(19)
(11)EP 2 836 258 B1

(12)EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45)Mention of the grant of the patent:
02.12.2020 Bulletin 2020/49

(21)Application number: 13775115.2

(22)Date of filing:  08.04.2013
(51)International Patent Classification (IPC): 
A61M 5/20(2006.01)
A61M 5/145(2006.01)
A61M 5/34(2006.01)
A61M 5/315(2006.01)
A61M 5/24(2006.01)
A61M 5/28(2006.01)
(86)International application number:
PCT/US2013/035666
(87)International publication number:
WO 2013/155012 (17.10.2013 Gazette  2013/42)

(54)

VIAL DOSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

PHIOLENDOSIERSYSTEME UND VERFAHREN

SYSTÈMES DE DOSAGE DE FLACONS ET PROCÉDÉS ASSOCIÉS


(84)Designated Contracting States:
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR

(30)Priority: 09.04.2012 US 201261686610 P

(43)Date of publication of application:
18.02.2015 Bulletin 2015/08

(73)Proprietor: Becton, Dickinson and Company
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417-1880 (US)

(72)Inventors:
  • BATES, James
    Sparta, New Jersey 07817 (US)
  • LAWRENCE, Doug
    Kinnelon, New Jersey 07405 (US)
  • ROSEN, Edward
    Morristown, New Jersey 07405 (US)
  • BANIK, Robert
    Edgewater, New Jersey 07020 (US)

(74)Representative: dompatent von Kreisler Selting Werner - Partnerschaft von Patent- und Rechtsanwälten mbB 
Deichmannhaus am Dom Bahnhofsvorplatz 1
50667 Köln
50667 Köln (DE)


(56)References cited: : 
EP-B1- 0 937 471
WO-A1-2011/095478
US-A- 6 003 566
US-A1- 2006 079 834
US-A1- 2010 312 046
WO-A1-2010/053570
WO-A2-03/072162
US-A1- 2002 107 481
US-A1- 2010 286 613
US-A1- 2011 230 834
  
      
    Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention).


    Description

    Field of the Invention



    [0001] The present invention relates generally to vial dosing systems and methods. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vial dosing device that attaches to a vial to withdraw medicament directly from the vial.

    Background of the Invention



    [0002] In certain circumstances, it is desirable to inject medication directly into human tissue. In the contemporary art, a user draws liquid medicament from a vial using a syringe needle and then injects the medicament into a tissue layer using the same syringe needle.

    [0003] The contemporary art, however, requires that the user have access to a vial and a separate syringe each time an injection is necessary. Accordingly, the user must carry the vial and one or more syringes on his or her person at all times.

    [0004] Moreover, the user must repeat the tiresome process of drawing the desired medicament dose from the vial with a syringe needle and then injecting the medicament into a tissue layer using the syringe needle each time an injection is required. If, instead of using a new syringe needle for each injection, the user repeatedly pierces the septum of a vial using the same syringe needle, the syringe needle can dull quickly.

    [0005] Additionally, contemporary medical vials generally provide unobstructed access to any syringe for the withdrawal of medicament. Often, drugs are offered in multiple concentrations in different medical vials. Medical delivery problems can arise when a syringe with scale markings designed for a higher concentration of a particular drug is inadvertently used to withdraw a lower concentration version of the drug from the vial, or vice versa. More specifically, this can lead to an improper dosage being administered to the patient.

    [0006] Accordingly, there is a need for a vial dosing device that is fixedly attached to a vial. Such a device can eliminate the need for a user to carry a separate syringe, and can also safeguard against using a vial with a particular concentration of medicament in combination with an improperly marked syringe.

    [0007] Moreover, there exists a need for a vial dosing device that incorporates disposable injection needles with optimal sharpness and length, to promote less painful injections.

    [0008] Similarly, there exists a need for a vial dosing device that is less bulky to transport, and can be produced at a lower cost than separate syringes.

    [0009] US 2006/0079834 A1 discloses a syringe device for mixing and administering medication having a fluid passageway extending through a piston of the syringe.

    Summary of the Invention



    [0010] The subject matter of the invention is defined by each of independent claims 1 and 13.

    [0011] An aspect of embodiments of the present invention is to substantially address the above and other concerns, and provide a vial dosing device that is fixedly attached to a vial to eliminate the need for a user to carry a separate syringe and safeguard against improper connections between a syringe and unobstructed vials.

    [0012] Another aspect of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a vial dosing device that incorporates disposable injection needles with optimal sharpness and length to promote a less painful injection.

    [0013] Another aspect of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a vial dosing device that is less bulky to transport and can be produced at a lower cost than separate syringes.

    [0014] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a vial dosing device, including a connecting body couplable to a vial, a cannulated plunger having a proximal end coupled to the connecting body, a dose chamber adapted to slidably receive a distal end of the cannulated plunger and to expel medicament through a distal end of the dose chamber, and a plunger tip check valve coupled to the cannulated plunger and adapted for fluid flow from the cannulated plunger through the plunger tip check valve into the dose chamber.

    [0015] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are also achieved by providing a combination, including a vial dosing device and a vial. The vial dosing device includes a connecting body coupled to the vial, a cannulated plunger having a proximal end coupled to the connecting body, a dose chamber adapted to slidably receive a distal end of the cannulated plunger and to expel medicament through a distal end of the dose chamber, and a plunger tip check valve coupled to the cannulated plunger and adapted for fluid flow from the cannulated plunger through the plunger tip check valve into the dose chamber. The cannulated plunger is substantially enclosed by the connecting body. The connecting body is at least partially enclosed by the vial.

    [0016] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are also achieved by providing a method of using a vial dosing device, including coupling a connecting body to a medical vial containing medicament, and displacing a cannulated plunger proximally with respect to the dose chamber to withdraw a dose of medicament from the medical vial into the dose chamber through a plunger tip check valve coupled to the cannulated plunger. A proximal end of the cannulated plunger is coupled to the connecting body. A distal end of the cannulated plunger is slidably received in the dose chamber.

    [0017] Additional and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description that follows, or will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

    Brief Description of the Drawings



    [0018] The various objects, advantages and novel features of illustrative embodiments of the present invention will be more readily appreciated from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

    Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vial dosing device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, in combination with a vial and a needle ;

    Figs. 2A-C illustrate operation of the vial dosing device of Fig. 1;

    Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the vial dosing device of Fig. 1 and a manual pump in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, in combination with a vial and a needle;

    Figs. 4A-C are views of an illustrative embodiment of a manual pump in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and

    Figs. 5A-F illustrate a submerged vial dosing device in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, in combination with a vial and a needle.


    Detailed Description of the Illustrative Embodiments



    [0019] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, there are numerous ways of carrying out the examples, improvements, and arrangements of a vial dosing device in accordance with embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein. Although reference will be made to the illustrative embodiments depicted in the drawings and the following descriptions, the embodiments disclosed herein are not meant to be exhaustive of the various alternative designs and embodiments that are encompassed by the disclosed invention.

    [0020] Although various persons (for example, but not limited to, a patient or a healthcare professional) can operate or use illustrative embodiments of the present invention, for brevity an operator or user will be referred to as a "user" hereinafter.

    [0021] In illustrative embodiments of the present invention described herein, a "distal" direction refers to a direction toward an injection site, and a "proximal" direction refers to a direction away from an injection site, although such directions are not limiting.

    [0022] Illustrative embodiments in accordance with the present invention are depicted in Figs. 1-5. According to one embodiment, a vial dosing device is coupled to a vial and can be used with any needles known in the art, including, but not limited to, a standard disposable injection needle, such as a standard pen needle or a double-ended pen needle. Such needles can inject liquid medicament into a layer of tissue or other injection site. Double-ended pen needles are preferred because they can provide sharper ends and a less painful injection. A vial can be any vial known in the art, including, but not limited to, a medical vial.

    [0023] Figs. 1 and 2A-C depict an illustrative embodiment of a vial dosing device 10 in combination with a vial 50 and a needle 55. The vial dosing device 10 includes a needle adapter 15, a dose chamber septum 20, a dose chamber 25, a plunger tip check valve 30, a cannulated plunger 35 on which the plunger tip check valve 30 is disposed, a venting check valve 40, and a connecting body 45. The needle adapter 15 includes any needle adapter known in the art, including, but not limited to, a threaded pen needle adapter. The plunger tip check valve 30 can include any check valve known in the art, including, but not limited to, a low durometer check valve, or a duck-bill shaped check valve. The venting check valve 40 can include any check valve known in the art, including, but not limited to, a press-in check valve. The connecting body 45 can include any connecting body known in the art, including, but not limited to, a snap-connect body adapted to snap over a flange 54 of the vial 50.

    [0024] As subsequently discussed in greater detail, the connecting body 45 couples to a vial 50. The venting check valve 40 is coupled to the connecting body 45, so that air can flow from outside the vial 50 through the venting check valve 40, through at least a portion of the connecting body 45, and into the vial 50. A proximal end of the cannulated plunger 35 is coupled to the connecting body 45, and is adapted for fluid flow with the vial 50 through the connecting body 45. The dose chamber 25 slidably receives a distal end of the cannulated plunger 35. The dose chamber 25 is further adapted to expel medicament through a distal end of the dose chamber 25. The plunger tip check valve 30 is coupled to the cannulated plunger 35, and is adapted for fluid flow from the cannulated plunger 35, through the plunger tip check valve 30, and into the dose chamber 25. The needle adapter 15 is coupled to the dose chamber 25 and is couplable to the needle 55. Preferably, as shown in Fig. 1, the needle 55 is a double-ended pen needle 55. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that other needles can be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention. The dose chamber septum 20 is disposed at a distal end of the dose chamber 25.

    [0025] Thus, compared to conventional devices and syringes, an embodiment of the present invention provides a vial dosing device that is less bulky to transport, less costly, and more environmentally friendly to manufacture. For example, keeping large inventories of needles and reusable vial dosing devices can use storage space more efficiently and be more cost effective than keeping large inventories of disposable syringes.

    [0026] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the connecting body 45 connects only to specific vials, thereby reducing the likelihood of using an undesired vial. For example, the connecting body 45 can be unable to snap or otherwise couple to an opening of an undesired vial. Such a connecting body 45 can, for example, prevent use of a vial with a medicament concentration that does not correspond to markings of the dose chamber 25.

    [0027] Preferably, the vial dosing device 10 is initially packaged in a collapsed configuration, as illustrated in Fig. 2A. In this state, the plunger tip check valve 30 is disposed near the distal end of the dose chamber 25, and a majority of the plunger 35 is disposed within the dose chamber 25. According to one embodiment, in this collapsed configuration, the plunger tip check valve 30 rests adjacent to the dose chamber septum 20.

    [0028] In operation, a user couples the vial dosing device 10 to the vial 50. For example, after a user removes a vial cap from a vial 50 and exposes the vial septum 52, the user couples the vial dosing device 10 to the vial 50 by snapping the connecting body 45 proximally over a flange 54 of the vial 50, to lock the vial dosing device 10 in place on a neck of the vial 50. One skilled in the art will understand that other methods of connecting the vial 50 with the connecting body 45, such as mating or screw threads, can be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

    [0029] The connecting body 45 includes a hollow fluid needle 75 and a hollow venting needle 80. A proximal end of the fluid needle 75 pierces the vial septum 52 to create a liquid fluid passageway from the vial 50 to the plunger 35. A proximal end of the venting needle 80 pierces the vial septum 52 to vent the vial 50. The venting needle 80 is adapted for air flow with the venting check valve 40, which creates an air path through the venting check valve 40, through the venting needle 80, and into the vial 50. According to one embodiment, the air path can include a bacterial filter or a tortuous path to prevent undesired bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms from entering the vial 50 through the vent.

    [0030] In operation, once the vial dosing device 10 is connected to the vial 50, the user pulls the dose chamber 25 to displace it distally with respect to the cannulated plunger 35 and away from the vial 50, to draw an appropriate dose of medicament or other fluid from the vial 50, as illustrated in Fig. 2B. Although other fluids can be employed, the liquid in the vial 50 will hereinafter be referred to as "medicament." The user withdraws a desired dose of medicament by reading dose measurements, which are represented by scale markings on side walls of the dose chamber 25.

    [0031] More specifically, when a user pulls the dose chamber 25 to displace it distally with respect to the cannulated plunger 35, away from the vial 50, air is drawn into the vial 50 through the venting check valve 40 and a vacuum can be created in the dose chamber 25 by its relative distal displacement, pulling medicament from the vial through the plunger tip check valve 30 and into the dose chamber 25.

    [0032] Prior to injecting the withdrawn medicament into a layer of tissue or other injection site, the user couples a conventional hollow-needle pen needle assembly 55 to the vial dosing device 10, for example, by threading the pen needle 55 onto the needle adapter 15 of the vial dosing device 10. The proximal end of the needle 55 pierces the dose chamber septum 20, creating a fluid path for fluid flow from the dose chamber 25 through the needle 55.

    [0033] According to one embodiment, the user primes the vial dosing device 10 by holding the needle 55 with the connected vial dosing device 10, with the vial 50 preferably oriented upward, and displacing the dose chamber 25 proximally with respect to the cannulated plunger 35 to eject any excess air or adjust the dose of medicament prior to injecting the medicament.

    [0034] The user injects the withdrawn medicament by piercing a layer of tissue or other injection site with the distal end of the needle 55 and then pressing the vial 50 and/or the plunger 35 distally with respect to the dose chamber 25 and toward the layer of tissue or other injection site to expel the dose of medicament from the dose chamber 25, through the needle 55, and into the layer of tissue or other injection site.

    [0035] The vial dosing device 10 can remain coupled to the vial 50 for subsequent injections until the medicament within the vial 50 is exhausted.

    [0036] Fig. 3 illustrates a vial dosing device 10 with a manual pump 60, in combination with a vial and a needle, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Optionally, any pump known in the art can be used in place of the disclosed manual pump.

    [0037] Figs. 4A-C show a manual pump 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, the manual pump 60 is a thin film manual pump.

    [0038] The manual pump 60 includes a channel 62, a bladder 65, and a pump check valve 70. The channel 62 can include any channel known in the art, including, but not limited to, a vacuum-formed air channel. The pump check valve 70 can include any check valve known in the art, including, but not limited to, a polyurethane molded duckbill check valve 70. The pump check valve 70 can be coupled to the channel using any coupling mechanism known in the art, including, but not limited to, ultrasonic or radio frequency (RF) welding.

    [0039] According to one embodiment, the channel 62 is coupled to the bladder 65 and to the pump check valve 70 for air flow from the bladder 65, through the channel 62, and through the pump check valve 70.

    [0040] Preferably, the bladder is resilient. For example, an open cell foam inside the bladder 65 can act as a return by providing resiliency to the bladder.

    [0041] The manual pump 60 can be coupled to the vial 50 by any coupling mechanism known in the art, including, but not limited to, a pressure sensitive adhesive 72 to adhere to the vial 50.

    [0042] The pump check valve 70 of the manual pump 60 can be welded into or otherwise coupled to the venting check valve 40.The manual pump 60 can be adhesively or otherwise coupled to the vial 50. The user can pump air into the vial 50 by pressing the air bladder 65 of the manual pump 60. Manually pumping air into the vial 50 via the manual pump 60 can create a larger pressure differential between the interior of the vial and the atmosphere than other illustrative embodiments in which air is vented into the vial 50 due to a vacuum created during withdrawal of medicament from the vial 50.

    [0043] Figs. 5A-F show a submerged vial dosing device 110 in combination with a vial 150 and a hollow-needle pen needle assembly 155, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The submerged vial dosing device 110 includes a needle adapter 115, a dose chamber septum 120, a dose chamber 125, a plunger tip check valve 130, a plunger 135, and a connecting body 145. The needle adapter 115 can include any needle adapter known in the art, including, but not limited to, a threaded pen needle adapter. The plunger tip check valve 130 can include any check valve known in the art, including, but not limited to, a low durometer or duck-bill shaped check valve. The connecting body 145 can include any connecting body known in the art, including, but not limited to, a snap-connect body.

    [0044] In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the connecting body 145 is couplable to the vial 150, and the cannulated plunger 135 is substantially enclosed by the connecting body 145. The cannulated plunger 135 and the connecting body 145 are at least partially enclosed by the vial 150.

    [0045] Because the vial dosing device 110 is submerged, it is less bulky to transport and less costly and more environmentally friendly to manufacture, compared to conventional devices and syringes. For example, keeping large inventories of needles and reusable vial dosing devices can be more space efficient and more cost effective than keeping large inventories of disposable syringes.

    [0046] Furthermore, the connecting body 145 can be adapted to connect only to specific vials, thereby reducing the likelihood of using an undesired vial, for example, with a medicament concentration that does not correspond to markings of the dose chamber 125.

    [0047] A proximal end of the cannulated plunger 135 is coupled to the connecting body 145, and is adapted for fluid flow with the vial 150 through the connecting body 145. The dose chamber 125 slidably receives a distal end of the cannulated plunger 135. The dose chamber 125 is further adapted to expel medicament through a distal end of the dose chamber 125. The plunger tip check valve 130 is coupled to the cannulated plunger 135, and is adapted for fluid flow from the cannulated plunger 135 through the plunger tip check valve 130, and into the dose chamber 125. The needle adapter 115 is coupled to the dose chamber 125 and is couplable to a needle 155, such as a double-ended pen needle. The dose chamber septum 120 is disposed at a distal end of the dose chamber 125.

    [0048] According to one embodiment, the submerged vial dosing device 110 is positioned into a vial 150 during filling, and can remain coupled to the vial 150 for the duration of the lifespan of the vial 150. The submerged plunger 135 and dose chamber 125 of the vial dosing device 110 preferably incorporate drug-compatible injection molded components, to minimize the number of components and to provide cost-effective product, and electroless nickel plating, to prevent corrosion and wear.

    [0049] In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the vial dosing device 110 is initially packaged in a collapsed configuration, as illustrated in Figs. 5A, 5D and 5E. In these figures, the plunger tip check valve 130 is disposed adjacent or near the distal end of the dose chamber 125. The plunger tip check valve 130 can rest adjacent to the dose chamber septum 120, and a majority of the plunger 135 can be disposed within the dose chamber 125.

    [0050] In operation, the user pulls the dose chamber 125 to displace it distally with respect to the cannulated plunger 135 (i.e., away from a vial 150) to draw an appropriate dose of medicament from the vial 150. The user can withdraw a desired dose of medicament by reading dose measurements represented by scale markings on side walls of the dose chamber 125.

    [0051] In operation, prior to injecting the withdrawn medicament into a layer of tissue or other injection site, the user couples a needle 155 to the submerged vial dosing device 110, for example, by threading or otherwise coupling the needle 155 onto the needle adapter 115 of the vial dosing device 110. The needle 155 can be, for example, a double-ended pen needle, and when coupled the proximal end of the needle 155 pierces the dose chamber septum 120, creating a fluid path for fluid flow from the dose chamber 125, through the needle 155.

    [0052] The user primes the submerged vial dosing device 110 by holding the vial 150 and the connected submerged vial dosing device 110, with the vial 150 preferably oriented upward. Then, the user displaces the dose chamber 125 proximally with respect to the cannulated plunger 135 to eject any excess air or adjust the dose of medicament prior to injecting the medicament.

    [0053] The user injects the withdrawn medicament by piercing a layer of tissue or other injection site with the distal end of the needle 155 and then pressing the vial 150 and plunger 135 distally with respect to the dose chamber 125 and toward the layer of tissue or other injection site to expel the dose of medicament from the dosing chamber 125, through the needle 155, and into the layer of tissue or other injection site.

    [0054] The submerged vial dosing device 110 can remain coupled to the vial 150 for repeated injections until the medicament within the vial 150 is exhausted.

    [0055] Although not illustrated, a venting check valve like venting check valve 40, for example, in Fig. 2B, can be coupled to the connecting body 145, to adapt the connecting body 145 for air flow from outside the vial 150 through the venting check valve, through at least a portion of the connecting body 145, and into the vial 150. The venting check valve can include any check valve known in the art, including, but not limited to, a press-in check valve. In operation, when the user pulls the dose chamber 125 to displace it distally with respect to the cannulated plunger 135 (i.e. away from the vial 150), air is drawn into the vial 150 through the venting check valve and a vacuum can be created in the dose chamber 125 that pulls medicament from the vial through the plunger tip check valve 130, and into the dose chamber 125.

    [0056] Although only a few illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the illustrative embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.


    Claims

    1. A vial dosing device (10, 110), comprising:

    a connecting body (45, 145) coupleable to a vial (50, 150);

    a cannulated plunger (35, 135), a proximal end of the cannulated plunger being coupled to the connecting body;

    a dose chamber (25, 125) adapted to slidably receive a distal end of the cannulated plunger and to expel medicament through a distal end of the dose chamber; and

    characterized in that the vial dosing device further comprises:
    a plunger tip check valve (30, 130) coupled to the cannulated plunger, and adapted for fluid flow from the cannulated plunger through the plunger tip check valve into the dose chamber.


     
    2. The vial dosing device of claim 1, wherein medicament flows from the cannulated plunger, through the plunger tip check valve, and into the dose chamber when the dose chamber is displaced distally with respect to the cannulated plunger.
     
    3. The vial dosing device of any of the preceding claims, wherein in a collapsed configuration:

    the plunger tip check valve is disposed adjacent to a distal end of the dose chamber; and

    a majority of the cannulated plunger is disposed within the dose chamber.


     
    4. The vial dosing device of any of the preceding claims, further comprising:

    a dose chamber septum (20, 120) disposed at a distal end of the dose chamber; and

    a needle adapter (15, 115) coupled to the dose chamber.


     
    5. The vial dosing device of claim 4, wherein the needle adapter is couplable to a pen needle.
     
    6. The vial dosing device of any of the preceding claims, further comprising:

    a venting check valve (40) coupled to the connecting body,

    wherein the connecting body comprises:

    a fluid needle (75), a proximal end of the fluid needle being adapted to pierce a vial septum (52), and the fluid needle adapted for fluid flow through the fluid needle into the cannulated plunger; and

    a venting needle (80), a proximal end of the venting needle adapted to pierce the vial septum, and the venting needle being adapted for air flow through the venting check valve and the venting needle.


     
    7. The vial dosing device of any of claims 1-5, further comprising a venting check valve (40) coupled to the connecting body, and adapted for air flow through at least a portion of the connecting body.
     
    8. The vial dosing device of claim 7, further comprising a pump (60) adapted for pumping air through the venting check valve.
     
    9. The vial dosing device of claim 8, wherein the pump is couplable to the vial;
    and wherein the pump comprises:

    a bladder (65);

    a channel (62) coupled to the bladder and adapted for air flow from the bladder through the channel; and;

    a pump check valve (70) coupled to the channel and adapted for air flow from the channel through the check valve.


     
    10. The vial dosing device of claim 9, further comprising an open cell foam inside the bladder to provide resiliency to the bladder.
     
    11. The vial dosing device of claim 9, wherein the pump check valve is coupled to the venting check valve and is adapted for air flow through the pump check valve and the venting check valve.
     
    12. The vial dosing device of any of the preceding claims, wherein:

    the cannulated plunger is substantially enclosed by the connecting body; and

    the connecting body is at least partially enclosed by the vial.


     
    13. A method of using a vial dosing device, comprising:

    coupling a connecting body (45, 145) to a medical vial (50, 150) containing medicament; and

    displacing a cannulated plunger (35, 135) proximally with respect to a dose chamber (25, 125), a proximal end of the cannulated plunger being coupled to the connecting body, a distal end of the cannulated plunger being slidably received in the dose chamber, to withdraw a dose of medicament from the medical vial into the dose chamber through a plunger tip check valve (30, 130) coupled to the cannulated plunger.


     


    Ansprüche

    1. Phiolendosiervorrichtung (10, 110), die aufweist:

    einen Verbindungskörper (45, 145), der mit einer Phiole (50, 150) verbindbar ist;

    einen kanülierten Kolben (35, 135), wobei ein proximales Ende des kanülierten Kolbens mit dem Verbindungskörper verbunden ist;

    eine Dosierkammer (25, 125), die derart ausgebildet ist, dass sie ein distales Ende des kanülierten Kolbens gleitbar aufnimmt und ein Medikament durch ein distales Ende der Dosierkammer ausgibt; und

    dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Phiolendosiervorrichtung ferner aufweist:
    ein Kolbenspitzen-Rückschlagventil (30, 130), das mit dem kanülierten Kolben verbunden ist und für einen Fluidstrom von dem kanülierten Kolben durch das Kolbenspitzen-Rückschlagventil in die Dosierkammer ausgebildet ist.


     
    2. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, bei der ein Medikament von dem kanülierten Kolben durch das Kolbenspitzen-Rückschlagventil und in die Dosierkammer strömt, wenn die Dosierkammer relativ zu dem kanülierten Kolben distal verschoben wird.
     
    3. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, bei der bei einer kollabierten Konfiguration:

    das Kolbenspitzen-Rückschlagventil angrenzend an ein distales Ende der Dosierkammer angeordnet ist; und

    ein größter Teils des kanülierten Kolbens innerhalb der Dosierkammer angeordnet ist.


     
    4. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, die ferner aufweist:

    ein Dosierkammerseptum (20, 120), das an einem distalen Ende der Dosierkammer angeordnet ist; und

    einen Nadeladapter (15, 115), die mit der Dosierkammer verbunden ist.


     
    5. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach Anspruch 4, bei der der Nadeladapter mit einer Pennadel verbindbar ist.
     
    6. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, die ferner aufweist:

    ein Lüftungs-Rückschlagventil (40), das mit dem Verbindungskörper verbunden ist,

    wobei der Verbindungskörper aufweist:

    eine Fluidnadel (75), wobei ein proximales Ende der Fluidnadel derart ausgebildet ist, dass es ein Phiolenseptum (52) durchsticht, und die Fluidnadel für einen Fluidstrom durch die Fluidnadel in den kanülierten Kolben ausgebildet ist; und

    eine Lüftungsnadel (80), wobei ein proximales Ende der Lüftungsnadel derart ausgebildet ist, dass es das Phiolenseptum durchsticht, und die Fluidnadel für einen Luftstrom durch das Lüftungs-Rückschlagventil und die Lüftungsnadel ausgebildet ist.


     
    7. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach einem der Ansprüche 1-5, die ferner ein Lüftungs-Rückschlagventil (40) aufweist, das mit dem Verbindungskörper verbunden ist, und die für einen Luftstrom durch zumindest einen Abschnitt des Verbindungskörpers ausgebildet ist.
     
    8. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach Anspruch 7, die ferner eine Pumpe (60) aufweist, die zum Pumpen von Luft durch das Lüftungs-Rückschlagventil ausgebildet ist.
     
    9. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach Anspruch 8, bei der die Pumpe mit der Phiole verbindbar ist; und bei der die Pumpe aufweist:

    eine Blase (65);

    einen Kanal (62), der mit der Blase verbunden ist und für einen Luftstrom von der Blase durch den Kanal ausgebildet ist; und

    ein Pumpen-Rückschlagventil (70), das mit dem Kanal verbunden ist und für einen Luftstrom von dem Kanal durch das Rückschlagventil ausgebildet ist.


     
    10. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach Anspruch 9, die ferner einen offenporigen Schaum innerhalb der Blase aufweist, um der Blase eine Elastizität zu verleihen.
     
    11. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach Anspruch 9, bei der das Pumpen-Rückschlagventil mit dem Lüftungs-Rückschlagventil verbunden ist und für einen Luftstrom durch das Pumpen-Rückschlagventil und das Lüftungs-Rückschlagventil ausgebildet ist.
     
    12. Phiolendosiervorrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, bei der:

    der kanülierte Kolben im Wesentlichen von dem Verbindungskörper umschlossen ist; und

    der Verbindungskörper zumindest teilweise von der Phiole umschlossen ist.


     
    13. Verfahren zum Verwenden einer Phiolendosiervorrichtung, das umfasst:

    Verbinden eines Verbindungskörpers (45, 145) mit einer medizinischen Phiole (50, 150), die ein Medikament enthält; und

    Verschieben eines kanülierten Kolbens (35, 135) proximal relativ zu einer Dosierkammer (25, 125), wobei ein proximales Ende des kanülierten Kolbens mit dem Verbindungskörper verbunden ist, ein distales Ende des kanülierten Kolbens gleitbar in der Dosierkammer aufgenommen ist, um eine Dosis eines Medikaments durch ein Kolbenspitzen-Rückschlagventil (30, 130), das mit der kanülierten Phiole verbunden ist, aus der medizinischen Phiole in die Dosierkammer zu entnehmen.


     


    Revendications

    1. Dispositif doseur pour flacon (10, 110), comprenant :

    un corps de raccordement (45, 145) pouvant être couplé à un flacon (50, 150) ;

    un piston plongeur canulé (35, 135), une extrémité proximale du piston plongeur canulé étant couplée au corps de raccordement ;

    une chambre de dosage (25, 125) adaptée pour recevoir de manière coulissante une extrémité distale du piston plongeur canulé et pour expulser le médicament par une extrémité distale de la chambre de dosage ; et

    caractérisé en ce que le dispositif doseur pour flacon comprend en outre :
    un clapet anti-retour d'embout de piston plongeur (30, 130) couplé au piston plongeur canulé, et adapté pour un écoulement de fluide du piston plongeur canulé à travers le clapet anti-retour d'embout de piston plongeur dans la chambre de dosage.


     
    2. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de la revendication 1, dans lequel le médicament s'écoule du piston plongeur canulé, à travers le clapet anti-retour d'embout de piston plongeur, et dans la chambre de dosage lorsque la chambre de dosage est déplacée distalement par rapport au piston plongeur canulé.
     
    3. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de l'une des revendications précédentes, dans lequel dans une configuration repliée :

    le clapet anti-retour d'embout de piston plongeur est disposé à proximité d'une extrémité distale de la chambre de dosage ; et

    une majeure partie du piston plongeur canulé est disposée à l'intérieur de la chambre de dosage.


     
    4. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de l'une des revendications précédentes, comprenant en outre :

    un septum de chambre de dosage (20, 120) disposé à une extrémité distale de la chambre de dosage ; et

    un adaptateur d'aiguille (15, 115) couplé à la chambre de dosage.


     
    5. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de la revendication 4, dans lequel l'adaptateur d'aiguille peut être couplé à un stylo injecteur.
     
    6. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de l'une des revendications précédentes, comprenant en outre :

    un clapet anti-retour de ventilation (40) couplé au corps de raccordement,

    dans lequel le corps de raccordement comprend :

    une aiguille à fluide (75), une extrémité proximale de l'aiguille à fluide étant adaptée pour percer un septum de flacon (52), et l'aiguille à fluide adaptée pour un écoulement de fluide à travers l'aiguille à fluide dans le piston plongeur canulé ; et

    une aiguille de ventilation (80), une extrémité proximale de l'aiguille de ventilation étant adaptée pour percer le septum de flacon, et l'aiguille de ventilation étant adaptée pour un écoulement d'air à travers le clapet anti-retour de ventilation et l'aiguille de ventilation.


     
    7. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de l'une des revendications 1 à 5, comprenant en outre un clapet anti-retour de ventilation (40) couplé au corps de raccordement, et adapté pour un écoulement d'air à travers au moins une partie du corps de raccordement.
     
    8. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de la revendication 7, comprenant en outre une pompe (60) adaptée pour pomper de l'air à travers le clapet anti-retour de ventilation.
     
    9. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de la revendication 8, dans lequel la pompe peut être couplée au flacon ;
    et dans lequel la pompe comprend :

    une vessie (65) ;

    un canal (62) couplé à la vessie et adapté pour un écoulement d'air de la vessie à travers le canal ; et ;

    un clapet anti-retour de pompe (70) couplé au canal et adapté pour un écoulement d'air du canal à travers le clapet anti-retour.


     
    10. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de la revendication 9, comprenant en outre une mousse à cellules ouvertes à l'intérieur de la vessie pour conférer une élasticité à la vessie.
     
    11. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de la revendication 9, dans lequel le clapet anti-retour de pompe est couplé au clapet anti-retour de ventilation et est adapté pour un écoulement d'air à travers le clapet anti-retour de pompe et le clapet anti-retour de ventilation.
     
    12. Dispositif doseur pour flacon de l'une des revendications précédentes, dans lequel :

    le piston plongeur canulé est essentiellement enfermé par le corps de raccordement ; et

    le corps de raccordement est au moins partiellement enfermé par le flacon.


     
    13. Procédé d'utilisation d'un dispositif doseur pour flacon, comprenant le fait :

    de coupler un corps de raccordement (45, 145) à un flacon médical (50, 150) contenant un médicament ; et

    de déplacer un piston plongeur canulé (35, 135) de manière proximale par rapport à une chambre de dosage (25, 125), une extrémité proximale du piston plongeur canulé étant couplée au corps de raccordement, une extrémité distale du piston plongeur canulé étant reçue de manière coulissante dans la chambre de dosage, pour prélever une dose de médicament depuis le flacon médical dans la chambre de dosage par un clapet anti-retour d'extrémité de piston plongeur (30, 130) couplé au piston plongeur canulé.


     




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    Cited references

    REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION



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    Patent documents cited in the description