Disposable introducer for advancing an elongate member into a tubular structure

Inventors

Long, Curtis D. • Hitchcock, Robert W • Lackey, John

Assignees

Light Line Medical Inc

Abstract

An introducer assembly introduces an elongate member into a tubular structure and may be configured into ready, introduced, and detached modes. The introducer assembly has a guide tube, a slide collar, and proximal and distal connector assemblies. The guide tube has a proximal body, and a distal portion, the distal portion being rotatably connected to the proximal body. The slide collar has a grip, a slide post, and a centered capture structure. The proximal connector assembly is detachably nested within the centered capture structure. The distal connector assembly is detachably nested within the distal portion and is connectable to the tubular structure. The introducer assembly may be converted from the ready mode to the introduced mode to the detached mode by manual manipulation to introduce and secure the elongate member within the connected tubular structure, and then detach the guide tube leaving the elongate member within the connected tubular structure.

Core Innovation

The disclosure describes a disposable introducer assembly/system for introducing an elongate member into a tubular-receiving structure. The introducer assembly is configured to have a ready mode, an introduced mode, and a detached mode. The assembly includes a guide tube with a proximal body and a distal portion that is rotatably connected to the proximal body such that the distal portion rotates about the longitudinal axis of the guide tube.

A slide collar having a grip, a slide post, and a centered capture structure is suspended from the slide post. The slide collar is disposed so the grip is accessed outside the guide tube, while the slide post is movably slidable within a longitudinal slide slot of the proximal body. As the slide post is moved slidably, the centered capture structure is advanceable and remains centered about the longitudinal axis as the introducer assembly moves from the ready mode to the introduced mode.

Proximal and distal connector assemblies are detachably captured and coupled to connect the elongate member to the slide collar and to the tubular-receiving structure. In the introduced mode, the distal connector assembly is connected to the tubular-receiving structure and guides the elongate member into the connected structure as the elongate member is advanced by advancing the slide collar. The distal connector assembly rotates together with the rotatable distal portion to rotatably connect the distal connector assembly to the proximal connector assembly.

In the fiber optic embodiment, the proximal connector assembly comprises a Subminiature A (SMA) fiber connector and a ferrous ring, and the distal connector assembly comprises a distal luer and a luer attachment ring. The distal luer has a longitudinal passageway through which the fiber optic is guided into the connected tubular-receiving structure as the slide collar advances, and the distal connector assembly rotates together with the distal portion to rotatably connect the distal connector assembly to the proximal connector assembly.

Claims Coverage

The partial content provides three independent claim statements. Each independent claim defines an introducer assembly/system with ready, introduced, and detached modes, using a rotatable distal guide-tube portion, a sliding collar with a centered capture structure, and detachably connected proximal and distal connector assemblies to couple and guide an elongate member into a tubular-receiving structure.

Across the independent claims, the core inventive subject matter is the combination of a rotatably connected distal guide-tube portion, a manually advanced slide collar with a centered capture structure, detachably captured proximal and distal connector assemblies, and an introduced mode defined by connection to the tubular-receiving structure or to an adapter connected to the tubular-receiving structure while guiding the elongate member through a connected passage.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications