US 6,616,634 B2Granted

Ergonomic syringe

AssigneeSemler Technologies, Inc.

InventorsPhilip David Benz, Herbert J. Semler, Benjamin Peter Mergen, William Richard Huseby

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Abstract

The ergonomic syringe is used by an operator to inject fluid under pressure into a patient during a medical procedure, which can include angiographic procedures where catheters are used. Although said ergonomic syringe may be connected to and used with a catheter of any size, it is particularly suited for use by an operator to inject radiopaque dye through catheters having small diameters. The large handgrip and locations of the fingergrips, together with other features on these elements of the ergonomic syringe, increase comfort and reduce the fatigue, strain, and risk of disability which may be associated with achieving the force required for each injection to achieve high pressures necessary for proper dye density in the blood flow in the target blood vessels, where such force is greater in smaller catheters than in larger catheters.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An ergonomic syringe to be used for injecting fluids under pressure in medical procedures, including angiographic procedures, which includes:

a) a generally cylindrical hollow barrel having a nozzle at its distal end and a generally open proximal end;
b) a top fingergrip located on an outside wall of said barrel, said top fingergrip having an open finger ring into which an operator may insert a single finger for the purpose of gripping said ergonomic syringe;
c) a bottom fingergrip located on an outside wall of the barrel generally opposite the wall on which the top fingergrip is located, said bottom fingergrip having an open interior bottom fingergrip into which an operator may insert more than one finger for the purpose of gripping the ergonomic syringe;
d) a plunger having a plunger shaft including a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end being received into the proximal end of the barrel where said plunger may slidably move forward and rearward inside the lumen of the barrel;
e) a handgrip located on the proximal end of the plunger, said handgrip including:
(i) a handgrip arch located on the proximal side of the handgrip generally opposite the point at which the handgrip joins the plunger, said handgrip arch shaped generally in a curve to fit a portion of the palm of an operator's hand and ball of the operator's thumb including a significant area of the adductor pollicis muscle;
(ii) a handgrip base extending away from the handgrip arch, said handgrip base being formed as an elongate finger generally shaped to fit a significant part of the lower portion of the palm of an operator's hand and ball of the operator's thumb generally including an area distal to the palmar surface of the annular ligament of the hand;
(iii) a thumbgrip extending away from the point at which the handgrip joins the plunger in a direction generally opposite that of the handgrip base.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/957,861Filed 21 Sep 2001
Published: US 2003/0060777 A127 Mar 2003
Granted: 9 Sep 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

A61M 5/3135
Syringe barrels: characterised by constructional features of the proximal end
A61M 5/3137
Syringe barrels: with finger grip means, e.g. for easy manipulation of the syringe rod
A61M 2205/586
Means for facilitating use, e.g. by people with impaired vision: ergonomic details therefor, e.g. specific ergonomics for left or right-handed users
A61M
Devices for delivering substances into the body