Covering for use with a medical connector

Abstract

A soft grip medical connector comprises a housing with an upstream end, a downstream end and a lumen extending through a central portion thereof. A flexible member comprises a valve portion integrally formed with a sleeve portion. The valve portion is positioned within a section of the housing and is configured to control a flow of fluid through the housing lumen. The sleeve is inverted to envelope at least a portion of the outer surface of the housing. In some embodiments the gripping portion is integrally formed with the valve portion. In some embodiments, the connector is also generally configured to create a positive pressure in a catheter lumen upon removal of a syringe or other medical device from the upstream end of the connector. Methods of making a medical fluid connector generally comprise forming a valve member with a sleeve extending there from, and assembling the valve, sleeve and housing.

1 . A medical connector comprising:
 a housing having an outer surface, a first end configured to receive a first medical device, a second end configured to receive a second medical device, and an internal cavity connecting the second end and first end to provide a fluid pathway between the second end and the first end;   first and second opposing members positioned at or near the second end of the housing, the first and second opposing members having a closed position in which the first and second opposing members are adjacent to each other to cover the second end and an open position in which the first and second opposing members are spaced apart to allow a portion of the second medical device to extend between the first and second opposing members to the second end of the housing; and   a sleeve extending from the first and second opposing members along the outer surface of the housing toward the first end, wherein a portion of the sleeve is spaced apart from the outer surface of the housing forming a gap between the portion of the sleeve and the outer surface of the housing.   
     
     
         2 . The medical connector of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is integrally formed with the first and second opposing members. 
     
     
         3 . The medical connector of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve extends more than half way between the second end and the first end thereby covering a majority of the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         4 . The medical connector of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is disposed over a majority of a circumference of the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         5 . The medical connector of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is disposed over an entirety of a circumference of the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         6 . The medical connector of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve comprises a flexible material. 
     
     
         7 . The medical connector of  claim 6 , wherein the sleeve is configured to provide increased gripping comfort. 
     
     
         8 . The medical connector of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the sleeve bulges outwardly away from the outer surface of the housing to form the gap between the portion of the sleeve and the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         9 . The medical connector of  claim 8 , wherein the portion of the sleeve that bulges outwardly away from the outer surface of the housing comprises an arcuate segment. 
     
     
         10 . The medical connector of  claim 1 , further comprising a seal element disposed inside the interior chamber of the housing, the seal element having a closed position configured to seal the second end of the housing and an open position configured to allow fluid to pass from the second end to the first end. 
     
     
         11 . The medical connector of  claim 10 , wherein the seal element comprises first and second opposing sidewalls configured to abut against each other when the seal element is in the closed position and to be space apart when the seal element is in the open position. 
     
     
         12 . A covering for use with a medical connector, the covering comprising:
 first and second opposing members configured to be positioned at or near a second end of a housing, the first and second opposing members having a closed position in which the first and second opposing members are adjacent to each other to cover the second end and an open position in which the first and second opposing members are spaced apart to allow a portion of a medical device to extend between the first and second opposing members; and   a sleeve configured to extend from the first and second opposing members along an outer surface of the housing toward a first end of the housing, wherein a portion of the sleeve is configured to be spaced apart from the outer surface of the housing to form a gap between the portion of the sleeve and the outer surface of the housing.   
     
     
         13 . The covering of  claim 12 , wherein the sleeve is integrally formed with the first and second opposing members. 
     
     
         14 . The covering of  claim 12 , wherein the sleeve is configured to extend more than half way between the second end and the first end thereby covering a majority of the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         15 . The covering of  claim 12 , wherein the sleeve is configured to be disposed over a majority of a circumference of the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         16 . The covering of  claim 12 , wherein the sleeve is configured to be disposed over an entirety of a circumference of the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         17 . The covering of  claim 12 , further comprising a medical connector attached to the covering. 
     
     
         18 . The covering of  claim 17 , wherein the medical connector comprises a housing that includes an outer surface, a first end, a second end, and an internal cavity connecting the second end and first end to provide a fluid pathway between the first end and the second end. 
     
     
         19 . The covering of  claim 18 , wherein the medical connector comprises a seal element disposed inside the interior chamber of the housing, the seal element having a closed position configured to seal the second end of the housing and an open position configured to allow fluid to pass between the second end to the first end. 
     
     
         20 . The covering of  claim 19 , wherein the seal element comprises first and second opposing sidewalls configured to abut against each other when the seal element is in the closed position and to be space apart when the seal element is in the open position 
     
     
         21 . The covering of  claim 12 , wherein the sleeve comprises a flexible material. 
     
     
         22 . The covering of  claim 21 , wherein the sleeve is configured to provide increased gripping comfort. 
     
     
         23 . The covering of  claim 12 , wherein the portion of the sleeve is configured to bulge outwardly away from the outer surface of the housing to form the gap between the portion of the sleeve and the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         24 . The covering of  claim 23 , wherein the portion of the sleeve that is configured to bulge outwardly away from the outer surface of the housing is configured to form an arcuate segment when the covering is attached to the medical connector. 
     
     
         25 . A method of attaching a covering to a medical connector, the method comprising:
 providing a medical connector, the medical connector comprising a housing having an outer surface, a first end configured to receive a first medical device, a second end configured to receive a second medical device, and an internal cavity connecting the second end and first end to provide a fluid pathway between the second end and the first end;   positioning first and second opposing members at or near the second end of the housing, the first and second opposing members having a closed position in which the first and second opposing members are adjacent to each other to cover the second end and an open position in which the first and second opposing members are spaced apart to allow a portion of the second medical device to extend between the first and second opposing members to the second end of the housing; and   positioning a sleeve on the outer surface of the housing such that the sleeve extends from the first and second opposing members along the outer surface of the housing toward the first end, and such that a portion of the sleeve is spaced apart from the outer surface of the housing forming a gap between the portion of the sleeve and the outer surface of the housing.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the sleeve is integrally formed with the first and second opposing members. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the sleeve extends more than half way between the second end and the first end thereby covering a majority of the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the sleeve is disposed over a majority of a circumference of the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the sleeve is disposed over an entirety of a circumference of the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the sleeve comprises a flexible material. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the sleeve is configured to provide increased gripping comfort. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the portion of the sleeve bulges outwardly away from the outer surface of the housing to form the gap between the portion of the sleeve and the outer surface of the housing. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the portion of the sleeve that bulges outwardly away from the outer surface of the housing comprises an arcuate segment. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising positioning a seal element inside the interior chamber of the housing, the seal element having a closed position configured to seal the second end of the housing and an open position configured to allow fluid to pass from the second end to the first end. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the seal element comprises first and second opposing sidewalls configured to abut against each other when the seal element is in the closed position and to be space apart when the seal element is in the open position.