Claims
- 1. A hemostatic valve comprising:
a valve body having a proximal portion including a proximal end and a distal portion including a distal end, a first passageway extending through the valve body between the proximal and distal ends, a sealing element positioned within the first passageway, the distal portion of the valve body including an inwardly facing flexible surface and an outwardly facing flexible surface, the flexible surfaces being positioned generally parallel to the first passageway and confronting each other to define an annular gap spaced outwardly from the first passageway.
- 2. The hemostatic valve of claim 1 wherein the outwardly facing flexible surface includes an annular protrusion.
- 3. The hemostatic valve of claim 1 wherein the inwardly facing flexible surface is shorter than the outwardly facing flexible surface.
- 4. The hemostatic valve of claim 1 wherein the inwardly facing flexible surface includes a tapered portion at the distal end of the valve body defining a lip of the annular gap.
- 5. The hemostatic valve of claim 1 wherein the annular gap includes an outwardly extending groove at a root of the annular gap.
- 6. The hemostatic valve of any of claims 1-5 further comprising fissure lines extending between the proximal and distal ends of the valve body for facilitating the longitudinal splitting of the valve body.
- 7. The hemostatic valve of claim 6 further comprising grasping elements situated adjacent the proximal end of the valve body separated by the fissure lines.
- 8. The hemostatic valve of any of claims 1-5 further comprising a side port intercepting the first passageway.
- 9. The hemostatic valve of claim 8 wherein the side port is situated between distal end of the valve body and the sealing element.
- 10. The hemostatic valve of any of claims 1-5 wherein the sealing element comprises a proximal seal and a distal seal spaced from each other.
- 11. A combination of a sheath having a proximal hub including an inside surface and an outside surface, and a hemostatic valve, the hemostatic valve comprising:
a valve body having a proximal portion including a proximal end and a distal portion including a distal end, a first passageway extending longitudinally through the valve body between the proximal and distal ends, and a sealing element positioned within the first passageway, the distal portion of the valve body including a pair of contact surfaces forming an annular gap receiving the proximal hub of the sheath such that the contact surfaces sandwich the sheath proximal hub forming a seal on both the inside and outside surfaces of the hub.
- 12. The combination of claim 11 wherein the inside surface and outside surface of the sheath proximal hub are irregularly configured.
- 13. The combination of claim 11 wherein the inside surface and outside surface of the sheath proximal hub are separated by a wall of varying thickness.
- 14. The combination of any of claims 11-13 wherein one of the pair of contact surfaces on the distal portion of the valve body includes an annular protrusion.
- 15. The combination of claim 14 wherein the annular protrusion extends outwardly from an innermost of the pair of contact surfaces.
- 16. The combination of any of claims 11-13 wherein one of the pair of contact surfaces on the distal portion of the valve body is shorter than another of the pair of contact surfaces.
- 17. The combination of claim 16 wherein an inwardly facing contact surface of the pair of contact surfaces is shorter than the other contact surface.
- 18. The combination of any of claims 11-13 wherein an inwardly facing surface of the pair of contact surfaces includes a tapered portion at the distal end of the valve body defining a lip of the annular gap.
- 19. The combination of any of claims 11-13 wherein the annular gap includes an outwardly extending groove at a root of the annular gap.
- 20. The combination of any of claims 11-13 wherein the valve body includes two oppositely placed longitudinal lines of fissure that allow the valve body to be separated into two halves.
- 21. The combination of claim 20 further comprising grasping elements situated adjacent the proximal end of the valve body separated by the fissure lines.
- 22. The combination of claim 20 further comprising a side port intercepting said first passageway.
- 23. The combination of claim 22 wherein the side port is situated between distal end of the valve body and the sealing element.
- 24. The combination of claim 22 wherein the side port is situated perpendicularly to a plane defined by said longitudinal lines of fissure.
- 25. The combination of claim 20 wherein the sheath proximal hub includes two oppositely placed longitudinal lines of fissure that allow the hub to be separated into two halves with the valve body.
- 26. The combination of claim 20 wherein the sealing element includes a transverse fissure aligned with said longitudinal lines of fissure in the valve body to facilitate the splitting of the sealing element with the valve body.
- 27. The combination of any of claims 11-13 wherein said sealing element comprises a first sealing element traversing said first passageway configured to be self-sealing for preventing flow of bodily fluid therethrough and a second sealing element traversing said first passageway formed of a foam material having an aperture extending axially therethrough.
- 28. The combination of claim 27 wherein the first sealing element is integral with the valve body and composed of a non-rigid, elastomeric material.
- 29. The combination of claim 27 wherein the second sealing element is composed of a silicone foam disk inserted into and affixed within the first passageway.
- 30. A combination of a sheath having a proximal hub including an inside surface and an outside surface, and a hemostatic valve, the hemostatic valve comprising:
a valve body formed of a non-rigid, elastomeric material and having a proximal portion including a proximal end and a distal portion including a distal end, a first passageway extending longitudinally through the valve body between the proximal and distal ends, and a sealing element positioned within the first passageway, the distal portion of the valve body including a pair of contact surfaces forming an annular gap receiving the proximal hub of the sheath such that the contact surfaces sandwich the sheath proximal hub forming a seal on both the inside and outside surfaces of the hub, the valve body including two oppositely placed longitudinal lines of fissure allowing the valve body to be split into two halves that exposes the first passageway.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on provisional application Ser. No. 60/333,077 filed Nov. 6, 2001, and is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/751,017 filed Dec. 28, 2000, which is in turn based on provisional application Ser. No. 60/173,758 filed Dec. 30, 1999.
Provisional Applications (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60333077 |
Nov 2001 |
US |
|
60173758 |
Dec 1999 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09751017 |
Dec 2000 |
US |
Child |
10287407 |
Nov 2002 |
US |