ASPIRATOR SYRINGE WITH BLOOD DETECTOR

• US 20180133400A1
• Filed: 11/11/2016
• Published: 05/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
• Original Assignee: University Of Dammam
• Inventors: ALMOUMEN, Saud Abdullah A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,493,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2026 Semi-automatic, e.g. user activated piston is assisted by additional source of energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0241 Anaesthetics; Analgesics
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3576 with non implanted data transmission devices, e.g. using external transmitter or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/586 Ergonomic details therefor, e.g. specific ergonomics for left or right-handed users
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6081 Colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• 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 5/3137 Specially designed finger grip means, e.g. for easy manipulation of the syringe rod

Abstract

An aspirator syringe comprising a blood-detecting spectrometer. The syringe may accommodate a standard drug cartridge and may provide manual or automatic movement of a plunger for aspiration and injection. Indicator lights may signal the presence or absence of blood in an aspirate within a drug cartridge. The syringe may also include a detector to read a color of a band on a standard drug cartridge in order to identify a drug.

Claims

1. :

An aspirator syringe comprising;

a hollow syringe barrel with a needle mount extending outwards from a first end of the barrel;

a plunger extending from a second end of the barrel and slidably moveable within the barrel, the plunger having a piston-engaging tip extending into the barrel; and

a spectrometer attached to a side of the barrel, wherein the spectrometer is configured to detect blood in an aspirate.

2. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 1 further comprising;

a thumb rest attached to an end of the plunger distal to the piston-engaging tip; and

a finger grip attached to an exterior surface of the hollow syringe barrel adjacent to the second end.

3. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 1 wherein the piston-engaging tip is a harpoon.

4. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 1 further comprising a battery electrically connected to the spectrometer.

5. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 1 wherein the needle mount is removably attached to the first end of the hollow syringe barrel.

6. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 1 further comprising a bushing located within the hollow syringe barrel and attached by a spring to the second end, wherein the bushing is traversed by the plunger and configured to secure a drug cartridge within the hollow syringe barrel.

7. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 1 wherein the spectrometer comprises an LED light source.

8. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 7 further comprising a fiber optic cable connected to the LED light source.

9. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 1 wherein the spectrometer is a spectrophotometer and detects an absorbance of a wavelength from 400 to 680 nm.

10. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 1 further comprising a first indicator light on an exterior side of the barrel and electrically connected to the spectrometer to indicate if blood has been detected during aspiration.

11. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 10 further comprising a second indicator light on an exterior side of the barrel and electrically connected to the spectrometer to indicate if blood has not been detected during aspiration.

12. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 1 further comprising a linear actuator and an electric motor to slide the plunger within the hollow syringe barrel.

13. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 12 wherein the linear actuator is at least one selected from the group consisting of a lead screw, a belt drive, a worm drive, a rack and pinion drive, and a chain drive.

14. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 12 further comprising a button or a switch on an exterior side of the barrel electrically connected to the electric motor.

15. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 12 further comprising a computing device to receive a signal from the spectrometer and to send an output signal to power the electric motor to actuate the plunger.

16. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 15, further comprising a second spectrophotometer attached to an interior side of the barrel and electrically connected to the computing device, wherein the second spectrophotometer is configured to detect a color of a cartridge band on an exterior surface of a drug cartridge.

17. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 15, further comprising a pressure sensor disposed in the plunger and electrically connected to the computing device.

18. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 15 further comprising a piston sensor disposed on the piston-engaging tip and electrically connected to the computing device, wherein the piston sensor is configured to detect engagement between the piston-engaging tip and a piston of a drug cartridge.

19. :

The aspirator syringe of claim 15 wherein the computing device further comprises a digital storage medium to record a position of the plunger within the hollow syringe barrel.

20. :

A method of administering an anesthetic injection to a tissue of a patient with the aspirator syringe of claim 1, the method comprising;

inserting an anesthetic syringe needle mounted onto the needle mount of the aspirator syringe into the tissue of the patient, wherein the aspirator syringe is loaded with a drug cartridge comprising an anesthetic drug;

aspirating an aspirate into the drug cartridge;

detecting the presence or absence of blood in the aspirate with the spectrometer; and

injecting the anesthetic drug into the patient when no blood is detected in the aspirate.