Importance

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Abstract

An intravenous catheter assembly includes a valve located in the catheter hub and made of needle-penetrable self-sealing material such as rubber. The valve is biased to a closed position wherein it surrounds an inlet end of a hollow elongated insert disposed in the hub. The insert is in flow communication with a catheter tube and serves as an outer sleeve for an insertion needle which is inserted through a puncture in the valve to pass through the insert and catheter tube. Upon removal of the needle the valve puncture self-seals. The valve is larger than the flow passage opening of a standard Luer tapered male fitting which, when inserted into the hub, axially translates the valve along the insert until the insert projects through the valve puncture and into the Luer male fitting flow passage. The positional bias for the valve is provided by a helical spring disposed about the insert by extending an integral part of the valve as an axially compressible resilient sleeve surrounding the insert.

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First Claim