Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-07
2002-12-03
Walczak, David J. (Department: 3751)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
C604S093010, C604S165010, C604S286000, C606S167000, C606S170000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06488663
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention resides in an infusion apparatus for administering a medicine to the body of a human or an animal, comprising at least a first element provided with a cannula for insertion into, and installation in, the body, and a second element including a hollow injection needle which is connected to a hose for the supply of the medicine, wherein the first and the second element can be releasably joined by way of a locking element so that the medicine can be supplied from the hose through the needle into the cannula.
Such injection equipment is known for example from EP-B 0 688 232. Many attempts—including the arrangement disclosed in the reference—have been made which aimed at facilitating the handling of such equipment not only for the medical personnel such as the physicians, the nurses and other caregivers but also for the patient that is the person who handles such infusion equipment during self-treatment. Persons suffering from diabetes for example have to administer their medicines regularly by themselves either by injection of the medication by conventional injection syringes or by way of injection apparatus of the type with which the present invention is concerned.
It is pointed out that, with the type of infusion apparatus with which the present invention is concerned, basically any medicine can be introduced into the body of a human or an animal that is, the infusion apparatus is not limited to the administration of insulin.
Infusion apparatus of the type with which the present invention is concerned have been found to be particularly suitable for persons who have to be treated with a particular medicine regularly in certain time intervals since continuous new puncturing of the skin and the veins or arteries can be avoided in this way. In this way, pain and often hematoma-causing punctures of injection needles are limited to a minimum. Furthermore, people who need to use injection apparatus of the type with which the present invention is concerned are generally already quite weak as a result of the condition requiring the administration of the medicine. If then, in addition to such physical weakness, the person develops a mental repugnance and as a result, a certain insecurity, the use of infusion apparatus known in the art may result in inappropriate handling or in faulty operation. For example, in prior art infusion apparatus a connection between the first and second elements can only be established when the two elements are oriented in a predetermined way with respect to each other—depending on the particular design.
Relative angular displacement of the first and second elements for example by 180° that is, relative angular positions other than that for which the apparatus is designed will not permit a jointure of the elements. And even if the angular orientations of the two elements is correct a connection can still not be established if the two elements are slightly displaced laterally since, in addition to the locking elements, there are provided guide elements which are disposed in the same plane and which must be properly oriented so as to fit into the guide openings of the other element in order to permit joining and interlocking of the two elements.
An ill person, particularly at an advanced age, is generally not in a position to orient the two elements properly angularly and, at the same time, laterally. Furthermore, the two elements must generally be interconnected with one hand, since the cannula of the infusion apparatus is inserted for example in the vein of the other arm so that the hand of this arm is not available for the connecting procedure.
It is finally to be note that the prior art infusion apparatus as disclosed in the cited EP patent includes two tongue-like locking elements and two pin-like guide elements, and further, locking element guide structures and two openings for receiving the guide pins which all have to be fitted to one another. Their manufacture requires high precision tools which themselves are complicated and expensive. Furthermore, as a result, also the manufacture of the known infusion apparatus requires highest precision so that proper fit of the guide and locking structures is ensured. This implies of course that also the needle in the second element is properly axially oriented and inserted into the opening of the cannula in the first element when the two elements are interconnected. Consequently, not only the manufacturing tools for making the known infusion apparatus are expensive but also the process of manufacturing the infusion apparatus is expensive and difficult since a continuous precise orientation of all the parts to be engaged with one another is to be ensured.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an infusion apparatus with which an inexperienced user as well is a weak user can insert, in a simple manner, the cannula into the body and can establish the connection with the infusion apparatus for the introduction of the medicine into the body by way of the two interconnected elements. It should not be necessary to accurately orient the two elements to be interconnected in an accurate rotational position with respect to each other and the two element should be easy to be inter-locked and to be disconnected. Furthermore, the needle of an element should be automatically oriented precisely with respect to the insert opening of the other element. Also, the infusion apparatus should be easy and inexpensive to manufacture so that they are affordable and can be used in large numbers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In an infusion apparatus or supplying a medicine into the body of a patient which infusion apparatus comprises a first element including a cannula and a second element including an injection needle which is placed in sealing communication with the cannula when the first and second elements are joined, the second element includes a circular groove and the first element includes locking members which are slidably movable back and forth into and out of the groove for selectively engaging the second element to lock it when inserted into the first element.
The apparatus according to the invention has the advantage that the second element can easily be inserted into the first element without the need of maintaining proper rotational relative orientation of the two elements. Actually, the second element only needs to be inserted into a single opening in the first element in a way as it is known from coaxial plugs in the electric or electronic field. No proper rotational orientation must be observed. If the two elements are not axially properly oriented they can clearly not be joined so that a faulty interconnection is not even tried. Unlike the prior art arrangement, the apparatus according to the invention has no guide pins or locking elements, which have to be properly joined for interconnecting the two elements. No locking element needs to be actuated when the two elements are joined and interlocked. For the disconnection the locking element only needs to be disengaged using the thumb and forefinger of one hand. With the simple locking and unlocking mechanism and the precise automatic orientation of the needle relative to the opening of the cannula, the apparatus is still of simple design, whereby also the tooling expenses for the manufacture of such infusion apparatus are drastically reduced so that the apparatus can be manufactured in large number at low costs.
In order to further facilitate the insertion of the second element into the insertion opening formed in the first element, the second element is essentially circular in cross-section and the axis thereof, that is the center-point of the circle, coincides with the needle shaft.
Another feature which facilitates insertion of the second element into the insertion opening in the first element is the provision of an inclined circumferentially extending front end area of the section of the second element to be inserted into the first element. In this way, the insertion of the second element into the insertion ope
Arta Plast AB
Bach Klaus J.
Ramana Anuradha
Walczak David J.
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