Two Component Syringe

Abstract

A two component syringe having two vials each containing a single component. A needle is mounted in the syringe and is arranged to interconnect the vials prior to mixing the contents thereof. One vial is mounted on a holder having a needle hub. The other vial is mounted on an adapter sleeve removably mounted on the needle hub. The adapter sleeve and the other vial are removed after the ingredients have been mixed, leaving the first vial with the associated needle in readiness for injection.

Parent Case Text

This application is a streamline continuation of application Ser. No. 848,446, filed Aug. 8, 1969 and now abandoned.

Description

This invention is intended to provide a syringe assembly in which two vials of the type forming an inverted syringe are initially connected by a holder having a double ended needle for establishing communication between the vials. The holder is provided with means for attaching the plunger of the first vial so as to resist thrust in both directions and thereby permit aspiration. The plunger of the second vial is connected to the holder through a removable sleeve so that when the contents of the vials have been mixed and discharged into the first vial, the sleeve and second vial may be removed, leaving the first vial and holder in condition for injection.

In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a two component syringe assembly prior to mixing of the components, and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the syringe in readiness for injection.

FIG. 1 at its upper end shows the glass vial 1 which is to be used for the injection of a mixture of two ingredients. The lower end of the vial is closed by a rubber or other suitable piston 2 having a diaphragm 3 normally sealing a needle passageway 4, 5. The vial 1 contains one of the ingredients to be mixed.

At the lower end of FIG. 1 is a substantially identical vial 1a having its lower end sealed by a rubber piston 2a and having a diaphragm 3a normally sealing a needle passageway 4a. The vial 1a contains the other ingredient to be mixed with the ingredient contained in vial 1 prior to administration. The vials so far described are or may be of common construction.

Between the vials 1 and 1a is a plastic holder 6 such as shown in my copending application Ser. No. 749,448 filed Aug. 1, 1968, incorporated by reference, for receiving the vial 1 and an associated adapter sleeve 7 for receiving the vial 1a.

The holder 6 has a cylindrical body 6 with finger gripping projections 8 at its upper end and a needle hub 9 at its lower end. The body 6a telescopically receives the vial 1 and is integral with a solid plastic post 10 having longitudinal external guide ribs 10a. The needle hub 9 is at the lower end of the post 10 in which is embedded and anchored a double ended needle 11 with the lower end 12 projecting out through the needle hub 9 and with the upper end 13 terminating within or slightly above an upwardly presented socket 14. The socket 14 and a projection 16 at the lower end of the piston 2 are provided with interlocking means such as screw threads 17, 18 which, when engaged, connect the piston 2 and the socket 14 in axial thrust resisting relation so that reciprocation of the vial 1 relative to the post causes corresponding reciprocation of the vial 1 relative to the piston 2. This means that the reciprocation of the vial relative to the post can cause both suction to aspirate into the needle or pressure to expel out through the needle.

The adapter sleeve 7 has its upper end removably received on a Luer taper 19 on the lower end of the needle hub 9 and has its lower end provided with a socket 20 for receiving the upper end 21 of the piston 2a. The socket 20 and the piston end 21 could be of the same construction as the socket 14 and projection 16. That is not necessary since the vial 1a is to be thrown away prior to use of the syrings for injection. Prior to use, the pointed end 12 of the needle 11 is normally partially within the passageway 5a short of the diaphragm 3a. When the vial 1a is pushed toward the needle hub 9, the pointed end 12 of the needle punctures the diaphragm 3a.

The parts are normally shipped in the partially assembled condition shown in FIG. 1 with the vials 1 and 1a containing the separate ingredients which are to be mixed prior to injection. One of these ingredients is usually a solution and the other may be a concentrate or a powder. The ingredients are such that the mixture must be used promptly after mixing.

In the partially assembled condition, a sealing sleeve 22 for vial 1 has one end in sealing engagement with the open end of vial 1 and has the opposite or reduced diameter end 23 telescoped over the socket 14. The telescoping engagement with the vial and socket provides a seal. In this position, the pointed end 13 of the needle 11 partially enters the needle passageway 5 but does not enter the sealing diaphragm 3. A similar sealing sleeve 22a is telescoped over the open end of vial 1a and has its reduced diameter end 23a telescoped over the socket 20 on the adapter sleeve 7. The telescoping engagement of the sealing sleeve 22a with the vial 1a and socket 20 provides a seal protecting the needle point 12 and the adjacent portion of the vial 1a from contamination. The adapter sleeve 7 is seated on the Luer taper on the needle hub 9 so that the needle point 12 partially enters the passageway 5a, but does not puncture the diaphragm 3a. The assembly so far described, and shown in FIG. 1, is shipped as a sterile package which insures arrival at the point of use of the proper ingredients to be mixed for injection.

Upon arrival of the package at the point of use, the first step is to connect the projection 16 of the piston 2 to the socket 14. For the particular type of connection illustrated, this merely requires pushing the vial 1 toward the socket so that the projection 16 starts to enter the socket and then rotating the vial to screw the projection into the socket and thereby establish a connection between the piston and the socket which will stand axial thrust in opposite directions. As the projection 16 is screwed into the socket 14, the pointed end 13 of the needle 11 penetrates the diaphragm 3 and establishes communication between the needle 11 and the contents of the vial 1. The second step is to push the vial 1a into the socket 20 until it bottoms. As the needle end 12 penetrates the diaphragm 3a and thereby establishes communication between the needle and the contents of the vial 1a. With the establishment of communication through the needle of the contents of vials 1 and 1a, the ingredients may now be mixed. This may be done by first expelling the contents of vial 1a into vial 1 by pressure exerted on vial 1a and then by expelling the contents of vial 1 back into vial 1a by pressure exerted on vial 1. This sequence may be repeated as many times as necessary to insure thorough mixing. The guide ribs 10a on the post 10 cooperate with the sealing sleeve 22 and similar guide ribs 21 on adapter sleeve 7 cooperate with the sealing sleeve 22a to guide the reciprocation of the vials 1 and 1a and the associated sleeves 22 and 22a. The final step should end with expulsion of the contents of vial 1a back into vial 1. Then, by removing the adapter sleeve 7 from Luer taper 19 on needle hub 9 and throwing away the adapter sleeve 7 and the associated vial 1a, the remaining parts consisting of the vial 1 and the holder 6 are now in condition for injection of the mixed ingredients as shown in FIG. 2.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A syringe assembly having a solid plastic post with a needle hub at one end of the post and a first part of a coupling at the other end of the post, a double ended needle having one end of the needle projecting from the first coupling part and the other end of the needle projecting out through the hub and the intermediate portion of the needle embedded and anchored in the post, a first vial having a closed end remote from the first coupling part and a cylindrical wall telescoped over the first coupling part and post, a first piston in sliding sealing relation to the cylindrical wall of the first vial, said first piston having a second coupling part, said first and second coupling parts having interlocking means for connecting the parts to stand axial forces in opposite direction whereby after connecting the parts subsequent reciprocation of the first vial relative to the post causes corresponding reciprocation of the first vial relative to the first piston, said first piston having a portion penetrated by said one end of the needle as its said second coupling part is connected with said first coupling part to establish communication between the needle and the first vial, a second vial having a closed end remote from the needle hub and a cylindrical wall and means for removably telescoping said second vial over said other end of the needle, a second piston in sliding sealing relation to the cylindrical wall of the second vial, said second piston having a portion penetrated by said other end of the needle to establish communication between the needle and the second vial as the cylindrical wall of the second vial is telescoped over said other end of the needle, one of said vials containing a first ingredient and the other of the vials containing a second ingredient which may be mixed with the first ingredient by reciprocating the vials after establishing communication between the needle and both vials, a holder fixed to the post having a cylindrical wall surrounding the first vial in telescoping relation, said assembly being conditioned for injection by expelling into the first vial the contents of the second vial and then removing the second vial from the assembly.

2. The assembly of claim 1 having a sleeve with one end surrounding and telescopically receiving the open end of the first vial and the other end surrounding and telescopically receiving the first coupling part to provide a sliding telescoping seal between the post and the cylindrical wall of the first vial.

3. The assembly of claim 1 having a sleeve with one end surrounding and telescopically receiving the open end of the second vial and the other end surrounding and telescopically receiving a member associated with the needle hub to provide a sliding telescoping seal between the hub and the cylindrical wall of the second vial.

4. The assembly of claim 3 in which said member is an intermediate sleeve removably seated on the needle hub and surrounding said other end of the needle.

5. The assembly of claim 4 in which the intermediate sleeve has a socket adjacent said other end of the needle receiving said portion of the second piston as the cylindrical wall of the second vial is telescoped over said other end of the needle.

6. The assembly of claim 1 in which one of the coupling parts is a socket and the other of the coupling parts is a projection on the piston adapted to be received in said socket.