Micro-Injection Pump
First Claim
1. A micro-injection pump comprising:
- a bifurcated micro-droplet generator including a tributary passage merging with a primary passage, and an injection needle extending within said primary passage to a termination point downstream of a location where said tributary passage merges with said primary passage;
a first syringe in fluid communication with said tributary passage for supplying a first fluid, said first syringe having a plunger;
a second syringe in fluid communication with said injection needle for supplying a second fluid, said second syringe having a plunger;
a first linear traverse operatively connected to said plunger of said first syringe for controllably discharging said first fluid from said first syringe;
a second linear traverse operatively connected to said plunger of said second syringe for controllably discharging said second fluid from said second syringe; and
a catheter arranged downstream of said micro-droplet generator;
whereby said first fluid is used to separate droplets of said second fluid from said injection needle at said termination point and carry said droplets through said catheter.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A micro-injection pump for angiography and micro-intervention procedures comprises first and second linear traverses each have a pusher element movable by stepper motor drive for controlling discharge from a respective micro-syringe engaged by the pusher element. The first micro-syringe preferably contains a volume of a soluble contrast medium, and the second micro-syringe preferably contains a volume of an insoluble contrast medium. Fluid discharged by the micro-syringes is directed to a bifurcated micro-droplet generator having a straight primary passage and an obliquely merging tributary passage. Insoluble contrast medium from the second micro-syringe flows through a micro-sized injection needle extending partially and coaxially within the primary passage to a termination point just downstream from where the tributary passage joins the primary passage. Soluble contrast medium from the first micro-syringe passes through the tributary passage to provide a flow field surrounding the injection needle for shearing off discrete same-sized boluses from the terminal tip of the injection needle at regular frequency in coordination with a predetermined motion profile of the first and second linear traverses. Motion control of the linear traverses is possible using LABVIEW® virtual instrumentation software arranged to communicate with a 2-axis indexer control connected to first and second motor indexers for driving the stepper motors of the linear traverses. Linear potentiometers on the linear traverses, rotary encoders connected to the motors, a flowmeter, and pressure transducers indicate motion and flow parameters of the system in real-time to provide a feedback loop in the system so that a desired media delivery waveform is realized.
19 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A micro-injection pump comprising:
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a bifurcated micro-droplet generator including a tributary passage merging with a primary passage, and an injection needle extending within said primary passage to a termination point downstream of a location where said tributary passage merges with said primary passage;
a first syringe in fluid communication with said tributary passage for supplying a first fluid, said first syringe having a plunger;
a second syringe in fluid communication with said injection needle for supplying a second fluid, said second syringe having a plunger;
a first linear traverse operatively connected to said plunger of said first syringe for controllably discharging said first fluid from said first syringe;
a second linear traverse operatively connected to said plunger of said second syringe for controllably discharging said second fluid from said second syringe; and
a catheter arranged downstream of said micro-droplet generator;
whereby said first fluid is used to separate droplets of said second fluid from said injection needle at said termination point and carry said droplets through said catheter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15)
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9. A micro-injection pump comprising:
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a syringe for supplying a fluid, said syringe having a plunger;
a catheter arranged downstream of said syringe and in fluid communication therewith;
a linear traverse operatively connected to said plunger for controllably discharging said fluid from said syringe; and
computer control means connected to said linear traverse for controlling the motion of said linear traverse in accordance with a predetermined flow profile to discharge said fluid from said syringe at varying flow rates during a stroke of said plunger.
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12. A method of injecting a chosen fluid into the vasculature of a patient comprising the steps of:
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providing a first syringe and charging said first syringe with a conveying fluid;
providing a second syringe and charging said second syringe with said chosen fluid, said second syringe communicating with an injection needle;
enclosing a discharge tip of said injection needle within a fluid conduit in communication with said first syringe to establish a flow field of said conveying fluid surrounding said discharge tip;
actuating said first and second syringes in a controlled manner to cause discrete boluses of said chosen fluid to be separated from said discharge tip of said injection needle with the aid of said flow field;
providing a catheter in communication with said fluid conduit for carrying said boluses and said conveying fluid into said vasculature.
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Specification