U.S. patent application number 15/230772 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-01 for adjustable volume syringe and method of use.
The applicant listed for this patent is BAYER HEALTHCARE LLC. Invention is credited to Kevin P. COWAN.
Application Number | 20160346455 15/230772 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51488690 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160346455 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
COWAN; Kevin P. |
December 1, 2016 |
ADJUSTABLE VOLUME SYRINGE AND METHOD OF USE
Abstract
Adjustable volume syringes, and systems and methods for using
the same, are disclosed. An adjustable volume syringe may include a
delivery syringe, a reservoir syringe located at least in part
within the delivery syringe, and a reservoir plunger located at
least in part within the reservoir syringe. The delivery syringe
may be configured to contain a first amount of a fluid and the
reservoir syringe may be configured to contain a second amount of
the fluid. An administration amount of the fluid may be determined
at or prior to an administration time, and the amount of fluid in
the delivery syringe may be adjusted to equal the administration
amount by adding fluid from the reservoir syringe to the delivery
syringe or by withdrawing fluid from the delivery syringe to into
the reservoir syringe. The administration amount of fluid may be
dispensed to a patient at the administration time.
Inventors: |
COWAN; Kevin P.; (Allison
Park, PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BAYER HEALTHCARE LLC |
Whippany |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51488690 |
Appl. No.: |
15/230772 |
Filed: |
August 8, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13792158 |
Mar 10, 2013 |
9408981 |
|
|
15230772 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 5/007 20130101;
A61M 2005/1787 20130101; A61M 5/20 20130101; A61M 5/31563 20130101;
A61M 2205/52 20130101; A61M 5/19 20130101; A61M 5/31513 20130101;
A61M 2005/3139 20130101; A61M 2005/3128 20130101; A61M 2205/50
20130101; A61M 2205/505 20130101; A61M 5/3137 20130101; A61M
5/31596 20130101; A61M 5/31583 20130101; A61M 5/31561 20130101;
A61M 2005/31598 20130101; A61M 5/1785 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61M 5/00 20060101
A61M005/00; A61M 5/31 20060101 A61M005/31; A61M 5/315 20060101
A61M005/315; A61M 5/19 20060101 A61M005/19 |
Claims
1. A method of using an adjustable volume syringe comprising a
delivery syringe, a reservoir syringe located at least in part
within the delivery syringe, and a reservoir plunger located at
least in part within the reservoir syringe, the method comprising:
storing a first amount of a fluid in the delivery syringe and a
second amount of a fluid in the reservoir syringe; determining an
administration amount of the fluid to administer to a patient;
determining whether the administration amount of the fluid is
greater than, less than or equal to the first amount of the fluid;
adjusting an amount of the fluid in the delivery syringe to equal
the administration amount of the fluid; and dispensing the
administration amount of the fluid to the patient.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid comprises a
radionuclide.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fluid comprises one of
.sup.18F-deoxyglucose and .sup.99mTc or a .sup.99mTc containing
compound.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the administration
amount of the fluid comprises determining the administration amount
of the fluid based on at least one of an expected administration
time, an actual administration time, and a required
radioactivity.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of an interior
surface of the reservoir syringe and at least a portion of an
exterior surface of the reservoir plunger are threaded.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the amount of the fluid
in the delivery syringe comprises rotating the reservoir plunger in
a clockwise or counterclockwise direction relative to the reservoir
syringe to draw fluid into the reservoir syringe from or expel
fluid out of the reservoir syringe into the delivery syringe.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the amount of fluid in
the delivery syringe comprises dispensing at least a portion of the
second amount of the fluid from the reservoir syringe into the
delivery syringe.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the amount of fluid in
the delivery syringe comprises withdrawing at least a portion of
the first amount of the fluid from the delivery syringe into the
reservoir syringe.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the amount of fluid in
the delivery syringe comprises adjusting the amount of fluid in the
delivery syringe by a dispensing module.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining by a
processor whether the administration amount of the fluid is greater
than, less than, or equal to the first amount of the fluid.
11. The method of claim 10, further comprises receiving by the
dispensing module one or more signals from the processor to adjust
the amount of fluid in the dispensing syringe to equal the
administration amount of the fluid.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting the amount of fluid
in the dispensing syringe comprises dispensing at least a portion
of the second amount of the fluid from the reservoir syringe into
the delivery syringe or withdrawing at least a portion of the first
amount of the fluid from the delivery syringe into the reservoir
syringe.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein dispensing the administration
amount of the fluid to the patient is performed by the dispensing
module when the first amount of the fluid is equal to the
administration amount of the fluid.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the administration
amount of the fluid comprises determining the administration amount
of the fluid by the processor based on at least one of an expected
administration time, an actual administration time, and a required
radioactivity.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Divisional Application of and claims
priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 13/792,158, filed Mar. 10,
2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by this
reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon
emission computed tomography (SPECT) procedures typically rely on
positron or gamma ray emitting radionuclides with short half-lives.
For example, PET procedures frequently rely on
.sup.18F-deoxyglucose (FDG) while many SPECT procedures rely on
conjugated .sup.99mTc compounds.
[0003] .sup.18F has a half-life of less than 2 hours, while
.sup.99mTc has a half-life of about 6 hours. The volume of a
solution carrying a tracer must be carefully calculated for
administration of a specific radiation dose to a patient. Because
of the (relatively) short half-lives of these types of
radionuclides, a delay in patient administration may require a
dynamic adjustment of the volume of the radionuclide solution. Even
a delay of 15 minutes (for example, because of traffic delaying a
patient's arrival at the test site) for the injection may
significantly change the amount of solution volume necessary to
supply a correct radionuclide dose. As such, the amount of
radionuclide that is distributed to a treatment location typically
exceeds the required dose. As a result, a technician is required to
measure the activity level of the radionuclide and discard the
excess radionuclide. This process is subject to errors in
measurement by the technician and exposure of the technician to
radiation from the disposal of the excess radionuclide. It is
therefore useful to develop an injection syringe capable of
on-the-fly adjustment of dose volume of a solution of a
radionuclide material that reduces the risk of exposure to harmful
radiation.
SUMMARY
[0004] The invention described in this document is not limited to
the particular systems, methodologies or protocols described, as
these may vary. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of
describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to
limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[0005] It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended
claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural
reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless
defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein
have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary
skill in the art. As used herein, the term "comprising" means
"including, but not limited to."
[0006] In an embodiment, an adjustable volume syringe device may
include a delivery syringe having a delivery syringe barrel
configured to hold a first amount of a fluid, a delivery syringe
fluid port at a distal end of the delivery syringe barrel
configured to dispense the fluid to a patient, a reservoir syringe
having a reservoir syringe barrel configured to hold a second
amount of the fluid, a reservoir syringe fluid port at a distal end
of the reservoir syringe barrel configured to dispense the fluid
into the delivery syringe barrel, and a reservoir plunger having a
reservoir plunger body configured to cause one or more of at least
a portion of the first amount of the fluid to be dispensed to a
patient through the delivery syringe fluid port and at least a
portion of the second amount of the fluid to be dispensed into the
delivery syringe barrel through the reservoir syringe fluid port,
and a reservoir plunger thumb-piece at a proximal end of the
reservoir plunger. The reservoir syringe barrel is positioned at
least partially within the delivery syringe barrel, and the
reservoir plunger body is positioned at least partially within the
reservoir syringe.
[0007] In an embodiment, a method of using an adjustable volume
syringe having a delivery syringe, a reservoir syringe located at
least in part within the delivery syringe, and a reservoir plunger
located at least in part within the reservoir syringe may include
storing a first amount of a fluid in the delivery syringe and a
second amount of a fluid in the reservoir syringe, determining an
administration amount of the fluid to administer to a patient,
determining whether the administration amount is greater than the
first amount, dispensing at least a portion of the second amount of
the fluid from the reservoir syringe into the delivery syringe in
response to the administration amount being greater than the first
amount, and dispensing the administration amount of the fluid to
the patient.
[0008] In an embodiment, a system for providing a fluid may include
an adjustable volume syringe having a delivery syringe configured
to contain a first amount of a fluid, a reservoir syringe
configured to contain a second amount of the fluid and located at
least in part within the delivery syringe, and a reservoir plunger
located at least in part within the reservoir syringe, a dispensing
module in mechanical communication with the adjustable volume
syringe, a processor in operable communication with the dispensing
module, and a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium in
operable communication with the processor. The computer-readable
storage medium contains one or more programming instructions that,
when executed, cause the processor to determine an administration
amount of the fluid to administer, determine whether the
administration amount is greater than the first amount, transmit
one or more signals to cause the dispensing module to dispense at
least a portion of the second amount of the fluid from the
reservoir syringe into the delivery syringe in response to the
administration amount being greater than the first amount, and
transmit one or more signals to cause the dispensing module to
dispense the administration amount of the fluid from the delivery
syringe.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1A depicts a cross-sectional view of an illustrative
adjustable volume syringe according to an embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 1B depicts an exploded view of illustrative components
of the adjustable volume syringe of FIG. 1A.
[0011] FIGS. 2A and 2B depict cross-sectional views of an
illustrative adjustable volume syringe before and after dispensing
a fluid from a delivery syringe according to an embodiment.
[0012] FIGS. 3A and 3B depict cross-sectional views of an
illustrative adjustable volume syringe before and after dispensing
a fluid from a reservoir syringe to a delivery syringe according to
an embodiment.
[0013] FIGS. 3C and 3D depict end views of an illustrative
adjustable volume syringe before and after dispensing a fluid from
a reservoir syringe by rotating a reservoir plunger according to an
embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of an illustrative method of
using an adjustable volume syringe according to an embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of a system for providing a
radionuclide to a patient according to an embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of illustrative internal
hardware that may be used to contain or implement program
instructions according to an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] FIG. 1A depicts a cross-sectional view of an illustrative
adjustable volume syringe according to an embodiment. As shown in
FIG. 1A, the adjustable volume syringe 100 may substantially be a
syringe-within-a-syringe. The delivery (outer) syringe may include
a delivery syringe barrel 105, a delivery syringe fluid port 110
and a delivery syringe finger guard 115. A reservoir syringe may
similarly include a reservoir syringe barrel 120, a reservoir
syringe fluid port 125, and a reservoir syringe barrel end 130. The
delivery syringe barrel 105 may be configured to hold a first
amount of a fluid, such as a radionuclide, in a delivery space 155
formed between an exterior surface of the distal end of the
reservoir syringe and the interior surface of the distal end of the
delivery syringe. The reservoir syringe may act as a fluid plunger
for the delivery syringe so that fluid within a delivery space 155
may be extruded or dispensed from the delivery syringe fluid port
110 as the reservoir syringe barrel end 130 is pressed towards the
delivery syringe finger guard 115. In order to maintain pressure
within the delivery space 155, the exterior surface of the
reservoir syringe may include at least one reservoir syringe seal
135 configured to seal against the interior surface of the delivery
syringe barrel 105. As such, the at least one reservoir syringe
seal 135 may be positioned between the exterior surface of the
reservoir syringe barrel 120 and the interior surface of the
delivery syringe barrel 105. The at least one reservoir syringe
seal 135 may comprise an O-ring or similar type of movable
seal.
[0018] A reservoir plunger may be disposed at least partially
within the reservoir syringe. The reservoir plunger may include a
reservoir plunger body 140 and reservoir plunger thumb-piece 145.
The position of the reservoir plunger may be adjusted with respect
to the reservoir syringe barrel 120 by adjusting the position of
the reservoir plunger thumb-piece 145 with respect to reservoir
syringe barrel end 130. As the position of the reservoir plunger
thumb-piece 145 is adjusted with respect to the reservoir plunger
barrel end 130, the volume of the fluid within a reservoir space
160 that is formed between the exterior surface of the distal end
of the reservoir plunger body 140 and the interior surface of the
distal end of the reservoir syringe may be adjusted. If the
reservoir plunger thumb-piece 145 is pushed towards the reservoir
plunger barrel end 130, the fluid within the delivery space 160 may
be extruded or dispensed from the reservoir syringe fluid port 125
into the delivery space 155 of the delivery syringe. In order to
maintain pressure within the reservoir space 160, the exterior
surface of the reservoir plunger body 140 may include at least one
reservoir plunger seal 150 configured to seal against the interior
surface of the reservoir syringe barrel 120. As such, the at least
one reservoir plunger seal 150 may be positioned between the
exterior surface of the reservoir plunger body 140 and the interior
surface of the reservoir syringe barrel 120. The at least one
reservoir plunger seal 150 may comprise an O-ring or similar type
of movable seal.
[0019] FIG. 1B depicts an exploded view of illustrative components
of the adjustable volume syringe of FIG. 1A. The exploded view of
FIG. 1B includes the delivery syringe comprising the delivery
syringe barrel 105, the delivery syringe fluid port 110, and the
delivery syringe finger guard 115. The exploded view further
includes the reservoir syringe comprising the reservoir syringe
barrel 120, the reservoir syringe fluid port 125, the reservoir
syringe barrel end 130, and the at least one reservoir syringe seal
135. The exploded view additionally includes the reservoir plunger
comprising the reservoir plunger body 140, reservoir plunger
thumb-piece 145, and the at least one reservoir plunger seal
150.
[0020] In an embodiment, at least a portion of an exterior surface
of the reservoir plunger body 140 may be threaded, and a threaded
stop collar 165 may be located adjacent to the threaded portion of
the reservoir plunger body. In an embodiment, the threaded
reservoir plunger body 140 may include a scale which identifies an
amount of fluid to dispense from the reservoir syringe barrel 120.
The scale may be used to position the threaded stop collar 165 in
order to dispense a proper amount of fluid from the delivery space
160 of the reservoir syringe. In such an embodiment, the threaded
stop collar 165 may be positioned outside of the reservoir syringe
barrel 120. When the reservoir syringe thumb-piece 145 is pushed,
the threaded stop collar 165 may move with the reservoir plunger
body 140 until it abuts the reservoir syringe barrel end 130. When
the threaded stop collar 165 abuts the reservoir syringe barrel end
130, a proper amount of fluid may have been dispensed from the
delivery space 160 of the reservoir syringe. The reservoir plunger
body 140 and the reservoir syringe barrel 120 may then move in
concert to dispense fluid in the delivery space 155 to a
recipient.
[0021] In an embodiment, the reservoir syringe of FIGS. 1A and 1B
may be used to remove fluid from the delivery syringe. In such an
embodiment, a radionuclide, such as FDG, may be contained within
the delivery space 155 of the delivery syringe. An amount of the
radionuclide may be withdrawn from the delivery space 155 of the
delivery syringe into the delivery space 160 of the reservoir
syringe by pulling the reservoir plunger thumb-piece 145 in a
proximal direction. When an appropriate amount of radionuclide has
been withdrawn from the delivery space 155 of the delivery syringe,
the reservoir plunger body 140 may be fixed with respect to the
reservoir syringe barrel 120, and the radionuclide in the delivery
space of the delivery syringe may be dispensed to a recipient
through the delivery syringe fluid port 110 by moving the reservoir
syringe body distally.
[0022] FIGS. 2A and 2B depict cross-sectional views of an
illustrative adjustable volume syringe before and after dispensing
a fluid from a delivery syringe according to an embodiment. More
particularly, FIG. 2A illustrates an adjustable volume syringe when
configured for injection, and FIG. 2B illustrates the adjustable
volume syringe after an injection has been made. In an embodiment,
an injection may be performed by pushing the reservoir syringe
barrel end 230 from a pre-injection position (as illustrated in
FIG. 2A) until it is disposed against the delivery syringe finger
guard 215 at a post-injection position (230' in FIG. 2B), in the
direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2A. In an embodiment, the
friction of the at least one reservoir plunger seal 250 against the
interior of the reservoir syringe barrel 220 may result in
effectively no relative motion of the reservoir plunger 240 with
respect to the reservoir syringe 220/220'. In an alternate
embodiment, a key-lock mechanism (not shown) may permit a user to
lock the reservoir plunger 240 with respect to the reservoir
syringe 220/220' such that pushing on the reservoir plunger
thumb-piece 245 will not result in movement of the reservoir
plunger. Because the reservoir plunger 240 may be prevented from
moving with respect to the reservoir syringe 220/220', the amount
of fluid within the reservoir space 260 may remain substantially
constant before (FIG. 2A) and after (FIG. 2B) the injection.
[0023] Prior to the injection (FIG. 2A), the distal end of the
reservoir syringe may be disposed away from the distal end of the
delivery syringe, thereby creating a delivery space 255. As the
injection proceeds (FIG. 2B), the distal end of the reservoir
syringe may approach the distal end of the delivery syringe,
thereby reducing the volume of the delivery space 255'. The fluid
from the delivery space 255 may then be extruded from the delivery
syringe 205 through fluid port 210.
[0024] FIGS. 3A and 3B depict cross-sectional views of an
illustrative adjustable volume syringe before and after dispensing
a fluid from a reservoir syringe to a delivery syringe according to
an embodiment. More particularly, FIG. 3A illustrates the
adjustable volume syringe when configured for injection, and FIG.
3B illustrates a change in deliverable fluid volume based on a
change in configuration of the adjustable volume syringe. In an
embodiment, the reservoir plunger body 340 may be configured to
move distally or proximally within the reservoir syringe barrel 320
when the reservoir syringe thumb-piece 345 is linearly displaced,
as described in further detail below.
[0025] FIG. 3A illustrates an adjustable volume syringe pre-loaded
with a volume of fluid in the delivery space 355 and an excess
volume of fluid in the reservoir space 360. The reservoir plunger
body 340 may be disposed at a location within the reservoir syringe
barrel 320, and the reservoir syringe barrel may be disposed at a
location within the delivery syringe barrel 305.
[0026] If the delivery volume is acceptable for a procedure, the
fluid in the delivery space 355 may be injected through the
delivery syringe fluid port 310 as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B
above. If the delivery volume is insufficient for the procedure,
the deliverable fluid volume may be increased by withdrawing some
fluid from the reservoir space 360 into the delivery space 355.
Illustrative reasons for an insufficient delivery volume or amount
of fluid may include a delay in performing the procedure.
[0027] Withdrawing the fluid from the reservoir space 360 into the
delivery space 355 may be accomplished by occluding the delivery
syringe fluid port 310, and moving the reservoir plunger
thumb-piece 345 with respect to the reservoir syringe barrel end
330. FIG. 3A illustrates the relative motions of these two
components by arrow A (relative direction of motion of the
reservoir plunger thumb-piece 345) and arrow B (relative direction
of motion of the reservoir syringe barrel end 330). Because the
delivery syringe fluid port 310 is occluded, the sum of the fluid
volume in the delivery space 355 and the fluid volume in the
reservoir space 360 may be conserved. As such, a change from the
initial position of the reservoir plunger thumb-piece 345 with
respect to the reservoir syringe barrel end 330 results in a
concomitant change in the position of the reservoir syringe barrel
end with respect to the delivery syringe finger guard 315.
[0028] FIG. 3B illustrates the result of such fluid redistribution.
The distance between the reservoir plunger thumb-piece 345' and the
reservoir syringe barrel end 330' is decreased, thereby reducing
the volume of the reservoir space 360'. The fluid previously held
in the reservoir space 360 (FIG. 3A) may be injected into the
delivery space 355', thereby increasing the volume of the delivery
space. As a result of the increased volume in the delivery space
355', the reservoir syringe barrel 320' may adjust with respect to
the delivery syringe barrel 305 and the distance between reservoir
syringe barrel end 330' and the delivery syringe finger guard 315
increases from their initial positions.
[0029] FIGS. 3C and 3D depict end views of an illustrative
adjustable volume syringe before and after dispensing a fluid from
a reservoir syringe by rotating a reservoir plunger according to an
embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the reservoir syringe body
320 and/or reservoir plunger 340 of an adjustable volume syringe
may be moved with respect to the delivery syringe 305 in order to
increase the amount of fluid stored in a delivery space 355 for
injection to a patient. In an embodiment, linear displacements of
the reservoir syringe body 320 and/or reservoir plunger 340 may be
performed to increase the amount of fluid available for delivery to
a patient. In an alternate embodiment, at least a portion of the
reservoir plunger 340 and at least a portion of reservoir syringe
body 320 may be threaded. In such an embodiment, rotating the
reservoir plunger 340 may cause the reservoir plunger to be
displaced within the reservoir syringe body 320.
[0030] FIG. 3C illustrates an end view of the adjustable volume
syringe of FIG. 3A prior to a fluid volume of the delivery space
355 being increased using a screw-actuated embodiment. In such an
embodiment, the reservoir plunger thumb-piece 345 may be concentric
with the reservoir syringe barrel end 330, and both are similarly
concentric with the delivery syringe finger guard 315. In an
embodiment, the delivery syringe finger guard 315 may include
indicia 317 around its circumference. The indicia 317 may include
any sort of marker including, but not limited to, lines, numbers,
letters, and symbols. The reservoir plunger thumb-piece 345 may
also have an indicator 347 that indicates a relative rotational
position of the reservoir plunger thumb-piece 345 with respect to
the reservoir syringe barrel end 330 or reservoir syringe body 320.
FIG. 3C may represent an embodiment corresponding to the adjustable
volume syringe configuration illustrated in FIG. 3A, prior to an
adjustment to the volume in the delivery space 355.
[0031] FIG. 3D illustrates an end view of the adjustable volume
syringe of FIG. 3B after a fluid volume of the delivery space 355'
is increased using a screw-actuated embodiment. In such an
embodiment, the indicator 347' may be directed towards a different
indicium than the indicium towards which it was directed prior to
the fluid volume of the delivery space 355' being increased. In
other words, the reservoir plunger body 340' may be moved distally
or proximally within the reservoir syringe body 320' in response to
the reservoir plunger thumb-piece 345' being rotated.
[0032] In an embodiment, rotation of the reservoir plunger
thumb-piece 345' may be accomplished manually by a user. In an
alternate embodiment, rotation of the reservoir plunger thumb-piece
345' may be accomplished automatically through the use of, for
example and without limitation, a transfer rod (not shown) and a
controllable rotary motor (not shown). In yet another embodiment,
automated rotation of the reservoir plunger thumb-piece 345' with
respect to the reservoir syringe body 320' may be controlled by
specific commands received from a user. In another embodiment,
automated rotation of the reservoir plunger thumb-piece 345' with
respect to the reservoir syringe body 320' may be performed based
on an elapsed time from a time of initial syringe dose
preparation.
[0033] FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of an illustrative method of
using an adjustable volume syringe according to an embodiment. The
adjustable volume syringe has a delivery syringe, a reservoir
syringe located at least in part within the delivery syringe, and a
reservoir plunger located at least in part within the reservoir
syringe. As shown in FIG. 4, first and second amounts of fluid may
be stored 405 in the delivery syringe and the reservoir syringe,
respectively. In an embodiment, the fluid may include a
radionuclide. In an embodiment, the fluid may be one of
.sup.18F-deoxyglucose and .sup.99mTc or a .sup.99mTc containing
compound or fluid. The first amount of fluid may correspond to a
dosage to be delivered to a patient under an anticipated set of
circumstances, such as a prescribed radioactivity dose at a
particular time for a radionuclide. The second amount of fluid may
correspond to an additional amount of the fluid.
[0034] An administration amount of the fluid may be determined 410.
The administration amount of the fluid may be an amount to be
administered to a recipient, such as a patient, as a part of a
procedure. The administration amount may be determined 410 based on
the type of fluid to be administered as well as one or more dosing
requirements for the recipient. For example, if the fluid is a
radionuclide, the administration amount may be determined 410
automatically, such as by a processing device, based on an expected
administration time, an actual administration time and a required
radioactivity to be dosed to the patient.
[0035] The administration amount may be compared with the first
amount to determine 415 whether the administration amount is
greater than, less than or equal to the first amount. The
administration amount may be greater than the first amount if, for
example, a delay occurred in the administration of a radionuclide.
Because the radioactivity of radionuclides decays over time, if the
actual administration time is later in time than the expected
administration time, additional fluid may be required in order to
achieve a required radioactivity. The administration amount may be
less than the first amount if, for example, the entire amount of
radionuclide is located in the delivery space of the delivery
syringe and a portion of the first amount is to be withdrawn before
administration to a patient.
[0036] At least a portion of the second amount of the fluid may be
dispensed 420 from the reservoir syringe into the delivery syringe
in response to the administration amount being greater than the
first amount. The portion of the second amount of the fluid to be
dispensed 420 into the delivery syringe may depend upon, for
example, the amount of time that has elapsed since the anticipated
administration time and the half-life of the fluid to be
dispensed.
[0037] In an embodiment, at least a portion of an interior surface
of the reservoir syringe and at least a portion of an exterior
surface of the reservoir plunger may be threaded. In such an
embodiment, dispensing 420 at least a portion of the second amount
of the fluid may be performed by rotating the reservoir plunger
within the reservoir syringe whereby the reservoir plunger moves
distally into the reservoir syringe as a result of the threads. In
an alternate embodiment, dispensing 420 at least a portion of the
second amount of the fluid may be performed by pushing the
reservoir plunger into the reservoir syringe such that the
reservoir plunger moves distally into the reservoir syringe.
[0038] In an embodiment, the first amount of fluid can be
automatically updated in real time to match the administration
amount by dispensing 420 incremental amounts of the second amount
of fluid from the reservoir syringe. For example, a controller, a
processing device or the like could monitor an amount of time that
has elapsed between an anticipated administration time and a
current time and dispense 420 portions of the second amount of
fluid into the delivery syringe over time so that the
administration amount is present in the delivery syringe until the
fluid is administered to the patient or the sum of the first amount
of fluid and the second amount of fluid is less than the
administration amount at a particular time.
[0039] At least a portion of the first amount of the fluid may be
withdrawn 422 from the delivery syringe into the reservoir syringe
in response to the administration amount being less than the first
amount. The portion of the first amount of the fluid to be
withdrawn 422 into the reservoir syringe may depend upon, for
example, the amount of fluid that was originally stored in the
delivery syringe, the administration time, and the half-life of the
fluid to be dispensed.
[0040] In an embodiment, at least a portion of an interior surface
of the reservoir syringe and at least a portion of an exterior
surface of the reservoir plunger may be threaded. In such an
embodiment, withdrawing 422 at least a portion of the first amount
of the fluid may be performed by rotating the reservoir plunger
within the reservoir syringe whereby the reservoir plunger moves
proximally with respect to the reservoir syringe as a result of the
threads. In an alternate embodiment, withdrawing 422 at least a
portion of the first amount of the fluid may be performed by
pulling the reservoir plunger from the reservoir syringe such that
the reservoir plunger moves proximally with respect to the
reservoir syringe.
[0041] The administration amount of the fluid may be dispensed 425
to the patient. In an embodiment, the administration amount of the
fluid may be dispensed 425 by pushing the reservoir plunger. In an
alternate embodiment, the administration amount of the fluid may be
dispensed 425 by pushing a proximal end of the reservoir
syringe.
[0042] FIG. 5 depicts a partial block diagram of a system for
providing a radionuclide to a patient according to an embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 5, the system may include an adjustable volume
syringe 505, a dispensing module 510, a processor 515 and a
non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium 520.
[0043] The adjustable volume syringe 505 may be a syringe as
described above in reference to any of FIGS. 1-4. The adjustable
volume syringe 505 may include a delivery syringe 530, a reservoir
syringe 535 located at least in part within the delivery syringe,
and a reservoir plunger 540 located at least in part within the
reservoir syringe. The delivery syringe 530 may be configured to
contain a first amount of a fluid. The reservoir syringe 535 may be
configured to contain a second amount of a fluid. In an embodiment,
the fluid may be a radionuclide. In an embodiment, the fluid may
include .sup.18F-deoxyglucose. In an embodiment, the fluid may
include .sup.99mTc.
[0044] The dispensing module 510 may be in mechanical communication
with the adjustable volume syringe 505. For example, the dispensing
module 510 may be in mechanical communication with the reservoir
plunger 540 and/or a proximal end of the reservoir syringe 535. In
an embodiment, the dispensing module 510 may comprise a motor drive
that is used to move the reservoir plunger 540 and the proximal end
of the reservoir syringe 535 independently.
[0045] The processor 515 may be in operable communication with the
dispensing module 510. The computer-readable storage medium 520 may
be in operable communication with the processor 515. The
computer-readable storage medium 520 may contain one or more
programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor
515 to determine an administration amount of the fluid to
administer, determine whether the administration amount is greater
than the first amount, transmit one or more signals to cause the
dispensing module 510 to dispense at least a portion of the second
amount of the fluid from the reservoir syringe 535 into the
delivery syringe 530 in response to the administration amount being
greater than the first amount, and transmit one or more signals to
cause the dispensing module to dispense the administration amount
of the fluid from the delivery syringe.
[0046] In an embodiment, the one or more programming instructions
that cause the processor 515 to determine an administration amount
of the fluid may include one or more programming instructions that,
when executed, cause the processor to determine an administration
amount of the fluid based on an expected administration time, an
actual administration time, and a required radioactivity.
[0047] In an embodiment, at least a portion of an interior surface
of the reservoir syringe 535 and at least a portion of an exterior
surface of the reservoir plunger 540 may be threaded. In such an
embodiment, the one or more programming instructions that cause the
processor 515 to transmit one or more signals that cause the
dispensing module 510 to dispense at least a portion of the second
amount of the fluid may include one or more programming
instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to transmit
one or more signals that cause the dispensing module to rotate the
reservoir plunger 540 within the reservoir syringe 535. In such an
embodiment, rotating the reservoir plunger 540 may cause the
reservoir plunger to move distally into the reservoir syringe 535
as a result of the threads.
[0048] In an alternate embodiment, the one or more programming
instructions that cause the processor 515 to transmit one or more
signals that cause the dispensing module 510 to dispense at least a
portion of the second amount of the fluid may include one or more
programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor
to transmit one or more signals that cause the dispensing module to
push the reservoir plunger 540 into the reservoir syringe 535. In
such an embodiment, rotating the reservoir plunger 540 may cause
the reservoir plunger to move distally into the reservoir syringe
535.
[0049] In an embodiment, the one or more programming instructions
that cause the processor 515 to transmit one or more signals that
cause the dispensing module 510 to dispense the administration
amount of the fluid may include one or more programming
instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to transmit
one or more signals that cause the dispensing module to push the
reservoir plunger 540. In an alternate embodiment, the one or more
programming instructions that cause the processor 515 to transmit
one or more signals that cause the dispensing module 510 to
dispense the administration amount of the fluid may include one or
more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the
processor to transmit one or more signals that cause the dispensing
module to push a proximal end of the reservoir syringe 535.
[0050] In an embodiment, the adjustable volume syringe 505 may be
placed within a dose calibration chamber (not shown). The dose
calibration chamber may be used to determine a radioactivity of a
radionuclide stored within the adjustable volume syringe 505 at one
or more particular times or in real time. The determined
radioactivity of the radionuclide in the adjustable volume syringe
may be communicated to the processor 515 which uses the information
to determine whether to adjust the amount of radionuclide within
the delivery syringe of the adjustable volume syringe 505. If the
amount of radionuclide is to be adjusted, the processor 515 may
direct the dispensing module 510 to adjust the amount of
radionuclide by moving one or more of the reservoir plunger 540 and
the proximal end of the reservoir syringe 535.
[0051] FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of illustrative internal
hardware that may be used to contain or implement program
instructions, such as the process steps discussed above in
reference to FIG. 4 and/or 5, according to an embodiment. A bus 600
serves as the main information highway interconnecting the other
illustrated components of the hardware. CPU 605 is the central
processing unit of the system, performing calculations and logic
operations required to execute a program. CPU 605, alone or in
conjunction with one or more of the other elements disclosed in
FIG. 5, is an illustrative processing device, computing device or
processor as such terms are used within this disclosure. Read only
memory (ROM) 610 and random access memory (RAM) 615 constitute
illustrative memory devices (i.e., processor-readable
non-transitory storage media).
[0052] A controller 620 interfaces with one or more optional memory
devices 625 to the system bus 600. These memory devices 625 may
include, for example, an external or internal DVD drive, a CD ROM
drive, a hard drive, flash memory, a USB drive or the like. As
indicated previously, these various drives and controllers are
optional devices.
[0053] Program instructions, software or interactive modules for
providing the interface and performing any querying or analysis
associated with one or more data sets may be stored in the ROM 610
and/or the RAM 615. Optionally, the program instructions may be
stored on a tangible computer readable medium such as a compact
disk, a digital disk, flash memory, a memory card, a USB drive, an
optical disc storage medium, such as a Blu-ray.TM. disc, and/or
other non-transitory storage media.
[0054] An optional display interface 630 may permit information
from the bus 600 to be displayed on the display 635 in audio,
visual, graphic or alphanumeric format. Communication with external
devices, such as a print device, may occur using various
communication ports 640. An illustrative communication port 640 may
be attached to a communications network, such as the Internet or an
intranet.
[0055] The hardware may also include an interface 645 which allows
for receipt of data from input devices such as a keyboard 650 or
other input device 655 such as a mouse, a joystick, a touch screen,
a remote control, a pointing device, a video input device and/or an
audio input device. In an embodiment, the interface 645 may receive
data from a dose calibration chamber or other activity
detector.
[0056] It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed
and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be
desirably combined into many other different systems or
applications. It will also be appreciated that various presently
unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations
or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled
in the art which alternatives, variations and improvements are also
intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
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