GB2171678A - An extractor for piercing elastic closure means - Google Patents

Abstract

The extractor has a puncturing spike (11) for piercing the elastic membrane of a container. The gripping piece (10) is designed on one side as a thumb recess (14) with lateral limits (15) and on the opposing side as a gripping surface (18) without lateral limits. The thumb recess (14) and the gripping surface (18) have ascending regions (17, 19) respectively which each run in an arc of approximately 90 DEG and define the flange (16) forming the front end of the gripping piece. While the thumb is inserted longitudinally into the thumb recess (14), the second section of the index finger is placed transversely against the ascending region (19) of the gripping surface (18). In this way, a high force of insertion can be exerted on the gripping piece (10) without the risk of sliding off and without the need to press the thumb and index finger together unnecessarily. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An extractor for piercing elastic closure means The invention relates to an extractor for piercing elastic closure means of medical containers with a gripping piece comprising a longitudinal thumb recess with lateral limits and a front ascending region on one side and a gripping surface with a front ascending region on the opposing side, and with a puncturing spike remote from the front end of the gripping piece.

Solutions or mixtures for enteral nutrition, washing liquids and other liquids are usually introduced under sterile conditions into containers which are then sealed with an elastic membrane or a stopper.

In order to extract the liquid from such a container, the membrane or the stopper is pierced with a puncturing spike. The liquid then flows through a longitudinal passage in the puncturing spike into a tube while maintaining the sterile state. A considerable physical force has to be exerted on the extractor in order to pierce the latex or plastic membrane. A disadvantage of known extractors resides in the fact that the gripping pieces make it difficult to apply the necessary force because they are not correctly shaped from an anatomical point of view.

A hollow puncturing needle suitable for catheter- ization of which the gripping piece is a round member with gripping surfaces which are hollowed out of it and oppose one another is known (DE-PS 25 05 790). The gripping piece has two recesses which are concave in design both in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction and of which one acts as a thumb recess and the other as an index finger recess. The recesses are identical to each other and are positioned obliquely with respect to a longitudinal centre plane running symmetrically to them. The gripping piece is gripped by the end sections of index finger and thumb and is advanced.

A further known gripping piece of a catheterization apparatus (DE-PS 23 41 297) has two slightly concavely shaped surfaces for thumb and index finger.

The object of the invention is to provide an extractor of the type mentioned at the outset in which the gripping surfaces are designed such that the force of the hand can be transmitted to the extractor in an anatomically correct manner for perforation purposes.

In order to achieve this object, it is proposed according to the invention that the gripping surface be substantially level in a transverse direction and that its ascending region describe an arc of approximately 900 in a side view.

With the extractor according to the invention, the thumb is inserted into the thumb recess and the second section of the index finger is placed on the gripping surface such that it points transversely to the direction of the puncturing spike so that it can be placed against the arc-shaped ascending region of the gripping surface. A high advancing force can be exerted on the gripping piece by thumb and index finger because the second section of the index finger rests on the transversely running slope forming the ascending region of the gripping surface. The invention is based on the idea that, when the index finger is bent, the second section of the index finger lies at approximately the same height as the end of the thumb.The gripping piece is contacted such that the transversely running second section of the index finger lies at approximately the same height as the end of the thumb so that the index finger does not have to apply the advancing force by means of its end section but by means of the bent central section or by means of the end of the first section on the body side. The ascending region of the gripping surface has a radius of curvature such that it receives the second member of the index finger. While the thumb recess has lateral limits for guiding the thumb, the gripping surface is substantially level in the transverse direction so that the second section of the index finger can slide in a longitudinal direction thereon without being obstructed laterally.Thumb and index finger are capable of performing the sliding and pressing movement required for making the perforation effortlessly and painlessly. The gripping piece can be used equally by left-handed and right-handed people.

The ascending region of the thumb recess also preferably describes an arc of approximately 900 in the longitudinal central plane of this thumb recess.

It is important that the advancing force is not substantially transmitted by pressing the gripping piece together between thumb and index finger but by the lengthwise pressure exerted by the thumb and the transversely lying index finger on the steep ascending regions of thumb recess and gripping surface.

A radial flange which is limited at the rear end by the ascending surfaces is arranged at the end of the gripping piece.

The transversely lying index finger is guided in a particularly desirable manner if the gripping surface not laterally enclosed is slightly convex in shape in cross-section. The elevation on the gripping surface thus presses into the soft region between the knuckles of the second section of the index finger.

An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a side view of the extractor.

Figure 2 shows a plan view.

Figure 3 shows a view from below.

Figure 4 shows a cross section along the line IV IV from Figure 1.

Figure 5 shows a longitudinal section along the line V-V from Figure 1.

The extractor has a gripping piece 10 and a puncturing spike 11 remote from the front end of the gripping piece 10, the tip 12 of the puncturing spike 11 serving to pierce a membrane. A longitudinal passage 13 leads straight through the entire length of puncturing spike 11 and gripping piece 10. A tube (not shown) can be connected to this passage and is fixed at the rear end of the gripping piece 10.

One side of the gripping piece 10 is designed as a concave thumb recess 14. The thumb recess 14 forms, in the front region of the gripping piece, a trough-shaped groove which is defined by the outwardly ascending edge regions 15. The base of the thumb recess 14 (in the region of the longitudinal centre plane of this thumb recess) runs into the vicinity of the flange 16 forming the front end of the gripping piece 10 substantially parallel to the longitudinal central axis of the extractor and then passes into the flange 16 in an approximately arcshaped ascending region 17. The ascending region 17 extends (in a side view) over an angle of approximately 900. As shown in Figure 1, the thumb recess 14 forms, in the front half of the gripping piece 10, a type of pocket which is laterally restricted by the edges 15 and forwards by the radial flange 16.The thumb recess 14 runs in the rear half of the gripping piece 10 in a substantially level manner and over the entire width of the gripping piece, that it without being enclosed by laterally raised edges.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the gripping piece 2 tapers in its rear region - as viewed in a plan view, so that the flat portion of the thumb recess 14 has a trapezoidal configuration.

The gripping surface 18 which is substantially level over its entire length in the transverse direction relative to the gripping piece is located on the side turned away from the thumb recess 14 which forms the underside in the illustration according to Figure 1. This means that the gripping surface 18 does not have lateral borders or edges. In the longitudinal direction the gripping surface 18 has an ascending region 19 passing into the flange 16, in which it is progressively more remote from the longitudinal central axis of the gripping piece. The ascending region 19 is arc-shaped and runs over an angle of approximately 900. The radius of the ascending region 19 is calculated such that the second section of the index finger can be placed against the ascending region 19 transversely to the longitudinal direction of the extractor without sliding off radially.

As shown in Figure 4, the gripping surface 18 is slightly convexly curved when viewed in cross section so that the transversely lying section of the index finger is guided longitudinally thereon. The thumb and the transversely positioned section of the index finger press against the flange 16 and drive the puncturing spike 11 into the membrane.

Lateral recesses 20 extending radially to the wall of the passage 13 are provided between the base of the thumb recess 14 and the wall of the gripping surface 18. The recesses 20 run longitudinally from the end of the gripping piece to the flange 16. The flange 16 can form a peripherally interrupted disc.

Unnecessary accumulations of material can be avoided through the recesses 20 and 21.

The extractor illustrated is composed of one integral part which can be produced from plastics material.

Claims (7)

1. An extractor for piercing elastic closure means of medical containers, comprising a gripping piece having a longitudinally running thumb recess with lateral limits and a front ascending region on one side and a gripping surface with a front ascending region on the opposing side, and a puncturing spike remote from the front end of the gripping piece, wherein the gripping surface is substantially level in the transverse direction and in that its ascending region describes an ac of about 900 in a side view.

2. An extractor according to Claim 1, wherein the ascending region of the thumb recess describes an arc of about 900 in the longitudinal centre plane of this thumb recess.

3. An extractor according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein on the front end of the gripping piece there is arranged a radial flange which is defined at the rear end by the ascending surfaces.

4. An extractor according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the thumb recess and the gripping surface form approximately parallel level faces in the rear half of the gripping piece.

5. An extractor according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the gripping surface is slightly convex in design in cross-section.

6. An extractor according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein lateral recesses extending from the rear end of the gripping piece to the flange are provided between thumb recess and gripping surface.

7. An extractor for piercing elastic closure means of medical containers substantially as herein described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.