Patent Application
20140031754
The technology described herein relates to a photoluminescent, or glow-in-the-dark, coupling. In particular, the technology described herein may be used in connection with enteral feeding.
There have been many advancements in the field of gastric feeding devices, such as gastric button devices. Original devices had only one port that provided direct access to a patient's stomach for food and medication administration. With a single port, the use of the device was somewhat simple and straightforward. Newer devices provide two and three ports. For example, newer gastric feeding buttons have a balloon that allows the device to be maintained in the stomach of a user. A port, which is positioned next to the gastric feeding port, is used for introducing water, or in some cases air, into the balloon. More advanced feeding devices, known as Gastric-Jejunal Buttons or (G-J Buttons) have a third port that is used for jejunal feeding. The addition of additional ports provides a greater potential for user error.
Manufacturers have taken steps to design unique characteristics that are used to distinguish the three ports, including dimensional differences, incompatible connections, color differences, printed labels, and indicators molded directly into the devices themselves. Despite all of these steps to ensure that the feeding button is used properly by the end-user, there remains a risk of an accidental connection to an incorrect port. Due to the types of patients that necessitate these particular medical devices, administering food intended for the jejunal port into the gastric port could lead to vomiting and aspiration of stomach contents—a potentially dangerous situation. Thus, care must be taken by the end user to avoid accidental device misuse.
One target patient population for gastric feeding devices is pediatric patients with poor gastric motility. Since these patients will receive most of their nutrition through the jejunal-access port, they will be connected to a feeding pump most of the day and night. Consequently, the patient's caregivers may have to connect and disconnect adapters to the jejunal-access port at night while the patient is asleep. This gives the caregivers two options—they can either turn on a light in order to visually see the device and its different ports, or they can keep the lights off (trying not to disturb the child's sleep) and attempt to make any necessary adjustments to the device by memory and “feel.”
The first option of turning on the light presents a risk of waking the child, who is already in compromised health. The second option deprives the caregiver of the benefits of many of the unique characteristics that are used to distinguish between the three access ports, as described above, and, thus, presents a risk of accidental connection or administration errors.
In accordance with the teachings described herein, a coupling for administering food or medication to a patient is described.
The technology described herein relates generally to a coupling 10 that has an example glow-in-the-dark or photoluminescent feature 12 that is used to help a user to locate and/or properly orient an adapter or connector 14, 16 with an input port 18, 20 in a dark environment. The example portions of the coupling 10 are generally made of plastic and allow the part to glow-in-the-dark when ambient light is too low to visualize the coupling 10 properly. It is desirable to be able to avoid turning on the lights when a child is sleeping. Thus, the example glow-in-the-dark feature 12 allows a caregiver to access the coupling 10 without turning on the lights. It should be noted that when the term glow-in-the-dark is utilized, it is also meant to encompass photoluminescent and other glow-in-the-dark materials. In addition, when the term photoluminescent is used, it is meant to encompass any number of glow-in-the-dark materials. The terms should be considered to be interchangeable when used herein. In addition, the terms adapter and connector 14, 16 should be considered to be interchangeable when used herein, but can refer to any type of device that may be associated with an opening, a port, or a coupling.
The coupling 10 with the example glow-in-the-dark features 12 may include a glow-in-the dark input port 18, 20, 22 and a glow-in-the-dark connector 14, 16 for coupling with the port 18, 20, such as a feeding tubes 24, 26. Other types of devices may also be useful with the examples described herein, including those not limited to enteral use, such as those relating to parenteral and other uses, as will be discussed in greater detail below.
In one example, a coupling 10 includes an input port 18, 20 and a connector 14, 16 for coupling with the input port 18, 20. The input port 18, 20 includes at least a portion that glows-in-the-dark 12. The connector 14, 16 may also include a glow-in-the-dark portion 12 that is meant to couple with the glow-in-the-dark input port 18, 20. The input port 18, 20 and connector 14, 16 glow-in-the-dark portions 12 may be made of the same glow-in-the-dark resins, if desired, or of different glow-in-the-dark resins.
The glow-in-the-dark resins that are used with the example couplings 10 need minimal light exposure to charge because, in general, the couplings 10 will only have limited exposure times to ambient light. Glow-in-the-dark plastic resins should emit enough light to help the caregiver ensure proper coupling of the connector 14, 16 to the input port 18, 20 during low-light conditions. The glow-in-the-dark plastic resins should emit enough light throughout the night without necessitating a “re-charge” and should be biocompatible.
By providing a glow-in-the-dark material 12 that has the above-describe properties, caregivers (either healthcare professionals or parents) may confidently access different ports 18, 20, 22 within a feeding tube 24, 26 in low-level light conditions. Furthermore, as will be discussed below, the example couplings 10 help to prevent dangerous incorrect connections while giving the patient a better chance to sleep through the night uninterrupted.
The types of materials that may be used for the example glow-in-the-dark features 12 are non-limiting, as long as they charge upon exposure to ambient light and they remain charged for an extended period of time, such as 4, 6, 8 or 12 hours. Different glow colors and glow strength may be desirable under certain circumstances. Thus, different types of glow-in-the-dark materials may be useful instead of the use of a single glow in the dark material. Materials that charge quickly are useful, although those that don't charge quickly may also be useful. The expense of the material along with the particular strengths of the material, such as color, glow strength, length to charge, length to remain changed, etc., should be considered when selecting a glow-in-the-dark material. Any number of other materials may be used, as known by those of skill in the art, as well as materials that may be developed in the future.
Referring now to the figures,
In the case of the G-J tube, one troubling type of misconnection involves administering feeding intended for the jejunal-access port 20 into the gastric-access port 18. One way to deter this type of mishap under low-light conditions is to only make the jejunal-access port 20 and the jejunal feeding tube coupling adapter 16 glow-in-the-dark. This way the caregiver would be forced to focus on the access port 20 that is glowing-in-the-dark, helping to lessen the possibility of connecting to the incorrect port (which would not be glowing). An example of this is shown in
Another possibility for the G-J tube would be to use two totally different glow-in-the-dark colors for the gastric-access port 18 and the jejunal-access port 20 and connectors 14, 16. If the gastric-access port 18 and its matching adapter 14 was glow-in-the-dark green, for example, while the jejunal-access port 20 and its matching adapter 16 was glow-in-the-dark orange, for example, the caregiver would be able to distinguish both ports 18, 20 in low-level light conditions. Glowing strength or intensity may also be adjusted such that the primary jejunal port 20 glows much brighter than the secondary gastric port 18. Thus, a caregiver could distinguish between the connectors 14, 16 to associate them with the proper port 18, 20.
Importantly, different types of feeding compounds are administered for jejunal feeding as compared to gastric feeding. Thus, it is important that a user does not accidentally administer gastric feeding matter to the jejunal port 20 and vice versa. Such accidental feeding can result in harm to a patient. Thus, it is important to properly label and/or identify the ports 18, 20 so that a user can easily determine which port is used for jejunal feeding and which port is used for gastric feeding.
As shown in
However, in low light conditions, such as in a bedroom of a patient at night, a caregiver may have difficulty in determining which connector 14, 16 should be used with which port 18, 20. The present example port 18, 20, 22 and connector 14, 16 helps to remedy any difficulty that a caregiver may experience by providing a portion of the input port 18, 20, 22 with a glow-in-the-dark portion 12. As shown in
The port 16 alone may be glow-in-the-dark, or the connector 20 may also glow in the dark. In the example of
In addition, as shown in
As with the example shown in
In the device 50, shown in
In addition, the connector 54 may also be made of a photoluminescent material 12 that matches the photoluminescent material 12 of the input port ring 56. Alternatively, the connector 54 may be non-photoluminescent or the connector 54 may be a different color or glow intensity from the photoluminescent material of the input port 52. The input port 52 may have a shape that is conducive to a single orientation for the connector 54, or that only allows one size of connector 54 to be inserted into the port 52. This may assist in preventing accidental connection of the wrong connector. In addition, the connector 54 and/or input port 52 may have labels, such as markings, symbols, or wording, that are used to assist a user in properly orienting the connector 54 relative to the input port 52. In addition, labels 58 may be used to properly identify the port 52 and/or connector 54.
The device shown in
Instead of a black ink line 66 that is printed or otherwise disposed on the surface of the input port 52, a break 46 in the photoluminescent material 12 of the input port 52 may be used to provide a line for orientation purposes, such as shown in
As shown in
The input port 52 may have disposed on a lower surface thereof a ledge 78 that is positioned directly adjacent the notch 68. The ledge 78 is designed to hold the key 72 under the ledge 78 in order to hold the connector 54 in the input port 52. Other types of connection mechanisms may alternatively be utilized. The ledge 78 can be positioned on part of the coupling 50 instead of or in addition to being positioned on the input port ring 52. The connector 54 is designed to prevent leakage from the input port 52 when properly connected. Other indicia or markings may be provided on the connector 54 or on the input port 52 or coupling 50 in order to assist a user in locking, aligning, or otherwise using the connector 54 and input port 52.
The glow-in-the-dark principles discussed herein may also be applied to other medical devices that require connections and disconnections in low-level light conditions. Nightly rounds are a common practice in hospitals, and patients are often woken up simply because the lights need to be turned on to make adjustments to devices and couplings. Glow-in-the-dark resins could be used in various couplings including intravenous and arterial lines, dialysis connections, Foley catheter connections, chest tubes, or any other type of liquid, gas, or vacuum connection used for patient care. The housings of the couplings can be color coded for different uses, and the dimensions of the glow-in-the-dark connectors can be varied to prevent misconnections. Glow-in-the-dark catheters and inter-lumen catheters can also be made using the above-described technology. This can help healthcare professionals visualize catheter placement in vessels near the surface of the patient's skin simply by turning the lights down low. If the glow-in-the-dark resins can be made to emit enough light, connectors can be made to help illuminate body cavities as well.
According to one example of the invention, an enteral coupling comprises a first input port and a photoluminescent portion associated with the first input port. The first input port is one or more of a gastric port, a jejunal port, or a balloon port. The first connector is for inserting into the first input port and may include a photoluminescent portion. The second input port may have a photoluminescent portion associated with the second input port and a second connector having a photoluminescent portion. The second connector is for inserting into the second input port. A third input port may also be provided with a third device for insertion into the third input port. The third input port and third device may or may not include a photoluminescent portion.
The photoluminescent portion of the first input port may be integrally coupled to the first input port or externally positioned on the first input port. A second photoluminescent portion having a color that is different from a color of the photoluminescent portion of the first input port may be utilized for indicating orientation. A break in the photoluminescent portion of the first input port for indicating orientation, wherein the break is provided by a second photoluminescent portion that has a different color from the photoluminescent portion of the first input port, or by a break in the material of the photoluminescent portion of the first input port, or by a darkened portion associated with the photoluminescent portion of the first input port.
The photoluminescent portion of the first input port may have a first color and the photoluminescent portion of the second input port may have a second color that is different from the first color. The photoluminescent portion of the first port may have a first color, the photoluminescent portion of the first connector may have a second color, the photoluminescent portion of the second input port may have a third color, and the photoluminescent portion of the second connector may have a fourth color. The first and second colors may be the same and the third and fourth colors may be the same. Alternatively, the first and second colors may be different from one another and the third and fourth colors may be different from one another.
The first input port may have an opening with a discontinuous portion for indicating orientation. The discontinuous portion may be provided by a notch, by black ink pad printing, by a break in the photoluminescent material of the first input port, by a blackened portion, or by a combination thereof
In one example of the invention, the material of the photoluminescent portion of the first input port, second input port, first connector, or second connector charges with minimal light exposure and lasts for 8 or more hours. One or more of the photoluminescent portions may glow brighter than another of the photoluminescent portions.
The various parts of the coupling may include labels that are visible in the dark. The labels may be positioned on the photoluminescent portion of the first input port and may include black ink or another different photoluminescent portion.
The example coupling may include an orientation indicating means, wherein the orientation indicating means includes black ink, a different colored photoluminescent material, labeling, different shapes, darkened portions, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the photoluminescent portion may be bright enough to illuminate a body cavity.
In another example of the invention, a coupling comprises a first port having a first glow-in-the dark feature and a second port having a second glow-in-the-dark feature. The first glow-in-the dark feature is different from the second glow-in-the-dark feature. The first glow-in-the dark feature may be a first glow-in-the dark color and the second glow-in-the dark feature may be a second glow-in-the dark color. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the first glow-in-the dark feature may have a first glow-in-the dark intensity and the second glow-in-the dark feature may have a second glow-in-the dark intensity. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the first glow-in-the dark feature may have a first glow-in-the dark shape and the second glow-in-the dark feature may have a second glow-in-the dark shape. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the first glow-in-the dark feature may have a first glow-in-the dark labeling and the second glow-in-the dark feature may have a second glow-in-the dark labeling. A combination of any of the foregoing features may be utilized, as desired.
The coupling may be an enteral feeding tube. The coupling may also include a first connector for coupling with the first port and a second connector for coupling with the second port. The first connector may have a first glow-in-the-dark feature and the second connector may have a second glow-in-the-dark feature.
In another example of the invention, a coupling for administering food or medication comprises a first port having a glow-in-the-dark feature and means for orientation that assists a user in properly orienting a connector to be mounted in the first port in proper orientation, and a first connector coupled to the first port. The first connector is guided by the means for orientation in order to properly couple the first connector to the first port. The means for orientating may be one or more of a shape, a glow intensity, labeling, color, a break in the glow-in-the-dark features, texture, a darkened portion, or a combination thereof.
The term “substantially,” if used herein, is a term of estimation.
While various features are presented above, it should be understood that the features may be used singly or in any combination thereof. Further, it should be understood that variations and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art to which the claimed examples pertain. The examples described herein are exemplary. The disclosure may enable those skilled in the art to make and use alternative designs having alternative elements that likewise correspond to the elements recited in the claims. The intended scope may thus include other examples that do not differ or that insubstantially differ from the literal language of the claims. The scope of the disclosure is accordingly defined as set forth in the appended claims.
