Syringe for injection through zone of body

A syringe which disperses medicate across a zone in the body during apparent conventional operation. The improved syringe includes a barrel, a plunger, and an operating cylinder. In operation, the needle of the syringe is inserted into the body at the distal portion of the portion of the body which is to receive the medicate. A single arm is attached to the barrel and passes through an operating cylinder with a thumb rest on its top. As a result, in operation, the user draws the single arm up to the thumb rest, thus causing the syringe to withdraw during injection and leaving a patch of medicate during operation.

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for delivery of medical treatment through a zone of a body. More particularly, the invention relates to devices and systems for the delivery and injection of therapeutic agents, solutions or injectates throughtout a portion of bodily tissue. Additionally, the invention relates to methods of delivering and injecting a solution across a target site within the body for the treatment of that target site.

2. Description of the Related Art

Hypodermic syringes are widely used in the medical field for administering medicaments. Generally, hypodermic syringes include a needle having a sharpened distal point for penetrating vial stoppers or patient's body. The needle is attached either fixedly or removably to a syringe barrel. In operation, these syringes provide the means to deliver medicaments to a single specific location in the body. In operation, the plunger is depressed into the barrel and the medicament thus discharged. This system, largely unchanged since the invention of the syringe, contemplates delivery of the therapeutic agent at a single location wherein the effect of the therapeutic agent is transmitted through adjacent cells. Problematically, when the therapeutic agent is intended to act against a collection of cells, its effectiveness is reduced and/or delayed by such transmission, even though the overall distance from one side of the collection of cells to the other may be quite small. Practitioners have attempted to overcome this limitation and provide the benefit of a dispersed delivery by simultaneously depressing the syringe plunger with the thumb while also withdrawing the syringe. However, this technique is difficult to learn and is ineffective to properly deliver the therapeutic agent to the desired location in the desired quantities, particularly when the desired location has defined boundaries, such as a tumor.

There is therefore a need for a syringe that disburses a therapeutic agent along a collection of cells in a body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore, a principle object of the present invention to provide a syringe which disburses a therapeutic agent along a collection of cells in a body from a single action by the operator.

The foregoing advantages are achieved through a new syringe having a barrel, a plunger, and an operating cylinder encapsulating the barrel and retaining within its body the plunger. Unlike convention syringes where the barrel of the syringe includes a flange at its first end, the barrel of the present syringe includes a single arm, preferably at its first end, positioned generally perpendicular to the barrel. The operating cylinder includes a passage from its second end towards its first end which permits movement of the single arm from a position at the operating cylinders second end to a point near its first end. At its first end, the operating cylinder provides a thumb rest. Centered within the operating cylinder proximate its first end is the plunger of the syringe. Thus, in operation, the needle of the syringe is inserted into the body at the distal portion of the portion of the body to receive the therapeutic agent and the single arm of the syringe drawn toward the thumb rest of the operating cylinder. This natural movement, generated by the thumb outstretched as a backing and the index finger drawing the arm toward the thumb, provides dispersion of the medicant along the needle's path while simultaneously withdrawing the needle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention involves an improvement of delivery of an injection through a zone of a body. More particularly, the invention involves a syringe for the delivery and injection of therapeutic agents, solutions or injectates over a portion of bodily tissue rather than in a single location, which apparently functioning as a conventional syringe.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, in a preferred embodiment the invention100includes a barrel120, and an operating cylinder130. In operation, a needle110is affixed to the barrel120. Needle110may be permanently affixed to barrel120or may be replaceable and affixed only during use. The barrel120includes a barrel single arm121. The barrel120is at least partially positioned with the operating cylinder130, which has an operating cylinder wall136defining an inner diameter nearly equivalent to the outer diameter of the barrel120but with sufficient allowance to permit the barrel120to slide easily within operating cylinder130. When the invention100is fully contracted, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, the barrel120is almost entirely within operating cylinder130. Operating cylinder130includes at its first end133a thumb rest131that provides a natural location for a user to position a thumb.

Referring toFIG. 3, depicting the invention100in the extended position, barrel single arm121is passes through operating cylinder arm passage134near operating cylinder second end132, thus positioning barrel120at the point most distant from the operable end of plunger400(not shown). During the repositioning of the barrel120from the contracted to the extended position, needle110is typically in communication with the medicate, thus drawing the desired volume of medicate into the needle110and the barrel120. The vacuum created by this repositioning of the barrel120and the drawing of medicate into the syringe barrel120is consistent with standard syringe operation.

Referring toFIGS. 4 and 5, unlike conventional syringes where the plunger400extends outside the syringe body and is drawn backwards to create a vacuum to draw the medicate into the barrel120, plunger400of the present invention is integrally affixed internal the operating cylinder130near the operating cylinder first end133, and fixed in relative position to the operating cylinder130. Thus, the movement of the operating cylinder130is consistent with the movement of plunger400into barrel120. The plunger400thus moves only simultaneously in the same direction with the operating cylinder130relative to the barrel120.

Turning toFIGS. 6 and 7, the barrel120of the present invention is further illustrated. The barrel120includes a first end124and a second end123. The needle110communicates with the barrel120at its second end123. The plunger400enters internal passage122of the barrel120at the barrel's first end124. Also, at or near barrel first end124, barrel single arm121is affixed. Communication between barrel120and operating cylinder130is provided at barrel plunger opening125, located adjacent the barrel first end124.

The single sided positioning of the barrel single arm121on barrel120, its extension beyond operating cylinder130and the thumb rest131of operating cylinder cause operation of the syringe invention100to accomplish its intended goal—delivering and injecting a solution along a target site within the body for the treatment of that target site. Traditional syringes which include a ring, dual loop, or other extension at the second end of the barrel, causing operation by the user grasping the barrel of syringe on two sides and causing depression of the plunger by driving the opposing thumb into the barrel. The present invention accomplishes the opposite action. Because the present invention includes a single-sided arm, the user positions one finger about the barrel single arm121, like a trigger, and the outstretched thumb at the thumb rest131at the operating cylinder first end133. The user then maintains the thumb and arm in position while pulling the barrel single arm121like a trigger, i.e. toward the thumb rest131. As a result, the barrel120is driven rearward into plunger400within operating cylinder130. The medicate within barrel120is thus driven into needle110while needle110, along with barrel120is being repositioned toward the operating cylinder first end133and the thumb rest131. The medicate therefore is ejected while the needle110is being withdrawn.

The present invention provides significant advantages over the prior art. When high ph radioisotopes are used in treating illness, it is undesirable for the radioisotope to mix with the blood. Rather, it is desirable to deposit the radioisotope along a line in the tissue, particularly along the path of needle100through the body tissue. It appears the high ph radioisotope typically reacts with the tissue, causing coagulation of the microcapillaries and precluding entry of the radioisotope into the bloodstream. Injection of the total volume of the liquid, however, does cause undesirable loss of the radioisotope into the bloodsteam. Ideally, a plurality of injection lines are utilized, as the range of the radioisotope is quite small, often in the range of six (6) millimeters (mm) on each side of the injection line. A plurality of injection lines, each corresponding to the needle path, therefore, blankets the tumor, with a substantial portion, potentially nearing ninety percent (90%) of the radioisotope remaining in the tumor and being effective there, with only a de minimus portion entering the remainder of the body, in quantities sufficiently low to pose a substantially lower risk of injury that current methods.

The system provides a further benefit is zero pressure differential as the bore of the syringe is equal to or less than the diameter of the needle.

As can be appreciated, the intended operation may be encouraged by providing a surface for thumb rest131, which discourages the user from applying pressure directly to it.

In an alternative embodiment, illustrated inFIG. 8, this operation may be utilized to introduce a liquid through a catheter150, rather than a needle110, while simultaneously withdrawing the catheter150. Such use requires that the barrel120have an external fluid orifice126to provide fluid communication via a piping152, which may be IV tubing, with an external fluid supply151which otherwise provides fluid flow to the catheter150. This may be accomplished by communication of the external fluid supply151to barrel120, preferably by a connection passing through a liquid supply passage135wherein liquid supply passage135is aligned with external fluid orifice125.

Various alternatives and/or modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.