Apparatus for automatic insertion of a solid medicine

• US 20030225367A1
• Filed: 03/18/2003
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Original Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Inventors: Sabra, Mads Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,470,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/63
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0069 Devices for implanting pellets, e.g. markers or solid medicaments for introducing of radioactive sources for interstitial radiation therapy, i.e. brachytherapy A61N5/1027

Abstract

An apparatus for insertion of a medicine peg (3) into the skin (4) has a barrel (2) wherein the medicine peg (2) is stored and in which a plunger (8) behind said peg (2) can be moved to press the peg out through an end of the barrel (2) pressed against the skin (4) where it is intended to insert the peg (3), The plunger (8) is a part of a flexible rod construction (6, 7, 8) which can be passed from a first non rectilinear constellation, by which the plunger (8) is withdrawn in the barrel (2) to a position leaving space for the medicine peg (3) in front of the plunger (8), to a rectilinear constellation by which the plunger (8) projects from the end of the barrel (2) and further to a new non rectilinear position in which the end of the plunger (8) is withdrawn in the barrel (2).

Claims

1. An apparatus for automatic insertion of a medicine peg into the skin, which apparatus has a barrel wherein a medicine peg is stored and in which a plunger behind said peg can be moved to press the peg out through an end of the barrel, which end is pressed against the skin on the location where it is intended to insert the peg, wherein the plunger is a part of a flexible rod construction which is so designed that it can be passed from a first non rectilinear constellation, by which the plunger is withdrawn in the barrel to a position leaving space for the medicine peg, to a rectilinear constellation by which the plunger projects from the end of the barrel.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a spring is provided and cocked between the housing and the flexible rod construction when this rod construction occupies its first non rectilinear constellation, so that the spring presses the flexible rod construction towards its rectilinear constellation.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the spring is so dimensioned that I can pres the flexile rod construction past its rectilinear constellation to a second non rectilinear constellation.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible rod construction is formed by three rectilinear rods which are through links coupled in series so that one rod forms the plunger whereas a knee link mechanism is formed by a first rod linked between the plunger and a second rod, which is linked between said first rod and a pin in the housing which pin lies on the extension of the plunger rod axis.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein a spring is provided which is cocked so that it act on the second rod which is linked to the housing to rotate this second rod from a position in which the first and second rod and the plunger forms a non rectilinear constellation, through a position in which such an rectilinear constellation is formed, and further to a second non rectilinear constellation.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a flywheel rotating about said pin in the housing is provided coupled to the second rod to support the rotation of this rod about the pin.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second rod is integrated in the flywheel to which the first rod is linked in a point in a distance from said pin.