Enteral feeding catheter assembly incorporating an indicator

摘要

A catheter assembly (20) incorporating a pre-biased indicator (22), the assembly includes a catheter (26) having a proximal end (28), a distal end (30), and catheter walls (32) defining a catheter lumen (34). The assembly further includes a base (36) located at the proximal end (28) of the catheter, the base defining an opening to the catheter lumen, the base having a first end (42) and a second end (44). An inflatable balloon (24) having a predetermined fill volume is located at a distal end (30) of the catheter. An inflation valve (46) is located on the base (36); the inflation valve is in fluid communication with the balloon through an inflation lumen (48) defined by the catheter walls (32). The pre-biased indicator located on the base in fluid communication with the balloon is configured to provide a discrete visual signal that the pressure of a fluid in the balloon is different from a predetermined level of pressure or the volume of the balloon is different from the predetermined fill volume.