Injection Apparatus Having a Needle Cassette for Delivering a Pharmaceutical Liquid

• US 20070233001A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eli Lilly and Company
• Original Assignee: IDEO (Izumi Company Limited)
• Inventors: Burroughs, Andrew, Karahalios, Anastasios, Ritsher, Kenneth, Schaff, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,057,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/201 having one piercing end
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2058 having multiple connecting ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2096 Combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/004 Magazines with multiple needles directly inserted into an injection or infusion device, e.g. revolver-like magazines
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1581 Right-angle needle-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/206 With automatic needle insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3128 Incorporating one-way valves, e.g. pressure-relief or non-return valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/12 with interchangeable cassettes forming partially or totally the fluid circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/14 Detection of the presence or absence of a tube, a connector or a container in an apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/008 Racks for supporting syringes or needles A61M5/001 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/20 Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically A61M5/142 , A61M5/46 take precedence; hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3234 Fully automatic needle retraction, i.e. in which triggering of the needle does not require a deliberate action by the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/484 Regulating injection pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/488 Limiting injection pressure

Abstract

An apparatus for delivering a pharmaceutical liquid to a patient includes an outer casing; a needle cassette housed in the casing and containing a plurality of mutually parallel drug injection needles; a drug cartridge housed in the casing, containing a liquid and including a sealable aperture for accessing the liquid; a direct drive assembly housed in the casing and engageable with the drug cartridge to expel the liquid through the aperture; a lifter assembly housed in the casing and engageable with the needle cassette to drive one of the plurality of needles partially out of the casing and into a patient while simultaneously accessing the liquid in the drug cartridge through the sealable aperture and thereafter to withdraw the needle from the patient after a measured dose of the liquid has been adminstered; motor means in the casing for driving the direct drive assembly and the lifter mechanism; computer means for activating the direct drive assembly and the lifter mechanism; and, a control panel for enabling a user to activate the apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for delivering a pharmaceutical liquid to a patient, comprising:

an outer casing;

a needle cassette housed in said casing and containing a plurality of mutually parallel drug injection needles;

a drug cartridge housed in said casing, containing the liquid and including a sealable aperture for accessing the liquid;

a direct drive assembly housed in said casing and engageable with said drug cartridge to expel a measured dose of the liquid through the aperture;

a lifter assembly engageable with said needle cassette to drive one of said plurality of needles partially out of said casing and into a patient while also accessing the liquid in said drug cartridge through the sealable aperture, and thereafter to withdraw the needle from the patient while halting accessing of the liquid through the sealable aperture after the measured dose of the liquid has been administered through the needle;

motor means for driving said direct drive assembly and said lifter assembly;

computer means for activating said direct drive assembly and said lifter assembly; and

a control panel for enabling a user to activate said apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said needle cassette comprises a carousel housed for rotation in said outer casing about an axis of rotation, and wherein said axis of rotation of said needle cassette carousel is parallel to said drug injection needles, said carousel including a plurality of needle openings each sized and configured for receipt of one injection needle.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said needle cassette includes a cassette housing rotatably fixed relative to said outer housing when removably installed therein, said carousel mounted in the cassette housing for rotation therein about said axis of rotation.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the needle openings each have an interior shape, wherein a plurality of needle assemblies comprise said plurality of injection needles, wherein said needle assemblies each have an exterior shape complementary to the interior shape, and wherein said needle assemblies are received in said needle openings for reciprocation therein.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said sealable aperture comprises a needle pierceable septum, wherein each needle assembly includes a septum piercing needle arranged parallel to and pointing in the same direction as its associated injection needle, each said septum piercing needle and its associated injection needle in mutual fluid communication.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the carousel defines a plurality of indexing notches configured for engagement with a geneva wheel of said lifter assembly.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said needle cassette further comprises means for permitting rotation of the carousel in only one direction.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said needle cassette includes means cooperating with said computer means to allow detection of at least certain angular positions of the carousel about said axis of rotation.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said needle cassette housing defines an opening sized and configured to permit vertical reciprocation of an element of said lifter assembly therethrough to drivingly engage an injection needle.

10. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each injection needle is held by a rolling seal adapted to elastically deform during movement of said injection needle by said lifting assembly.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said plurality of rolling seals include a common ring-shaped base integrally formed therewith.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said direct drive assembly includes a motor driven carriage engageable with a plunger of said drug cartridge, said carriage including a camming surface adapted to bias a resilient member of said plunger during an operative attachment of said carriage to said plunger.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lifter assembly includes a slider mounted on a lifter rod, and first and second biasing springs, said first biasing spring adapted to move an unlatched slider along said lifter rod in a first direction, said second biasing spring adapted to move said lifter arm and said slider in a second direction opposite said first direction.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said lifter assembly comprises a rotatable disc adapted to cam said lifter rod in the first direction while compressing said second biasing spring.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lifter assembly comprises a slider including a first rack, an injection needle shifting lifter including a second rack, and first and second pinion portions engaging said first and said second racks, respectively, to translate motion of said slider into a motion of said lifter.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said drug cartridge includes a piston shiftable within a cartridge body in a direction generally perpendicular to the injection needles, and a hollow protrusion opening into said cartridge body and having first and second ports accessing said protrusion hollow and covered by at least one needle-pierceable septum, said first port covered by said at least one septum serving as said sealable aperture, said second port covered by said at least one septum serving as a filling port.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said outer casing includes an openable drawer sized to insertably receive said needle cassette.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said needle cassette is integrated into an openable drawer of the outer casing so as to be disposable as a unit.

19. A needle cassette for use in an apparatus for delivering a pharmaceutical liquid to a patient, comprising:

a housing including a top and a bottom;

a carousel mounted for rotation in said housing about an axis of rotation and defining a plurality of slots arranged in an annular array;

a plurality of needle assemblies each holding a needle cannula with an injection tip and a septum piercing tip arranged in parallel and facing in the same direction, the injection tips of said needle assemblies being parallel to said axis of rotation, each of said needle assemblies being received in a corresponding one of the carousel slots for reciprocation therein in a direction parallel to said axis of rotation;

wherein said housing bottom defines a hole sized to permit a an injection tip to extend therethrough, and said housing top defines an opening sized and configured to permit entry of a lift member therethrough to engage with and reciprocate one of the needle assemblies.

20. The needle cassette of claim 19 wherein said carousel defines X number of slots, has a circumferential edge and defines X number of indexing notches in said circumferential edge.

21. The needle cassette of claim 19 wherein said slots are generally ovate shaped and radially oriented.

22. The needle cassette of claim 19 wherein each of said plurality of needle assemblies is maintained in its respective slot by a different rolling membrane connected to said carousel.

23. The needle cassette of claim 22 wherein said different rolling membranes seals are integrally formed with a ring-like base that is sealingly mounted to said carousel around each of said slots.

24. The needle cassette of claim 19 further including rotation control means for constraining said carousel to rotate within said housing in only one direction.

25. The needle cassette of claim 24 wherein said rotation control means includes ratchet teeth defined on an underside of the housing top.

26. The needle cassette of claim 25 wherein said rotation control means includes said carousel having at least one cantilevered arm sized and configured to engage with said ratchet teeth of said housing top.