Disposable self-shielding aspirating syringe

Details Disposable self-shielding aspirating syringe Disposable self-shielding aspirating syringe

1998-07-15

2001-11-06

Yasko, John D. (Department: 3763)

Surgery

Means for introducing or removing material from body for...

Treating material introduced into or removed from body...

C604S232000, C604S198000

Reissue Patent

active

RE037439

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The increasing treat of AIDS has generated a rapid development of methods for preventing the spread of communicable diseases from the inadvertent reuse of needle devices, accidental needlestick injuries suffered by medical and dental practitioners, and ineffective sterilization of reusable devices. To be effective, the devices employed must be simple to manufacture and easy to use. Our U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,378 discloses a syringe having a rectangular body cross-section which permits the use of a protector case of matching interior cross section. Parent application Ser. No. 01/104,182 describes the application of many of the features of the above patent to the design of an aspirating syringe of the type in common use by dentists for the administering of local anesthesia and in a hospital environment for the administering of controlled substances. The present application describes significant modifications to the features of the aspirating syringe which make it more effective for its intended purpose.
Numerous attempts have been tried to solve the problems noted above with respect to aspirating syringes. Examples of prior art devices are found in the disclosures of the following United States Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,925,083 discloses a hood for concealing and guarding the needle of a syringe which may be easily retracted when the needle is inside the patients mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,985 discloses a sleeve adapter which conceals the needle and applies pressure to the gum tissue.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,878,846 and 3,930,499 disclose a dental type syringe with a disposable body and case and reusable finger grip and plunger. The case provides a sterile cover for the body and attached needle prior to use. The reusable finger grip allows the distance between the flanges of the finger grip to be adjusted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,272 discloses an attachment for a reusable dental syringe which incorporates a sheath as part of the disposable needle assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,701 discloses a reusable shield for attachment to a reusable dental syringe with a needle disconnect means to enable disconnecting the needle with the shield in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,490 shows an injection device having a system for retracting a needle into the body using rearward motion of a plunger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,141 discloses a disposable syringe for use with a cartridge and having an elongated needle mount on the front of the body with a shield over the elongated mount.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,386 discloses a new design of reusable, dental type syringe having a spring actuated, semicircular shield.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,307 discloses a reusable dental syringe with a slidable needle carrier. The needle carrier and needle are retracted into the body section by means of the plunger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,319 discloses a disposable syringe with a system for retracting the needle into the body cavity by means of the plunger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,917 discloses a separate add-on sheath for use with a standard reusable aspirating syringe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a syringe with a protector case which holds a glass cartridge and permits the injection of the fluid contained in the cartridge into the patient. The syringe is molded of plastic or other suitable material which is sterilizable. The device comprises six parts including a body, protector case, needle, needle cap, plug, and plunger. The major components of the device preferably are molded from a suitable plastic and may be clear or of a color like or similar to a surgical glove.
The device is normally provided to the practitioner in two assemblies. The body, protector case, needle, and needle cap make up the first assembly. The plug and plunger make up the second assembly.
The protector case is assembled by the manufacturer with the case retracted over the body and the needle attached to the body and extending through an opening in the protector case. The needle is covered by the needle cap which is removably attached to the needle hub on the end of the body. The body and case have a rectangular cross section.
A harpoon is molded as an integral part of the plunger and the plunger is inserted through the center tube of the plug with the harpoon positioned between locking fingers on the plug. The plunger is held in position by protrusions on vanes of the plunger which interact with indentations in the bore of the plug to maintain a desired position during handling, packaging, and assembly of the two sub-assemblies by the user.
The two assemblies are packaged together in a sealed container and sterilized.
The user removes the first assembly from the package and inserts a selected medicine cartridge into the open end of the body. The second assembly is then positioned with the locking fingers of the plug engaging slots in the end of the body and is pushed forward until the locking fingers clear the end of the slots and engage the interior surface of a finger grip on the body. The cartridge has the usual rubber stopper, and the plunger is driven rapidly forward by the hand of the user, or by striking on a hard surface, to engage the harpoon in the rubber stopper of the cartridge in a conventional manner. The needle cap is then removed and the syringe is ready for use. The engagement of the harpoon with the cartridge rubber stopper permits the user to aspirate fluid from the patient by retracting the rubber stopper and thereby to determine if the needle has punctured a blood vessel. Once the plunger is driven forward, the protrusions on the plunger vanes limit the rearward travel of the plunger during aspiration to prevent the rubber stopper from being pulled free of the cartridge.
After use, the protector case is slid axially forward over the needle until detents engage pockets on the edges of the body. In this position the needle is completely covered obviating the need to recap the needle and protecting those handling the device during disposal. Since the device is not intended for reuse, there is no need to remove the contaminated needle nor to autoclave or otherwise resterilize the device.
The benefits of the invention are several, including the following:
1. The device is sterilized after packaging and used only once, ensuring the maximum protecting for the patient and practitioner.
2. The device may be used with any medication available in cartridges of the appropriate size.
3. The rectangular cross section of the body and protector case permit maximum exposure of the cartridge for easy viewing of the cartridge during aspiration and injection while providing the necessary rigidity of the device.
4. The rectangular cross section of the body and protector case make possible the use of the simple and effective detent mechanism for securing the protector case over the needle after use.
5. The protector case and single use/disposable nature of the device make it unnecessary to recap or remove the needle from the syringe eliminating exposure to the contaminated needle.
6. The device, or at least selected portions thereof can be molded of a suitably colored plastic and the appearance and feel of the molded syringe are less threatening to the patient resulting in more patient comfort.
7. The harpoon design makes penetration of the cartridge rubber stopper more easy to accomplish and retraction of the rubber stopper for aspiration less likely to result in the harpoon pulling out.
8. The plug design makes the two assemblies very easy to put together and difficult to disassemble.
9. The plunger design incorporates the harpoon as an integrally molded part, reducing the cost of molding and assembly.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved syringe.


REFERENCES:
patent: 827383 (1906-07-01), McElroy et al.
patent: 1652894 (1927-12-01), Gunther
patent: 1921034 (1933-08-01), Lamarche
patent: 2432605 (1947-12-01), Barach
patent: 2571653 (1951-10-01), Bastien
patent: 2586581 (1952-02-01), Tschischeck
patent: 2895474 (1959-07-01), Reznek
patent: 2925083 (1960-02-01), Craig
patent: 3046985 (1962-07-

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