FR2607011A1 - Device for withdrawing, preserving or injecting liquid substances, of organic type - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for withdrawing and injecting liquid substances or liquid media carrying cells or tissues, which is used in particular for withdrawing or injecting doses of blood, spermatozoa or ovocytes, which can be used for artificial insemination or embryo transfer via a transcervical or transperitoneal path, comprising a syringe formed of an outer sheath 4 in which a suction and delivery piston 3 slides in a leaktight manner, an operating handle passed through axially by a pipe in which the rear end of the said piston moves, and a rotary drive member 7 mounted tangentially to this piston 3, so that the latter can be moved with one hand, by simple pressure and movement of the thumb. According to the invention, the syringe contains a small sterile packaging tube 16 allowing collection of the liquid substance to be preserved.

Description

"Device for collection, storage or injection of liquid substances, organic type".

 The invention relates to a device for the removal, conservation and restitution, in particular by injection, of undergoing liquid tances relating to genetics such as spermatozoa, or alternatively carrier liquid media such as those used during removal or transfer embryos, this device can also be used for taking doses of serum, cells or tissues, for example pancreatic.

 There are already known syringes intended for the withdrawal and injection of liquid substances formed # es, in the manner of a piston, of a cylinder or external sheath in which slides with sealing # a piston whose translation is carried out manually.

These usual syringes can be extended on their front face before a sampling tip (especially if it is to aspirate a substance in a container) or a needle if the sample is taken from a living organism. The disadvantage of these syringes lies, on the one hand, in the random nature of the displacement of the piston, (and consequently, the difficulty of obtaining precise doses), on the other hand, in the obligation to transfer the substance taken in sterik packaging when it is to be stored, in particular by freezing.

Now, precisely, the transfer of the substance from the syringe into a package goes against the aseptic effect sought since the material is brought into contact with air, that is to say the environment microbial.

 The subject of the invention is therefore an original device enabling the plunger of the syringe to be controlled with precision, which can receive a sterile straw which will be used for packaging the substance withdrawn.

The invention therefore relates to a device for collecting and injecting liquid substances, carrier liquid media, cells or even tissues, used in particular for collecting doses of serum, spermatozoa or else for transferring embryos. or artificial insemination by transcervical or transperitoneal route, this device being formed by a syringe and comprising a control handle for piloting the piston, this being formed by a handle axially crossed by a conduit in which moves the rear end of said piston, a rotary drive member being mounted tangentially to this piston, so that it can be moved with one hand, by the simple pressure and animation of the thumb, said device
being characterized in that the syringe is formed of a sheath and of a plunger and also contains a sterile freezing straw for the collection and storage of the substance.

 According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotary drive member is formed by a notched wheel, accessible from the outside, the axis of which is mounted floating in two openings in the control handle.

 According to an advantageous characteristic, the tip of the syringe comprises a frustoconical axial cavity for the sealed coupling of the straw, the front end of which is force fitted into this tip. In this hypothesis, that is to say when the syringe contains a sterile freezing straw, the filling of the straw is carried out through a permeable plug closing its rear end, by the simple suction caused by the piston of the syringe, controlled by the control handle.

Other characteristics and advantages will emerge from the description below and the attached drawings in which
- fig. 1 is an axial sectional view of the entire syringe and its control handle
- fig. 2 is an enlarged view in axial section of the handle used to control the piston rod.

 The essential object of the invention is to make available to practitioners, a new instrument for withdrawing and injecting liquid substances which is on the one hand, easy to use and which, on the other hand, allows manipulation of the substance in the best possible aseptic conditions. This instrument can be used, in fact, for the collection of doses of serum but also for the collection of spermatozoa, oocytes, tissues from carrier media, etc. for serotecs and virutecs.

 This instrument can also be used, not only for the collection but also for the conservation of the substances collected and, also and above all for the restitution, that is to say, the injection of these substances, for example in the case artificial insemination or embryo transfer by the transcervical route (without needle), that is to say by the natural route of the cervix or by the transperitoneal route (with needle), if the 'insemination operation' or embryo transfer requires surgery.

 The device for controlling the piston of the syringe is formed, as appears clearly in FIG. 2, from a control handle 1 of elongated shape, for example cylindrical, which can easily be held in the hand, this being crossed by a axial conduit 2, which extends over its entire length, and in which the piston 3 can move, movable in alternating translation in the sheath 4 of the syringe 5 visible in FIG. 1. This handle comprises a blind cavity 6 in which is rotatably mounted a notched wheel 7, accessible from the outside, that is to say slightly protruding from the periphery of the handle 1 so that it can be easily operated by the thumb, this wheel being mounted floating by its movable axis 8 in two slots 9 made in the two flanges laterally bordering the cavity 6. Thus, the simple pressure of the thumb on the thumbwheel 7 tends to apply it downwards which comes abstrangentially into contact with the udder rod tone 3. A rotation of the wheel in one direction or another, when it is applied with pressure on the piston has the effect of causing it to move inside the sheath 4.

 To obtain a relative displacement of the piston relative to the sheath 4, it is obviously essential that the latter be immobilized and there is provided for this purpose, in the body of the control handle 1, a locking member which, in l 'occurrence, is a needle screw 10 housed in an orifice 11 opening into the conduit 2 oh the piston passes 3. At this level, the orifice 2 is slightly larger in diameter than that passing through the rear part of the handle so so that the sheath 4 can be brought into force in this conduit 2 oh it will lock by. simple notching of the needle screw lO. The sheath being thus immobilized, the piston 3 can freely move in it. To facilitate the introduction of the sheath into the control handle and to ensure its guidance, the handle is extended on its front end face, of a nozzle 12 forms a section of tube, the rear part of which comprises a threaded connection which is screwed into a threaded housing 14 of the handle, after interposition of an O-ring seal 15.

This nozzle will preferably be made of transparent rigid plastic, so that the operator can monitor and counter the movements of the piston 3 in the sheath 4.

 This handle has the essential advantage, on the one hand, of freeing one of the practitioner's hands, on the other hand, of precisely controlling the piston 3 by controlling its movements and, consequently, of allowing a metering of the substance withdrawn or injected. To further improve the dosing precision, you can calibrate the piston or the sheath and in particular mark it with marks intended to check its linear stroke.

 This control handle can be used with a conventional syringe simply formed by a sheath and a piston extended or not by a needle, or even be coupled to a syringe of a more improved version whose sheath 4 contains a straw 16 intended in particular to the packaging of the substance collected. This straw is conventionally in the form of a small diameter conduit, the rear part of which is closed by a plug 17, formed of two cotton pads between which a dose of powder is sandwiched, polymerizable in contact with the liquid substance. This fine straw is placed inside the sheath 4 and is made integral with the needle 18 so that the substance removed passes through the needle and comes to lodge directly in the packaging straw.

In this spirit, the needle 18 has a tip 19 on which is crimped or glued the front end of the sheath 4 so that a perfect seal is obtained. This nozzle 19 internally comprises a channel 20 communicating with the needle 18 and opening into a frustoconical chamber 21 in which will be fixed, by force fitting or crimping, the packaging straw 16.

 The withdrawal of the substance (when using syringes with glitter) is carried out by simple suction through the plug 17 (breathable) this depression being created by the recoil of the piston 3, controlled by the notched wheel 7. In fact, the withdrawal of the piston 3 creates a suction inside the syringe since its prominent tette 31 closely follows the inner channel of the sheath 4. This depression is expressed through the plug of the glitter and thus, the liquid is sucked through the needle or the sheath into the storage straw 16. When the sample is finished, we can either extract the straw 16 and then close it at both ends by heat sealing, or leave it inside the syringe and use the set as packaging. In this case, it will suffice to weld the rear part of the sheath 4, then to crimp, crush or weld the needle 18 so that the packaging is completely safe from contamination. This double coaxial packaging (sheath + glitter ) will thus allow to obtain, a high protection of the substance against thermal shocks or against any other harmful external effect, while guaranteeing the personnel of possible contamination.

The syringe assembly containing its straw will be sterilized and sold in a packaging that is also sterile so that the samples are taken under the best possible aseptic conditions. Taking into account the hygienic precautions which are used here, it is consequently of the greatest interest, to avoid the transfer of the semen from the syringe in a container of conditioning, from where the double interest of the straw which is used for both receiving and storing the substance,
As indicated above, the syringe can be extended by a needle on March 18 thatwsl can be rigid or flexible. Indeed, when it comes to withdrawing serum for example, we will use a rigid needle; on the other hand, when it is a question, for example, of artificial insemination or embryo transfer, it will be possible to use, if the transcervical route is used, a flexible conduit so as not to perforate the mucous membranes while crossing the cervix.

 The restitution, that is to say the injection of the substance from the straw, will be carried out very simply, since at the time of use, it will suffice to section the ends of the straw or of the sheath, then use the piston 3 as the expelling member, having taken care beforehand, ble, to remove the removable plate 31 from the piston so that its front end can penetrate inside the straw 16 (# mmobilized in c8ne 21) to push forward the plug 17 which will then serve as the piston head.

 Ultimately, the control handle according to the invention can be used with a conventional syringe formed of a simple sheath and a plunger with or without a needle or, with a more sophisticated syringe, containing a preservation straw. which can either be extracted from the syringe, or stored inside the latter, the syringe then becoming itself, sterile packaging.

 We can use this set to collect serum, follicular fluids, oocytes, viruses, or even perform procedures such as artificial insemination by intra-uteo or embryo transfers, or even serve to inoculation of culture media for the seeding, in particular of kneading dishes.

 According to an alternative embodiment, it is possible as indicated above, to use the sheath as packaging for the substance sampled. In this eventuality, it is possible, if the sheath contains a fine preservation glitter, to house in the sheath (behind the glitter) an identification rod which can be read through the transparent sheath. This ring will serve as a synoptic benchmark and means of identification since it may include all references as to the breed of the animal, date of collection, the dose collected, etc. In this eventuality it will be enough, after sampling, to cut the needle (if there is a needle) then to slightly remove the straw to weld it on its front part, after which we will turn the sheath of 1800 to bring out the rear part of the empty straw in order to weld it. We will then insert the identification rod into the sheath behind the welded end of the straw then we will weld the sheath itself. In this way, we obtain a double package of coaxial type that is perfectly hermetic and allows the substance taken to be conditioned in the best possible aseptic and protective conditions for both the substance and those who handle it.

Claims (9)

 10) Device for withdrawing and injecting liquid substances, carrier liquid media, cells or even tissues, used in particular for withdrawing or injecting doses of serum, spermatozoa or oocytes, the device can also be used for artificial insemination or embryo transfer by transcervical or transperitoneal route, this device consisting of a syringe formed of an outer sheath (4) in which slides, with sealing, a suction piston (3) and discharge, and comprising a control handle (1) ensuring the piloting of the piston (3), formed of a handle axially traversed by a conduit (2) in which the rear end of said piston moves, a member for rotary drive (7) being mounted tangentially to this piston (3) so that it can be moved with one hand, by simple pressure and animation of the thumb, device characterized in that the syringe which is formed of a sheath and udder your container also contains a sterile packaging straw 16) for collecting the liquid substance to be stored.  20) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the end piece of the sheath is made integral with the packaging straw by interlocking, crimping, bonding.  30) Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the filling of the straw (16) is effected by the suction caused by the piston (3) controlled by the control handle (1) through a permeable plug (17), located at the rear of said straw.  40) Device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the plug (17) of the straw contains a powder which polymerizes on contact with the liquid substance, so that said plug becomes impermeable and keeps the substance in an aseptic state.  50) Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the plug (17) serves as a piston head, during the emptying of the straw, that is to say during the expulsion of the substance which it contains. through a needle of the syringe, the piston proper of said syringe being brought to bear on this plug (17) in order to move it by the play of the control handle (1).  60) Device according to any one of claims from 1 to 5, characterized in that the syringe and straw assembly is kept in a sanitized medium by welding the sheath or the straw, after removal, and by crimping, welding or crushing a needle.  70) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the piston (2) is calibrated by means of marks staggered over any ru part of its length.  80) Device according to any one of claims from 1 to 7, characterized in that a syringe-flake-needle assembly is sterilized and is delivered in a packaging which is also sterile.  90) Device according to any one of claims from 1 to 8, characterized in that the fine flake (16) is welded at two ends and held inside the sheath (4) which is itself welded at its two ends after insertion of an identification rod housed inside the sheath behind the preservation straw.