AUTOMATIC RECONSTITUTION FOR DUAL CHAMBER SYRINGE

• US 20130060232A1
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UNL Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Unitract Syringe Pty Limited (Unilife Corp.)
• Inventors: Weaver, Philip A., Dungar, Peter J., Adlon, Katlin M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,821,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/506
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2073 preventing premature release, e.g. by making use of a safety lock
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3132 having flow passages for injection agents at the distal end of the barrel to bypass a sealing stopper after its displacement to this end due to internal pressure increase
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31598 having multiple telescopically sliding coaxial pistons encompassing volumes for components to be mixed
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3231 Proximal end of needle captured or embedded inside piston head, e.g. by friction or hooks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3241 Needle retraction energy is accumulated inside of a hollow plunger rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/5073 by breaking or rupturing the connection parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/2033 Spring-loaded one-shot injectors with or without automatic needle insertion multishot dosing syringes A61M5/31525, needle insertion only A61M5/3287
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/2066 comprising means for injection of two or more media, e.g. by mixing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/284 comprising means for injection of two or more media, e.g. by mixing
• 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: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An automatic mixing device, an actuating device removably mounted to the automatic mixing device and a retractable syringe having the automatic mixing device are provided. The actuating device has an initially compressed spring and a trigger member that initiates spring decompression to drive depression of a mixing plunger of the automatic mixing device. A seal located in the outer chamber is capable of axial movement upon depression of the mixing plunger, from a first position in sealing engagement with one or more apertures in an inner barrel to a second position intermediate the apertures and vents in an outer barrel. This allows depression of the mixing plunger to force a first substance from the outer chamber through the apertures to mix with a second substance in an inner chamber of the inner barrel. The mixed substance in the inner barrel is then delivered by the syringe with subsequent needle retraction.

Claims

1. An actuating device removably mountable to a mixing device for a syringe, said mixing device comprising a mixing plunger, the actuating device comprising a housing releasably connectable to the mixing device, a trigger member, a biasing member and a sleeve engageable with the mixing plunger of the mixing device, wherein said trigger member is operable to initiate said biasing member facilitating depression of said mixing plunger to thereby mix a plurality of substances in said mixing device.

2. The actuating device of claim 1, wherein the sleeve co-operates with the housing to maintain the biasing member in an initially energized state.

3. The actuating device of claim 2, wherein the sleeve comprises one or more arms which releasably engage the housing to maintain the biasing member in an initially energized state.

4. The actuating device of claim 3, wherein the trigger member is operable to release the arms from engagement with the housing to thereby facilitate release of energy from the biasing member which forces the sleeve to move axially and bear against and depress the mixing plunger.

5. The actuating device of claim 4, wherein the biasing member is a spring which is maintained in an initially compressed state, whereby decompression of the spring forces the sleeve to bear against and depress the mixing plunger.

6. The actuating device of claim 4, wherein the housing comprises grooves that are engaged by elements of the sleeve that guide axial movement of the sleeve.

7. The actuating device of claim 1 which is mounted to the mixing device in an initially locked state.

8. The actuating device of claim 7, wherein one or more housing lock members releasably engage one or more complementary locking channels of the trigger member.

9. The actuating device of claim 8, wherein disengagement of the housing lock members from the complementary locking channels of the trigger member releases the actuating device from the initial locked state.

10. An automatic mixing device for a syringe, said automatic mixing device comprising an actuating device removably mounted to a mixing device comprising a mixing plunger, the actuating device comprising a housing releasably connected to the mixing device, a trigger member, a biasing member and a sleeve engaged with the mixing plunger of the mixing device, wherein said trigger member is operable to initiate said biasing member facilitating depression of said mixing plunger to thereby mix a plurality of substances in said mixing device.

11. The automatic mixing device of claim 10, wherein the mixing device comprises:

an outer barrel and an inner barrel in a substantially coaxial relationship and the mixing plunger is axially moveable within an outer chamber located between the outer barrel and the inner barrel.

12. The automatic mixing device of claim 11, wherein at least a first mixing substance is locatable in the outer chamber between the outer barrel and the inner barrel and at least a second mixing substance is locatable in an inner chamber in said inner barrel.

13. The automatic mixing device of claim 11, comprising one or more fluid paths in a wall of said inner barrel.

14. The automatic mixing device of claim 13, which comprises one or more vents in the outer barrel.

15. The automatic mixing device of claim 14, wherein the one or more vents are operable to facilitate exit of air from the outer chamber to atmosphere when the mixing plunger is slidably moved in the outer chamber.

16. The automatic mixing device of claim 14, further comprising a distal seal initially in sealing engagement with said one or more fluid paths in the inner barrel.

17. The automatic mixing device of claim 16, wherein axial movement of the mixing plunger indirectly facilitates axial movement of the distal seal to a position intermediate or at least partly between said one or more fluid paths and said one or more vents.

18. The automatic mixing device of claim 10, which further comprises a proximal seal engaged, coupled, connected or affixed to the mixing plunger and slidably moveable in an outer chamber of the mixing device.

19. The automatic mixing device of claim 18, wherein axial movement of the mixing plunger facilitates entry of the at least first mixing substance into the inner chamber in the inner barrel.

20. The automatic mixing device of claim 16, which further comprises a removable safety cap having a plurality of protrusions which are insertable through respective said vents so as to be adjacent to, or in contact with, the distal seal.

21. The automatic mixing device of claim 10, further comprising a mixing plunger lock which prevents removal of the mixing plunger from the mixing device.

22. A syringe comprising a delivery plunger, a needle and an automatic mixing device according to claim 10.

23. The syringe of claim 22 which is a retractable syringe that comprises a retractable needle.

24. The syringe of claim 23, wherein the delivery plunger is capable of engaging the needle to facilitate retracting the needle.

25. The syringe of claim 24, wherein retraction is facilitated by a biasing member.

26. The syringe of claim 19, wherein the delivery plunger comprises the biasing member, wherein the biasing member is a spring, a plunger member, a plunger outer and one or more locking members, the plunger member and plunger outer co-operating to releasably maintain said biasing member in an initially energized state, the syringe further comprising a needle assembly comprising the retractable needle, wherein the retractable needle comprises a cannula and a needle body engageable by the plunger member.

27. A method of assembling a syringe comprising an automatic mixing device including the step of removably mounting an actuating device to a mixing device of the syringe so that the actuating device is operable to depress a mixing plunger of the mixing device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the method includes the step of releasably connecting or coupling a housing of the actuating device to an outer barrel of the mixing device.

29. A method of operating a syringe comprising an automatic mixing device, said method including the steps of:

(i) operating an actuating device of the automatic mixing device to facilitate mixing a plurality of substances; and

(ii) operating a delivery plunger to deliver the substances mixed at step (i) to a recipient.

30. The method of claim 29 which includes the step of removing the actuating device from the syringe between steps (i) and (ii).

31. The method of claim 30 which further includes the step of (iii) activating a needle retraction mechanism to retract the needle into the syringe.