Drug infusion with pressure sensing and non-continuous flow for identification of and injection into fluid-filled anatomic spaces
First Claim
1. An apparatus for administering fluid into a fluid-filled anatomic space capable of receiving fluid at a lower pressure than tissues surrounding the anatomic space, the apparatus comprising:
- a disposables assembly comprising;
a syringe having a body for containing a fluid to be injected into the anatomic space, the syringe having a plunger movable in one end of the body for dispensing fluid from an opposite end of the body,tubing permanently connected to the opposite end of the body,a needle connected to the tubing and having a point insertable into a subject and movable through tissues surrounding the anatomic space, for seeking the anatomic space, andan in-line pressure transducer for generating a signal corresponding to an instantaneous pressure at the point of the needle;
a drive unit mechanically connected to the syringe and electrically connected to the pressure transducer, the drive unit includinga controller with a computer, a memory for storing a first selected pressure (P1) that is selected to be compatible with injecting fluid into the fluid-filled anatomic space and a second selected pressure (P2) that is below the first selected pressure (P1) by a first selected amount,a motor connected to and controlled by the computer, anda syringe armature connected to the motor and mechanically connected to the syringe for moving the plunger into and out of the body for respectively injecting and aspirating fluid at the point of the needle for injecting and aspirating fluid into and out of the subject; and
the computer being programmed to control the motor to move the plunger to provide fluid flow into the subject until the first selected pressure (P1) is detected by the pressure transducer at which time the motor is stopped to stop the flow of fluid to the subject until the instantaneous pressure at the point of the needle drops below the second selected pressure (P2), at which time the program resumes operation of the motor to resume fluid flow to the subject, so that as the needle is moved in tissues of the subject surrounding the fluid-filled anatomic space, fluid flow to the tissues stops at instantaneous pressures above the first selected pressure (P1) and resumes when the instantaneous pressure falls below the second selected pressure to then resume injecting fluid into the anatomic space.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic injection apparatus uses non-continuous fluid-flow of drugs to identify an intended injection site and includes a drive mechanism, a sensor and a controller for establishing fluid flow and pressure and preventing fluid flow until the pressure drops below a predetermined threshold. The pressure threshold is determined based on an internal pressure generated during an injection and more fluid will not flow until it drops below a predetermined pressure. An injection is performed to establish an initial pressure threshold and then to stop the fluid flow into a patient until the pressure drops below a predetermined pressure which allows fluid flow to resume, thus identifying a fluid filled tissue space. The initial pressure threshold is used as a control parameter to a microprocessor below which controls the rate of injection. Fluid flows below certain pressures are also used to identify a specific location within the body during injections.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An apparatus for administering fluid into a fluid-filled anatomic space capable of receiving fluid at a lower pressure than tissues surrounding the anatomic space, the apparatus comprising:
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a disposables assembly comprising; a syringe having a body for containing a fluid to be injected into the anatomic space, the syringe having a plunger movable in one end of the body for dispensing fluid from an opposite end of the body, tubing permanently connected to the opposite end of the body, a needle connected to the tubing and having a point insertable into a subject and movable through tissues surrounding the anatomic space, for seeking the anatomic space, and an in-line pressure transducer for generating a signal corresponding to an instantaneous pressure at the point of the needle; a drive unit mechanically connected to the syringe and electrically connected to the pressure transducer, the drive unit including a controller with a computer, a memory for storing a first selected pressure (P1) that is selected to be compatible with injecting fluid into the fluid-filled anatomic space and a second selected pressure (P2) that is below the first selected pressure (P1) by a first selected amount, a motor connected to and controlled by the computer, and a syringe armature connected to the motor and mechanically connected to the syringe for moving the plunger into and out of the body for respectively injecting and aspirating fluid at the point of the needle for injecting and aspirating fluid into and out of the subject; and the computer being programmed to control the motor to move the plunger to provide fluid flow into the subject until the first selected pressure (P1) is detected by the pressure transducer at which time the motor is stopped to stop the flow of fluid to the subject until the instantaneous pressure at the point of the needle drops below the second selected pressure (P2), at which time the program resumes operation of the motor to resume fluid flow to the subject, so that as the needle is moved in tissues of the subject surrounding the fluid-filled anatomic space, fluid flow to the tissues stops at instantaneous pressures above the first selected pressure (P1) and resumes when the instantaneous pressure falls below the second selected pressure to then resume injecting fluid into the anatomic space. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus for administering medical fluids to an anatomical area of a subject, comprising:
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a reservoir for receiving an injection fluid, wherein the reservoir comprises a connector for connecting the reservoir with a needle to be inserted into the body of the subject; a sensor for detecting a characteristic indicative of the fluid pressure in the needle; a fluid controller configured to control the flow of fluid from the reservoir; a central controller connected with the sensor for receiving signals from the sensor, wherein the central controller is operable to control the fluid controller in response to signals received from the sensor; wherein the fluid controller is operable to control the flow of fluid to provide fluid flow in response to receiving a first signal from the central controller and wherein the fluid controller continues to provide fluid flow until receiving a signal from the central controller indicative of the sensor detecting a pressure at or above a first threshold; wherein upon the fluid controller receiving a signal from the central controller indicative of the sensor detecting a pressure at or above the first threshold, the fluid controller is configured to terminate the flow of fluid from the reservoir and maintain the termination of the fluid flow until the sensor detects a pressure at or below a second threshold that is lower than the first threshold; wherein upon the fluid controller receiving a signal from the central controller indicative of the sensor detecting a pressure at or below the second threshold, the fluid controller is configured to resume the fluid flow from the reservoir; wherein fluid may be injected from the fluid reservoir when the needle enters the anatomical area. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification