Enteral feeding catheter assembly incorporating an indicator

摘要

ENTERAL FEEDING CATHETER ASSEMBLY INCORPORATING AN A balloon catheter device (20), the balloon catheter device comprising: a catheter (26) having a proximal end (28), a distal end (30). and catheter walls (32) defining a catheter lumen (34); a base (36) located at the proximal end (28) of the catheter (26) defining an opening (40) to the catheter lumen (34); an inflatable balloon (24) having a predetermined fill volume, the balloon (24) located at a distal end (30) of the catheter (26) and containing a fluid under pressure upon inflation to its predetermined fill volume and further containing a reserve volume of fluid that is less than the predetermined fill volume when the fluid is no longer under pressure, wherein the predetermined fill volume is at most 1.5 times greater than the reserve volume; and a pre-biased pressure indicator (22) in fluid communication with the balloon (24), the pre-biased pressure indicator (22) comprising a non-electrical indicator responsive only to pressure communicated from the balloon (24) crossing a predetermined threshold pressure and providing only a first discrete visual signal when the pressure communicated from the balloon (24) crosses the predetermined threshold pressure and a second discrete visual signal when the fluid in the retainer balloon (24) is no longer under pressure, with no signal of other inflation states therebetween; whereby the second discrete visual signal provides warning that the retainer balloon (24) has reached the reserve volume when the fluid is no longer under pressure.