BOTTOM

DESCRIPTION

The present patent relates to the field of medical and diagnostic devices, and in particular to a new stopper with safety and withdrawal closure for 24-hour urine containers.

Urine containers consisting of a container and a stopper with a lid which can be screwed on the container are currently known. Said stopper is provided with a seat for the insertion of a vacuum test tube. On the lower side of said seat a needle is provided, integral with a support, which is attached below said seat of said stopper. Such a device is commonly called a LUER adapter.

The vacuum test tube is inserted from above, when the container is closed, through the stopper with its lid. The needle, integral with the support, pierces and penetrates the test tube membrane and sets the test tube's internal environment in communication with the container's internal environment. Said test tube being under vacuum, the liquid held in the container passes from the container itself into the test tube, thus carrying out the urine withdrawal from the container, while the test tube is sent to the analysis equipment.

Generally, typical known containers have a capacity of two to three litres, and are able to contain 24-hour urine. Therefore, such a capacity determines the size of the container, which is between 15 and 20 centimetres high.

The above-described device poses the problem that liquid suction takes place by means of the hollow needle which is integral with the stopper and at the lower end of said needle which is located at the top of the container. The result is that if the amount of liquid in the container is low, the withdrawal cannot take place, unless the container is turned and tilted, with the risk of an unpleasant leakage or spillage or even of opening the stopper.

To eliminate all the above mentioned drawbacks, a new device suited to withdraw and suction the liquid from the inside of said containers has been designed and carried out.

It is always envisaged to use a known container and a known stopper with its lid which can be screwed on said container once it has been filled. A new withdrawal device is now attached to the seat of said container, comprising a needle designed to pierce the test tube membrane, said needle being integral with an adapter designed to be attached to said stopper seat, and wherein a thin tube is fixed to said support in order to make a suction duct formed by at least a needle and a thin tube. The length of the thin tube is such that its lower end is raised by some centimetres from the bottom in order to withdraw even liquid which is present in low amounts.

The main elements which constitute the present invention include: a container made of a thermoformed material, a stopper with a lid in a thermoformed material provided with a seat on which a suction duct formed by at least a needle and a thin tube is fixed, the thin tube having such a length that its lower end is close to the bottom. The stopper is designed to be screwed on the container in such a way as to prevent any liquid leakages.

The advantages of the present invention are evident and lie in that the liquid suction occurs even with low amounts of liquid. It is no longer necessary to turn or tilt the container to carry out the withdrawal. All tests will be guaranteed without the possibility that the test tube depression causes total or partial air intake, which would completely invalidate the test. Container for medical tests comprising at least one container made of a thermoformed material, a stopper with a lid in a thermoformed material, said stopper being provided with a seat to which a suction duct formed by at least a needle and a thin tube is fixed, the thin tube having such a length that the lower end of said thin tube is close to the bottom of said container. The characteristics of the invention will be highlighted in greater detail in the following description, with reference to the attached drawing that is enclosed as a non-limiting example.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the main parts of the invention comprising the 2-3- lirre container (C), having its upper side (CI ) threaded so as to allow the stopper (T) with its lid (H) to be screwed thereon. On the stopper (T) there is a seat (S) inside which an adapter (A) is applied, said adapter supporting a needle (G) with a point (G l ) designed to pierce the membrane (M) of the test tube (P), and wherein said test tube (P) is suited to be inserted in the upper side of the seat (S). A thin tube (N) is fixed to the lower side of the adapter, said thin tube having such a length that it approximates the bottom (C2) of the container (C). Therefore, with reference to the above description and the attached drawing, the following claims are expressed.