JPS59212733A - Device and method of transporting fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a novel method and apparatus for transferring fluid from a sealed reservoir to a continuous suction device.

In the field of clinical and biological research, a variety of devices have been constructed for receiving fluid samples under test, separating the fluid components, and removing the components separately for subsequent testing or analysis. No. 4,212,948, published July 15, 1980, Cordon L-Tone (Q o
r+Jon L.

Dorn, ) describes one such device. The Tone patent describes a technique for selectively separating microorganisms from antimicrobial factors in a sample fluid, such as a lysed blood sample. The blood sample is injected into a sterile, confined zone containing both a emollient and a lytic agent. The lysed blood sample is then centrifuged to allow microbial pathogens to move out of suspension and collect in a layer adjacent to the interface of the relaxation agent and the blood sample itself.

To facilitate removal of separated sample components, a centrifuge receiver is used that has both top and bottom pourable taps or closures. The interior surface of the bottom closure is positioned complementary to the corner where centrifugation is to be accomplished. A venting needle is then inserted through the top closure, a second needle with an aspiration device or a syringe is inserted through the bottom closure a distance past the isolated microbial pathogen and into the remaining blood sample, and then Take out the sample. After swirling, a second needle with a syringe is inserted through the bottom closure to a distance immediately adjacent to the bottom closure inner surface and the microbial pathogen. The pathogen is removed and subjected to further testing.

While the separation method described by Tone is excellent, it has several drawbacks. One is that it requires a lot of handling: two separate syringes and a third vent tube needle. Furthermore, when approaching from the bottom, the relaxation layer "
"bulging" and remixing of isolated microbial pathogens with residual blood can occur. This tends to override the full effectiveness of centrifugation to some extent.

Other devices are known that can transfer fluid from a fluid source into a fluid collection receiver. One such device is the 1971
No. 3,608,550, Starski, published September 28, 2006. Starsky suggests using a cannula to pierce the fluid reservoir's rubber stopper. The cannula has a sufficient inner diameter to allow insertion of the second cannula through the first cannula, and the fluid receiver provides a dexterous air hole. The syringe is connected to a second cannula for removing each sample fraction. While suitable, this construction is relatively complex, requiring two components plus a number of syringes for each fluid receptacle. Additionally, it is not adapted for piercing relatively heavy rubber stoppers that are thick enough to maintain a vacuum within the tube, as is the case with tone tubes. The fluid receiver requires careful guidance of the cannula to accurately pierce the rubber stopper along the axis of the vessel.

Syslowitz, in his US Pat. No. 3,206,073, describes a dispenser having a plastic tube adapted to pierce a rubber stopper 34. Even here, piercing the stopper 34 is difficult to accomplish in an accurate manner due to the lack of guidance, and would be even more difficult if used to pierce a relatively thick rubber stopper. Dew.

A disadvantage of many of these prior art devices for transferring the contents of a receiver to various suction devices is that the receiver requires a plastic transfer pipette to reach inside the vessel and remove some of the contents. This can be prevented by using a method of entering from above. More particularly, an apparatus is constructed in accordance with the present invention to facilitate transferring the contents of a receptacle to at least one set of continuous fluid suction members. Each suction member has a suction chamber and a mandrel communicating with the chamber. The receptacle has an open end that is syringable or hermetically sealed by a loser. The transfer device includes a cannula adapted to pierce the closure. The cannula has a passageway adapted to pass the suction member mandrel through the closure while simultaneously venting the interior of the receiver to the atmosphere. The cannula also has an external shroud adapted to slide over the receptacle end rosier to guide the cannula during penetration.

Preferably the cannula is "coring".
It has a sharp tip that allows it to pierce the closure without causing damage and is made of hard plastic. This puncturing normally occurs when using larger diameter syringes, such as those required to pass a thinner needle or mandrel. Caniure and enclosure walls are essential.

Any suitable hard plastic can be used, such as acetal resin or nylon. The enclosure wall has an inner diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the closure to facilitate expansion of the closure during piercing operations. The enclosure wall also has an end face lower than the cannula with an internal flange adapted to fit easily onto the closure for positioning the transfer device onto the closure prior to piercing.

The fluid suction member is a pipette with an integral hollow bulb and an associated hollow stem. They are also made of soft plastic material. One of the pipettes has a receiver of a length shorter than the length of the vessel so that the mandrel can be inserted through the cannula only to a distance that allows removal of residual liquid and prevents immersion into isolated microbial pathogens. , has a mandrel. The second pipette typically has a receiver slightly longer than the length of the vessel plus the length of the closure, so that the receiver can reach the bottom of the vessel and remove any microbial pathogens. . To facilitate such removal, when using a tapered bottom frame as described in the Tone patent, a tubular receiver with a beveled bottom frame that fits into the side wall of the tube has a mandrel bent around the vessel. To reach, the mandrel is flexible. The tip of the mandrel can also be rounded for ease of use. The hollow bulb of the pipette can be sized to match the amount of fluid desired to be removed.

In another embodiment of the invention, the cannula is located away from the axis of the enclosure wall in a direction opposite to the direction of the tip of the cannula. This compensates for the tendency of the plastic cannula to bias toward the tip of the oblique cannula Q during penetration.

Using the transfer device of the present invention, both successive portions of fluid are very easily removed from the receiver. With this device,
First, the enclosure wall fits easily and snugly into the upper closure. The internal flange of the enclosure facilitates this by fitting onto the exterior of the closure, keeping the transfer 32i device in place until the closure can be penetrated. The piercing can be done by hand, but is preferably done using a press. During penetration, the cannula is guided by the enclosure of the transfer device, in which the closure and receiver fit onto the vessel. Following piercing, one of the suction members is inserted through the cannula into the mold to remove fluid. The one suction member is then removed and the second suction member is filled in the same manner. In this way, several halves can be removed one after the other by using separate suction members.

In another embodiment of the invention, the transfer device is provided with a septum (5eptLIII1) in the cannula. This serves to contain the aerosol within the vessel and to sweep the external surface of the pipette stem. The septum may be made of any suitable foam or other compliant material that provides ease of entry into the pipette mandrel when precut.

The invention will be more easily understood upon consideration of the figures.

In FIG. 1, a conventional centrifuge type receiver can be shown in an exploded view incorporating vessel 10, transfer device 12, and suction member 14. Receiver 10 is a conventional elongated tubular receiver of the type used for centrifugation and may typically be made of glass or the usual plastics used for this purpose, such as polycarbonate or polypropylene. can. The catcher 10 typically has a rounded bottom, although a stopper Logi T-13 in the form of the type described in the Tone patent may be used as well.

The receiver 10 has a closure 18 at the open end 16.
It is sealed by. Closure 18 may be of conventional design. That is, the tubular receiver is a conventional pourable plug-type member that seals the top end of the vessel 10. Typically, the closure is made of a rubber self-sealing stopper. The sample material to be processed, such as that described in the Tone patent, is injected through closure 18 with a conventional hypodermic syringe and drawn by fluids 20 and 20a.

According to the invention, the tubular receptacle draws the contents of the vessel 10 into the suction member 1
4 is facilitated by the transfer device 12. Fluid aspiration member 14 is typically in the form of a pipette having an integral hollow bulb 22 and an associated hollow stem 24, all made of a soft plastic material such as polyethylene.

The transfer device 12 is cap-like in shape with a cannula or piercing portion 30 having a sharply pointed diagonal tip 32 and a disc-shaped portion 34 extending downwardly from the top along the solid axis of the cap. An enclosing wall 34 extends downward from the periphery of the disk-shaped portion 34.
, which has an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of closure 18. An internal flange 40 is formed on the side wall 38 at a portion of the enclosure wall 36 below the closure, the internal diameter of the flange being approximately the same as the internal diameter of the closure 18. Similarly, the transfer device 12 can be easily fitted onto the closure 18 for initial positioning prior to piercing the closure 18. The transfer device should be formed from a moldable, rigid material.

Plastics such as acetal resin or nylon are preferred.

In use, sample 20 is injected through closure 18 using a conventional syringe as previously described. Receiver 10 is then centrifuged and the sample is separated into two halves as described by the Tone patent and illustrated as fractions 20 and 20a in FIG.

In order to effectively transfer these two fractions from the receptacle, the transfer device 12 is positioned so that the internal flange fits into the upper outer edge of the closure 18. The transfer device 12 is then pushed downwardly so that the enclosure wall 36 slides over the exterior of the vessel, thereby guiding the transfer device to allow the cannula 30 to pierce the closure 18.
The receiver provides an opening to the atmosphere for the interior of the vessel.

The length of the cannula 30 is sufficient to pass and clearly pass under the closure 18. Next, the mandrel 2
4 is inserted through the hollow cannula 30. The outer diameter of the mandrel is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cannula 30 in order to maintain ventilation to the atmosphere for the interior of the vessel. The bottom of the mandrel is of suitable length so that it reaches into the layer 2Oa but not into the lower layer so that when the bulb 22 fits into the top of the transfer device 12 all the upper layer 20a can be removed. selected as such. To take out, press the insertion front shield bulb 22, and
As the spherical portion enlarges to its original shape, atmospheric pressure forces the fluid from the layer 20a up the mandrel 24 to the suction member 1.
This is accomplished by taking it out into the spherical portion 22 of No. 4.

The receiver then inserts the second suction member 14' (FIG. 3) through the cannula 30, which has a stem 24' of a suitable length to reach the bottom of the vessel 10, and pushes against the bulbous portion 22- to remove the remaining Aspirate fraction 20 into bulb 22.

In another embodiment, the top surface of the transfer device 12 includes an adhesive-lined metal flap ( (not shown). Furthermore, the volumes of the bulbs 22 and 22- of the different suction devices are different for the different fractions 2 to be removed from the tube.
It can be made to have a size that approximately matches the volume of 0 and 20a. The present transfer device 12 is particularly advantageous in that its enclosure protects the sharp end 32 of the cannula 30 to prevent injury to a person thereby. In addition, the enclosure has the function of guiding the cannula 30 through the closure 18 and along the axis of the receiver 10. The enclosure also helps maintain the sterility of the cannula.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in which the cannula 30' is located off the axis of the transfer device 12- in a direction opposite to that of the tip 32-.
That is, the transfer device 12' is modified so that the tip 32' moves closer to the axis 44. This structure helps overcome problems caused by the flexibility of plastic materials. As cannula 30' penetrates closure 18, it tends to be guided to one side by V-shaped tip 32'. If the structure is off center like this, the canu 11. As the cannula 30' moves laterally and diagonally, the cannula closes the closure 18.
After piercing the cannula, the cannula can complete its travel generally along axis 44. In yet another embodiment, an upper rim 39 is formed on the top of the transfer device to help prevent contact with the top of the transfer device. Sterility is thereby more easily maintained.

The cannula 30 can be pushed through the closure 18 with an open hand, but a simple press of the type depicted in FIG. 4 makes this operation much easier. FIG. 4 shows a press of conventional design having a base member 50, a side plate member 52, a lever 54 for operating the press, and a press head 56. When the lever 54 is pressed down, the press head 5
The press head moves downwardly to compress any object between 6 and the bottom plate 50. The press head 56 is aligned with the top of the transfer device 12 and the press is moved so that the transfer device is moved downwardly from above the receiver 10 so that the cannula 30 is guided into the enclosure wall 36 and penetration of the closure 18 occurs. Assemble the head. For ease of operation, a circular bottom plate 58 is placed on top of the bottom member 50 and placed on a conical platform.
It is covered with a stand 60 in the form of stoconi-cat, which has a handle 62 for lifting and rotating it. Along the circumference of the bottom, a recess 63 is formed in the portion of the stand 60, each receiver adapted to receive one of the vessels 10 and to be positioned vertically.

The housing 60 is thus rotated to place each successive tube under the press 56 so that successive receivers pierce the receptacle 10 and the receptacles are inserted into and out of the receptacle as required to move the suction device in and out. 10 can be opened.

In yet another alternative embodiment of the invention, the transfer device 12'' is arranged in a first
The apparatus shown in FIGS. 6 to 6 is an improvement in that the container is more tightly sealed than the apparatus shown in FIG. As a refinement, the upper part forms a rim 39 defining a receptacle 42 adapted to receive an easily pierceable and sealable septum 49. Diaphragm 49
is pierceable by an elongated mandrel 24 made of plastic, preferably polyurethane foam, such as ScottFoam Tivision.
It can be made from items sold by [) 1vision). The material preferably has small pores, approximately 273 pores/cm, and is flexible, spongy, and fluid-absorbent.

Preferably, the material is hydrophilic on its surface. Diaphragm 49 is depicted as having an elliptical shape in longitudinal section. The oval shape is the result of the natural ring that occurs when the diaphragm is stamped from a sheet of polyurethane foam. As shown in FIG. 10, the central part of the diaphragm is Y
It is cut vertically in shape 43 so that the elongated section 24 of the suction device can easily pass therethrough, and the receiver also keeps the vessel airtight.

As shown in FIG. 9, the retaining ring 46 is annular in shape and is clamped in position over the aperture of the cannula 30'' when the ring is positioned in the recess 42.
IA! l! J and further elongated portion 24 of the suction device
It has a recessed central part that provides access for the

The periphery of the retaining ring 46 is preferably provided with small projections 48 (
dimples) whose protrusions are adapted to fit into fitting rings 51 formed in the inner wall of the nozzles 42 formed in each quadrant. Its small protrusion 48 acts as a detent together with the ring 51 to ensure that the retaining ring 46 remains in place. Alternatively, the outer periphery may be press fit (with small protrusions in the recess 42) or knurled and press fit. The two axial lengths of the retaining ring are such that when rim 45 is flush with rim 39 it firmly clamps the peripheral edge of the system.

In this embodiment, the cannula 30' is somewhat longer;
An enclosure wall 38--also protects the tip 3 of the cannula from being harmed or injured by persons handling the device.
The enclosing wall 38' also has 4" lengths on its interior surface to facilitate sliding over the vessel.
provided with two axial ribs 47. As before, the retaining ring 46 and transfer device are formed from the same plastic as previously described.

When using the receiver and rim 39 with this assembly,
Cross-contamination between caps from the pressure head is reduced. Additionally, due to the use of the diaphragm, aerosol is contained within the receiver 10, and due to the sweeping action of the r+FA membrane when the mandrel is removed from the receiver, any excess serum content of the receiver is also removed. removed from the exterior of mandrel 24.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a transfer device and bipette 1 made in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an assembled view in cross-section of the combination illustrated in FIG. 1 using one type of pipette. FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the assembly depicted in FIG. 1 depicting the use of a long mandrel pipette to remove the lower portion. FIG. 4 is a side view of a press and platform that may be used to facilitate piercing the closure of the vessel of FIG. 1; Figure M5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a transfer device made in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 6 is a bottom view of the transfer device of FIG. 5; FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a transfer device constructed in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows the chain line 8-8 of the transfer device illustrated in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway view of a retaining ring used in the transfer device of FIG. 7; FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the diaphragm depicted in FIG. 8. FIG. 11 is a side view of the diaphragm depicted in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the transfer device of FIG. 7. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Receiver, 12... Transfer device, 14... Suction member, 16... Open end of receiver, 18... Closure, 20... Fluid, 22... Hollow Spherical part, 24
...Hollow mandrel, 30... Cannula, 32... Cannula tip, 34... Disc-shaped portion, 36...
Enclosing wall, 38... Inner wall of enclosing wall, 39... Upper rim, 40... Internal flange, 41... Fitting ring,
42... The receiver is the recess of the vessel, 43... The Y-shaped part of the diaphragm, 44... The axis of the cannula, 45...
・Rim, 46... Retaining ring, 47... Rib, 48
... Small projection, 49 ... Diaphragm, 50 ... Base member, 51 ... Fitting ring, 52 ... Side plate member, 54
... Lever, 56 ... Press head, 58 ... Circular bottom plate, 60 ... Stand (housing), 62 ...
Handle, 63...Indentation of stand Patent applicant: E.I. Dupont de et al. 1 person

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A tubular receptacle is a device for facilitating the transfer of the contents of a vessel to at least one set of successive fluid suction members, each suction member having a suction chamber and a suction chamber. a mandrel communicating with the chamber, the receptacle having an open end that is injectable or sealably sealed by a closure, and a cannula adapted to pass through the closure, the cannula having a cannula adapted to pass through the closure; a cannula having a passage adapted to pass through the closure and the receiver venting the interior of the vessel to atmosphere, the opening amount sliding over the closure at the distal end of the vessel to guide the cannula during piercing; a cannula having an external enclosure wall adapted to do so. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cannula is made of hard plastic. 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the cough cannula has a tip formed at an angle to define a sharp tip for piercing the closure. 4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the cannula and the enclosure wall are integrated. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cannula has a tip formed at an angle to define a sharp tip for piercing the closure. 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the enclosure wall has an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of the closure to facilitate expansion of the closure during piercing. 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the enclosure wall has a lower end face with an internal flange adapted to snap into the closure for alignment prior to piercing. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cannula is formed from hard plastic. 9. The device of claim 1, wherein each fluid suction member is a pipette having an integral central bulbous portion and an articulated hollow stem, and made of a soft plastic material. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein one of the pipette mandrels has a length shorter than the length of the receiver. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the other pipette stem is at least as long as the receiver and closure combined. 12. The device of claim 9, wherein the mandrel has a rounded end. 13. The device of claim 1, wherein the cannula is located off-axis of the enclosure wall at a location opposite to the location of the cannula tip. 14. A tubular receiver is a method of transferring the contents of a vessel to at least one series of fluid suction members, each suction member having a suction chamber and a mandrel communicating with the chamber;
The receiver has an open end sealed so as to be injectable and sealed by a closure, and a passageway adapted to pass through the suction member mandrel and the open receiver adapted to fit over a container closure. using a transfer device with the cannula having an external shroud, the shroud being fitted over the closure, the receiver being guided by the shroud through the closure with the cannula in order to reach the interior of the vessel; The receiver inserts one of the suction members through the cannula into the mold, the receiver removes the fluid from the receiver into the one suction device, the receiver removes the one suction device from the container, and the receiver through the cannula removes the fluid from the container. , filling the second suction member. 15. The device of claim 1, wherein said cannula includes a penetrable and resealable member sealing said passageway. 16. The device of claim 10, wherein said penetrable member is a hydrophilic polyurethane foam. 17. The device of claim 15, wherein the cannula has an upper rim defining a cap-like receptacle and includes an annular retention device for securing the penetrable member.