Automatic administration instrument for medical use

• US 8,298,171 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2003
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Tokumi, Baba, Tokumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATNEY, BROOKE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US10/516,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20050209569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,408 Days
• Field of Search: 604/131, 604/137, 604/890.1, 604/151, 604/65, 604/67
• US Class Current: 604/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/2013 triggering of discharging means by contact of injector with patient body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/206 With automatic needle insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/208 Release is possible only when device is pushed against the skin, e.g. using a trigger which is blocked or inactive when the device is not pushed against the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3152 including gearings to multiply or attenuate the piston displacing force
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/5006 Having means for destroying the syringe barrel, e.g. by cutting or piercing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• 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 5/2066 comprising means for injection of two or more media, e.g. by mixing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/2448 comprising means for injection of two or more media, e.g. by mixing
• 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

Abstract

After pressing a part of the exterior of a body of an administration instrument against a body region of a patient to which a drug solution is to be administered, an injection needle that is housed in the instrument body is automatically protruded from the body to insert the needle into the body region, and further, the injection needle being inserted into the body region is automatically housed in the instrument body to remove the needle from the body region. Thereby, the pain of the patient during needle insertion and needle removal is reduced, and administration at a constant speed is possible during injection of the drug solution. Furthermore, even when two kinds of drug solutions or a dissolving and mixing type drug solution are/is used, mixing can be easily and reliably carried out.

Claims

1. An automatic administration instrument for medical use for injecting a drug solution filled in a syringe, said automatic administration instrument comprising:

a body for housing the syringe and an injection needle;

a first motor for sliding the syringe within said body in a direction toward the tip of the injection needle such that the injection needle protrudes from said body;

a second motor for operating the syringe to administer the drug solution; and

a switch provided on said body, said switch activating said first motor and said second motor in sequential order while a part of the exterior of said body is being pressed against a body region of a patient to which the drug solution is to be administered,

wherein said switch activates said first motor such that the injection needle protrudes from said body to perform needle insertion into the body region, and thereafter activates said second motor to administer the drug solution.

2. An automatic administration instrument for medical use for injecting a drug solution filled in a syringe, said automatic administration instrument comprising:

a body for housing the syringe and an injection needle;

a first motor for sliding the syringe within said body in a first direction and in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the first direction being toward the tip of the injection needle such that the injection needle protrudes from said body;

a second motor for operating the syringe to administer the drug solution;

a switch provided on said body, activating said first motor and said second motor in sequential order while a part of an exterior of said body is pressed against a body region of a patient to which the drug solution is to be administered, wherein said switch activates said first motor to drive the syringe in the first direction such that the injection needle protrudes from said body to perform needle insertion into the body region while said part of said exterior of said body is pressed against the body region of the patient, and thereafter activates said second motor to administer the drug solution, and after the drug is administered reactivates said first motor to slide the syringe in the second direction such that the protruding injection needle is retracted into said body while said part of said exterior of said body is pressed against the body region of the patient.

3. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, further comprising a detection means for detecting that administration of the drug solution is completed and/or that said body is removed from the body region, wherein the first motor is operated so that the injection needle is retracted into said body after said detection means detects that administration of the drug solution is completed and/or that said body is removed from the body region.

4. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 3, wherein a speed of inserting the injection needle or a speed of pulling out the injection needle is variable.

5. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 3, wherein a speed at which the drug solution is administered by said second motor is variable.

6. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, wherein a speed of inserting the injection needle or a speed of pulling out the injection needle is variable.

7. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, wherein a speed at which the drug solution is administered by said second motor is variable.

8. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

an inner case that is slidably provided in an outer case of said body, said inner case being configured to attach to the injection needle and the syringe,

wherein said first motor drives the syringe by sliding said inner case in said outer case, and

wherein said first motor is operated by said switch to automatically insert the injection needle into the body region of the patient by sliding said inner case so that the injection needle protrudes from said outer case.

9. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 8, wherein said inner case slides such that the injection needle protruding from said outer case is refracted into said outer case to automatically remove the injection needle.

10. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 8, further comprising a detection switch for detecting whether said body contacts the body region to which the drug solution is to be administered.

11. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 10, wherein insertion of the injection needle is enabled when said detection switch detects that said administration instrument contacts the body region to which the drug solution is to be administered.

12. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 11, wherein administration of the drug solution is stopped when said detection switch detects during administration of the drug solution that said administration instrument does not contact the body region to which the drug solution is to be administered.

13. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 11, wherein the injection needle is retracted into said body when said detection switch detects during insertion of the injection needle that the administration instrument does not contact the body region to which the drug solution is to be administered.

14. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 10, wherein the needle insertion cannot be carried out unless the skin touch switch is pressed against the body region of the patient.

15. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, wherein injection of a drug solution is not carried out when an injection needle is not attached to said body of said administration instrument.

16. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a microprocessor which outputs instructions to said first motor and said second motor.

17. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a microprocessor which outputs instructions to said first motor and said second motor,

wherein said first motor rotates in a first direction to drive the syringe such that the injection needle protrudes from said body and rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction to retract the injection needle into said body, and

wherein a speed of inserting the injection needle or a speed of pulling out the injection needle is variable.

18. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, wherein said second motor moves with respect to said body in the direction toward the tip of the injection needle as said first motor drives the syringe in the direction toward the tip of the injection needle.

19. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, further comprising an inner case disposed in an outer case of said body,

wherein said second motor is connected to said inner case, and

wherein said first motor drives the syringe by sliding said inner case and said second motor in said outer case.

20. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a body cap attached to said body, a face of said body cap having a hole through which the injection need protrudes, and

a detection switch for detecting whether said body contacts the body region to which the drug solution is to be administered,

wherein said detecting switch is provided on said face of said body cap.

21. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 2, further comprising a detection switch for detecting whether said body contacts the body region to which the drug solution is to be administered,

wherein the needle insertion cannot be carried out unless the skin touch switch is pressed against the body region of the patient.

22. An automatic administration instrument for medical use for injecting a drug solution filled in a syringe, said automatic administration instrument comprising:

a body for housing the syringe and an injection needle;

a first motor for driving the syringe within said body in a first direction and in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the first direction being toward the tip of the injection needle such that the injection needle protrudes from said body;

a second motor for operating the syringe to administer the drug solution;

a microprocessor which outputs instructions to said first motor and said second motor, wherein the microprocessor controls the first motor and the second motor such that air releasing is performed for pushing out air in the syringe while the injection needle protrudes from the body; and

a switch provided on said body, said switch activating said first motor and said second motor in sequential order while a part of an exterior of said body is pressed against a body region of a patient to which the drug solution is to be administered, wherein said switch activates said first motor to drive the syringe in the first direction such that the injection needle protrudes from said body to perform needle insertion into the body region while said part of said exterior of said body is pressed against the body region of the patient, and thereafter activates said second motor to administer the drug solution, and after the drug is administered reactivates said first motor to drive the syringe in the second direction such that the protruding injection needle is retracted into said body while said part of said exterior of said body is pressed against the body region of the patient.

23. An automatic administration instrument as defined in claim 22, further comprising a detection switch for detecting whether said body contacts the body region to which the drug solution is to be administered,

wherein the needle insertion cannot be carried out unless the skin touch switch is pressed against the body region of the patient.