Injection syringe

• US 8,105,293 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pharma Consult Ges.m.b.H. & Co Nfg KG
• Original Assignee: Pharma Consult Ges.m.b.H. & Co Nfg KG
• Inventors: Pickhard, Ewald
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi, Nicholas D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stohr, Leah
• Application Number:
  US12/226,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20090312703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 604/110, 604/187, 604/192, 604/218, 604/240, 604/241, 604/243, 604/263, 604/195, 604/199
• US Class Current: 604/199
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3103 Leak prevention means for distal end of syringes, i.e. syringe end for mounting a needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/322 Retractable needles, i.e. disconnected from and withdrawn into the syringe barrel by the piston devices for protecting guide needles in combination with catheters A61M25/0612
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3293 characterised by features of the needle hub
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/508 Means for preventing re-use by disrupting the piston seal, e.g. by puncturing

Abstract

The syringe is intended for one-off use and has a syringe barrel (1), a barrel stopper (12) which can be displaced in the syringe barrel (1) by means of a plunger rod (11) and a needle unit (25) accommodated in the syringe barrel (1). The plunger rod (11) and the needle unit (25) are connected to one another by coupling means (20, 40) in order to retract the needle unit (25) into the syringe barrel (1) after the injection. As proposed by the invention, the needle unit (25) comprises a needle holder (26) made from plastic surrounding an injection needle (27) made from stainless steel along part of its length, which is closed off from an interior of the syringe barrel (1) containing an injection solution (50) by means of a seal insert (36) made from pharmaceutical rubber through the injection needle (27) extends from the rear end. As a result of this feature, an injection solution (50) contained in the syringe is in contact exclusively with permitted materials and the syringe can therefore be stored pre-filled.

Claims

1. Syringe for one-off use, with a syringe barrel having an interior for containing an injection solution, a barrel stopper which can be displaced in the syringe barrel by a plunger rod, a needle unit accommodated in the syringe barrel and coupling means for connecting the plunger rod to the needle unit in order to retract the needle unit into the syringe barrel after injection, characterised in that the needle unit has a needle holder made from plastic surrounding an injection needle made from stainless steel across a part of its length, wherein the needle holder has an end facing the interior of the syringe barrel and wherein a seal insert seals the end of the needle holder from the interior of the syringe barrel, the seal insert being made from pharmaceutical rubber and through which the injection needle extends from a rear end of the needle holder,

wherein the needle holder at an injection end has a head of a wider diameter than a portion of the needle holder adjoining the injection end and on which a needle guard cap can be fitted.

2. Syringe according to claim 1, wherein the needle holder is provided with longitudinal ribs in a region of its external face by means of which it is accommodated in a narrower end region of the syringe barrel.

3. Syringe according to claim 1, wherein the needle holder has a cut-out in its end face, the end face being remote from an injection end of the needle holder, through which an end of the injection needle remote from an injection end extends.

4. Syringe according to claim 3, wherein at least one essentially axially extending slot is provided in a wall of the needle holder surrounding the cut-out.

5. Syringe according to claim 3, wherein the seal insert projects into the cut-out of the needle holder by means of an extension and surrounds the end face of the needle holder in a region of the cut-out by means of a collar.

6. Syringe according to claim 5, wherein the seal insert has a sealing bead on its collar, which locates in an annular groove disposed in the needle holder and lies in a sealing arrangement against an internal wall of the syringe barrel, thereby sealing the needle unit off from bacteria.

7. Syringe according to claim 3, wherein the seal insert has an annular bead in an end region of an extension remote from the injection end, which locates in an annular groove provided in an internal wall of the cut-out.

8. Syringe according to claim 1, wherein a cavity is provided in the seal insert, from which an orifice extends as far as the interior of the syringe barrel forming an annular collar, and a rear end of the injection needle extends through this cavity.

9. Syringe according to claim 1, wherein the plunger rod comprises two parts which are releasably connected to one another by other coupling means and the other coupling means are designed to be released exclusively in an operating position in which the plunger rod has been retracted as far as a stop.

10. Syringe according to claim 9, wherein the other coupling means contain a coupling sleeve connected to the plunger stopper on which coupling claws are formed remote from an injection end, which locate behind a coupling head, and the coupling head can only be released by the radially flexible retaining claws when the claws are disposed with at least a part of their length outside the syringe barrel or in an end region of the syringe barrel with a larger diameter than the claws.

11. Syringe according to claim 1, wherein a terminal sleeve is disposed on an end of the plunger rod remote from an injection end, a rearwardly oriented orifice of which has a diameter matching a front end of the syringe barrel.

12. Syringe for one-off use, with a syringe barrel having an interior for containing an injection solution, a barrel stopper which can be displaced in the syringe barrel by a plunger rod, a needle unit accommodated in the syringe barrel and coupling means for connecting the plunger rod to the needle unit in order to retract the needle unit into the syringe barrel after injection, characterised in that the needle unit has a needle holder made from plastic surrounding an injection needle made from stainless steel across a part of its length, wherein the needle holder has an end facing the interior of the syringe barrel and wherein a seal insert seals the end of the needle holder from the interior of the syringe barrel, the seal insert being made from pharmaceutical rubber and through which the injection needle extends from a rear end of the needle holder,

wherein a shoulder is formed on an external circumference of the seal insert, by means of which the seal insert sits axially against a shoulder of the syringe barrel disposed at an injection-end region of the syringe barrel.

13. Syringe for one-off use, with a syringe barrel having an interior for containing an injection solution, a barrel stopper which can be displaced in the syringe barrel by a plunger rod, a needle unit accommodated in the syringe barrel and coupling means for connecting the plunger rod to the needle unit in order to retract the needle unit into the syringe barrel after injection, characterised in that the needle unit has a needle holder made from plastic surrounding an injection needle made from stainless steel across a part of its length, wherein the needle holder has an end facing the interior of the syringe barrel and wherein a seal insert seals the end of the needle holder from the interior of the syringe barrel, the seal insert being made from pharmaceutical rubber and through which the injection needle extends from a rear end of the needle holder,

wherein an inner annular bead is disposed close to an end of the syringe barrel remote from an injection end, a front face of which directed towards the injection end is oriented at least approximately at a right angle with respect to a wall of the syringe barrel and a rear face of which remote from the injection end subtends an obtuse angle with the wall of the syringe barrel.

14. Syringe according to claim 13, wherein stop cams are provided on the plunger rod, which have a face remote from the injection end oriented essentially at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the plunger rod, which sit against the front face of the inner annular bead directed towards the injection end when the plunger rod is retracted such that the plunger rod cannot be pulled completely out of the syringe barrel.

15. Syringe according to claim 14, wherein catch cams are provided on the plunger rod at a distance from the stop cams at the end remote from the injection end, the faces of which are designed so that the catch cams can be moved past the inner annular bead of the syringe barrel by overcoming a resistance in both directions.

16. Syringe according to claim 15, wherein the plunger rod has cut-outs in a region of the catch cams, thereby enabling the catch cams to flex radially.

17. Syringe according to claim 14, wherein a breaking point is provided on the plunger rod in a region between the stop cams and the catch cams.

18. Syringe for one-off use, with a syringe barrel having an interior for containing an injection solution, a barrel stopper which can be displaced in the syringe barrel by a plunger rod, a needle unit accommodated in the syringe barrel and coupling means for connecting the plunger rod to the needle unit in order to retract the needle unit into the syringe barrel after injection, characterised in that the needle unit has a needle holder made from plastic surrounding an injection needle made from stainless steel across a part of its length, wherein the needle holder has an end facing the interior of the syringe barrel and wherein a seal insert seals the end of the needle holder from the interior of the syringe barrel, the seal insert being made from pharmaceutical rubber and through which the injection needle extends from a rear end of the needle holder,

wherein the needle holder is provided with longitudinal ribs in a region of its external face by means of which it is accommodated in a narrower end region of the syringe barrel.