Enteric feeding bag

Claim 2

An enteric feeding bag for fluid feeding of a patient through a feeding tube, the bag being suspendable in an operative position and having an inlet at the top and an outlet at the bottom comprising: a supplying chamber in said bag for receiving a selected quantity of fluid, said supplying chamber being coupled to said inlet; a feeding chamber of smaller volume than said supplying chamber, said feeding chamber being adjacent to said supplying chamber and being coupled to said outlet; passage means between said supplying chamber and said feeding chamber placing said chambers in selected fluid communication permitting filling and refilling of said feeding chamber upon orienting said bag to a determinate position other than said operative position; a partition between said feeding chamber and said supplying chamber, said partition having at least one discrete aperture along the length of said partition, said aperture coinciding to a selected volume of said feeding chamber; and clamping means for transversely sealing together side walls of said feeding chamber only at said aperture to define a selected volume of said feeding chamber, said clamping means forming an air impermeable seal resulting in lower air pressure within said selected volume than the ambient air pressure so that as fluid drains from said selected volume the walls of said feeding chamber defining said selected volume progressively collapse inward to trap a small residue of fluid at the bottom of said feeding.

Claim 3

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 1 wherein said partition may be provided with a plurality of discrete apertures along the length of said partition in which any one of said discrete apertures may receive said clamping means thereby providing a range of volumetric graduations to be selected from to sealably apportion said feeding chamber.

Claim 4

An enteric feeding bag for fluid feeding of a patient through a feeding tube, the bag being suspendable in an operative position and having an inlet at the top and an outlet at the bottom comprising: a supplying chamber in said bag for receiving a selected quantity of fluid, said supplying chamber being coupled to said inlet; a feeding chamber of smaller volume than said supplying chamber, said feeding chamber being adjacent to said supplying chamber and being coupled to said outlet; passage means between said supplying chamber and said feeding chamber placing said chambers in selected fluid communication permitting filling and refilling of said feeding chamber upon orienting said bag to a determinate position other than said operative position; a partition between said feeding chamber and said supplying chamber, said partition having at least one discrete aperture coinciding to any elected volume of said feeding chamber; an appendage secured to a peripheral edge of said feeding chamber, said appendage having at least one aperture, said aperture being in horizontal alignment with said aperture on said partition; and clamping means for transversely sealing together side walls of said feeding chamber only between the aperture on said partition and the aperture on said appendage to sealably apportion said feeding chamber into a selected volume, said clamping means forming an air impermeable seal resulting in lower air pressure within said selected volume than the ambient air pressure so that as fluid evacuates said selected volume the walls of said feeding chamber defining said selected volume progressively collapse inward to trap a small residue of fluid at the bottom of said feeding chamber.

Claim 5

An enteric feeding bag for fluid feeding of a patient through a feeding tube, the bag being suspendable in an operative position and having an inlet at the top and an outlet at the bottom comprising: a supplying chamber in said bag for receiving a selected quantity of fluid, said supplying chamber being coupled to said inlet; a feeding chamber of smaller volume than said supplying chamber, said feeding chamber being adjacent to said supplying chamber and being coupled to said outlet; passage means between said supplying chamber and said feeding chamber placing said chambers in selected fluid communication permitting filling and refilling of said feeding chamber upon orienting said bag to a determinate position other than said operative position; a partition between said feeding chamber and said supplying chamber, said partition having at least one discrete aperture coinciding to any elected volume of said feeding chamber; an appendage secured to a peripheral edge of said feeding chamber, said appendage having at least one aperture, said aperture being in horizontal alignment with said aperture on said partition; and clamping means for transversely sealing together side walls of said feeding chamber only between the aperture on said partition and the aperture on said appendage to sealably apportion said feeding chamber into a selected volume, said clamping means forming an air impermeable seal resulting in lower air pressure within said selected volume than the ambient air pressure so that as fluid evacuates said selected volume the walls of said feeding chamber defining said selected volume progressively collapse inward to trap a small residue of fluid at the bottom of said feeding chamber.

Claim 6

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 3 wherein said partition and said appendage may be provided with a plurality of discrete apertures to provide a range of volumetric graduations to be selected from to sealably apportion said feeding chamber.

Claim 7

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 4 wherein said appendage includes an elongated generally rectangular flap secured to said peripheral edge of said feeding chamber, whereby said flap mimimizes distortion of said peripheral edge when said feeding chamber contains fluid thereby maintaining a uniform peripheral configuration of said feeding chamber resulting in constant fluid dispensation from said feeding chamber.

Claim 8

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 3 wherein said clamping means is adaptable for insertion through both the aperture on said partition and through the horizontally aligned aperture on said appendage so that said clamping means cooperates with the aperture on said partition and the aperture on said appendage to stretch tranversely and drawing tautly together the side walls of the feeding chamber to sealably apportion said feeding chamber to a selected volume.

Claim 9

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 3 further including at least one semi-rigid rod incorporated into each of said partition and said appendage, said rod reinforcing and maintaining the peripheral configuration of said feeding chamber thereby assuring constant fluid dispensation from said feeding chamber.

Claim 10

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 6 wherein one of said rods are vertically and peripherally inserted into said appendage and into said partition, the apertures on said partition and said appendage being positioned between said rods so that said clamping means abuts against said rods and cooperates with the apertures on said partition and said appendage to draw tautly together the side walls of said feeding chamber only between the apertures to sealably apportion said feeding chamber into a selected volume.

Claim 11

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 3 wherein said clamping means includes a resilient clamp, said clamp including two elongated members having flat clamping surfaces, said members being hinged together at one end and free at the other end, one member having a clasp on the free end to engage the other member thereby locking said members together and closing said clamp.

Claim 12

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 9 wherein the inner clamping surface of said other member is provided with a longitudinal ridge substantially extending the length of said other member, upon closing said clamp said ridge impresses a portion of the side wall of said feeding chamber against the inner clamping surface of said one member to impermeably seal and apportion a selected volume of said feeding chamber.

Claim 13

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 9 wherein at least said other member is outwardly and slightly arcuate between the hinged end and the free end.

Claim 14

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 9 wherein the hinged end of said resilient clamp includes an outwardly directed groove and the clasp of said clamp includes an outwardly directed groove, the groove on said clasp being adapted to fit within the aperture on said appendage and the groove on said hinged end being adapted to fit within the aperture on said partition, such that said grooves permit said clamp to stretch said appendage and said partition further apart thereby drawing tautly together the side walls of the feeding chamber to sealably apportion a selected volume of the feeding chamber.

Claim 15

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 1 or 3 wherein said partition has an upper terminus non-coinciding with the top of said bag and extending downward to coincide with the bottom of said bag.

Claim 16

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 13 wherein said partition extends obliquely downward to coincide with the bottom of said bag.

Claim 17

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 13, wherein said passage means includes a channel defined between said terminus and the top of said bag.

Claim 18

The enteric feeding bag described in claim 1, or 3 further including: a tapered neck at the top of said bag for gripping said bag when pouring fluid through said inlet, said neck having smaller cross-sectional dimensions than said supplying chamber; a collapsible transverse fold incorporated into said neck for developing a longitudinal throat in said supplying chamber, said fold being formed by folding over a portion of a front wall of said bag and having an opening centrally positioned to function as said inlet; and a closable inlet valve mounted onto said fold around said opening, said valve and said fold lie substantially flat and coplanar with said bag when said fold is in a non-operative position, whereby said fold may be oriented to an operative position by gripping said bag around said neck and sliding his fingers under said fold to pivot and perpendicularly dispose both said fold and valve relative to said bag while with the other hand a user pulls downward on the bottom of the bag to cause the side walls of said supplying chamber to flex symmetrically outward thereby developing said longitudinal throat.