Catheters are commonly used for a variety of infusion therapies. For example, catheters may be used for infusing fluids, such as normal saline solution, various medicaments, and total parenteral nutrition, into a patient. Catheters may also be used for withdrawing blood from the patient.

A common type of catheter is an over-the-needle peripheral intravenous catheter (“PIVC”). As its name implies, the over-the-needle PIVC may be mounted over an introducer needle having a sharp distal tip. The PIVC and the introducer needle may be assembled so that the distal tip of the introducer needle extends beyond the distal tip of the PIVC with the bevel of the needle facing up away from skin of the patient. The PIVC and introducer needle are generally inserted at a shallow angle through the skin into vasculature of the patient.

In order to verify proper placement of the introducer needle and/or the PIVC in the blood vessel, a user generally confirms that there is “flashback” of blood in a flashback chamber of a PIVC assembly. Once placement of the needle has been confirmed, the user may temporarily occlude flow in the vasculature and remove the introducer needle, leaving the PIVC in place for future blood withdrawal and/or fluid infusion.

Currently, there may be several limitations to the use of a PIVC for fluid infusion and blood draw. The PIVC may narrow, collapse, or clog with time, leading to failure of the PIVC. Due to this, PIVCs may often be used for acquiring a blood sample at a time of PIVC placement, but they are much less frequently used for acquiring a blood sample during the PIVC dwell period. Therefore, when a blood sample is needed, an additional needle stick may be used to provide vein access for blood collection, which may be painful for the patient. In order to extend the life of the PIVC and allow for fluid infusion and/or blood withdrawal through the PIVC assembly, in some instances, an instrument delivery device may be used to deliver an additional catheter through the PIVC.

Delivery of the additional catheter through the PIVC may be difficult in current integrated catheter systems having an integrated extension tube, such as, for example, the BD NEXIVA™ Closed IV Catheter System, the BD NEXIVA™ DIFFUSICS™ Closed IV Catheter System, the Becton Dickinson PEGASUS™ Safety Closed IV Catheter System, or other integrated catheter systems. In further detail, it may be difficult to advance the additional catheter through a length of the integrated extension tube and/or through a septum disposed in a lumen of a catheter adapter of the system in order to place the additional catheter within or beyond the PIVC.

The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some implementations described herein may be practiced.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates generally to devices, systems, and methods for facilitating delivery of an instrument through a PIVC. In some embodiments, the instrument may include an additional catheter for fluid infusion or blood draw, a guidewire, a probe with a sensor, or a light tube for disinfection. In some embodiments, a system for facilitating instrument delivery through the PIVC may include a catheter adapter, which may include a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending there through. In some embodiments, the PIVC may extend distally from the catheter adapter. In some embodiments, the catheter adapter may include a side port. In some embodiments, an extension tube may extend from the side port. In some embodiments, a blood control valve may be disposed in the lumen of the catheter adapter.

In some embodiments, the blood control valve may be disposed proximal to the side port. In these and other embodiments, the blood control valve may not allow air venting. In some embodiments, the blood control valve may be disposed distal to the side port. In these and other embodiments, the blood control valve may allow air venting.

In some embodiments, the system may include a Y-adapter coupled to a proximal end of the extension tube. In some embodiments, the Y-adapter may include a first port and a second port. In some embodiments, a needleless connector may be coupled to the first port, and a needleless connector may be coupled to the second port. In these and other embodiments, the blood control valve may allow air venting, which may facilitate observation of blood flashback by the user.

In some embodiments, the system may include a cap, which may be coupled to the proximal end of the catheter adapter. In some embodiments, the system may include a needleless connector coupled to the proximal end of the catheter adapter.

In some embodiments, the proximal end of the catheter adapter may include a luer adapter or a non-luer adapter. In some embodiments, an extension set may be coupled to the proximal end of the catheter adapter. In some embodiments, the extension set may include a distal connector coupled to the proximal end of the catheter adapter, and a proximal connector. In some embodiments, the extension set may include tubing disposed between the distal connector and the proximal connector. In some embodiments, the proximal connector may include a needleless connector.

In some embodiments, the distal connector may include a cannula that penetrates the blood control valve in response to the distal connector being coupled to the proximal end of the catheter adapter. In some embodiments, the cannula may be blunt. In some embodiments, the cannula may be constructed of plastic or metal, such as, for example, steel.

In some embodiments, the distal connector may include a male luer, which may provide a fluid tight seal. In some embodiments, the male luer may include an extension, which may penetrate the blood control valve in response to the distal connector being coupled to the proximal end of the catheter adapter. In some embodiments, the extension and/or the cannula may include one or more flushing windows. In some embodiments, the cannula and the extension may each correspond to an actuator of the blood control valve. In some embodiments, the lumen of the catheter adapter may not include an actuator of the blood control valve other than the cannula or the extension.

In some embodiments, the system may include an instrument delivery device, which may be coupled to the proximal end of the catheter adapter. In some embodiments, the instrument delivery device may include the instrument, which may be configured to advance distally through the blood control valve and the PIVC. In some embodiments, a distal portion of the lumen of the catheter adapter may be narrowed to provide a guide feature for the instrument as the instrument is advanced distally.

In some embodiments, the system may include a needle assembly removably coupled to the proximal end of the catheter adapter. In some embodiments, an introducer needle of the needle assembly may extend through the blood control valve.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. It should be understood that the various embodiments are not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the embodiments may be combined, or that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes, unless so claimed, may be made without departing from the scope of the various embodiments of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

