Multi-chamber vial

• US 5,114,411 A
• Filed: 11/19/1990
• Issued: 05/19/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Habley Medical Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Habley Medical Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Foster, Clark B., Smedley, William H., Haber, Terry M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): Finkel, Sharon
• Application Number:
  US07/615,610
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 604/191, 604/201, 604/203, 604/204, 604/239, 604/411-416, 604/82, 604/87, 604/86, 604/88, 604/89, 604/90, 604/91
• US Class Current: 604/203
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/10 Bag-type containers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/1475 Inlet or outlet ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/201 having one piercing end
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2013 having two piercing ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2044 having slits
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2051 having tap means, e.g. tap means activated by sliding
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2089 Containers or vials which are to be joined to each other in order to mix their contents combinations of vial and syringe for mixing their contents A61J1/2096
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2093 Containers having several compartments for products to be mixed
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/2429 by telescoping of ampoules or carpules with the syringe body

Abstract

A vial (2) has first and second chambers (56, 54) initially separated by a rupturable barrier (20). The first chamber is a variable volume chamber defined by a cylinder (18), the rupturable barrier at the second end (19) of the cylinder and a piston (14). The second chamber is created by a telescoping container (22) mounted to a second end of the cylinder. The chambers are telescopically collapsed causing fluid pressure in the second chamber to rupture the barrier so the components mix in the first chamber. The piston is driven through the cylinder from pre-mix to post-mix positions by the liquid from the second chamber. This dislodges a safety shield at the first end of the cylinder to expose the piston. The mixed contents of the first, variable volume chamber are removed by inserting a needle cannula through the now exposed piston; aspiration of the mixed contents take place without the introduction of air into the first chamber since the piston moves back down the cylinder as the contents are removed. A spike adapter can be used to transfer the contents of the vial to a conventional IV bag.

Claims

1. A component mixing vial, for use with first and second components, the second component being a liquid component, comprising:

a mixing container having first and second ends, openings at the first and second ends and a hollow elongate portion communicating with the first end and extending towards the second end;

a piston positioned within the elongate portion of the mixing container forming an airtight barrier across the elongate portion and movable from a pre-mix position, away from the first end, to a post-mix position, towards the first end;

a seal covering the second open end of the mixing container, the seal including a diaphragm with a pressure sensitive weakened region, the first component being within a variable volume mixing region between the seal and the piston;

a supplemental container, coupled to the second end of the mixing container, the supplemental container containing the second component;

means for forcing the second component past the seal into the variable volume mixing region causing the first and second components to mix in the variable volume mixing region and forcing the piston towards the first end to the post-mix position;

means for preventing needle access to the piston while the piston is in the pr-mix position and for permitting needle access to the piston when the piston is in the post-mix position, the piston being pierceable by a hollow needle at the post-mix position to permit the mixed contents within the variable volume region to be withdrawn through the hollow needle; and

a hollow spike adaptor including a spike end, adapted to engage with a spike post of an IV bag, and a hollow needle end, adapted to pierce the piston when at the post-mix position so to permit the contents of the variable volume mixing region to be transferred to the IV bag through the spike adaptor.

2. The vial of claim 1 further comprising removable means for covering the spike end prior to use, the removable means frangibly coupled to the first shoulder.

3. The vial of claim 1 wherein the hollow needle end is generally arrowhead-shaped, the piston is an elastomeric piston and the hollow needle end is imbedded within the piston.

4. The vial of claim 3 wherein the piston includes first and second complementarily shaped open regions for housing the arrowhead-shaped hollow needle end, the hollow needle end movable between the first and second complementarily shaped open regions.

5. A spiked vial assembly, for injecting a liquid through the spike port of an IV bag, comprising:

a cylinder having an open end, a circumferential sidewall and a bead extending outwardly from the circumferential sidewall near the open end;

a piston mounted within the cylinder to define a variable volume region within the cylinder for containing the liquid;

a hollow spike adaptor having a spike tip and a needle tip coupled by a cannula, a first shoulder positioned near the spike tip and extending outwardly from an outside surface of the cannula, a second shoulder positioned near the needle tip and extending outwardly from the outside surface of the cannula;

means for driving the needle tip from an inactive position, through the piston and into the variable volume region to an active position to permit the liquid to be driven from the cylinder through the spike adaptor and into the IV bag by driving the piston through the cylinder; and

means for guiding the spike adaptor as the spike adaptor moves from the inactive position to the active position and then as the piston is driven through the cylinder, the guiding means including a first portion coupled to the first shoulder, the first portion including a detent region configured to releasably engage the bead and slidably engage the circumferential sidewall of the cylinder.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the needle tip is generally arrowhead-shaped, the piston is an elastomeric piston and the needle-tip imbedded within the piston.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the piston includes first and second complementarily shaped open regions for housing the arrowhead-shaped needle tip, the needle tip movable between the first and second complementarily shaped open regions.

8. The assembly of claim 5 further comprising removable means for covering the spike prior to use, the removable means frangibly coupled to the first shoulder.