SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AN INJECTION USING A SYRINGE NEEDLE

• US 20120089119A1
• Filed: 10/10/2011
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avant Medical Corporation
• Original Assignee: Avant Medical Corporation
• Inventors: Slate, John B., Koerner, Richard J., Magers, Corey M., Burk, Michael W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,616,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/506
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/206 With automatic needle insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/208 Release is possible only when device is pushed against the skin, e.g. using a trigger which is blocked or inactive when the device is not pushed against the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31588 electrically driven
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6045 having complementary physical shapes for indexing or registration purposes
• 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 5/326 Fully automatic sleeve extension, i.e. in which triggering of the sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user

Abstract

An auto-injector for injecting a fluid medicament into a patient from a pre-filled syringe requires a disposable cassette that is selectively engageable with the reusable injector. The syringe is latched onto the cassette, and the cassette is then engaged with the injector. Activation of the injector causes a first motor to move the syringe so its needle is extended from a concealed position inside the cassette for injection of the medicament. A second motor on the injector is then activated to expel fluid medicament from the syringe. Then, the first motor is again activated to withdraw the syringe into the cassette for disposal of the cassette/syringe after an injection.

Claims

1. A system for injecting a fluid medicament into a patient which comprises:

a cassette having a latch mechanism;

a hypodermic syringe engageable with the latch mechanism for holding the syringe on the cassette;

an injector having a means for selectively holding the cassette on the injector;

a first motor mounted on the injector, the first motor being engageable with the cassette for selectively latching and unlatching the syringe from the cassette, and engageable with the syringe for moving the unlatched syringe on the cassette between a first position and a second position;

a second motor mounted on the injector, the second motor being engageable with the syringe for expelling the fluid medicament from the syringe; and

a computer mounted on the injector for coordinated control of the first and second motors.

2. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein the hypodermic syringe comprises:

a syringe chamber for holding the fluid medicament therein;

an injection needle extending from the syringe chamber; and

a plunger slidably mounted for advancement into the syringe chamber to expel fluid medicament therefrom through the injection needle.

3. A system as recited in claim 2 wherein the first position is characterized by the injection needle being withdrawn and concealed within the cassette, and the second position is characterized by having the injection needle extend from the cassette and from the injector for expelling the fluid medicament from the syringe.

4. A system as recited in claim 3 wherein the latched syringe is fixedly held in the first position on the cassette.

5. A system as recited in claim 4 wherein a duty cycle requires, in sequence:

computer control of the first motor for movement of the unlatched syringe at a predetermined speed from the first position to the second position;

computer control of the second motor for advancement of the plunger into the syringe chamber at a predetermined rate for expelling fluid medicament from the syringe; and

computer control of the first motor for withdrawal of the syringe from the second position to the first position and for activation of the latch to fixedly hold the syringe in the first position on the cassette.

6. A system as recited in claim 5 wherein the predetermined speed for advancement of the syringe from the first position to the second position is approximately 0.1 to 1 m/s.

7. A system as recited in claim 3 wherein the cassette is formed with an orifice to allow for extension of the injection needle from the cassette, and the system further comprises a skin sensor mounted on the injector adjacent the orifice to generate a contact signal whenever the orifice is positioned against the skin of the patient.

8. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein the cassette further comprises:

a cassette body engageable with the holding means on the injector; and

a sleeve slidingly mounted on the cassette body for movement between the first position and the second position,

wherein the syringe is fixedly held on the sleeve for movement therewith, and

wherein the latch mechanism includes a first part formed on the cassette body and a second part formed on the sleeve.

9. A system for injecting a fluid medicament into a patient which comprises:

a hypodermic syringe having a syringe chamber for holding the fluid medicament therein, an injection needle extending from the syringe chamber, and a plunger slidably mounted for advancement into the syringe chamber to expel fluid medicament therefrom through the injection needle;

a support means for holding the syringe, with the syringe being selectively moveable on the support means between a first position wherein the injection needle is withdrawn and concealed within the support means and a second position wherein the injection needle extends from the support means for expelling the fluid medicament from the syringe; and

a drive means engaged with the support means, the drive means being bifurcated to have a first motor for moving the hypodermic syringe on the support means and a second motor for advancing the plunger into the syringe chamber to expel the fluid medicament when the syringe is in the second position.

10. A system as recited in claim 9 wherein the support means comprises:

a cassette; and

a latch mechanism formed on the cassette for holding the syringe in the first position.

11. A system as recited in claim 10 wherein the cassette comprises:

a cassette body engageable with the holding means on the injector; and

a sleeve slidingly mounted on the cassette body for movement between the first position and the second position, wherein the syringe is fixedly held on the sleeve for movement therewith, and wherein the latch mechanism includes a first part formed on the cassette body and a second part formed on the sleeve.

12. A system as recited in claim 10 wherein the first motor is engageable with the cassette for selectively latching and unlatching the syringe from the cassette.

13. A system as recited in claim 10 further comprising a computer mounted on the drive means for coordinated control of the first motor and the second motor.

14. A system as recited in claim 13 wherein a duty cycle requires, in sequence:

computer control of the first motor for movement of the unlatched syringe at a predetermined speed from the first position to the second position;

computer control of the second motor for advancement of the plunger into the syringe chamber with a predetermined force at a predetermined rate for expelling fluid medicament from the syringe; and

computer control of the first motor for withdrawal of the syringe from the first position to the second position and for activation of the latch to fixedly hold the syringe in the first position on the cassette.

15. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the predetermined speed for advancement of the syringe from the first position to the second position is approximately 0.1 to 1 m/s.

16. A method for injecting a fluid medicament from a syringe into a patient comprises the steps of:

engaging a hypodermic syringe with a cassette, wherein the cassette has a latch mechanism for holding the syringe on the cassette and the syringe includes a syringe chamber for holding the fluid medicament therein, an injection needle extending from the syringe chamber, and a plunger slidably mounted for advancement into the syringe chamber to expel fluid medicament therefrom through the injection needle;

holding the cassette on an injector, wherein the injector has a first motor engageable with the cassette for selectively latching and unlatching the syringe from the cassette, and engageable with the syringe for moving the unlatched syringe on the cassette between a first position wherein the injection needle is withdrawn and concealed with the cassette and a second position wherein the injection needle extends from the cassette, and a second motor engageable with the syringe for expelling the fluid medicament from the syringe when the syringe is in the second position, and a computer mounted for coordinating control of the first and second motors; and

activating the injector to perform a duty cycle for an injection of medicament from the syringe.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein a duty cycle comprises, in sequence, the steps of:

control of the first motor for movement of the unlatched syringe at a predetermined speed from the first position to the second position;

control of the second motor for advancement of the plunger into the syringe chamber with a predetermined force at a predetermined rate for expelling fluid medicament from the syringe; and

control of the first motor for withdrawal of the syringe from the first position to the second position and for activation of the latch to fixedly hold the syringe in the first position on the cassette.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 wherein the predetermined speed for advancement of the syringe from the first position to the second position is approximately 0.1 to 1 m/s.

19. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of monitoring the activating step wherein the cassette is formed with an orifice to allow for extension of the injection needle from the cassette, and a skin sensor mounted on the injector adjacent the orifice to generate a contact signal for determining when the orifice is positioned against the skin of the patient.

20. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein the cassette comprises a cassette body engageable with the holding means on the injector, and a sleeve slidingly mounted on the cassette body for movement between the first position and the second position, wherein the syringe is fixedly held on the sleeve for movement therewith, and wherein the latch mechanism includes a first part formed on the cassette body and a second part formed on the sleeve.

21. A disposable cassette for use with a reusable injector, the cassette comprising:

a hypodermic syringe disposed within the cassette, the syringe comprising an injection needle and a fluid medicament; and

a latch mechanism for latching the syringe within the disposable cassette;

wherein the injector unlatches the latch mechanism during the operation of the injector and moves the syringe within the cassette between a first position and a second position.

22. A disposable cassette as recited in claim 21 wherein the injection needle is concealed within the disposable cassette in the first position and extends from the disposable cassette in the second position.

23. A disposable cassette as recited in claim 21 wherein the disposable cassette further comprises:

a cassette body; and

a sleeve slidably disposed in the cassette body for movement between the first position and the second position.

24. A disposable cassette as recited in claim 23 wherein the syringe is fixedly held in the sleeve for movement therewith, and wherein the latch mechanism comprises a first part formed on the cassette body and a second part formed on the sleeve.

25. A disposable cassette as recited in claim 23 wherein the latch mechanism comprises a protrusion formed on the cassette body and a detent formed on the sleeve.

26. A disposable cassette as recited in claim 21 wherein the disposable cassette further comprises an orifice for allowing the injection needle to extend from the disposable cassette in one of the first and second positions.

27. A disposable cassette as recited in claim 21 wherein the hypodermic syringe further comprises:

a chamber for holding the fluid medicament, the injection needle extending from the syringe chamber; and

a plunger slidably disposed within the syringe chamber for expelling the fluid medicament therefrom through the injection needle.

28. A disposable cassette as recited in claim 21 wherein the hypodermic syringe is nonremovably disposed within the cassette.