Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-21
2002-08-13
Casler, Brian L. (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06432089
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to syringes fillable with a liquid agent for use as attached to injectors for medical procedures, such as angiography, computerized tomography, NMR/MRI, etc., to be performed with a contrast medium, chemical agent or like liquid agent injected into the vascular system of the human body or an animal.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,736, syringes for use in examining patients in medical procedures are used by attaching the main body of the syringe to an injector and fixing a plunger fitted in the syringe body in intimate contact therewith to a piston of the injector. The piston advances at a speed controlled by a control circuit of the injector, pushing the plunger to inject a liquid agent filled in the syringe into the vascular system of the patient.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,980 discloses a syringe including a plunger which is connectable to a piston or disconnectable therefrom by rotating the entire syringe through about 90 deg relative to the piston, with the plunger held in contact with the forward end of the piston.
Further International Publication No. WO 98/20920 (corresponding to Japanese Patent Application No. 522638/1998) discloses a syringe
2
shown in
FIGS. 10 and 11
.
The syringe
2
comprises a cylindrical syringe body
3
and a plunger
4
fitted in the syringe body. The syringe
2
is connected to an injector
1
by removably fixing a base end of the syringe body
3
in a syringe socket
11
of the injector
1
and releasably engaging the plunger
4
of the syringe
2
with a piston
13
which is movable out of or into the socket
11
centrally thereof. The piston
13
is projected outward at a controlled speed by a drive device (not shown) incorporated in the injector
1
, thereby advancing the plunger
4
toward the forward end of the syringe body
3
to inject a liquid agent filled in the syringe body
3
into the vascular system of the human body or an animal through a tube (not shown) from a nozzle
30
at the front end of the syringe body
3
.
In the following description, the term “front” or “forward” refers to one side of the syringe
2
where the syringe body
3
is connected to the patient and the liquid agent is forced out by the plunger
4
, and the term “rear” or “rearward” refers to the other side opposite to the above side where the syringe is connected to the injector.
The inner periphery of the socket
11
of the injector
1
is provided with syringe holding flanges
12
,
12
. Projecting from the syringe body
3
radially thereof are ridges
31
engageable with the flanges
12
,
12
and a flange
32
adapted for bearing contact with the end face of the socket
11
.
The piston
13
is provided at its front end with plunger holding pieces
14
,
14
orthogonal to the axis of the piston
13
.
With reference to
FIG. 13
, the plunger
4
disclosed in the foregoing publication WO No. 98/20920 comprises a plunger body
5
and an elastic cover
9
fitted over the body
5
.
The plunger body
5
comprises two members which are fitted together, i.e., a conical portion
81
at the front end, and a hollow truncated cone
82
fitted to the conical portion
81
, extending rearward and having a gently tapered conical surface.
A circular backplate
62
extends from the rear end of the truncated cone
82
radially thereof, with a recessed portion
52
formed between the backplate
62
and the cone
82
over the entire circumference thereof.
Projecting rearward from the rear end of the conical portion
81
are a pair of connecting legs
71
,
71
each having an inward claw
76
.
The elastic cover
9
is fitted over the plunger body
5
to extend over the conical portion
81
thereof to the recessed portion
52
, and comprises a hollow conical portion
91
, a cylindrical portion
92
extending from the conical portion
91
, an inward flange
94
projecting from the rear end of the cylindrical portion
92
and a projection
96
extending forward from the front end of the conical portion
91
. A plurality of ribs
93
,
93
are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion
92
over the entire circumference thereof.
The projection
96
is positioned in the tubular nozzle
30
at the front end of the syringe body
3
on completion of advance of the plunger
4
, minimizing the quantity of the liquid agent remaining within the syringe body
3
and to be wasted.
The hollow conical portion
91
of the elastic cover
9
covers the conical portion
81
of the plunger body
5
with a small space
90
left therebetween. The cylindrical portion
92
covers the truncated cone
82
in intimate contact therewith, with the inward flange
94
fitting in the recessed portion
52
around the cone
82
.
The syringe body
3
is fitted at its base end into the socket
11
of the injector
1
and then rotated through about 90 deg to position the ridge
31
of the syringe body
3
inside the syringe holding flange
12
formed on the inner surface of the socket
11
, whereby the syringe body
3
is prevented from slipping out of the socket
11
.
The piston
13
of the injector
1
as retracted is positioned away from the plunger
4
of the syringe
2
. When the piston
13
is projected outward gradually, however, the holding pieces
14
,
14
at the front end of the piston force the pair of legs
71
,
71
, projecting from the rear side of the plunger
4
, away from each other and are brought into engagement with the claws
76
,
76
at the front side thereof (see FIG.
13
). Since the front end face of the piston
13
comes into pushing contact with the plunger body
3
, the plunger
4
advances, whereby the liquid agent in the syringe
2
is injected into the vascular system of the human body or animal as described above.
To remove the syringe
2
from the injector
1
after it is used for injecting the liquid agent, the syringe body
3
is rotated through about 90 deg in a direction opposite to the direction in which the body is rotated for connection. This releases the ridge
31
of the syringe body
3
from engagement with the syringe holding flange
12
of the injector socket
11
and the claws
76
,
76
of the plunger
4
from engagement with the holding pieces
14
,
14
of the piston
13
. The syringe
2
is removed from the socket
11
.
The syringe
2
shown in FIG.
11
and described above needs to be so designed as to withstand the pressure of injecting the liquid agent. As shown in
FIG. 12
, such a syringe
2
is also used as sheathed in a reinforcing case
200
on a turret
100
for connection to an injector
1
.
Like the foregoing one, this type of syringe
2
comprises a syringe body
3
and a plunger
4
, whereas the syringe body
3
need not withstand the internal pressure involved in injecting the liquid agent but has characteristics to slightly expand under the internal pressure.
The syringe body
3
is provided at its rear end with parallel flanges
36
,
36
each having a cut portion
37
for preventing rotation. The syringe
2
is removably fitted into the case or pressure jacket
200
supported by the turret
100
and is set in position.
The turret
100
has stepped through bores
101
,
101
at opposite sides of a hole
102
which provides the center of rotation of the turret
100
.
Tubular transparent reinforcing cases or pressure jackets
200
,
200
are inserted from behind the turret
100
through the respective bores
101
,
101
in the turret
100
.
The reinforcing case
200
has a rear end provided with a flange
201
serving as a retainer and a front end tapered in the form of a cone and formed with a hole
202
for a nozzle
30
of the syringe body
3
to extend therethrough.
The injector
1
is provided with a turret rotating support pin
16
above a piston
13
and a turret receiving portion
18
below the piston
13
.
The syringe
2
is inserted into one of the reinforcing cases
200
on the turret
100
, the support pin
16
is fitted into the hole
102
in the turret
100
, the forward end of a screw
104
driven into the turret
100
or
Hitchins Mark
Kakimi Mitsuru
Bradley Gregory L.
Casler Brian L.
Medrad Inc.
Rodriguez Cris L.
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