Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Patent
1989-12-21
1991-09-10
Yasko, John D.
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
604218, 604228, A61M 500
Patent
active
050470175
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to syringes and has for its object a syringe which can only be used once.
In recent years, the greatest and most serious public health problem has been the threat of AIDS. It has been reported that about 50% of those people who are AIDS carriers or HIV positive are intravenous drug abusers and it is now of tantamount importance to prevent the spread of the AIDS virus not only among drug abusers but also from that group into the wider community.
A need has thus developed for a "safe" syringe which will render itself useless after one drug shot and which is tamperproof, with the purpose of eliminating shared use of syringes and thus reducing the spread of AIDS. This need has already been highlighted in the Third Report from the Social Services Committee, "Problems Associated with AIDS" volume 1, 13th May 1987.
To this end, many attempts have been made to provide such a single-use syringe, and these known syringes all tend to make use of one of the following techniques to try to prevent them being suitable for re-use:
(i) Puncturing or cutting of the syringe barrel during, or at the end of, advance of the syringe plunger to inject the drug, for example as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,146,
(ii) Fracturing of the needle connector by the syringe user after a single use, for example as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,151,
(iii) Using a multipart plunger, of which one part, usually the plunger stopper is detachable without breaking from another part, usually the plunger rod, during withdrawal after a single use, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,118,
(iv) Engagement of the plunger stopper behind a trapping member hinged to the syringe barrel upon full advance of the plunger, as in for example GB-A-2184657,
(v) Locking of the plunger rod upon full withdrawal after use, as in for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,478,937,
(vi) Use of a pre-filled syringe and a one-stroke plunger wherein only advance movement of the plunger is possible, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,738,
(vii) Breaking, or at least deforming connections between the plunger stepper and plunger rod to the extent that it is no longer possible to retract the stopper for re-use, as in for example EP-A-0229017.
At present, however, none of these known single-use syringes meet the requirements of the drug abuser and none are in commercial production to the best of the applicant's knowledge. These known single-use syringes are generally either too costly or too complicated to manufacture and, in some instances, are totally impractical for drug abusers because they require a positive action by the user before the syringe is rendered useless and drug abusers cannot be relied upon to carry out this action.
Furthermore, it is necessary that the design of such a syringe takes into account all of the specific ritualistic habits of a drug addict during intravenous drug injection or otherwise use of the syringe will be unacceptable to these people. These habits include many insertions of the needle and small blood withdrawals to locate a suitable vein for injection which can be extremely difficult in long-term drug addicts. It is also vital that, after injection of the drug, the drug addict can flush with blood any drug remaining in the bottom part of the syringe barrel several times to ensure that all the drug is injected.
Schemes have now also been set up to provide a free source of clean syringes, together with counselling, for those who are at high risk from infection. Whilst such schemes are seen as being highly beneficial, they do require a syringe which guarantees that their objectives are met and, indeed, it is possible that without such a product, their work may be discontinued.
Whilst, drug abusers are a major problem in prevention of the spread of the AIDS virus, there are other obvious potential users who are to a greater or lesser extent also in need of a suitable "safe" syringe, particularly in the medical profession for general use in hospitals and by general practitioners. In the third world, these are many charities and gove
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patent: 3934586 (1976-01-01), Easton et al.
patent: 3951146 (1976-04-01), Chiquiar-Arias
patent: 4220151 (1980-09-01), Whitney
patent: 4233975 (1980-11-01), Yerman
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patent: 4270536 (1981-06-01), Lemelson
patent: 4367738 (1983-01-01), Legendre et al.
patent: 4710170 (1987-12-01), Habel et al.
patent: 4775364 (1988-10-01), Alles
Third report from the Social Services Committee Session 1986-87 "Problems Associated with Aids", vol. I, May 13, 1987.
Turkish Search Report for Turkish Patent Application TR 31772/88.
Agven Medical Corporation Limited
Yasko John D.
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