GB2140302A

GB2140302A - An aspiration adaptor for a syringe

Info

Publication number: GB2140302A
Application number: GB08314611A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Ivor Abdy Ray
Original assignee: Microsurgical Equipment Ltd
Current assignee: Microsurgical Equipment Ltd
Priority date: 1983-05-26
Filing date: 1983-05-26
Publication date: 1984-11-28
Also published as: JPS59225069A; GB8314611D0

Abstract

An adaptor for converting a syringe into an aspiration device, in which, when the barrel 2 of the syringe is clipped to a frame 3 of the adaptor by means of a clip 4, and the plunger 1 of the syringe is clamped to the adaptor by a clamp 5, relative movement between a hand piece 7 attached to a first rack 8 and a thumb piece 6 attached to a second rack 9 of a pair of parallel racks of a rack-and-pinion system including a pair of pinions 10, enables use of the syringe in an aspirating mode, by holding it in one hand, as in use of the syringe in its usual (infusion) mode. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An adaptor for a syringe and an aspiration device comprising a said adaptor This invention relates to an adaptor for a syringe, especially (though not exclusively) a disposable syringe, for the purpose of providing an aspiration device comprising a said syringe. It also relates to a said aspiration device.

Syringes used for injection purposes or other purposes where liquids are required to be ejected or expelled from such syringes are generally and conveniently operated by one hand.

However, a syringe which is required for the purpose of aspiration (i.e. suction of a liquid from an environment thereof into thebarrel of the syringe) has, in the past, necessitated the use of both hands, viz. one for holding the barrel and the other for exerting a pull on the plunger of the syringe.

The aim of the present invention is to provide means for enabling such an aspiration syringe to be conveniently operated by one hand, substantially as if it were used in an injection or ejection mode as aforesaid.

For this purpose, the invention in a first aspect thereof provides for a said syringe an adaptor comprising retaining means for the syringe barrel, attachment means for the syringe plunger, a first and a second hand piece for manual relative movement in a direction axially of the plunger to produce relative axial displacement of the plunger and barrel, and means for causing said movement in said direction to cause said displacement in the opposite direction to said first-mentioned direction.

According to the invention, in a second aspect thereof, an aspiration device comprises a syringe whose barrel is retained by, and whose plunger is attached to, an adaptor according to the invention in its aforesaid first aspect.

An aspiration device embodying the present invention is especially (though not exclusively: intended for use in microsurgery, and more particularly in ophthalmic microsurgery, for the purpose of withdrawing fluid from a region (e.g. the eye) of a patient. In such an application, the syringe would normally be of the disposable kind.

One form of aspiration device embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the single diagrammatic drawing of the device.

Referring to the drawing, a disposable syringe has a plunger 1 which is slidable axially in a barrel 2. The barrel 2 is retained in an adaptor comprising a frame 3 by means of retaining means in the form of a clip 4.

Attachment means in the form of a clamp 5 are provided for attaching the adaptor to the plunger 1.

A first hand piece in the form of a thumbpiece 6 and a second hand piece 7 are arranged for relative movement in a direction axially of the plunger 1 to enable manual operation of the device by means of the thumb and fingers of the same hand to produce relative axial displacement of the plunger 1 and the barrel 2.

Means for causing said movement in said direction to cause said displacement in the opposite direction to said first-mentioned direction comprise at first rack 8, second rack 9 and a pair of pinions 10. The racks 8, 9 are both disposed parallel to the syringe and in mesh with the pinions 10.

The rack 8 is joined to the clamp 5 and the rack 9 is joined to the thumb-piece 6.

In operation of the device, when the hand piece 7 is held between two fingers of the hand and the thumb-piece 6 is pressed in the direction of the hand piece 7 by the thumb of the same hand, the rack-and-pinion arrangement 8-10 cause the plunger 1 to be displaced in the opposite direction (via the clamp 5), thereby causing the syringe 1, 2 to act in an aspirating mode for the purpose of sucking into the barrel 2 any fluid required to be removed from the environment of the open end 11 of the syringe.

Claims

1. An adaptor for a syringe, the adaptor comprising retaining means for the syringe barrel, attachment means for the syringe plunger, a first and a second hand piece for manual relative movement in a direction axially of the plunger to produce relative axial displacement of the plunge and barrel, and means for causing said movement in said direction to cause said diplacement in the opposite direction to said first-mentioned direction.

2. An adaptor according to Claim 1, wherein said means for causing said movement in said direction to cause said displacement in the opposite direction to said firstmentioned direction comprise a first rack, a second rack and at least one pinion, said racks being arranged so as to be disposed, when said syringe barrel and syringe plunger are retained by said retaining means and attached by said attachment means respectively, parallel to said syringe and in mesh with said at least one pinion.

3. An adaptor according to Claim 1 for a syringe, the adaptor being constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.

4. An aspiration device comprising a syringe whose barrel is retained by, and whose plunger is attached to, an adaptor according to any one of the preceding claims.