GB2391863A

GB2391863A - Tubular container with snap-on closures at both ends

Info

Publication number: GB2391863A
Application number: GB0219040A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Trustees Limited Raft; Anthony Howard Fel Macquillian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-08-15
Filing date: 2002-08-15
Publication date: 2004-02-18
Also published as: GB0219040D0

Abstract

A medicinal leech is packaged in a container having a body 2 with oppositely disposed openings 4 and 6. The opening 4 is larger than the opening 6. Each opening can be closed by means of a respective cap 8, 10. For use in medicine, for example to treat venous congestion, a leech is placed in the container through the larger opening 4, and retained in the container by means of the caps 8 and 10. When the leech is to be applied to a patient, the cap 10 is removed, and the opening 6 is placed in contact with the site to be treated. The leech can then attach itself to the site through the opening 6, after which the container may be withdrawn from the site, with the body of the leech passing through the opening 6.

Description

DELIVERY OF LEECHES

This invention relates to a container for a leech, such as a medicinal leech, and to a method of applying a 5 leech, using such a container, to a site on a human or non-human animal.

The use of leeches in medicine has a long history.

Leeches were commonly used in the 19th Century when it lo was believed that blood letting was an appropriate cure for many ailments. More recently, leeches have found uses in reconstructive surgery to treat venous congestion in reattached body parts in the post-

operative phase and congestion in pedicled and free 15 flaps, before venous flow between the reattached part and the rest of the body has been established.

The medicinal leech (hirudo medicinalis) must, of course, be bred, transported and stored in sterile 20 conditions to avoid carrying infection to a patient being treated. Medicinal leeches are bred especially for use in medicine and consequently tend to be expensive. They are also fragile and difficult to handle. Conventionally, they are stored in a vessel 25 which may contain up to fifty leeches. The leeches are maintained in a special gel or solution and kept in a refrigerator. For use, an individual leech is picked up by forceps or by gloved hand and delivered to the site on the patient to which it is to be attached. The 30 head (or biting end) of the leech makes searching movements and will attach promptly to any area of skin with which it makes contact. This, and the slippery nature of a leech, make it difficult to apply the leech accurately to the desired site.

According to the present invention, there is provided a container for a leech, the container having oppositely disposed closable openings of different opening size, the large size being larger than the maximum body 5 diameter of a medicinal leech, and the smaller size being smaller than the maximum body diameter and larger than the minimum body diameter of a medicinal leech.

In use of such a container, the leech can be inserted 10 into the container through the larger opening, with the smaller opening closed. The leech can then be kept in the container with both openings closed until it is to be used. For use, the leech is transported to the patient in the container, the smaller opening is opened 15 and that opening is placed against the skin of the patient. Consequently, only the desired site is exposed to the biting end of the leech. When biting has occurred, the container can be withdrawn carefully over the body of the leech, which can shrink locally to 20 pass through the opening. In the context of the present invention "maximum body diameter" means the largest diameter to which the body of a medicinal leech may expand, while "minimum body diameter" means the smallest diameter to which the body of the leech may 25 contract. Thus, the smaller opening size must be large enough to allow passage of the body of the leech.

The container preferably includes closure elements, which may be held captive to the container and which, 30 in a preferred embodiment, may comprise snap-on caps.

The wall of the container is preferably perforated with holes which are too small to allow passage of the leech. The perforations allow liquid for maintaining

the leech to flow in and out of the container, while the container, containing a leech, is kept in a larger tank. 5 The larger opening preferably has a diameter, or equivalent transverse dimension, which is not less than 1.5 cm and not more than 3 cm. In a preferred embodiment, the larger opening is circular, with a diameter of 2 cm.

The smaller opening may have a diameter, or equivalent transverse dimension, which is not less than 0.5 cm and not more than 1 cm. In a preferred embodiment, the smaller opening is circular and has a diameter of 0.8 15 cm.

The length of the container between the openings may be not less than 5 cm and not more than 10 cm.

20 Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of applying a leech to a site to be treated on a human or non-human animal, the method comprising: placing the leech in a container having an opening 25 of sufficient size to permit passage of the leech from the container; placing the container against the site to be treated, with the opening surrounding a region of 30 the site at which attachment of the leech is desired; when the head of the leech is attached to the desired region, withdrawing the container from the

site, while permitting the body of the leech to pass through the opening.

A method as defined above may be employed in the S treatment of a human or non-human animal suffering or susceptible to venous congestion, and may be employed when the human or non-human animal is in a post-

operative or post-surgical condition.

10 For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: 15 Figure 1 shows a container for a leech; Figure 2 illustrates the insertion of a leech into the container; 20 Figure 3 shows the container applied to a human finger; and Figure 4 shows the container being withdrawn after attachment of the leech to the finger.

The container shown in Figure 1 comprises a main body 2 having a length of approximately 6 cm. The body is made out of a rigid clear plastics material and has a larger opening 4 at one end and a smaller opening 6 at 30 the other. The larger opening 4 preferably has a diameter not less than 1 cm, and in a specific embodiment may have diameter of approximately 2 cm.

The diameter of the smaller opening 6 preferably has a diameter not more than 1 cm, for example 0.8 cm.

A cap 8 is provided for closing the larger opening 4, and a cap 10 is provided for closing the smaller opening 6. The caps are attached to the body 2 by flexible straps 12 and 14 respectively. As shown in 5 Figure 1, the straps 12 and 14 are connected to collars 16 and 18 which are secured to the body 2.

Alternatively, the straps 12 and 14 may be integrally; moulded with the body 2.

10 The body 2 is perforated, having approximately ten small diameter (for example 1 mm) drain holes 20.

The dimensions of the container are appropriate to the size of a medicinal leech. A leech, being a nematode, 15 does not have a well- defined shape and size. In particular, a leech is able to extend its length, with a commensurate reduction in its body diameter. The size of the body 2 is selected so as to be capable of -

containing a single leech in what can be regarded as a 20 "normal" configuration. By this is meant a leech which is hungry (ie not engorged with blood) and with its body in a relatively relaxed state. In such a condition, the leech will pass easily through the opening 4 into the container. This is shown in Figure 25 2, and the leech may be placed in the container by hand or by the use of suitable forceps or other implements.

When the leech is being placed in the container, the opening 6 is closed by the cap 10.

30 Once the leech 22 is in the container, the opening 4 is closed by the cap 8. The leech may be placed in the container at the source of production, or alternatively it may be kept initially in a suitable vessel containing several other leeches, and placed in the

container only shortly before it is to be used on a patient. For use, the leech is transported to the patient in the 5 container, and applied as shown in Figure 3. Thus, the cap 10 is removed to free the opening 6, and this opening is then placed over the site to be treated. In Figure 3, the leech 22 is shown being attached to a patient's finger. By way of example, the finger may 10 have been recently attached, in a surgical procedure, to the patient's hand. During such reconstructive surgery, the surgeon is able to reconnect major arteries to establish a blood flow to the reattached finger, but it is much more difficult to reconnect 15 veins. The result is that there is an insufficient return path for blood to flow from the finger back to the hand, and so the reattached finger will become engorged with blood. Ultimately, the finger 24 may fail to re- establish itself and the reconstructive 20 surgery will fail. The purpose of the leech is to take away excess blood, so as to prevent or alleviate venous congestion in the finger 24.

Use of the container shown in Figure 1 enables the 25 leech to be exposed to an accurately determined site on the finger 24 (or other body part to be treated). Once the container is placed in position as shown in Figure 3, the biting end of the leech will find the patient's skin and attach itself to it, beginning the withdrawal 30 of blood from the finger 24. Once attachment has occurred, the leech will hold on firmly, and the container can be withdrawn over the body of the leech 22, as shown in Figure 4. During withdrawal, the mouth of the opening 6 will cause a moving constriction to

pass along the body of the leech, until the container is completely removed. If necessary, of course, other leeches may be attached, by the same process, to different parts of the reattached finger 24.

Once the leech 22 is fully engorged with blood, it will fall off the finger 24 of its own accord and can be disposed of appropriately. The container can also be disposed of, or alternatively it can be reused after 10 appropriate sterilizing treatment.

The holes 20 allow liquid for maintaining the leech to pass into the container 2 from a larger tank in which several containers, each containing a single leech, may 15 be stored. Also, the holes 20 allow the liquid to drain from the container before the leech is applied to a patient.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the material 20 of the body 2 is substantially rigid. In other embodiments, the material may be less rigid. For example the body 2 may be in the form of an open-ended stiff collapsible bag, in which closure of one or both openings 4 and 6 may be achieved by pinching the 25 respective ends of the bags, for example by means of a drawstring.

Claims

CLAIMS -

1. A container for a leech, the container having oppositely disposed closable openings of different 5 opening size, the larger size being larger than the maximum body diameter of a medicinal leech, and the smaller size being smaller than the maximum body diameter and larger than the minimum diameter of a medicinal leech.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, in which the openings are closable by means of closure elements.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, in which the 15 closure elements are snap-on caps which are held captive with respect to the body of the container.

4. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the wall of the container is 20 perforated.

5. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the larger aperture has a transverse dimension which is not less than 1 cm and not more than 25 3 cm.

6. A container as claimed in claim 5, in which the transverse dimension of the larger opening is 2 cm.

30 7. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the smaller opening has a transverse dimension which is not less than 0.5 cm and not more than 1 cm.

8. A container as claimed in claim 7, in which the transverse dimension of the smaller opening is 0.8 cm.

9. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding 5 claims, in which the length of the container is not less than 5 cm and not more than 10 cm.

10. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the wall of the container is 10 transparent.

11. A container for a leech, the container being substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

12. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which container contains a single medical leech. 20 13. A container containing a single leech as claimed in claim 12, the leech being for use in medicine.

14. A container containing a single leech as claimed in claim 13, in which the leech is for use in the 25 treatment of venous congestion.

15. A vessel containing a plurality of containers in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, each container containing a single leech.

16. A vessel as claimed in claim 15, in which the vessel contains a liquid for maintaining the leeches, the containers being immersed in the liquid.

17. A method of applying a leech to a site to be treated on a human or non-human animal, the method comprising: placing the leech in a container having an opening 5 of sufficient size to permit passage of the leech -

from the container; placing the container against the site to be treated, with the opening surrounding a region of -

10 the site at which attachment of the leech is desired; when the head of the leech is attached to the desired region, withdrawing the container from the 15 site, while permitting the body of the leech to pass through the opening.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, in which the container is a container in accordance with any one of 20 claims 1 to 12.

19. A method of treating a human or non-human animal suffering from or susceptible to venous congestion, the method being in accordance with claim 17 or 18.

25. 20. A method as claimed in claim 19, in which the human or non-human animal is in a post-operative or post-surgical condition.

30 21. A method as claimed in claim 17 and substantially as described herein.