Patent Application
20140228757
Syringes typically include a cylindrical body configured to house a liquid and a plunger configured to be inserted into the cylindrical body and provide expulsion force as the plunger progresses through the cylindrical body causing the contents of the body to be expelled through an orifice at the distal end of the body. Such linear syringes have found use as handheld manual injectors and in numerous devices where actuators provide expulsion force to plunger. Injector-actuated syringes and powered injectors are used in medical procedures such as angiography, computed tomography, ultrasound and NMR/MRI. Typically, such injectors include drive members including a piston connected to a syringe plunger. These drive members provide a linear compression to the plunger. Therefore, the drive member and piston must have a range of movement at least equal to the length of the cylindrical body. As such, for high volume syringes, the syringe, plunger, and drive mechanisms must be long and bulky.
Various embodiments are directed to syringes including a bent cylindrical body and a plunger bent about the radius of the bent cylindrical body configured and arranged to be received by the proximal open end of the bent cylindrical body and movably disposed within at least a portion of the bent cylindrical body. The cylindrical body of the bent syringes are, generally about a radius and have a proximal open end and a distal conical end. The conical end generally includes at least one discharge outlet.
Other embodiments are directed to mounting systems for bent syringes and devices that incorporate the bent syringes. The devices of such embodiments may include a removable syringe having a bent cylindrical body with a proximal open end and a distal conical end with at least one discharge outlet and a plunger having curvature substantially similar to the bent cylindrical body and being configured and arranged to be received by the proximal open end of the bent cylindrical body and movably disposed within at least a portion of the cylindrical body; and a hinge operably connected to the bent cylindrical body and the plunger, the hinge being disposed at an intersection of a radius of the bent cylindrical body and a radius of the plunger. A spindle may be configured and designed to be received by the hinge and operably connected to one of the bent cylindrical body or the plunger, and a drive motor may be operably connected to the spindle and being capable of providing rotational force to the spindle.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.
As used in this document, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Nothing in this document is to be construed as an admission that the embodiments described in this document are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention.
This disclosure is not limited to the particular systems, devices and methods described, as these may vary. The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope.
The word “proximal” refers to a direction relatively closer to a clinician using the device described herein, and the word “distal” refers to a direction relatively further from the clinician. For example, the end of a catheter placed within the body of a patient is considered a distal end of the catheter, while the catheter end remaining outside the body is a proximal end of the catheter.
Embodiments of the invention include syringes having a generally cylindrical body that is bent about a radius to produce a bent syringe body and a bent plunger designed to fit within the bent syringe body and devices including such bent syringes. An exemplary bent syringe 10 is provided in
The bent cylindrical body 102 may have a bend angle of up to about 180°. For example, the angle of rotation may be from about 30° to about 180°, from about 45° to about 100° or any angle of rotation between these exemplary ranges. In particular embodiments, the angel of rotation may be about 90° as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the bent cylindrical body 102 and the plunger 104 may be operably connected by a hinge 130 positioned at an intersection of a radius of the cylindrical body 102 and the plunger 104. The hinge 130 may be a mechanical hinge including separate parts on the body 102 and the plunger 104 that operably connect to create the hinge. Such mechanical hinges include, but are not limited to, barrel hinges, butt and mortise hinges, pivot hinges, and the like. In particular embodiments, the mechanical hinge may be an open barrel syringe including a sleeve portion 132 having a substantially C-shape defined on either a portion of the cylindrical body 102 or the plunger 104.
In other embodiments as illustrated in
The bent cylindrical body 102 may include any number of additional elements associated with syringes including, for example, markings or graduations (not shown) on a surface of the bent cylindrical body 102 showing the volume of the syringe from the distal end 114 of the bent cylindrical body 102 to the graduation marking. In some embodiments, the bent cylindrical body 102 may include one or more fitting 118 located at an outlet port 116 of the bent cylindrical body 102, and the distal end 114 of the bent cylindrical body 102 may have a generally conical shape 117 with the outlet port 116 being centered within the conical portion. The fitting 118 may be any type of fitting known in the art including, but not limited to, luer fittings, screw-type fittings, pressure fittings, and the like. In some embodiments as illustrated in
The bent syringed 10,11 of various embodiments can be stand-alone devices that are configured to be used by hand. In such embodiments, the bent cylindrical body 102 may include one of more elements that are positioned and configured to allow a user to grasp the bent cylindrical body during use. For example, the bent cylindrical body 102 may include one or more flanges, contoured portions, abrasive surfaces, and the like and combinations thereof. The plunger 104 may include a flat surface associated with the plunger arm 126 that is configured to be manipulated by a user. For example, portions of the plunger arm surrounding the piston 122 meets the plunger arm 126 may be contoured or include an abrasive surface, or extensions may be provided to increase the width and length of this section providing a thumb rest. In still other embodiments, the plunger 104 may include a handle extending from the rod or plunger arm to facilitate grasping by the user and movement of the plunger though the bent cylindrical body 102.
In particular embodiments, the bent syringe 10,11 may include a mechanical means for moving the plunger 104 through the bent cylindrical body 102. For example, in some embodiments, as illustrated in
In some embodiments as illustrated in
In embodiments in which the mounting system is designed to allow the bent syringe to be manipulated by hand, the mounting system may include flanges, handles, contoured and/or textured surfaces, and the like, configured and arranged to allow a user to grasp and manipulate the bent syringe, and in some embodiments, the mounting system may be associated with a mechanical means for advancing the plunger such as the ratchet system described above.
In particular embodiments, the mounting system 37 may be fixedly attached to a device, and the bent syringe 30 may be removably received by the mounting system 37. In some embodiments, the mounting system 37 may include a plate 360 configured to attach to the housing of a device, and one or more clips, pins, clasps, screws, depressions, or other attachment means, or combinations thereof 350,352, attached to the plate 360 for attaching the bent syringe 30 to the mounting system 37 and for properly aligning the bent syringe 30 on the device. In other embodiments, the mounting system may be an integral part of the housing such that one or more clips, pins, clasps, screws, depressions, or other attachment means, or combinations thereof may be attached directly to the housing and positioned to attach the bent syringe to the housing.
In some embodiments as illustrated in
In certain embodiments, the spindle may be received by a one-way clutch mechanism that allows rotation of the spindle to produce forward movement of the plunger advancing the plunger into the syringe body, but does not allow reverse rotation of the spindle to withdrawal the plunger from the syringe body. In embodiments in which a clutch is employed, the plunger may be advanced by rotation of the spindle, but will remain in the advanced, forward position when rotation of the spindle is reversed. This may reduce the likelihood of accidental reversal causing the fluids expelled from syringe to be sucked back into the syringe body as the plunger withdrawals. In some embodiments, the clutch mechanism may include a stop that allows both forward and reverse rotation of the spindle to be transmitted to the plunger allowing one-way and two-way movement to be controlled by the user.
In particular embodiments, the bent syringe may be mounted on the spindle alone. In such embodiments, the spindle may engage the bent syringe with sufficient hold to maintain the position of the bent syringe on the device without the use of clips or other attachment means. Thus, in some embodiments, a device may include spindle protruding from a housing onto which a bent syringe may be mounted. As discussed above, such spindles may be of any design, and the spindle may hold the syringe by pressure, shape, or using a separate attachment means such as a screw cap, cotter pin, or the like.
In certain embodiments as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the mounting system may be capable of rotating allowing the bent syringe to assume a number of positions. For example, in some embodiments, the mounting system may allow the bent syringe to rotate from a position in which the outlet and fitting associated with the bent cylindrical body face downward to a position in which the outlet and fitting face upward, and in other embodiments, the bent syringe may be rotated such that the outlet and fitting are move from a lateral facing position to an upward facing position. In embodiments including a plate mounting system, the plate may include a rotating mount onto which the bent syringe is attached. Thus, a portion of the plate may be securely mounted on the device housing, while the bent syringe is capable of rotating on the rotating mount. In other embodiments, the housing may include a rotating mount and the plate may be attached to the rotating plate. In either such embodiments, the rotating mount may be freely rotatable, or the rotating mount may include two or more catches or stops positioned to halt rotation of the bent syringe at particular positions, such as an upward facing position and a downward or lateral facing position. In still other embodiments, the rotating mount may include a ratchet system that allows rotation to be halted at a number of positions. In some embodiments, the rotating mount may be associated with a motor or other mechanical means for rotating the rotating mount, and in other embodiments, the rotating mount may be manually operated.
In embodiments in which the bent syringe mounts directly onto the spindle, rotation of the bent syringe may be effectuated by disengaging a motor or other mechanical means for applying rotation movement to the plunger, or the motor or mechanical means for applying rotational movement to the plunger may allow for free rotation of the bent syringe when not engaged. As above, rotation of the bent syringe about the spindle may be free rotation allowing the syringe to rotate to any position, or two or more stops may be associated with the bent syringe to halt rotation at particular positions. Such stops may be associated with the syringe, for example, one or more extension may project from the bent cylindrical body that are positioned to engage a groove in the housing that causes the syringe to stop rotation when an end of the groove is reached. The groove may further include teeth or other projections that can engage the extensions and stop rotation at various positions along the groove. In other embodiments, projections from the housing that are positioned to engage the syringe and stop rotation. For example, a first projection from the housing may engage a distal portion of the bent cylindrical body and stop rotation when the outlet and fitting are in a downward position and a second projection may engage a proximal portion of the bent cylindrical body when the outlet and fitting are in a upward facing position.
In operation, rotation of the bent syringe may allow the syringe to be loaded while mounted on the device. For example, the bent syringe may be rotated such that the outlet and fitting are facing upward during or after the syringe has been loaded allowing air bubbles to surface near the outlet and fitting. By depressing the plunger while the outlet and fitting are facing upward, such air bubbles may be expelled from the syringe. The syringe may then be rotated to a position that facilitates delivery of the substance loaded into the syringe body, for example, the outlet and fitting facing downward or laterally.
Embodiments of the invention further include devices configured and designed to incorporate the bent syringes and mounting systems described above. In general, such devices may include at least one drive motor capable of producing rotational movement and a spindle operatively connected to the drive motor and capable of rotating by action of the drive motor. The spindle may be configured to reversibly connect to the hinge of a bent syringe and transfer rotational movement of the drive motor to the hinge and cause the plunger arm to advance or withdrawal from the syringe body by action of the drive motor. In some embodiments, the spindle may extend directly from the drive motor, and in other embodiments, the spindle may be operably connected to the drive motor through gears, belts, cables, chains, and the like or other means for transmitting rotation force from one device to another. In particular embodiments, a circular or semicircular gear or an arm may be fixedly attached to a first spindle extending from the drive motor, and a second spindle designed to operably connect to the plunger arm of a bent syringe may be positioned along a radius of the gear or at along the arm. This arrangement may allow the drive motor to provide arced movement of second spindle, which can be used to advance or withdrawal a plunger in a bent cylindrical body by rotational movement of the drive motor.
In some embodiments, the bent syringe may attach to the device using a mounting system designed to contact and hold at least the bent cylindrical body portion of the bent syringe. In general, such a mounting system may be disposed between the drive motor and any gears, belts, cables, chains, and the like associated with the drive motor and the bent syringe when the bent syringe is mounted on the device. In some embodiments, the mounting system may be attached to a housing of the device, and in other embodiments, the mounting system may attach to the drive motor or a portion of the drive motor. As discussed above, the mounting system of various embodiments may include any number of holes, orifices, or grooves designed and configured to allow passage of the spindle through the mounting system and facilitated proper alignment of the bent syringe for attachment to the spindle. In some embodiments, the holes, orifices, or grooves may be designed and configured to associate with corresponding holes, orifices, or grooves in a housing that are also positioned to allow passage of the spindle. The mounting system may further include any number of clips, pins, clasps, screws, depressions, or other attachment means, or combinations thereof, positioned to securely attach the bent syringe to the mounting system and the device. The size of the mounting system may vary among embodiments and may dictate the number and type of attachment means associated with the mounting system. For example, a small mounting system having 1, 2, 3, or 4 clips, pins, clasps, and the like may be utilized one devices or portions of devices having a housing with a small surface area. In embodiments in which the mounting system is attached to a device housing having a large surface area, a greater number of attachment means may be utilized. Of course, even mounting systems on large surface area housings may include a small number of attachment means.
The devices of various embodiments may include a drive motor or other mechanical means for rotating the bent syringe. The type of motor is not limited and can include any type of motor known and used in the art. In general, the motor may be capable of rotating a spindle with sufficient force to cause the plunger to rotate within the bent cylindrical body of the bent syringe and force the contents of the syringe through the distal orifice. In other embodiments, the motor may provide sufficient force to push the expelled contents of the syringe through a fluid pat set as described below. The motors of embodiments may be controllable by the user such that the user can control the rotation of the spindle during operation or using preprogrammed controls provided in a computing device or processor associated with the device. For example, in some embodiments, a button may activate the motor causing the spindle and plunger to rotate until the button is deactivated. In other embodiments, a button may be depressed that causes the motor to activate for a predetermined amount of time causing a specific amount of rotation to occur. In still other embodiments, a computing device or processor may activate the motor for specific time periods rotating the spindle and plunger causing movement of the plunger various distances at particular predetermined times as a programmed procedure is carried out.
The devices of embodiments may include any number of additional features including, for example, a user interface, buttons, dials, gauges, containers for fluids and/or waste materials, user control mechanisms for controlling the drive motor and/or bent syringe, handles, wheels or casters, or any other feature used in medical devices.
In some embodiments, the bent syringe may include a pressure monitoring device attached to the outlet port or fitting associated with the outlet port. In some embodiments, the pressuring monitoring device may be attached to a user interface to notify the user of the pressure within the bent cylindrical body and the pressure with which fluid is expelled from the bent cylindrical body. In certain embodiments, the pressure monitoring device may be operably connected to the drive motor through a relay that causes the drive motor to slow or stop when, for example, the pressure inside the bent cylindrical body reaches a maximum or increases pressure within the bent cylindrical body when a minimum pressure is reached.
In certain embodiments, the devices may further include a fluid path set providing tubing into which the bent syringe can expel the contents of the syringe body. Such fluid path sets may include one or more lengths of tubing that are capable of connecting to a fitting on the bent syringe at a first end and a discharge means at a second end. The discharge means may be a fitting, a another device, or a container, and in particular embodiments, the discharge means may be a hypodermic needle configured and designed to allow administration of the contents of the bent cylindrical body to a patient. The fluid path set may further include junctions and valves useful for, for example, partitioning the expelled contents of the bent syringe, combining additional components with the contents of the bent syringe, modifying the delivery path of the expelled contents, transporting the contents to a waste receptacle, or the like.
In some embodiments, a device may include two or more bent syringes. The device may be configured to allow simultaneous, sequential, or independent delivery of fluids from the two or more bent syringes. The two or more bent syringes can be associated with individual drive motors, or in other embodiments, the two or more syringes may be associated with the same drive motor in either a side by side configuration in which both bent syringes are on the same spindle on the same side of the drive motor or the two or more syringes may be on the same or different spindles on opposite sides of the drive motor. The device may be designed to deliver the same material from the two or more bent syringes. In other embodiments, the device may be designed to deliver different materials from the two or more bent syringes, and the fluid to be delivered can be delivered through the same fluid path to facilitate delivery to the patient or different fluid paths. In some embodiments, the fluids may be combined or mixed in the fluid path before delivery, and in other embodiments, the fluids may be delivered in separately and/or sequentially.
