WO1994026333A1

WO1994026333A1 - Ejection means for ejecting a needle placed in connection with a container and a container device comprising such ejection means

Info

Publication number: WO1994026333A1
Application number: PCT/DK1994/000184
Authority: WO
Inventors: Allan Spork; Steve Mcgugan
Original assignee: Radiometer Medical A/S
Priority date: 1993-05-13
Filing date: 1994-05-09
Publication date: 1994-11-24
Also published as: DK55693D0

Abstract

The ejection means (100) comprises an elongate jacket (10) configured to, at least partially, surround the container (2), and an ejection member (12) located substantially inside the jacket (10). The ejection member (12) extends in the longitudinal direction of the jacket (10) from a first end of the jacket (10) to an opposite second end, the ejection member (12) being partially exposed at said second end prior to ejecting the needle (8). Through pressure on the member at the second end of the jacket (10) in the direction of the first end of the jacket (10), the ejection member (12) is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the jacket (10) for abutting against and ejecting the needle (8). The ejection means (100) is applicable for generally all types of sampling devices, such as devices with containers (2) of the type with built-in measuring chambers (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) or containers of the piston syringe type.

Description

EJECTION MEANS FOR EJECTING A NEEDLE PLACED IN CONNECTION WITH A CONTAINER AND A CONTAINER DEVICE COMPRISING SUCH EJECTION MEANS

The invention relates to an ejection means for ejecting a needle placed in connection with a container and a container device comprising such ejection means.

When performing blood sampling through puncture, in which case a needle connected to a sample container is connected to a patient's blood circulation, there is a risk of the user accidentally getting pricked by the needle. The same risk exists in connection with injec¬ tion of e.g. medicine, in which case a liquid in a syringe container is transferred to a patient through a needle. It is therefore desirable to be able to remove the used needle from the container without the user getting in touch with the needle. For this purpose various ejection means have been developed which may eject a used needle from the end of the container.

Ejection means for two-handed operation as well as for one-handed operation are available. Such ejection means are disclosed in several places and thus, are known from e.g. :

Spencer, T.A. in the specification of USA patent No. US4907600,

Sultan, B. in the specification of French patent appli¬ cation No. FR2647351, Harsh, D.J. et al. in the specification of USA patent No. US4904244,

Jensen, A. and Johansen, T. in the specification of International patent application No. WO89/05118, and Beiser, L. in the specification of USA patent No. US4822343. These ejection means comprise parts placed on the out¬ side of the container. However, the location of the parts may impede the handling of the container device and in certain cases make it difficult to take proper hold of it. Particularly when the parts of the ejection means project to a considerable extent radially in relation to the container it may become necessary to turn the container in a certain way while in use, to prevent these parts from getting in the way.

The following example will illustrate this: When performing the type of arterial blood sampling for which one uses a container device with a sample con¬ tainer being filled by means of the patient's arterial blood pressure, it is recommended that the bevel of the puncturing needle is turned upwards and that the needle is kept in a slant position (30°/45°). In case of con¬ tainer devices without protruding parts the needle may be mounted with a random position of the bevel, the device simply being rotated so that the needle is turned in the correct position. An example of a con¬ tainer device of this type is Arterial Blood Sampler QS90^™ manufactured and sold by Radiometer A/S, Copenhagen. Container devices with parts projecting significantly, as described above, may however not just be rotated as the projecting parts may get in the way of the blood sampling. Consequently, in these cases the needle must be positioned in a certain way in relation to the protruding parts, which further impedes the handling of the container device.

Furthermore, due to the exterior location of the above mentioned ejection means the risk of releasing the ejection means by accident is considerable. Besides, most of the above mentioned ejection means are con- figured to be released close to the place where the needle is mounted. This is most inexpedient as it in¬ creases the risk of the user getting in touch with the needle.

An internal means for ejecting a needle from a syringe after use is disclosed in French patent application No. FR2662362, Jeantheau, S. The interior plunger of the syringe has been extended to the effect that when the plunger bottoms it will reach out through the cone on which the needle is mounted and push the needle off. This means is thus released far from the needle, and the risk of its getting released by accident is small, but the ejection means has the great disadvantage that the container must be emptied before the needle is ejected. Also, this means is only applicable for piston syringes.

The object of the invention is to provide an ejection means for the ejection of a used needle overcoming the above mentioned disadvantages in a simple manner. This is obtained by the ejection means according to the invention which is characteristic in that the ejection means comprises an elongate jacket configured to at least partially surround the container and an ejection member located substantially inside the jacket and extending in the longitudinal direction of the jacket from a first end of the jacket to an opposite second end, said ejection member being partially exposed at said second end prior to ejecting the needle, and that, through pressure on the ejection member at the second end of the jacket in the direction of the first end of the jacket, the ejection member is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the jacket for abutting against and ejecting the needle. The ejection means according to the invention may be applied for generally speaking all types of container devices. The parts of the ejection means - the jacket and the ejection member - may be shaped in relation to the container and the use of the container device, but the very functioning of the ejection means is indepen¬ dent of the form of the container.

The fact that the ejection member is located substan- tially inside the jacket is to be understood in the way that almost all of the ejection member is covered by the jacket - only a small part is relatively easily accessible from the outside for activation of the means. Thus, the member is not projecting inconvenient- ly from the container device and cannot easily be acti¬ vated by accident. This presents the advantage that the handling of the container device, e.g. positioning when in use, is not impeded by the shape of the ejection means, but depends on the shape of the container device proper, the prescribed use of the needle, etc. Further, the location of the ejection member inside the jacket ensures that the risk of an unintentional ejection of the needle is minimized.

By the described design of the ejection means according to the invention the significant advantage is obtained that the activation of the ejection means (the pressure on the ejection member) is effected far from the place where the needle is mounted. In this way the risk of the user getting in touch with the needle is minimized.

The partial exposure of the ejection member at the second end of the jacket may be achieved by for in¬ stance providing the jacket with a bevel or a cut in this end, thus giving access to the ejection member. The exposure may also be obtained by letting the member project a little over the edge of the jacket.

The jacket does not necessarily have to surround the container completely, but may cover part of the ex¬ terior surface of the container, for instance surround the container part of its length or cover one of its sides. Furthermore, the jacket may take many different shapes, like e.g. a circular or angular tube, or just consist of a plate placed over part of the container, and it may be provided in one more parts.

The material for the jacket may comprise plastic, metal, etc. In cases where the ejection means is to be used in connection with a container device for sam¬ pling, it may be advantageous to manufacture the jacket of a transparent material, thus making it possible to observe when the sample container has been filled.

To ensure that the ejection member will not bend under the jacket instead of being pushed towards and ejecting the needle when the ejection means is activated through pressure on the ejection member at the second end of the jacket, the member must be of a certain rigidity. This may e.g. be achieved by selecting a relatively stiff material and/or by giving the member a stiffening shape. Otherwise, the shape of the ejection member may be chosen practically at random, e.g. narrow, wide, thin, thick or with a varying width and/or thickness. In a preferred embodiment of the ejection means the ejection member is of varying width, widest at the second end of the jacket and decreasing in the direc¬ tion of the first end of the jacket. In this way the ejection member may be designed having a large width at the second end of the jacket where the ejection means is released and tapering off towards the first end of the jacket ending at a width large enough to eject the needle, but not large enough to appear unhandy. When preferred, the ejection member may also be provided in one or more parts.

The needle may e.g. be mounted on a cone at one end of the container establishing a connection between the container and the needle through the cone. Alternative- ly, the needle may be mounted at a cone positioned at the first end of the ejection means from where there is connection with the container. In the latter case it may be advantageous that the needle is a double-ended needle extending from outside through the cone to the interior of the container.

The invention further relates to a container device comprising a container with a projection positioned at a first end, said projection having a through-going conduit and being configured for the mounting of a needle in order to provide a connection between the needle and the container, the container device compris¬ ing an ejection means for ejecting the needle. This container device is characteristic in that the ejection means includes an elongate jacket at least partially surrounding the container and an ejection member pos¬ itioned substantially inside the jacket between the jacket and the container and extending in the longi¬ tudinal direction of the jacket from a first end of the jacket positioned at the first end of the container to an opposite second end, said ejection member being partially exposed at said second end prior to ejecting the needle, and that, through pressure on the ejection member at the second end of the jacket in the direction of the first end of the jacket, the ejection member is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the jacket for abutting against and ejecting the needle.

The jacket of the ejection means and the container may be manufactured as separate parts which are later as¬ sembled to obtain the container device, or they may be provided in one piece, e.g. through injection moulding. It is further possible to manufacture part of the jacket in one piece with the container, and the rest of the jacket as a separate piece which is then assembled with the other parts. Furthermore, the container device may be designed to the effect that the jacket (or part of same) and the container are separable after the ejection of the needle. Further, the ejection means may be designed with different embodiments of the jacket and the ejection member, corresponding to the embodi¬ ments described above.

The container device may e.g. consist of a sampling device in which case the container is a container for collection of the sample, or consist of an injection device in which case the container is a container of the piston syringe type for injection of liquid. For sampling devices the container may in one embodiment function as a collecting chamber or, in an alternative embodiment, it may comprise one or more measuring chambers, thus allowing the sample to be measured with¬ out having to transfer the sample to a separate measur¬ ing chamber.

In the following the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of a container device in the form of a sampling device with an ejection means according to the invention for ejecting a used needle,

Fig. la shows a cross section along the line I-I in Fig. 1 on a larger scale.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic presentation showing the ejec¬ tion of a used needle from the sampling device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of the sampling device shown in Fig. 1, after the ejection of the needle and the addition of a cap,

Fig. 4a and 4b show sectional views of the sampling device shown in Fig. 2, after separation of same into two parts,

Fig. 5 shows a schematic sectional view of a sampling device with an ejection means according to the inven¬ tion for ejecting a used needle, and

Fig. 6 shows a schematic sectional view of a different container device in the form of a conventional syringe with an ejection means according to the invention for ejecting a used needle.

Fig. l shows a container device 1 in the form of a disposable sampling device. The device l is provided with an ejection means 100 according to the invention by which the user may remove a needle after sampling without getting in touch with the polluted needle. The sampling device 1 comprises a sample container 2 in two parts, 2a and 2b, made of a transparent material, e.g. through injection moulding of polyethylene terephtalate (PETP) . After assembling of the parts 2a and 2b by means of ultrasonic welding, these form an internal through-going sample conduit 3 which is connected to an inlet cone 4 at one end and opens into a coupling means 7 at the other end. The inlet cone 4 is prepared for the mounting of a needle 8 of the type which is usually applied for blood sampling and comprising a puncture needle fixed on a needle socket 9. The needle socket 9 is pushed in over the inlet cone 4 and has an external annular flange 22 at the end opposite to the needle. The coupling means 7 is prepared for being connected with a traditional piston syringe used as aid at sam¬ pling in special situations, e.g. when a patient has a very low blood pressure. Directly before the coupling means 7 the sample conduit has a hydrophobic filter 6 stopping the sample and preventing it from running out of the sample container 2 through the coupling means 7 during filling of the conduit 3. The sample conduit 3 is locally extended for forming measuring chambers 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d for optical measurement of C0₂, pH, 0₂ and tHb (total hemoglobin) , respectively. The measuring chambers 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d have been configured to function together with a corresponding analyzer, for instance as described in International Patent Appli¬ cation WO 90/07106, Radiometer A/S.

The means 100 for ejecting the needle comprises a jacket 10 consisting of a tube 10a and a ring 10b coup- led to it, both made of polypropylene (PP) , and an ejection member 12 of styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) . Preferably, the jacket 10 is transparent like the sam¬ ple container 2, thus making it possible to visually register when the sample conduit 3 is full. The tube 10a and the ring 10b are assembled through a snap-fit mechanism consisting of a tab 18 positioned in continu¬ ation of the tube 10a engaging a corresponding hole in the ring 10b. By means of the snap-fit mechanism the tube 10a and the ring 10b are firmly engaged during the entire sampling procedure. At the end opposite to the ring 10b the tube 10a is provided with a bevel 11.

On its inner side the tube 10a has longitudinal flanges 16, 17 (see Fig. la) forming two opposite grooves 15, into which the sample container 2 is pushed when manu¬ facturing the sampling device 1. The flanges 16, 17 and the groove 15 function as guides for the sample con¬ tainer 2 in the tube 10a. The ring 10b also has inner flanges 20 aligned with the flanges 16, 17 in the tube 10a. The fitting between the sample container 2 and the flanges 20 is so accurate that the sample container 2 is kept in engagement with the ring 10b, but not with the tube 10a when the tube 10a and the ring 10b are separated, as described below.

The ejection member 12 is located between the inner surface of the jacket 10 and the flanges 17 and 20. The flanges 17, 20 function as guides for the ejection member 12, so that the member 12 cannot be displaced transversely to the jacket 10, but only in the longi¬ tudinal direction of the sampling device 1. The member 12 is only directly accessible from the outside at the bevel 11 at the end of the tube 10a. The width of the member 12 varies over its length, the member 12 thus being widest at the bevel 11 and becoming narrower in the direction approaching the needle 8, so that in this end it may pass between the ring 10b and the sample container 2. The member 12 has a curved shape, which contributes to making it more rigid in the longitudinal direction, and at the bevel 11 the outer side of the member 12 follows the inner side of the tube 10a, the member 12 thus generally covering the entire bevel 11. The travel of the member 12 in the jacket 10 is limited in both directions, i.a. by means of a projection 13 running in a groove 14 in the tube 10a.

After blood sampling the ejection of the needle is performed in the following way, see Fig. 2: The sam¬ pling device 1 is held in one hand over a suitable waste container 70 and the needle ejection means 100 is released by means of the thumb simply by pressing down the part of the ejection member 12 exposed at the bevel 11 in the direction of the needle 8 (cf. the arrow in Fig. 2) . In this manner the front edge 21 of the member 12 is pushed for abutment against part of the flange 22 of the needle socket 9 and the needle 8 is ejected.

Fig. 3 shows the sampling device 1 after the ejection of the needle 8. A dashed marking 25 illustrates where the needle 8 and the needle socket 9 were placed on the cone 4. The sampling device 1 is now provided with a cap 23 which protects the inlet cone 4 and which is used during the further handling, cf. the following. The cap 23 is held engaged with the ring 10b by means of several internal projections 24 engaging an annular projection 19 on the ring 10b.

As appears from Fig. 3, the inner side of the cap 23 is configured in such a way that the tab 18 is pushed inwards when the cap 23 is placed over the ring 10b. The tab 18 has been displaced in inwards direction sufficiently to release the engagement between the tab 18 (and thus the tube 10a) and the ring 10b. Now, by holding on to the cap 23 with one hand and to the tube 10a with the other hand, and pulling these apart, the sampling device 1 is separated into two pieces as shown in Fig. 4a and 4b. The cap 23 is shaped to allow the user to get a firm hold of it when the sampling device 1 is to be separated.

The part of the sampling device 1 appearing in Fig. 4a comprises the sample container 2 which is engaged, via the guides 20, with the ring 10b which again is engaged with the cap 23. The outer sides of the measuring chambers 5a - 5d, which were protected by the tube 10a from influence from the outside during sampling and handling of the sampling device 1, are now readily accessible, thus allowing the establishment of contact between the measuring chambers 5a - 5d and correspond- ing measuring instruments when the part of the sampling device 1 shown in the figure is placed in a correspond¬ ing analyzer.

Fig. 4b shows the other part of the sampling device 1 consisting of the tube 10a and the ejection member 12. These parts are of no further use and may be thrown away or possibly re-used.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic sectional view through a sam- pling device with an ejection means 100 according to the invention. The sampling device 30 comprises a sample container 32 with a sample chamber 33 closed by an elastic, pierceable membrane 31. The container 32 is located inside a jacket 40, in which it is fixed by not-shown devices corresponding to the guides 17 and 20 in the sampling device 1 described above. The sampling device 30 has a cone 44 formed at one end of the jacket 40. The cone 44 has been prepared for the mounting of a needle 38 consisting of a double-ended puncture needle mounted on a needle socket 39 with an exterior, annular flange 37. As appears from Fig. 5, the needle 38 will penetrate the membrane 31 on the sample container 32 when placed on the cone, thus establishing a connection from the outer point of the needle 38 to the sample chamber 33. At the end opposite to the cone 44 the jacket 40 is provided with a bevel 41. Between the jacket 40 and the sample container 32 an ejection mem¬ ber 42 is located which is displaceable only in the longitudinal direction of the sampling device 30. The member 42 is only readily accessible from the outside at the bevel 41. In this embodiment the jacket 40 of the ejection means is not a separate member, but is integral with the jacket of the sampling device. Thus, the jacket 40 serves to fix the sample container 32 in the sampling device 30 as well as to being part of the ejection means 100 according to the invention.

The operation of the ejection means 100 shown in Fig. 5 is performed in a manner corresponding to the one de- scribed above. When the needle 38 is to be removed, the sampling device 30 is held over a waste container, and by pressing the ejection member 42 downwards at the bevel 41, the front edge 43 of the member is pushed towards the flange 37 of the needle socket 39 and the needle 38 is ejected.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic sectional view of a container device 50 in the form of a syringe device with an ejec¬ tion means 100 according to the invention. The syringe device 50 comprises a container 52 with a chamber 53. In the sample container a displaceable plunger 56 is mounted in a piston rod 55. Between the piston rod 55 and the plunger 56 a seal ring 57 is located securing that liquid in the camber 53 will not run out of the syringe device 50 between the plunger 56 and the con- tainer 52. At the end shown in the drawing as the lower end the container 52 has a cone 54 prepared for the mounting of a needle of the type described above in relation to Fig. 1 - 4b.

The ejection means 100 of the syringe device 50 com¬ prises a jacket 60 and an ejection member 62 located between the jacket 60 and the container 52 and dis¬ placeable in the longitudinal direction of the syringe 50. Like the sampling devices described above the syr¬ inge device 50 has means (not shown) securing a captur¬ ing between the jacket 60 of ejection means 100 and the container 52. At the end shown in the drawing as the upper end the container 52 has a bevel 61. Further, at this end the container 52 has an annular outwardly projecting flange 51, which extends at right angles to the drawing over the delimitations of the jacket 60. Consequently, the emptying of the chamber 53 may be done in the usual way by pressing the piston rod 55 into the container 52 simultaneously holding counter at the flange 51. The ejection of the needle 8 is per¬ formed in exactly the same way as described above, i.e. by activating the ejection member 62 at the bevel 61, and displacing the member 62 towards the needle 8, which is ejected when the front edge 63 of the member 62 hits the flange 22 of the needle socket 9.

The emptying of the chamber 53 and the ejection of the needle 8 are two quite independent steps which do not have to take place in a fixed order. Thus, the ejection means 100 may be used with sampling syringes as well as with syringes for injection of medicine, or the like.

As appears from the above the ejection means according the invention is extremely easy to operate with one hand, and the releasing of the means is located far from the needle, so that the user is in no danger of getting in touch with the latter. Due to the special design the means will in no way impede the use of the sampling devices 1, 30 or the syringe 50 as there are no projecting parts which make particular demands to the handling of the devices as compared to the handling of traditional sampling devices or syringes. Further¬ more, the ejection part proper - the front edge 21, 43, 63 of the ejection member 12, 42, 62 - is protected inside the jacket 10, 40, 60 right until the moment when the needle is to be removed, thus eliminating the risk of the needle being ejected through an occasional, inexpedient activation of the ejection member.

The relatively simple design of the ejection means according to the invention makes it applicable for generally speaking all container devices from which it must be possible to remove a used needle in a way safe enough to prevent the user from getting in touch with the needle.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Ejection means (100) for ejecting a needle (8,38) arranged in connection with a container (2,32,52) c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the ejection means (100) comprises an elongate jacket (10,40,60) configured to at least partially surround the container (2,32,52) and an ejection member (12,42,62) located substantially inside the jacket (10,40,60) and extending in the longitudinal direction of the jacket (10,40,60) from a first end of the jacket (10,40,60) to an opposite second end, said ejection member (12,42,62) being partially exposed at said second end prior to ejecting the needle (8,38), and that, through pressure on the ejection member (12,42,62) at the second end of the jacket (10,40,60) in the direction of the first end of the jacket (10,40,60), the ejection member (12,42,62) is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the jacket (10,40,60) for abutting against and ejecting the needle (8,38).

2. Ejection means (100) according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the partial exposure of the ejection member (12,42,62) is made up of a bevel (11,41,61) of the jacket (10,40,60) at its second end.

3. Ejection means (100) according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the jacket (10,40,60) has a tube-shaped, sub¬ stantially circular exterior.

4. Ejection means (100) according to any one of claims 1 - 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the jacket (10,40,60) is transparent.

5. Ejection means (100) according to any one of claims 1 - 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the ejection member (12,42,62) is of varying width, widest at the second end of the jacket

(10,40,60) and decreasing in the direction of the first end of the jacket (10,40,60).

6. Ejection means (100) according to any one of claims 1 - 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the needle (8) is mounted on a cone (4,54) at one end of the container (2,52).

7. Ejection means (100) according to any one of claims 1 - 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the ejection means (100) at the first end of the jacket (40) has a cone (44) configured for the mounting of the needle (38) .

8. Ejection means (100) according to claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the needle (38) is a double-ended needle.

9. Container device (1,50) comprising a container (2,52) with a projection (4,54) positioned at a first end, said projection (4,54) having a through-going conduit and being configured for the mounting of a needle (8) in order to provide a connection between the needle (8) and the con¬ tainer (2,52), the container device (1,50) com¬ prising an ejection means (100) for ejecting the needle (8) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the ejection means (100) includes an elongate jacket (10,60) at least partially surrounding the container (2,52) and an ejection member (12,62) positioned substantially inside the jacket (10,60) between the jacket (10,60) and the container

(2,52) and extending in the longitudinal direction of the jacket (10,60) from a first end of the jacket (10,60) positioned at the first end of the container (2,52) to an opposite second end, said ejection member (12,62) being partially exposed at said second end prior to ejecting the needle (8) , and that, through pressure on the ejection member (12,62) at the second end of the jacket (10,60) in the direction of the first end of the jacket

(10,60), the ejection member (12,62) is displace¬ able in the longitudinal direction of the jacket (10,60) for abutting against and ejecting the needle (8) .

10. Container device (1,50) according to claim 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the partial exposure of the ejection member (12,62) provided by a bevel (11,61) of the jacket (10,60) at its second end.

11. Container device (1,50) according to claim 9 or 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the jacket (10,60) has a tube-shaped, sub¬ stantially circular exterior.

12. Container device (1,50) according to any one of claims 9 - 11, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the jacket (10,60) is transparent.

13. Container device (1,50) according to any one of claims 9 - 12, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the ejection means (12,62) is of varying width, widest at the second end of the jacket (10,60) and decreasing in direction towards the first end of the jacket (10,60).

14. Container device (1,50) according to any one of claims 9 - 13, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the container (2,52) is a container for col¬ lection of a sample.

15. Container device (1) according to claim 14, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the container (2) has at least one measuring chamber (5a,5b,5c,5d) .

16. Container device (50) according to any one of claims 9 - 13, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in, that the container is a piston syringe.