Disposable infusion device negative pressure filling apparatus and method

• US 20090163866A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calibra Medical, Inc. (CeQur SA)
• Original Assignee: Seattle Medical Technologies, Inc. (CeQur SA)
• Inventors: Williamson, Cory, Hines, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 7,976,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/045 for filling, e.g. for filling reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14212 Pumping with an aspiration and an expulsion action
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14248 of the skin patch type

Abstract

An infusion system comprises a disposable wearable infusion device having a body arranged to be adhered to a patient'"'"'s skin and a reservoir for holding a liquid medicament to be infused into the patient and a filler assembly arranged to be detachably received by the infusion device. The filler assembly is configured to receive a source of liquid medicament and provides a negative pressure to pull liquid medicament from the source of medicament to the infusion device reservoir.

Claims

1. An infusion system comprising:

a disposable wearable infusion device having a body arranged to be adhered to a patient'"'"'s skin and a reservoir for holding a liquid medicament to be infused into the patient; and

a filler assembly arranged to be detachably received by the infusion device, the filler configured to receive a source of liquid medicament and providing a negative pressure to pull liquid medicament from the source of medicament to the infusion device reservoir.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the source of liquid medicament is a vial of the liquid medicament.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the filler assembly is arranged to pull a set volume of the liquid medicament from the source of liquid medicament to the infusion device reservoir.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein in the filler includes a vacuum pump that pulls the liquid medicament from the source of liquid medicament to the infusion device reservoir.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the infusion device reservoir is expandable and wherein the filler includes an expander that provides the negative pressure and expands the volume of the infusion device reservoir to pull the liquid medicament from the source of liquid medicament to the infusion device reservoir.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the expander is within the infusion device reservoir.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the expander is external to the reservoir.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the expander includes a vacuum pump.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the infusion device reservoir includes a flexible diaphragm and wherein the expander acts upon the flexible diaphragm to expand the infusion device reservoir.

10. A method comprising:

providing a disposable infusion device adapted to adhere to a patient'"'"'s skin and having a reservoir for holding a liquid medicament to be infused into the patient;

coupling a medicament filler, including a source of liquid medicament, to the infusion device reservoir; and

filling the infusion device reservoir with the liquid medicament by pulling the medicament from the source of liquid medicament into the infusion device reservoir.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the coupling step comprises detachably joining the medicament filler to the infusion device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the coupling step further comprises providing the medicament filler with a vial of the liquid medicament.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the infusion device reservoir is expandable and wherein the pulling step includes expanding the infusion device reservoir.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the expanding step is performed from within the infusion device reservoir.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the expanding step is performed from outside the infusion device reservoir.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the expanding step includes pulling a vacuum against the infusion device reservoir.

17. A filler system for filling a reservoir of a disposable wearable infusion device with a liquid medicament, comprising:

an outlet arranged to be detachably received by the infusion device;

a source of liquid medicament; and

a siphon arranged to provide a negative pressure to pull liquid medicament from the source of medicament to transfer a volume of the liquid medicament to the infusion device reservoir.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the source of liquid medicament is a vial of the liquid medicament.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein in the siphon includes a vacuum pump that pulls the liquid medicament from the source of liquid medicament to the infusion device reservoir.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the infusion device reservoir is expandable and wherein the siphon includes an expander that expands the volume of the infusion device reservoir to pull the liquid medicament from the source of liquid medicament to the infusion device reservoir.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the expander is within the infusion device reservoir.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the expander is external to the reservoir.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the expander includes a vacuum pump.