US 12,285,583 B2
Inflatable ports, catheter assemblies including inflatable ports, and methods thereof
John G. Evans, South Jordan, UT (US)
Assigned to C. R. Bard, Inc., Franklin Lakes, NJ (US)
Appl. No. 16/973,042
Filed by C. R. Bard, Inc., Franklin Lakes, NJ (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 20, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/038321
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 8, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/246448, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 26, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/687,433, filed on Jun. 20, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0268250 A1, Sep. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. A61M 39/02 (2006.01); A61M 39/04 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 39/0208 (2013.01) [A61M 39/04 (2013.01); A61M 2039/0232 (2013.01); A61M 2039/0238 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inflatable port, comprising:
a housing;
a chamber in the housing, the chamber having a major opening and a minor opening;
a septum over the major opening of the chamber, the septum fixed to the housing;
a hollow stem extending from the housing, the hollow stem fluidly connected to the chamber by way of the minor opening of the chamber; and
a needle-penetrable, self-sealing bladder around at least a portion of the housing configured to increase or decrease a size of the inflatable port upon a penetration of the bladder with a needle and a subsequent injection with a fluid to increase the size of the inflatable port or a withdrawal of the fluid to decrease the size of the inflatable port.