Enteral feeding catheter and apparatus for determining the intra-abdominal pressure of a patient

摘要

The catheter has a proximal port with an opening of a feeding lumen. There are two further openings in another proximal port with a connector, to which a source/sink of gas pressure and a pressure gauge can be connected. The interior of a distal balloon communicates with the opening and can hence be inflated and deflated through that opening in order to measure intra-abdominal pressure using the pressure gauge. A reflux filter is integrated into the connector. In the upper connector piece or lower connector piece a recess surrounding the measurement lumen is provided at the contact surface between the connector pieces. The gas-permeable filter membrane is disposed in the recess for preventing liquids in the lumen from entering from the lower connector piece into the upper connector piece and thus from passing through the opening in case of rupture or leakage of the distal balloon.