Modified luer fittings for feeding tube adapter

Abstract

A method and apparatus provide a luer fitting connector/adapter that acts as a modified-to-standard size converter piece. The adapter may complete a fluid tight medical system. The adapter may have one end having at least one non-standard sized luer fitting dimension. The non-standard end of the adapter may sealingly interconnect with a luer fitting member having a corresponding non-standard sized dimension. As a result, the adapter and luer fitting member may be directly interconnected with one another while remaining incompatible with standard sized luer fittings. Using the adapter may facilitate preventing the inadvertent direct interconnection of standard sized luer fitting members intended for different purposes, such as the delivery of a feed paste or a medication to a desired location within a patient. The adapter may be directly or indirectly interconnected with a syringe nozzle to facilitate flushing the medical system or a portion thereof.

1 . A luer fitting adapter, the adapter having a first end being configured to have a first dimension and a second dimension, the first dimension being sized in accordance with a standard luer fitting sizing convention and the second dimension being sized in accordance with a non-standard luer fitting sizing convention. 
   
   
       2 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the first dimension is a standard outer diameter for luer fittings, and the second dimension is a non-standard inner diameter for luer fittings. 
   
   
       3 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 2 , wherein the first dimension is further associated with a standard sized thread set and the second dimension is further configured as a female tapered bore operable to sealingly engage a corresponding non-standard sized exterior taper of a male end of a luer fitting member. 
   
   
       4 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 3 , wherein the luer fitting member is a syringe operable to flush the adapter and the male end is a nozzle of the syringe, the nozzle having a non-standard sized exterior taper. 
   
   
       5 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 3 , wherein the adapter has a second end having a surface operable to sealingly engage with a second luer fitting member. 
   
   
       6 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the first end has a coarse external thread set operable to interconnect with a corresponding coarse internal thread set of a first luer fitting member, the adapter further having a second end having a fine external thread set operable to interconnect with a corresponding fine internal thread set of a second luer fitting member. 
   
   
       7 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 6 , wherein the second luer fitting member is interconnected with a feeding tube that is operable to deliver feed paste to a desired location. 
   
   
       8 . A luer fitting adapter, the adapter being configured to have a first end with a first exterior thread set and a second end with a second exterior thread set, wherein the first end has a non-standard sized interior tapered bore, the interior tapered bore being non-standard sized with respect to an industry sizing convention for luer fittings. 
   
   
       9 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second ends have standard sized outer diameters, the outer diameters being standard sized with respect to the industry sizing convention for luer fittings. 
   
   
       10 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 8 , wherein the non-standard sized interior tapered bore is operable to sealingly engage a corresponding exterior tapered body of a first luer fitting member 
   
   
       11 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 10 , wherein the first exterior thread set is operable to interconnect with a corresponding interior thread set of the first luer fitting member. 
   
   
       12 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 10 , wherein the first luer fitting member is associated with a catheter. 
   
   
       13 . The luer fitting adapter of  claim 8 , wherein the adapter is operable to interconnect with a luer fitting member interconnected with a feeding tube to deliver feed paste to a desired location. 
   
   
       14 . A method of interconnecting luer fitting members, the method comprising:
 sealingly interconnecting a first non-standard dimension of a luer fitting adapter with a second non-standard dimension of a first luer fitting member, the first and second non-standard dimensions being non-standard in the sense that the first and second non-standard dimensions are incompatible with luer fittings configured in accordance with an industry luer fitting sizing convention.   
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first non-standard dimension corresponds to a non-standard sized interior tapered bore of the adapter and the second non-standard dimension corresponds to a non-standard sized exterior tapered body of the first luer fitting member. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , the method comprising sealingly interconnecting the adapter with a second luer fitting member, the adapter having a first standard sized dimension that corresponds to a second standard sized dimension of the second luer fitting member. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , the method comprising flushing a medical tube associated with the second luer fitting member. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , the method comprising delivering a medicine to a desired location via a system formed by the interconnection of the adapter with the first and second luer fitting members. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , the method comprising delivering a feed paste to a desired location via a system formed by the interconnection of the adapter with the first and second luer fitting members. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 16 , the method comprising physically distinguishing at least one of the first and the second luer fitting members from luer fittings associated with a different type of medical system.