TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to nutritional catheter generally used in premature infants whose sucking reflex is not yet fully developed.

In particular, the invention relates to a new catheter model that will reduce the adverse effects of the probes fitted to infants and help them improve sucking reflex.

STATE OF THE ART The development of infant sucking reflex and their ability to be fed from the bottle or breast can often occur following week 34. Many infants born before these weeks are fed with orogastric (extending from mouth to stomach) tubes for weeks in intensive care units.

The catheters in the current technique are often made of PVC material and have a certain rigidity to provide ease of attachment. However, these catheters can cause palate deformation and disfigurement in the upper palate of a very sensitive and developing infant during the time they stay attached in the mouth.

Another problem with this type of catheter is that as the infant grows, it begins to suck the probe and thus there occurs an increase in unintended consequences. This rigid catheter, which is located in the mouth of the infant during and between feeding, is pushed by the tongue of the infant towards the palate with suction movements, causing palate deformation. The earlier the infant has the week of birth, the longer the feeding time with these catheters and the more likely adverse effects can be seen in the process. The patent document TR2018/07565, that is found in the patent survey, mentions the enteral feeding tube that allows direct passage from the mouth to the stomach of a patient who cannot be fed by mouth. The purpose of the invention is to create a method and means to ensure that the enteral feeding tube can be safely inserted into the patient, reducing the risk of irritation and infection from continuous ingestion to the stomach. It is clear that the invention does not provide any solution to the said problems experienced in infants. The patent application number W02006089811 found in the current technique relates to an enteral feeding catheter. For channeling flowable nutrient into a patient's digestive tract, the invention mentions the use of an embodiment with a computer system. It also mentions that Feeding catheters of this type are used for instance in the feeding of a patient who is unable to swallow nutrients in a natural manner. The invention also mentions that, especially in critical care, it is important to monitor the intra-abdominal pressure in order to avoid intraabdominal hypertension or abdominal compartment syndrome. The benefits of the invention do not offer solutions to the palate deformation problems that occur in infants.

As a result, improvements are made in the feeding catheters for infants with the developing technology, so that new structures are needed to eliminate the disadvantages mentioned above and to bring solutions to the existing systems.

THE AIM OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a suction padded feeding catheter for infants that meets the above-mentioned requirements, eliminates all disadvantages and brings some additional advantages.

The main aim of the invention is to introduce a infant feeding catheter that will prevent cleft palate formation and deformation in the upper palate of the baby.

Another aim of the invention is to develop a structure that takes the shape of a pacifier by inflation during the feeding session of the infant. Another aim of the invention is to prevent damage to the mouth of the infant by the fact that the padded structure, which takes the shape of a pacifier, contains a silicone layer. At the same time, it is provided to inflate this structure with the help of an injector by inflating the air from outside and lowering it by withdrawing the air. Another aim of the invention is to develop a feeding catheter that will facilitate the suction of the infant, improve the sucking reflex and the suction muscles and thus make positive contributions to digestion.

In order to realize all of the advantages mentioned above and to be understood from the following detailed description, the invention is a feeding catheter comprising a feeding channel for orogastric (extending from mouth to stomach) feeding of babies born before the normal birth time, for delivering nutrients to the baby's stomach, and a feeding tube for injecting nutrients into the said feeding channel, characterized in having; - a suction pad placed on the feeding channel, which prevents damage to the upper palate of the infant by inflating during use and can be extinguished again after use,

- an inflation device for inflating and re-inflating said suction pad,

- a structure containing at least one air duct that allows air transmission between the said inflation device and the suction pad.

The structural and characteristic features and all advantages of the invention outlined in the drawings below and in the detailed description made by referring these figures will be understood clearly. Therefore, the evaluation should be made considering these figures and detailed explanations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In order to be able to understand the advantages of the present invention together with the additional elements, it is necessary to evaluate it with the figures explained below.

Figure 1 A view of the suction padded feeding catheter of the invention. REFERENCE NUMBERS

1. Feeding catheter

10. Inflation device 11. Air channel

12. Suction pad

13. Feeding tube

14. Feeding channel 15. First hole

16. Second hole

17. Feeding channel end

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this detailed description, the preferred structures of the suction padded feeding catheter for infants (1 ) of the invention are explained only for a better understanding of the subject matter and without any restrictive effect.

Figure 1 shows a view of the feeding catheter (1 ) of the invention.

The feeding catheter (1 ) is the probe that allows infants to be fed orogastric (from mouth to stomach) in intensive care units. A feeding tube (13) in its structure is supplied with food with the help of the injector (not shown in the figure) and then via a food channel (14), the food reaches the stomach. In the said feeding catheter

(1 ), there is a suction pad (12) on the feeding channel (14).

The suction pad (12) in the structure of the feeding catheter (1 ) can be inflated during the feeding of the infant by means of the air channel (1 1 ) which is connected with the suction pad (12) by inserting an injector tip into an inflation device (10) from the outside. Preferably 0.5-2 ml of air is introduced into the suction pad (12). The inflation device (10) has a valve system that prevents the return of the air injected into it. After the feeding of the infant is completed, the air of the suction pad (12) can be refilled with the help of an injector. The suction pad (12), which is filled with air, takes the shape of the baby's mouth and prevents the formation of disfigurement in the upper palate. The suction pad (12) is made preferably of a silicone layer.

A feeding channel end (17), which extends to the stomach of the infant, is rounded to avoid damaging the stomach mucosa and is in a closed position. The output of nutrients reaching the stomach via the feeding channel (14) is provided by a first hole (15) with a diameter of 3 mm at 1 cm proximal to the end of the feeding channel (17) and a second hole (16) with a diameter of 4 mm at 2 cm proximal to the opposite side of the first hole (15). The length of the feeding catheter (1 ) is preferably in the range of 1 1 -15 cm and the feeding channel (14) can be selected in different width and length so that it can be applied to infants of various sizes. The diameter of the feeding channel (14) can be used in three different diameters, preferably 4, 6 and 8 French in size. There are radiopaque lines (not shown in the picture) on the feeding channel (14) that allow the placement of the feeding channel inside the stomach to be determined by X-ray.