US20120000569A1 - Reservoir filling aid for a medical pump - Google Patents

Abstract

A reservoir filling aid for a reservoir of a medical infusion pump is disclosed. The reservoir filling aid comprises a main body for supporting the reservoir during the filling of the reservoir with a medical serum and a supply vial adapter end positioned at a first end of the main body. The supply vial adapter end comprises a plurality of flexible tabs extending from the supply vial adapter end for interfacing with a supply vial containing the medical serum and a shaped ring for housing the plurality of flexible tabs and the supply vial while in a closed configuration to establish a fluid connection between the supply vial and the reservoir. The interior of the supply vial adapter end may also have a spiral track for additional security. A removable adapter may be fitted on the top of small supply vials.

Description

BACKGROUND
• The present disclosure generally relates to a reservoir filling aid for a medical pump reservoir and, in particular, relates to a needle-safe transfer reservoir filling aid for a medical pump reservoir with a supply vial adapter.
• In general, a medical pump can be a component of a medical device that is typically used for the administration of a medical serum, such as, for example, chemotherapy drugs in the treatment of cancers or insulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The use of an insulin medical pump is also known as continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion therapy.
• In the case of diabetes mellitus treatment, an insulin delivery medical pump can be an attractive alternative to multiple daily injections of insulin by insulin syringe or an insulin pen that typically associated with a more traditionally diabetes regimen. The insulin delivery medical pump can result in an intensive insulin therapy when it is used in conjunction with the more traditional blood glucose monitoring and carbohydrate counting.
• Typically, to use a medical pump, a reservoir is used to store a medical serum, such as, for example, insulin, chemotherapy drugs, or any other suitable medical serum. It is typically recommended that a reservoir of the medical pump first be filled with the medical serum. Some medical pumps can use reservoirs that are prefilled with the medical serum. In these medical pumps, the reservoir can be taken out of the medical pump and replaced with a new prefilled reservoir when empty. However, it more common for medical pumps to have reservoirs that are manually filled by the user with the medical serum prescribed to the user.
• However, being able to hold both the reservoir and the medical serum vial at the same time in order to fill the reservoir can be a serious problem for the very young, the very old, as well as for persons who may be blind or who may have limited dexterity. All of which can be common aliments of diabetics and others who may require a medical infusion pump device.
• Therefore, there is a need for an inexpensive, easy-to-use reservoir filling aid for a medical infusion pump device that can facilitate the loading of medical infusion pump reservoirs with medical serum.
SUMMARY
• According to the present disclosure, a reservoir filling aid for a reservoir of a medical infusion pump is disclosed. The reservoir filling aid can comprise a main body for supporting the reservoir of the medical infusion pump during the filling of the reservoir. A supply vial adapter end can be positioned at a first end of the main body. The supply vial adapter end can comprise a plurality of flexible tabs for interfacing and engaging a supply vial containing a medical serum and a shaped ring for securely housing the plurality of flexible tabs and the supply vial while the supply vial adapter end is in the closed configuration While in the closed configuration, the reservoir filling aid can secure the supply vial and reservoir onto a needle to facilitate the filling of the reservoir of the medical serum.
• In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, the reservoir filling aid further comprises a plunger body adjacent the main body for supporting and controlling a plunger during the filling of the reservoir.
• In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, the supply vial adapter end and the main body of the reservoir filling aid can be threaded to further secure the supply vial to the reservoir.
• In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, an additional adapter can be used with the reservoir filling aid in order to facilitate the use of different volume supply vials in filling the reservoir.
• Accordingly, it is a feature of the embodiments of the present disclosure to provide an inexpensive, easy-to-use reservoir filling aid to facilitate the filling of a reservoir of a medical infusion pump with medical serum. Other features of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent in light of the description of the disclosure embodied herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
• The following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure can be best understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:
• FIGS. 1A-B illustrate two views of a typical medical infusion pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 2A illustrates a typical reservoir according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 2B illustrates a typical reservoir with a plunger attached according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a typical 10 ml supply vial according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 4 illustrates a typical reservoir filling aid for a medical infusion pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIGS. 5 A-B illustrate an isometric view of a supply vial adapter end of a reservoir filling aid for a medical infusion pump showing a plurality of flexible tabs according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIGS. 6 A-B illustrate an isometric view of a threaded supply vial adapter end of a reservoir filling aid for a medical infusion pump according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIGS. 7A-B illustrate adapters that fits onto a supply vial to adapt the supply vial for use with the reservoir filling aid for a medical infusion pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• In the following detailed description of the embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration, and not by way of limitation, specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
• Referring initially toFIG. 1, a typicalmedical infusion pump10 for the administration of a medical serum, such as, for example, insulin or chemotherapy drugs is illustrated. The medical serum can be administered by themedical infusion pump10 subcutaneously, intravenously, or by any other suitable method known in the art. In one exemplary embodiment, thehousing15 of themedical infusion pump10 can include themechanical pump15 itself as well as pump controls, a processing module, batteries, and areservoir20 for storing the medical serum. Thereservoir20 can reside within themedical infusion pump10. Adisposable infusion set30 can connect to the medicalinfusion pump housing15. Thedisposable infusion set30 can include acannula35 for subcutaneous insertion (i.e., under the skin) into the user and atubing system37 to interface themedical serum reservoir20 to thecannula35. Themedical infusion pump10 can pump the medical serum from thereservoir20 through thetubing system37 into the user via thecannula35.
• In general, themedical infusion pump10 can typically be prepared for use by a user by opening a new and sterile empty medicalinfusion pump reservoir20 such as theexemplary reservoir20 illustrated inFIG. 2A. Aplunger50 can be attached to afirst end40 of thereservoir20 as illustrated inFIG. 2B and as is known in the art. Theplunger50 can be withdrawn, i.e., pulled away from thefirst end40 of thereservoir20. Aneedle55 can be attached to a second end45 of thereservoir20, opposite thefirst end40, as is known in the art. Theneedle55 can then be inserted into the top of a typical supply vial300 (seeFIG. 3) of medical serum. Air can be injected from thereservoir20 into thesupply vial300 via theneedle55 by pushing forward on theplunger50, towards thefirst end40 of thereservoir20 and thesupply vial300, in order to prevent a vacuum from forming in thesupply vial300 as the medical serum is withdrawn from thesupply vial300. The medical serum can then be drawn into thereservoir20 by pulling back on theplunger50, away from thefirst end40 of thereservoir20 and thesupply vial300. After thereservoir20 is filled, theneedle55 can then be removed from both the second end45 of thereservoir20 and thesupply vial300. Any air bubbles can be removed from thereservoir20 by slowing pushing theplunger55 towards thefirst end40 of thereservoir20. Theplunger55 can then be removed from thereservoir20.
• In one exemplary embodiment, thereservoir20 can then be attached to the infusion settubing37 of themedical infusion pump10. This assembly of thereservoir20 and infusingset tubing37 can then be installed into themedical infusion pump10. In another exemplary embodiment, thereservoir20 can first be installed into themedical infusion pump10 and then the infusion set tubing can be attached toreservoir20. Thetubing37 can then be primed (i.e., medical serum and any air bubbles are pushed through the tubing37) by themedical infusion pump10. This procedure is typically performed with themedical infusion pump10 disconnected from the body of the user to prevent accidental medical serum delivery. In one exemplary embodiment, themedical infusion pump10 and infusion settubing37 can then be attached to the body of the user and thecannula35 can be inserted into the subcutaneous tissue of the user. Finally, thecannula35 can be primed as if a newmedical infusion pump10 infusion set had been inserted.
• FIG. 4 illustrates areservoir filling aid100 that can assist the user in the filling of thereservoir20 according to an exemplary embodiment. Thereservoir filling aid100 can comprise amain body portion120 and aplunger body portion125. Thereservoir filling aid100 can have a supplyvial adapter end110 at afirst end130 of themain body120. The supplyvial adapter end110 can securely engage asupply vial300 of medical serum, such as thesupply vial300 illustrated inFIG. 3. In one exemplary embodiment, thesupply vial300 can be a 10 ml bottle such as thesupply vial300 illustrated inFIG. 3.
• However, any suitablevolume supply vial300 known in the art can be used. In one exemplary embodiment, thesupply vial300 may can contain, for example, insulin, chemotherapy drugs, or any other suitable medical serum that can be used in a medical infusion pump system. Typically, theneck310 of thesupply vial300 has aindentation320 around the circumference of thesupply vial300 as illustrated inFIG. 3.
• Turning toFIGS. 5A-B, in one exemplary embodiment, thesupply vial300 can interface with thereservoir filling aid100 by aneedle510 housed within the supplyvial adapter end110. This interface can establish a fluid connection between thesupply vial300 and thereservoir20 in order to transfer the medical serum from thesupply vial300 into thereservoir20. However, any other suitable method of interface known in the art may be used. Turning back toFIG. 4, in one exemplary embodiment, thereservoir20 can be placed horizontally in themain body120 ofreservoir filling aid100 with the second, or needle, end45 of thereservoir20 adjacent to and interfacing with the supplyvial adapter end110 of thereservoir filling aid100. In one exemplary embodiment, the needle end45 of thereservoir20 can interface with thereservoir filling aid100 by the needle510 (seeFIGS. 5A-B) housed within the supplyvial adapter end110. However, any suitable method of interface known in the art can be used. In a further exemplary embodiment, the supplyvial adapter end110 can have a plurality offlexible tabs500 to assist in the secure engagement of thesupply vial300 to thereservoir filling aid100 as illustrated inFIGS. 5A-B which will be discussed more fully below.
• While thereservoir20 is placed in thereservoir filling aid100, aplunger55, or pull rod, can be attached to thefirst end40 ofreservoir20 as is known in the art. In one exemplary embodiment, as theplunger55 is pulled away from thefirst end40 of thereservoir20, the medical serum in thesupply vial300 can be pull from thesupply vial300 into thereservoir20 via theneedle510, thereby, filling thereservoir20 with the medical serum. Theplunger55 of thereservoir20 can reside along theplunger body125 of thereservoir filling aid100. Having theplunger55 supported by theplunger body125 can provide extra control over the movement of theplunger55 during the filling process. In one exemplary embodiment, the distal end of theplunger55 can fit into aslot127 atplunger body end129 of thereservoir filling aid100 for additional control of the filling process. Thus, in one exemplary embodiment, a user can be able fill thereservoir20 using one hand. In addition, by guiding theplunger55 of thereservoir20 along theplunger body125, thereservoir filling aid100 can also assist in refilling thereservoir20 by helping to prevent overfilling and spilling of the medical serum by the additional control of the plunger. Further, thereservoir filling aid100, by providing the guidance of theplunger55 along the length of theplunger body125, can help remove air bubbles in thereservoir20. Therefore, thereservoir filling aid100 can provide much needed assistance to those users who have limited dexterity.
• Turning toFIG. 5A, an isometric view of the supplyvial adapter end110 of thereservoir filling aid100 is illustrated. From this view, the plurality offlexible tabs500 extending from the supplyvial adapter end110 can be seen. The plurality offlexible tabs500 can be comprised of plastic, rubber, or any other suitable flexible material known in the art. In one embodiment, the plurality offlexible tabs500 can be positioned equidistance along the circumference of supplyvial adapter end110. In another embodiment, the plurality offlexible tabs500 can be irregularly positioned around the circumference of the supplyvial adapter end110. The plurality offlexible tabs500 can comprise any number offlexible tabs500. In one exemplary embodiment, the plurality can comprise threeflexible tabs500 positioned equidistance apart from each other along the circumference of the supplyvial adapter end110. However, the plurality offlexible tabs500 may comprise more or lessflexible tabs500 as needed. In one exemplary embodiment, each of the individualflexible tab500 of the plurality offlexible tabs500 can have aflange540 protruding from thedistal end530 of the each of theflexible tabs500 towards the center of thereservoir filling aid100. In one embodiment, theflange540 may be rounded. However, any other suitably shapedflange540 is possible.
• In one exemplary embodiment, the plurality offlexible tabs500 can initially be positioned to be in a receiving configuration as illustrated inFIG. 5A. In this configuration, the plurality offlexible tabs500 can extend from the supplyvial adapter end110 at an angle α. In one exemplary embodiment, the angle α can be from approximately 10° to approximately 30°. However, other angles α can be envisioned without deviating from the spirit of the present disclosure. In an exemplary embodiment, when in the receiving configuration, the circumference of the distal ends530 of the plurality offlexible tabs500 of the supplyvial adapter end110 can be greater than the circumference of the top 325 of thesupply vial300. Thereby, in the receiving configuration, thereservoir filling aid100 can be incapable of securing a supply vial300 (seeFIG. 3) onto theneedle510 housed with the supplyvial adapter end110 of thereservoir filling aid100. In addition, having the plurality offlexible tabs500 in the receiving configuration can provide addition protection to the user from theneedle510 housed with the supplyvial adapter end110, thereby, helping to prevent accidental sticks of theneedle510.
• Alternatively, in the closed configuration, thetypical supply vial300 can be forced into the supplyvial adapter end110 by sliding together thetypical supply vial300 and the plurality offlexible tabs500 into ashaped ring520 at the end of the supplyvial adapter end110. In one exemplary embodiment, the sliding motion can force therounded flanges540 of the plurality of theflexible tabs500 to close around theindentation320 of theneck310 of thetypical supply vial300 in order to secure thesupply vial300 to thereservoir filling aid100. In addition, in one embodiment, the sliding motion can force thesupply vial300 onto theneedle510 housed within thereservoir filling aid100 to establish a fluid connection between thesupply vial300 and thereservoir20. The plurality of theflexible tabs300 in the closed configuration is illustrated inFIG. 5B. Theindentation320 of thesupply vial300 can support theflexible tabs500 in this closed configuration in order to support and retain thesupply vial300. In other words, the supplyvial adapter end110 of thereservoir filling aid100 can use a sliding motion to close the plurality offlexible tabs500 around theindentation320 of theneck310 of asupply vial300 and into the shapedring520 of thereservoir filling aid100. The sliding motion can then securely force thesupply vial300 onto theneedle510 of thereservoir filling aid100 establishing a fluid connection between thesupply vial300 and thereservoir20, thereby thereservoir filling aid100 can secure and support a needle connection betweensupply vial300, thereservoir filling aid100 and thereservoir20 itself.
• Once thereservoir20 is filled with the desired amount of medical serum, thesupply vial300 can be slid out of the supplyvial adapter end110 of thereservoir filling aid100 by simply pulling on thesupply vial300. As thesupply vial300 is slid out, the plurality offlexible tabs500 can move from the closed position to the receiving position and, thereby, the plurality offlexible tabs500 can lose contact with theneck310 of thesupply vial300 and can release thesupply vial300. Once the plurality offlexible tabs500 are in the receiving position, the user can then simply remove thesupply vial300 from theneedle510 of thereservoir filling aid100 breaking the fluid connection between thesupply vial300 and thereservoir20.
• In another exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 6A-B, the supplyvial adapter end110 of thereservoir filling aid100 can have an interior650 andexterior640. Theinterior650 of the supplyvial adapter end110 can have atrack610 that follows a spiral path down theinterior650 of the supplyvial adapter end110. In one exemplary embodiment, thetrack610 can be a recessed groove. The plurality offlexible tabs500 can be connected together by abottom ring620. Thebottom ring620 can have atrack interface620 protruding away from thebottom ring630 towards the interior650 of the supplyvial adapter end110. In this exemplary embodiment, thetrack interface620 can be interact with, or be threaded into, thetrack610 when theflexible tabs500 are in the receiving position. As thesupply vial300 is slid towards the shapedring520, thesupply vial300 can also rotate thetrack interface620 downwards along the path of thetrack610. The rotation downwards of thesupply vial300 can flex the plurality offlexible tabs500 inward towards and onto theneck310 of thesupply vial300 locking thesupply vial300 into place on theneedle510 and establishing a fluid connection between thesupply vial300 and thereservoir20. Thetrack610 andtrack interface620, thereby, provide additional support and security for the connection between thesupply vial300,reservoir20 and thereservoir filling aid100.
• Once thereservoir20 is filled with the desired amount of medical serum, thesupply vial300 can be rotated out of the supplyvial adapter end110 of thereservoir filling aid100. As thesupply vial300 is being rotated out of the supplyvial adapter end110, thetrack interface620 connected to the plurality offlexible tabs500 travels up theinterior650 of the supplyvial adapter end110 along the path oftrack620. As thesupply vial300 is rotated out, the plurality offlexible tabs500 can move from the closed position to the receiving position and, thereby, the plurality offlexible tabs500 can lose contact with theneck310 of thesupply vial300 and can release thesupply vial300. Once the plurality offlexible tabs500 are in the receiving position, the user can then simply remove thesupply vial300 from theneedle510 of thereservoir filling aid100 breaking the fluid connection between thesupply vial300 and thereservoir20.
• In yet another exemplary embodiment, aremovable adapter730 for fitting onto the supplyvial adapter end110 of thereservoir filling aid100 is illustrated inFIGS. 7A-B. Thisremovable adapter730 can be fitted securely onto asmall supply vial700 having a smaller circumference than a typical 10ml supply vial300 in order to increase the overall circumference of thesmall supply vial700 to that of a 10ml supply vial300. In one exemplary embodiment, thesmall supply vial700 can be a typical 3 ml supply vial. However, any othersmall supply vial700 can be used with theremovable adapter730 without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. In one exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 7A, theremovable adapter730 can securely snap into theindentations720 of theneck710 of thesmall supply vial700. In another embodiment illustrated inFIG. 7B, theremovable adapter730 can be slid onto theneck710 of thesmall supply vial700. However, any other suitable methods of attachment known in the art are possible. Theremovable adapter730 and theneck710 of thesmall supply vial700 can then securely engage with the plurality offlexible tabs500 of the supplyvial adapter end110 of thereservoir filling aid100 as discussed above. Thus, theremovable adapter700 can allow the filling of thereservoir20 by asmall supply vial700 of medical serum. In this embodiment, the plurality offlexible tabs500 would secure against the body of thesmall supply vial700 and theremovable adapter730. Theremovable adapter730 can be comprised of a flexible material such as, for example, rubber, plastic or any suitable material known in the art.
• After thereservoir20 is filled, thesmall supply vial700 can disengage from thereservoir filling aid100 as described above and theremovable adapter730 can be removed from thesmall supply vial700 by, for example, simply unsnapping theremovable adapter730 from thesmall supply vial700, or simply sliding theremovable adapter730 from thesmall supply vial700 or by any other suitable method.
• It is noted that terms like “preferably,” “commonly,” and “typically” are not utilized herein to limit the scope of the claimed embodiments or to imply that certain features are critical, essential, or even important to the structure or function of the claimed embodiments. Rather, these terms are merely intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment of the present disclosure.
• For the purposes of describing and defining the present disclosure, it is noted that the term “substantially” is utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. The term “substantially” is also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.
• Having described the present disclosure in detail and by reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the disclosure defined in the appended claims. More specifically, although some aspects of the present disclosure are identified herein as preferred or particularly advantageous, it is contemplated that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to these preferred aspects of the disclosure.

Claims (20)

1. A reservoir filling aid for a reservoir of a medical infusion pump, the reservoir filling aid comprising:

a main body for supporting the reservoir during the filling of the reservoir with a medical serum; and

a supply vial adapter end positioned at a first end of the main body having an interior and exterior, the supply vial adapter end comprising,

a plurality of flexible tabs extending from the supply vial adapter end for interfacing with a supply vial containing the medical serum, and

a shaped ring for housing the plurality of flexible tabs and the supply vial while in a closed configuration, wherein when in the closed configuration a fluid connection is established between the supply vial and the reservoir.

2. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, further comprising

a plunger body adjacent the main body for supporting a plunger attached to the reservoir during filling.

3. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, wherein the supply vial adapter end further comprises

a needle for piercing both the supply vial and the reservoir, wherein the needle passes the medical serum contained within the supply vial into the reservoir to establish the fluid connection.

4. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 3, wherein the needle is inaccessible when the supply vial adapter end is in a receiving configuration.

5. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, wherein each of the plurality of flexible tabs have a flange at its distal end.

6. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 5, wherein the flange at its distal end protrudes towards the center of the reservoir filling aid.

7. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 5, wherein the flanges of each of the plurality of flexible tabs interface with a neck indentation of the supply vial.

8. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of flexible tabs is comprised of rubber, plastic, or combination thereof.

9. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of flexible tabs are positioned equidistant from each other.

10. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of flexible tabs extend from the supply vial adapter end at angle.

11. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of flexible tabs is comprised of three flexible tabs.

12. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of flexible tabs has a circumference greater than the circumference of the supply vial adapter end while in a receiving configuration.

13. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, wherein the medical serum is insulin.

14. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, further comprising

an adapter that fits on top of small supply vial, wherein the adapter fits within the plurality of flexible tabs of the supply vial adapter end of the reservoir filling aid.

15. The reservoir filling aid ofclaim 1, further comprising,

a track that spirals down the interior of the supply vial adapter end; and

a bottom ring connecting the plurality of flexible tabs, wherein the bottom ring comprises a track interface that interacts with and travels along the spiral track.

16. A reservoir filling aid for a reservoir of a medical infusion pump, the reservoir filling aid comprising:

a main body for supporting the reservoir during the filling of the reservoir with a medical serum; and

a supply vial adapter end positioned at a first end of the main body and having an interior and an exterior, the supply vial adapter end comprising,

a track that spirals down the interior of the supply vial adapter end,

a plurality of flexible tabs extending from the supply vial adapter end for interfacing with a supply vial containing the medical serum, wherein the plurality of flexible tabs are connected together by a bottom ring, the bottom ring having a track interface that interacts with and travels along the track, and

a shaped ring for housing the plurality of flexible tabs and the supply vial while in a closed configuration to establish a fluid connection between the supply vial and the reservoir.

17. A method for filling a reservoir of a medical infusion pump using a reservoir filling aid, the method comprising:

positioning a reservoir of a medical pump in a main body of the reservoir filling aid;

engaging a supply vial containing a medical serum with an supply vial adapter end of the reservoir filling aid, wherein the supply vial is engaged with the supply vial adapter end by a plurality of flexible tabs extending from the supply vial adapter end that connect with a neck indentation of the supply vial; and

sliding the engaged supply vial into a shaped ring of the supply vial adapter end.

18. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising,

guiding a plunger attached to the reservoir along a plunger body of the reservoir filling aid.

19. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising,

traveling a track interface affixed to the plurality of flexible tabs along a spiral track located within the supply vial adapter end.

20. The method ofclaim 17, wherein sliding the supply vial into shaped ring pierces the supply vial with a needle housed within the supply vial adapter end to establish fluid connection between the supply vial and the reservoir.

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