US2513014A - Apparatus for implanting medicinal pellets subcutaneously - Google Patents

Description

June 27, 1950 2,513,014

M. R. FIELDS APPARATUS FOR IMPLANTING MEDICINAL PELLETS SUBCUTANEOUSLY Filed Nov. 18, 1946 [72092257 mack E fE'Z'ai'' A, 9 W

Patented June 27, 1950 APPARATUS FOR IMPLANTING MEDICINAL PELLETS SUBGUTANEOUSLY v Mack R. Fields, Chicago, Ill., assi'gi'ior to Abbott Laboratories, of Illinois North Chicago, 111., "a corporation Application November 18, 1946, Serial No. 710,621

' g invention relates to apparatus for implanting medicinal pellets subcutaneously.

'In the treatment oi: pertain ailments 'by the use i of therapeutic'ag'ents such as hormone principles,

penicillin. streptomycin; and possibly other medicinal elements. it is highly desirable to maintain within the body a so-called' tissuefiuids and blood level of the'medicationin fixed proportions for aprolonged period. Most medicinal agents of the character indicated tend to di ate rapidly through absorptioninto the body'iiuids, thereby necessitating a frequent administration'of the desired medicinal agents in order to maintain the desired blood level. It has been found that it is possible to prepare medications of the type-above is present in the blood stream and tissue fluids at a required level 01 a period of several days;

The objects of the present invention are to provide a simple and easily manipulated means for implanting medicinal pellets subcutaneously; to provide such means whereby handling of the individual pellets is "avoided with attendant benefits in respect of the preservation of the sterile or aseptic condition of the pellets; and to provide an improved pellet package whereby distribution of pellets of therapeutic agents'of the character indicated in-sterile or aseptic condition-is greatl facilitated. 1

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawing in which there is illustrated a selected form of'the apparatus and a selected form of pellet package embodying the invention.

In the drawing:

Figs. 1 and 2 are side and end views respectively of a needle structure,

Fig. 3 is a side view partially in elevation and partially in section of a pellet package or cartrid'ge, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional illustration of the manner in which the pellet cartridge of Fig. 3 and the needle structure of Fig. 1 are employed for the In some cases it v 2 Claims. (Cl. 1-28.2 17) purpose of subcutaneously implanting medicinal pellets supplied to the physician in the packaged form illustrated in Fig. 3.

For, penetrating the tissues, a needle I isemployed, the said needle being a tubular member having a bevelled or sharpened end 2 At the other end, the needle I is provided with anenlar'gement or head 3 which is suitably secured rigidl ron the blunt end portion of the needle preferably in co-axial relation thereto. The head is fcounterbored from its free outer or rear end as indicated at 4 for a purpose whichwill presently appear. v H

A stylet or removable core 5 is associated with the needle I, said stylet having a bevelled end portion 6 which isnormal-ly in co-planar relation to the bevelled end 2 of the needle I. Said stylet 5 is of a diameter which fits slidably within the lumen I of the needle so that the stylet tmay be readily inserted and withdrawn from the needle. The other end of the stylet is provided with a laterally bent end portion 8, andthe head 3 0f the needle isprovided with a radially extending groove 9 for receiving said stylet end portion 8 to thereby rotatably position the stylet in the needle with the bevelled ends of the stylet and needle in th desired co-planar relationship.

The pellet cartridge shown in Fig. 3 comprises a tubular and preferrably'a transparent body If] having abore l l of substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the lumen I of the needle. "Some variation is permitted in this respect, but it is preferable that thesediameters beapproximately the same so that pellets such .as represented at l2 and I3 fitting slidably in the bore of the cartridge body will also be slidable through the lumen of the needle. For closing the ends of the tubular cartridge body It, caps or end closures l4 -M of rubber or other suitable material, preferably resilient material, are applied to the cartridge ends as shown. These caps l4l4 are preferably of such size that they may be stretched when applied to the cartridge ends to such an extentthat they will frictional-1y grip the cartridge body end portions to thereby retain themselves in place while at the same time being readily removable when desired.

At one end, the cartridge body is provided with a flaring mouth entrance It to the bore l I therein to facilitate insertion of the pellets such as l2 and stylet whichprojects beyond the flattened edge 18 ofthe head, servetoindicatejthe position of the bevel of ,the. .nee'dle. .Whentheneedle has been inserted to the proper position, the stylet the needle.

I 3 into the body. As represented in Fig. 3, the

pellets I3 are about. twice the length of the pellet I2. Other length relationship may, of course, be employed depending upon the dosage required.

With the described apparatus, medicinal pellets may be implanted under the skin as follows:

The assembled needle and stylet I and 5 in the relationship shown in Fig. 1 is first inserted through the tissues to.locate the bevelled discharge end of the needle at the required place under the tissues. During insertion of the needle,

the physician :(.or;.nurse) holds the head of the needlebetween the index and middle fingers while placing the thumb against the rear end of the head in overlying relation to the laterally extending end portion 8 of the stylet. By so holding the needle, the stylet-is held against rearward displacement during the insertion of the needle. The head is of generally cylindrical.form having a suitably grooved jor recessed central annular portion I6 to facilitate holding of the needle between the index and middle fingers, and a rear flange portion I1 of the head has flattened edge portions I8 and I9 which are preferably arranged in planes which are parallel to the gen- .eral: plane of the bevelled. ends of the needle and stylet. The groove 9 in (the rear end of the needle head and the portion of .the bent end. 8-of the withdrawn leaving the hollowneedle in place.

' hump in the patients skin just when withdrawal of the needle should begin so as to leave the pellets in the desired location. Also, the length of plunger remaining between the outer or free end of the cartridge body and the adjacent portion of the eye ZI constitutes another indicator as to when withdrawal of the needle should begin. It will be observed that said distance between the cartridge and plunger eye is always equal to the combined length of the pellets remaining in the discharge end portion of the needle? I I 'I-To facil itate the passage of pellets from the cartridge I0 into the lumen of the needle I, the

ntrance end of the lumen is flared as indicated at 23. I n the construction shown, the entrance end of the needle I communicates directly with -the*counterbore 4. This, of course, may be modified to :provide theflared mouth 23 in a portion of the. head--"3,'the needle receiving recess then terminatin sshortof the bottom of the counteriPresent manufacturing equipment and processesdndicate that the smallest diameter to which pellets of therapeutic agents of the kind referred to may be made is about 0.85 inch (slightly more than of an inch).,--the length'being Variable I but preferablynot muchQmore than a of arrinch.

.A cartridge Ill containing the desired pellet (or pellets) is then prepared for assembly with .-.the. ,needle by removing one of the end caps I4, and then inserting the open end of the cartridge body into the recess or socket 4 provided for that 'purpose in the head of .the needle. The cartridge- .body [0 is preferably of-cylindrical form corre-,

sponding to thecylindricalcounterbore 4, and of ,ansexternal diameter which will. fit snugly in said counterboreso that when oneend portion of the cartridge is inserted into the counterbore, the cartridge will be positioned with its bore I l in the desired co-axial relationship to the'lumen I of Thereupon the otherend closure. is removed from the cartridgeand a plunger or pistonlfl (Fig. 4) is inserted intoand through the a cartridge body and into and through the needle I.

,The piston 2!] may consist of a length of wire pl adiameter which willfit freely through the hereof the cartridgeand the lumen of the needle and it isprovided with an eye 2| for facilitating ,handling-thereof. Thepiston and eye are made so that when the end 22' of the piston reachesia predetermined relationship to the bevelled end of the needle as represented in dotted lines at2 2a, move-' ment of the piston will be stopped by engagement of a portion of the eye :ZI with-the then outer end of the cartridge I0. As the piston is advanced, the pellets I2 and I 3 will, of course, be fed forwardly through and out of the cartridge and through the lumenof the needle. When the leading pellet reaches the bevelledend-of the needle and the tissue barrier closing the same;

movement of the piston is stopped and the needle is withdrawn while the piston is, in effect, held stationary so as to causethepellets to be discharged from the needle, thepellets being thereby deposited in the space vacated by the needle before the muscular tissue (or fat) can return toits normal position and close saidspace. ,-Physicians and others experienced in .matters ;of this 1 kind.v a determ n byithe 'formationof-i a-yisibl Theneedle I to handle,pelletsofthatsizewilL-on the basis of-pre'sentpractical manufacturing .procedures, have anexternial diameter of -about 1 12 inch. For insertionofa needle of that size itis, of course, preferable, if..not necessary, that the 7 affected body .part be-initially treated withasuitable anesthetic .to ,prevent excessive -pain. It

.should, however, beunderstoodthat as manufacturingequipment and processes improve; the indicated. dimensions maybe reduced .to .the end that ;a. smaller needle :may be, v employed EWlthout .requiring the use of a ;local anesthetic.

Various changesin the .describedstruc'turemay bemade without-departing from the spirit -of the invention as'defined in the claims in this' application.

I claim 2-,

1. Apparatus forimplanting a pellet'subcutane- 'ously, comprising an elongated hollow ne'edle and -a;stylet extending through said needle, said needle and stylet having complementary-sharpenedends for tlssue--penetrati0n purposes, said needle having an enlarged'head onits rear end needle and stylet ,havingcoplanar bevel-sharpened ends for tissue penetration purposes, said needle .having an venlarged head on its rear .end

, substantiallycoaxial withsaid needle .and provided with a socket in coaxial communication-with the .lumen 0f said needle,'said socket being of substantially larger diameter thanthe 2111111811 of 75,.$a ;,nees 1, an ada t d e iv ja n 0 tion of a pellet cartridge from which a pellet may be advanced into and through said needle,

the rearmost portion of said head having a flattened side portion and, in its rear face,'a slot extending radially of said head from said flattened 5 MACK R. FIEIDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 1,655,158 Muir Jan; 3, 1928 1,960,858 Strauch May 29, 1934 2,009,393 ,Failla July 30, 1935 2,176,041 Pittenger Oct. 10, 1939 2,426,535 Turkel Aug. 26, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Medical Journal and Record, vol. CXXII, July-Dec. 1925; pages 227-229, article by P. E. Durham. A copy, is in the Army Medical Library at Washington, D. C. V

Images