Field sterilizer and vascular connector kit

Inventors

Reidenberg, Bruce • Pfaffle, Antony • DiLuccio, Robert

Assignees

Cormedix Inc

Abstract

Placement of a vascular access device (intravenous, intra-arterial and/or intra-osseous vascular access) in a non-sterile environment greatly increases the risk of infection via the vascular access device. This invention provides an approach for accomplishing sterilization of the site where vascular access will be attempted under non-sterile field conditions. In addition, this invention provides a sterile vascular connector pre-loaded with an antimicrobial, e.g., Taurolidine. Use of the vascular connector provides the antimicrobial concurrently with achieving vascular access, which limits the risk of infection despite access placement under non-sterile field conditions.

Core Innovation

A field sterilizer and vascular connector kit is provided for sterile vascular access under primitive/non-sterile field conditions. The kit combines a UV sterilizer with a reflective chamber in which a UV light source is disposed, together with a power source to provide a UV dosage to the skin of a patient sufficient to effectively disinfect the skin of the patient without burning the skin of the patient.

The UV sterilizer includes a housing defining a reflective chamber used to deliver the UV dose while preventing UV light leakage through reflective and light baffle concepts, and structural UV-opaque features are used to reduce leakage. The reflective chamber is closed off by a removable sterile seal, supporting sterile handling of the reflective chamber during use.

A vascular connector is releasably mounted to the UV sterilizer and is configured to contain a supply of an antimicrobial. The vascular connector is releasably mounted within the reflective chamber and includes a body having a hollow interior with distal and proximal openings that are selectively sealed to releasably contain the supply of the antimicrobial, including Taurolidine/Neutrolin® and Taurolidine catheter lock solution for reducing catheter-related infection.

Claims Coverage

Two independent claims are identified. Both claims share the core architecture of a UV sterilizer that delivers a skin-disinfecting UV dosage without burning, and a releasably mounted vascular connector containing an antimicrobial supply; one claim further specifies a hollow body with selectively sealed openings to retain the antimicrobial.

The claim set covers a field sterilizer and vascular connector kit in which UV skin disinfection is achieved without burning using a reflective-chamber UV sterilizer, and an antimicrobial-containing vascular connector is releasably mounted within that reflective chamber; one claim adds sterile closure by a removable sterile seal, and the other specifies antimicrobial retention via a hollow connector with selectively sealed distal and proximal openings.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications