US 12,246,157 B2
Needleless access connector facilitating instrument delivery to a catheter assembly
Jonathan Karl Burkholz, Salt Lake City, UT (US); Heena Dani, Middlesex, NJ (US); Megan Scherich, Salt Lake City, UT (US); and Derek Jewell, Cottonwood Heights, UT (US)
Assigned to Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ (US)
Filed by Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ (US)
Filed on Jan. 9, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/738,928.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/792,239, filed on Jan. 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0222681 A1, Jul. 16, 2020
Int. Cl. A61M 39/12 (2006.01); A61M 25/06 (2006.01); A61M 39/24 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 39/12 (2013.01) [A61M 25/0606 (2013.01); A61M 39/24 (2013.01); A61M 2039/2426 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A needleless access connector, comprising:
a body, comprising:
a proximal end configured to couple to an instrument delivery device; and
a distal end configured to couple to a peripheral intravenous catheter assembly;
an accordion valve disposed within the body between the proximal end and the distal end, wherein the accordion valve comprises an accordion portion, wherein in response to compression of the accordion portion and opening of the accordion valve, a straight pathway extending through the proximal end and the distal end is exposed such that an instrument of the instrument delivery device may move distally from the proximal end to the distal end through the straight pathway without bending; and
a post configured to extend through the accordion valve when the accordion valve is open, wherein a proximal end of the post is flexible.