PROCEDURE FOR PUMPING MEDICAL SUBSTANCE AND MEDICINE CONTAINER FOR APPLYING THE PROCEDURE

Abstract: A procedure and a container for dispensing a medical substance or another liquid with the aid of a needle (6) into or under the skin of a patient. Medical substance is conducted from the medicine container (1) with the aid of a pump through a tube (2), attached to one end of the medicine container, into the needle (6). The tube (2) is incorporated in a pump, a stopper (3) provided in the container (1) sliding within the container (1) by effect of the vacuum created by the pump, towards that end of the container on which the tube has been attached.

Description: Procedure for pumping medical substance and medicine container for applying the procedure The present invention concerns a procedure for dispensing a medical substance or another liquid with the aid of a needle into or under a patient's skin, medical substance being conducted from a medicine container with the aid of a pump through a tube attached to one end of the medicine container into the needle. The invention also con¬ cerns a medicine container to one end of which a tube has been con¬ nected. The medicine container is appropriate to be used e.g. in conjunction with an insulin pump, in which case the container is filled with insulin in advance. The pump may also be used to an¬ other purpose, the container then being filled with another medical substance or with a reagent. In equivalent insulin pumps of prior art an injection syringe is commonly used which has been filled with insulin. To this syringe has detachably been fixed a catheter carrying a needle on its ex¬ tension. Most commonly the medical substance, insulin for instance, is expelled from such syringes in that a plunger in the container is mechanically depressed and this plunger presses the desired quantity of insulin or other substance into the tube and through the needle in its extension e.g. into the skin. The procedure of the present invention is characterized in that the tube is incorporated in a pump, a stopper provided within the con¬ tainer sliding in the container by effect of the vacuum from the pump towards that end of the container on which the tube has been attached. The medicine container of the invention is mainly charac¬ terized in that on the other end of the container has been provid¬ ed, with tightly sealing fit, a stopper which is slidable axially • within the container. The invention is applicable in conjunction with any conceivable type of pump. The container of the invention is intended to be OMP - * _ single-use, i.e., discardable, in itself. If necessary, it may also be used several times. It can be sterilized as a whole when filled either with medical substance, reagent or another solution, or prior to filling. The container can be installed as it is in the pump, and the pumping effect is achieved by installing the tube component of the container in a particular tube pump. When the tube pump is pumping e.g. insulin into the skin, the stopper follows along with the liquid as the container is being emptied so that there is no free air between the liquid and the stopper. This entails the following advantages:- 1. Firstly, there is never any chance for entry of air in the tube from the container; air is in itself dangerous when pumped into the skin or into the body elsewhere; 2. Particulary great advantage is herefrom derived in that the in¬ sulin cannot, so to say, slosh around in the container and thereby become spoiled. It is known that for instance shaking insulin results in a degree of deterioration of the insulin and weakening of its effect, e.g. in that it may crystallize. Since the container constitutes a part e.g. of an insulin pump, it can be conveniently attached to the pump and upon being emptied, discarded and replaced with another similar container. Most usually this container can be used e.g. in connection with an insulin pump from three to five days, with the consequence that the container's capacity may be such that 100-200 units of insulin can be suitably accommodated therein. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the container, tube and needle are integral with each other. When the liquid, e.g. insulin, in the container has been used up, the container with tube and needle is detached from the pump and discarded, and it is replaced with a new container comprising integrally a stopper, tube and needle. The invention and its details are more closely described in the following, referring to the attached drawing, wherein:- Fig. 1 presents a means according to the invention, Fig. 2 presents schematically a means according to the invention, fitted to a tube pump, and Fig. 3 shows more closely a detail of the tube pump. The medicine container of the invention comprises a container part 1, having as extension on one end a resilient tube 2. The juncture 13 of the tube 2 and the container 1 is fixed, and the tube cannot be detached from the container like an injection needle for in¬ stance can be detached from the syringe or a catheter from a syringe or equivalent. This makes for greater safety. The juncture of the container 1 and tube 2 can be accomplished e.g. by gluing, by ultrasonic welding or by another equivalent procedure. It is to advantage in most instances if the container has been made e.g. by die-casting of a fairly hard plastic material, while the tube con¬ sists of elastic material, but one which all the same well retains its calibre. The other end of the container part 1 has been closed with a stopper 3, which is enabled to slide in the container freely, but which is free of leakage in spite of this. For this reason, the stopper has been made of a slippery and somewhat elastic material . The sliding ability of the stopper has been augmented by providing on the lower rim of the stopper a particular sealing ring 4 and in the top part of the stopper, a guide ring 5, which keeps the stopper accurately aligned with the longitudinal axis of the con¬ tainer. In this instance, the portion 12 between the rings 5 and 6 does not contact the inner wall of the container. The tube 2 terminates in a needle 6, which can be pushed into or under the skin. A brace 7 has been provided at the junction of needle 6 and tube 2, by the aid of which the needle and tube may be secured to the skin e.g. with adhesive tape. When using the medicine container of the invention, it is incorpo¬ rated e.g. as shown in Fig. 2 in conjunction with a tube pump 8 known in itself in the art, i.e., a peristaltic pump, so that the - &E OMPI tube 2 passes trough the pump. In Fig. 3 has been shown in greater detail a detail of the tube pump. The pump comprises a rotating disk 9 carrying rollers 10 on ' its circumference. As the disk 9 rotates, the rollers 10 squeeze the tube 2 flat at the roller against a cylindrical counterface 11, whereby liquid inside the tube will be pumped towards one end of the tube. As the pump 8 pumps liquid from the container 1 through the tube 2 towards the needle 6, the stopper 3 of the container follows along with the liquid and moves towards the tube-side end of the container. The container of the invention may, if required, be placed inside a protective cartridge or socket so that for instance the stopper in the container cannot inadvertently be mechanically depressed. OMPI

Claims: Claims 1. Procedure for dispensing medical substance or another liquid through a needle (6) into or under a patient's skin, medical sub¬ stance being conducted from a medicine container (1) by the aid of a pump (8) through a tube (2) fixed on one end of the medicine con¬ tainer and into a needle (6), characterized in that the tube (2) is incorporated in the pump (8), a stopper (3) provided in the con¬ tainer (1) sliding within the container (1) by effect of the vacuum created by the pump, towards that end of the container on which the tube has been fixed. 2. Medicine container (1), on one end of which a tube (2) has been fixed, characterized in that on the other end of the container (1) has been provided, with close clearance, a stopper (3) which is slidable axially within the container. 3. Medicine container according to claim 2, characterized in that the side walls of the stopper have been given such shape that the stopper presents, mutually spaced, two or more surfaces (5,6), preferably annular, contacting the inner wall of the container, whereby the part (12) of the stopper's side wall lying between the surfaces in contact with the inner wall of the container is out of contact with the side wall of the container. 4. Medicine container according to claim 3, characterized in that of two surfaces on the stopper contacting the inner wall of the container that (4) which is closer to the end of the container (1) adjacent to the tube (2) serves as sealing face and that which is farthest away from the end adjacent to the tube serves as guiding surface. 5. Medicine container according to any one of claims 2-4, charac¬ terized in that the juncture .(13) between the tube (2) and the con¬ tainer (13) is integral. 6. Medicine container according to claim 5, characterized in that the needle (6) is integrally affixed to the tube (2).

Inventors: EKHOLM PERTTI, SUOVANIEMI OSMO, EKHOLM, PERTTI, SUOVANIEMI, OSMO
Applicants: LABSYSTEMS OY
Application year: 1983
Main classification: A61M5
IPC codes: A61M5