Transdermal perfusion of fluids
First Claim
1. Apparatus for use in transdermal perfusion procedures comprising a housing, securing means operable to secure a contact surface of the housing in sealing contact with an area of skin in use, an aperture defined in the contact surface and communicating with an access port defined by the housing, a suction cup located in the access port and having a lip portion extending peripherally of the aperture, the suction cup defining an outlet port and a suction chamber communicating with both the outlet port and the aperture, the apparatus further comprising suction means operable to apply suction to the suction chamber in the outlet port and cutting means operable to sever from the lip portion a removable portion of the suction cup defining the outlet port.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A housing is secured to an area of skin to allow suction to be applied to a local area of skin through an aperture. After formation of a suction blister, a blade is actuated to sever a suction cup thereby detaching the means for creating suction at the aperture and at the same time removing the roof of the suction blister to expose an area of dermis from which the skin'"'"'s epidermis has been removed.
A rotatable portion of the apparatus is then moved into a position in which a port communicates with a compartment within the rotatable portion. The compartment may contain a reservoir of fluid substance to be transdermally absorbed or may contain means for taking a sample of exudate produced at the exposed dermis. A modified apparatus has means for applying suction to the exposed dermis to enhance the rate at which exudate is formed and for handling a sample of exudate for analysis. Transdermal delivery and sampling are thereby achieved non-invasively and without the impediment of the skin'"'"'s epidermis.
57 Citations
88 Claims
- 1. Apparatus for use in transdermal perfusion procedures comprising a housing, securing means operable to secure a contact surface of the housing in sealing contact with an area of skin in use, an aperture defined in the contact surface and communicating with an access port defined by the housing, a suction cup located in the access port and having a lip portion extending peripherally of the aperture, the suction cup defining an outlet port and a suction chamber communicating with both the outlet port and the aperture, the apparatus further comprising suction means operable to apply suction to the suction chamber in the outlet port and cutting means operable to sever from the lip portion a removable portion of the suction cup defining the outlet port.
-
24. A syringe for creating suction to be applied to a suction blister forming apparatus, the syringe comprising a cylinder within which a piston is movable to define an expansion chamber of variable volume, the piston comprising an actuating handle projecting from the cylinder and a locking arm formed integrally therewith, the locking arm being resiliently biased for movement into a locking position in which a free end of the locking arm engages a co-operating locking formation of the cylinder when the piston is in a retracted position to create and maintain suction in the expansion chamber.
-
27. Apparatus for use in transdermal perfusion procedures comprising a suction cup for use in applying suction to an area of skin, a tube communicating with the suction cup and connectable in use to a suction means, and an indicator responsive to displacement of air along the tube and operable to provide an indication of volumetric displacement of air from the suction cup in response to the formation of a suction blister or the ingress of body fluid within the suction cup during a period in which suction is maintained within the suction cup.
-
34. Apparatus for use in transdermal perfusion procedures, comprising a housing, securing means operable to secure a contact surface of the housing in sealing contact with an area of skin in use, an aperture defined in the contact surface, the housing comprising a base defining the contact surface and a rotatable portion in which an access port is defined at an eccentric location relative to the rotation axis of the rotatable portion and whereby in an initial position of the rotatable portion the access port is aligned in registration with the aperture to facilitate formation of a de-epithelialised skin erosion within the aperture, the rotatable portion further comprising a plurality of openings defined at eccentric locations relative to the rotation axis of the rotatable portion whereby successive openings may be brought into registration with the aperture by rotation of the rotatable portion and a plurality of compartments within the rotatable portion which are accessible via the respective openings.
-
39. Apparatus for use in transdermal perfusion procedures, comprising a housing, securing means operable to secure a contact surface of the housing in sealing contact with an area of skin in use, an aperture defined in the contact surface and communicating with an access port defined by the housing, means for applying suction to the aperture via the access port and heating means operable to apply heat to a heated portion of the contact surface peripheral to the aperture.
- 44. Apparatus for use in transdermal perfusion procedures, comprising a housing, securing means operable to secure a contact surface of the housing in sealing contact with an area of skin in use, an aperture defined in the contact surface, the surface comprising a base defining the contact surface and a moveable portion in which an access port is defined, the moveable portion being moveable between an initial position in which the access port is aligned in registration with the aperture to facilitate formation of a de-epithelialised skin erosion within the aperture and a second position in which an opening defined by the moveable portion is located in registration with the aperture, and further comprising a pump operable to transfer liquid between the aperture and the compartment via the opening.
- 50. Apparatus for use in transdermal perfusion procedures, comprising a housing, securing means operable to secure a contact surface of the housing in sealing contact with an area of skin in use, an aperture defined in the contact surface whereby a de-epithelialised skin erosion may be formed in use via the aperture, the housing defining an enclosure communicating with the aperture and a syringe connected to the enclosure for the delivery of liquid thereto, wherein the syringe comprises a piston and cylinder and screw-threaded actuating means for advancing the piston in metered stages by rotation of the actuator relative to the cylinder to thereby dispense metered doses of liquid.
- 54. Apparatus for use in transdermal perfusion procedures, comprising a housing, securing means operable to secure a contact surface of the housing in sealing contact with an area of skin in use, an aperture defined in the contact surface, the housing comprising a base defining the contact surface and a moveable portion in which an access port is defined and whereby in an initial position of the moveable portion the access port is aligned in registration with the aperture to facilitate formation of a de-epithelialised skin erosion within the aperture, the moveable portion further comprising an opening which may be brought into registration with the aperture in a second position of the moveable portion thereby providing communication between a chamber of the moveable portion and the aperture, the apparatus further comprising a transdermal skin patch accommodated within the chamber and a patch applicator operable in use to deploy the patch from the chamber through the aperture into engagement with the skin erosion.
- 61. A method of administering a substance by transdermal delivery, comprising the steps of preparing first and second de-epithelialised skin erosions at separate skin sites, applying first and second enclosures respectively over the first and second erosions to define a sampling cell and a drug delivery cell respectively, extracting exudate from the sampling cell by means of a first pump to a bio-sensor, operating the bio-sensor to produce an output signal representative of a measurable property of the exudate, delivering metered quantities of a liquid containing the substance to the drug delivery cell by operation of a second pump, controlling the rate of delivery of the second pump by operation of a control unit responsive to the output of the bio-sensor.
- 63. A method of controlled release of a substance for transdermal absorption, comprising the steps of absorbing quantities of the substance into porous polymeric particles, mixing the particles with granules of permanent magnetic material encapsulated in a polymeric material, placing the resulting mixture in a cell defined by an enclosure, applying an alternating magnetic field within the cell, thereby inducing mechanical vibration in the mixture to release the substance from the particles.
-
67. A method of controlled release of a substance for transdermal absorption, comprising the steps of mixing a liquid containing the substance with a quantity of a hydrogel, placing the resulting mixture within a cell defined an enclosure and heating the contents of the cell by operation of a heating means to thereby dissociate liquid from the hydrogel so as to be released from the cell.
- 72. Apparatus for use in transdermal perfusion procedures, comprising a housing, securing means operable to secure a contact surface of the housing in sealing contact with an area of skin in use, an aperture defined in the contact surface, the housing comprising a base defining the contact surface and a movable portion in which an access port is defined and whereby in an initial position of the movable portion the access port is aligned in registration with the aperture to facilitate formation of a de-epithelialised skin lesion within the aperture, the movable portion further comprising an opening which may be brought into registration with the aperture in a second position of the movable portion, the apparatus further comprising an implementing device operable in use to implement a transdermal procedure at the skin lesion via the opening and releasable connecting means operable between the movable portion and the implementing device.
- 77. Apparatus for use in sampling transdermal exudate from a de-epithelialised skin erosion, the apparatus comprising an enclosure defining a sampling chamber, securing means operable to sealingly secure a contact surface of the enclosure to an area of skin peripheral to the erosion in use, an aperture defined in the contact surface and communicating with the sampling chamber, an outlet communicating with the sampling chamber for the outflow of exudate, an openable closure for the outlet, and means for applying suction within the sampling chamber to enhance the rate at which exudate is produced.
-
86. A method of transdermally sampling body fluid from the human or animal body comprising the steps of:
-
removing an epithelial layer from a portion of skin at a skin site so as to leave the underlying dermis intact;
securing an enclosure defining a sampling chamber to the body such that a contact surface of the enclosure is maintained in sealing contact with an area of skin peripheral to the skin site;
operating a suction means connected to the enclosure to apply suction within the sampling chamber during a period in which transdermally exuded body fluid is collected in the sampling chamber;
discontinuing the application of suction, and sampling fluid from the sampling chamber via an openable closure of the enclosure.
-
-
87. Apparatus for use in transdermal administration of fluids through the skin of a human or animal body, the apparatus comprising a housing attachable to the body, the housing having a contact surface which in use is held in contact with a portion of skin by an adhesive layer, the housing defining a chamber and the contact surface defining an aperture communicating with the chamber, the apparatus further comprising suction means operable during a preparatory phase of operation of the apparatus to apply suction to the skin at a treatment site which is accessible via the aperture such that an area of the skin'"'"'s epidermis at the treatment site is detached from the skin'"'"'s underlying dermis, means for disrupting the detached area of epidermis such that the dermis is exposed within the chamber, and fluid supply means operable during a perfusion phase of operation of the apparatus to supply fluid to the chamber such that fluid in the chamber may be absorbed by the dermis without intervention of the epidermis.
-
88. A method of transdermal administration of fluids through the skin of a human or animal body, comprising the steps of:
-
attaching a housing to the body such that a contact surface of the housing is held in contact with a portion of skin by an adhesive layer, the housing defining a chamber and the contact surface defining an aperture communicating with the chamber;
applying suction to the skin at a treatment site which is accessible via the aperture until an area of the skin'"'"'s epidermis at the treatment site is detached from the skin'"'"'s underlying dermis;
disrupting the detached area of epidermis such that the dermis is exposed within the chamber; and
supplying fluid to the chamber such that the fluid may be absorbed by the dermis without intervention of the epidermis.
-
Specification