cost tens of millions of dollars in invasive treatments to cure these problems. That doesn't include lost work time and the problems associated with further surgical intervention. The port recipients who are on public medical assistance and have these ports and end up with these problems not only a have a huge financial burden but also can cost the US taxpayer.
Accordingly, it would be useful if there were additional methods, ports or the like that would aid the healthcare worker in accessing subintimal vascular access ports.
In the present invention, it has been discovered that a vascular access port can be made easier to use by one trying to insert a needle in such graft. This can be accomplished by inclusion within or on the port of a composition which absorbs UV light and fluoresces, i.e. a UV fluorescing composition, upon exposure to a source of UV light, such as a black light.
By exposing the area where the port is implanted to a black light the healthcare worker attempting to access the port will be able to see the exposed portion of the port, for example an access point or even see the port fluorescing under the skin for finding an access point.
Accordingly, in one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a vascular access port, at least a portion of which comprises a biocompatible UV fluorescing material, wherein the UV fluorescing material is positioned in the port such that, upon exposure to a UV light source, the port or a portion of the port subintimally implanted fluoresces sufficiently to improve the visibility of the location of the graft to a health care worker attempting to access the port.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed a method for a health care worker to access a vascular access port subintimally implanted in a patient comprising:
In yet another embodiment of the invention there is disclosed a method for a health care worker to access a vascular access port subintimally implanted in a patient comprising:
The present invention relates to the inclusion of a material which fluoresces upon application of UV light in at least a portion of a vascular access port. The present invention can include just around the injection sites or the entire device, which can be totally or partially under the skin during use. It can be the portion closest to the skin or any portion as desired. The present invention overcomes the limitations and problems of the prior art for those medical technicians attempting to insert a needle or other device into a vascular access port. Even though the problem has been around since the introduction of vascular access ports and still exists, and technology moves at a rapid pace, no previous solution accomplishes the results of the present invention.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail specific embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure of such embodiments is to be considered as an example of the principles and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown and described. In the description below, like reference numerals are used to describe the same, similar or corresponding parts in the several views of the drawings. This detailed description defines the meaning of the terms used herein and specifically describes embodiments in order for those skilled in the art to practice the invention.
The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one as or more than one. The term “plurality”, as used herein, is defined as two, or more than two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having”, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled”, as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.
Reference throughout this document to “one embodiment”, “certain embodiments”, and “an embodiment” or similar terms means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of such phrases or in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments without limitation.
The term “or” as used herein is to be interpreted as an inclusive or meaning any one or any combination. Therefore, “A, B or C” means any of the following: “A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C”. An exception to this definition will occur only when a combination of elements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutually exclusive.
As used herein “vascular access port” is a biocompatible device which is placed subintimally and usually attached by sutures to the underlying fascia. They are designed for adding or taking away fluids to/from the vasculature where multiple access is required to the patient, for example, during chemo treatment of cancer. A healthcare worker would use the port rather than continually inject or add new injection sites. The devices comprise an injection port for adding or taking a fluid away, a chamber and a tube which is in fluid communication with the chamber and a patient's vasculature. Placement of the device is where the access point is above or just under the skin making the port difficult to find by the healthcare worker. The biocompatible vascular access port can be made of a biocompatible polymer or metal which are within the skill in the art.
Medicaments, blood, neutrients or other material can be added or taken away from a patients vasculature by inserting a needed in to the port access hole and injecting or withdrawing fluid. It is clear that insertion of a needle through the skin and into the port should be as accurate as possible each time because of the problems associated with poor needle insertion which can cause infection and a whole host of other complications as described above.
As used herein, the term biocompatible UV fluorescing material relates to a biocompatible material which can be incorporated in, coated on or used to make a vasculature access port of the present invention. These compositions are photo-chromic substances, which are known to be essentially colorless but have the property of photo-reacting to longwave ultraviolet (UV) light (about 250 to 400 nm) and can change to a variety of colors and shades. The intensity of the resulting visible color (reds, violets, blues, etc) is directly proportional to the intensity of the UV light source, i.e. the more intense the UV light the more intense the resulting visible light will be.
One method of producing the present invention is to incorporate a photochromic compound directly into the polymer or other matrix making up the port. The polymer can be injection molded or the like directly into the port shape from there. Examples of plastic which could incorporate the compound for photochromic behavior include polyol(allyl carbonate)-monomers, polyacrylated, polyethylenes, polypropylenes, polyvinyl chloride, polymethylmethacrylates, cellulose acetate, cellulose triacetate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate, polyacetal resins, acetyl cellulose, poly vinyl acetate, poly vinyl alcohols, poly urethanes, poly carbonates, polystyrenes, including copolymers and other biocompatible polymer molecules. The color of the fluorescing material will depend on the photochromic composition selected for inclusion in the present invention.
Another means of preparing the present invention is to incorporate the photochromic compound in one polymer and bind the polymer to the polymer or metal of the vascular access port. That way a particular area could be caused to glow and not just the entire vascular access port itself. While the photochromic compound could be included in just a portion of the fabrication material, separate polymer containing photochromic polymers (using the same or different polymers, metals or other biocompatible materials) would be easier to make. In one embodiment, only the area that around where a needle is to be inserted will glow. In another embodiment two sites, one on each side of the injection site could be caused to glow. It is clear the same or different colors could be used if multiple positions are cased to glow.
As used herein, the phrase, “UV light source” would refer to a longwave UV light, in one embodiment hand held, of sufficient light intensity to cause the UV polymer to glow considering its position subcutaneously, and still be able to visually observe the UV glow of the photochromic compound beneath the skin. Such UV handheld devices are well known within the art and are mentioned here for convenience.
In the use of the present invention, a patient in need of a vascular access port would have a vascular access port of the present invention surgically implanted and positioned in an appropriate place subintimally and sutured to the underlying fascia by a healthcare worker or technician. Once a vascular access port of the present invention is positioned in place in a patient, the healthcare worker would turn on a high intensity UV light and shine it in the general area (an arm or leg for example) where a vascular access port was placed and look for the appropriate glow. The worker could then, while observing the glow, insert the appropriate needles into the vascular access port for use in the patient. In one embodiment, where multiple vascular access ports are used, each site for needle insertion is color coded a different glowing color so that placement of each needle can easily be identified by use of separate colors of glowing polymer for each position.
Now, referring to the drawings,
As can be seen from the embodiments above as well as in the figures, various embodiments can clearly be chosen varying the color location and the like of the UV polymer in the vascular access port of the present invention. Variations other than those embodiments described are within the skill of the art in view of the disclosure, and those such embodiments are within the scope of the claims which follow.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/047,445 field on Mar. 13, 2008 and is included in its entirety by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12047445 | Mar 2008 | US |
| Child | 12561006 | US |
