Skin piercing devices for medical use

• US 5,578,014 A
• Filed: 12/30/1994
• Issued: 11/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sindolor Medical Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Uri Erez, Yuval Singer
• Inventors: Erez, Uri, Singer, Yuval
• Primary Examiner(s): MENDEZ, MANUEL A
• Application Number:
  US08/325,412
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 604/113, 604/117, 604/187, 604/110, 604/192, 604/198, 604/218, 604/263, 128/919, 606/167, 606/170, 606/172, 606/181, 606/182
• US Class Current: 604/192
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150129 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150175 Adjustment of penetration depth
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150435 Specific design of proximal end
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15109 Fully automatically triggered, i.e. the triggering does not require a deliberate action by the user, e.g. by contact with the patient's skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15113 Manually triggered, i.e. the triggering requires a deliberate action by the user such as pressing a drive button
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15117 comprising biased elements, resilient elements or a spring, e.g. a helical spring, leaf spring, or elastic strap
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15153 Multiple piercing elements stocked in a single compartment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15174 Piercing elements stocked in the form of a stack or pile
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15194 fully automatically retracted, i.e. the retraction does not require a deliberate action by the user, e.g. by terminating the contact with the patient's skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0001 Body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0075 using a Peltier element, e.g. near the spot to be heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/10 Cooling bags, e.g. ice-bags
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3267 Biased sleeves where the needle is uncovered by insertion of the needle into a patient's body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3243 being axially-extensible, e.g. protective sleeves coaxially slidable on the syringe barrel devices for protecting guide needles in combination with catheters A61M25/0612
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/422 Desensitising skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/46 having means for controlling depth of insertion

Abstract

Apparatus for piercing skin including a skin contact surface arranged to contact a portion of skin to be pierced, a skin piercing needle arranged to pierce the skin within the region and a cooling assembly providing cooling of the skin contact surface thereby cooling the portion of skin prior to and during piercing thereof by the skin piercing needle.

Claims

1. Apparatus for piercing skin comprising:

a skin contact surface arranged to be in thermal contact with a region of skin to be pierced;

a skin piercing needle arranged to pierce said skin within said region; and

a cooling assembly providing cooling of said skin contact surface thereby cooling said portion of skin prior to and during piercing thereof by said skin piercing needle.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, and wherein said cooling assembly comprises a thermoelectric cooling assembly.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 and also comprising a needle cover for protecting said needle.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, and also including an automatically operating drive for automatically displacing said needle.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said drive comprises:

a motor; and

a drive train, driven by said motor, for driving a hypodermic syringe, onto which the needle is mounted, along an axis, and for depressing a piston of said hypodermic syringe, thereby to inject a liquid contained in said hypodermic syringe.

6. Apparatus according to claim 2, and wherein said skin piercing needle comprises a skin pricking needle.

7. Apparatus according to claim 2, and wherein said skin piercing needle comprises a hypodermic needle.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 and also comprising a needle cover for protecting said needle.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, and also comprising an drive for automatically displacing said needle.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said drive comprises:

a motor; and

a drive train, driven by said motor, for driving a hypodermic syringe, onto which the needle is mounted, along an axis, and for depressing a piston of said hypodermic syringe, thereby to inject a liquid contained in said hypodermic syringe.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9, and wherein said skin piercing needle comprises a skin pricking needle.

12. Apparatus according to claim 9, and wherein said skin piercing needle comprises a hypodermic needle.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1, and also comprising an drive for automatically displacing said needle.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said drive comprises:

a motor; and

a drive train, driven by said motor, for driving a hypodermic syringe, onto which the needle is mounted, along an axis, and for depressing a piston of said hypodermic syringe, thereby to inject a liquid contained in said hypodermic syringe.

15. Apparatus according to claim 1, and wherein said skin piercing needle comprises a skin pricking needle.

16. Apparatus according to claim 1, and wherein said skin piercing needle comprises a hypodermic needle.

17. Apparatus according to claim 1, and also comprising a flexible needle cover for the needle, which cover is operative for centering said needle along a predetermined axis.

18. Apparatus according to claim 1, and also comprising:

a housing for said needle and for said cooling assembly;

a shaft mounted in a predetermined orientation in said housing; and

means for decouplably attaching a hypodermic syringe to said shaft such that said hypodermic syringe has a predetermined orientation relative to said shaft.

19. Apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said skin contact surface is formed with an aperture and wherein a point of said skin piercing needle travels along an axis through said aperture.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19 and also comprising apparatus for centering the needle along said axis.

21. Apparatus according to claim 19 and also comprising an easily pierced wiping cap member disposed along said axis for wiping the needle prior to piercing of said skin thereby.

22. Apparatus according to claim 1 and also comprising needle protection apparatus for preventing unintended engagement with a pointed end of said needle.