US20060280690A1 - Methods of preparing a foam comprising a sclerosing agent - Google Patents

Methods of preparing a foam comprising a sclerosing agent Download PDF

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Publication number
US20060280690A1
US20060280690A1 US10/522,529 US52252906A US2006280690A1 US 20060280690 A1 US20060280690 A1 US 20060280690A1 US 52252906 A US52252906 A US 52252906A US 2006280690 A1 US2006280690 A1 US 2006280690A1
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United States
Prior art keywords
gas
foam
canister
liquid
oxygen
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Abandoned
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US10/522,529
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English (en)
Inventor
David Wright
Anthony Harman
Nikki Robinson
Garry Hodges
Adil Kadar
Geoffrey Moggridge
Hugh Van Liew
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BTG International Ltd
Bowflex Inc
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Individual
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Assigned to NAUTILUS, INC. reassignment NAUTILUS, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: SCHWINN CYCLING & FITNESS, INC.
Priority claimed from GB0326768A external-priority patent/GB0326768D0/en
Priority claimed from GB0422307A external-priority patent/GB0422307D0/en
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to US10/522,529 priority Critical patent/US20060280690A1/en
Priority to US11/128,265 priority patent/US8048439B2/en
Publication of US20060280690A1 publication Critical patent/US20060280690A1/en
Assigned to BTG INTERNATIONAL LTD. reassignment BTG INTERNATIONAL LTD. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MOGGRIDGE, GEOFFREY D, VAN LIEW, HUGH, WRIGHT, DAVID DARKIN IORWERTH, KADAR, ADIL, HODGES, GARRY, HARMAN, ANTHONY DAVID, ROBINSON, NIKKI
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • B65B3/00—Packaging plastic material, semiliquids, liquids or mixed solids and liquids, in individual containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, or jars
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Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the generation of foam comprising a sclerosing material, particularly a sclerosing solution, which is suitable for use in the treatment of various medical conditions involving blood vessels, particularly varicose veins and other disorders involving venous malformation.
  • Sclerosis of varicose veins is based on the injection into the veins of liquid sclerosant substances which, by inter alia causing a localised inflammatory reaction, favor the elimination of these abnormal veins.
  • sclerotherapy was a technique selected in cases of small and medium caliber varicose veins, those with diameters equal to or greater than 7 mm being treated by surgery.
  • the Cabreras proposed the use of a microfoam, that is to say a microfoam with microscopically small bubbles, e.g., where the majority of the bubbles are not visible to the naked eye, for injection into varicose veins.
  • a microfoam as opposed to larger bubbled foam or froth, gives rise to many advantages in terms of controllability and ability to displace blood in even the largest varicose veins, allowing treatment of virtually all varicose veins without recourse to surgery.
  • the term foam encompasses foams with bubbles of all sizes including microfoams.
  • the Cabreras In addition to being the first to propose a microfoam as opposed to a larger bubbled foam, and to propose treatment of even the largest veins without surgery, the Cabreras also proposed that the microfoam be made with oxygen or a mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen.
  • the Cabreras' contribution can be seen to be highly innovative in a number of respects—appreciating against the prevailing thinking at the time (i) the potential of a sclerosant microfoam, (ii) the need for soluble gases, (iii) the use of oxygen which does not degrade the microfoam yet is taken up by blood, (iv) the safety of oxygen but also (v) the possibility of incorporating a percentage of highly soluble carbon dioxide.
  • the Cabreras' microfoam is prepared extemporaneously in the clinic immediately prior to use.
  • the preparation involves beating sclerosant solution with a small brush rotated at high speed by a motor, under a cover which is connected to a source of oxygen or oxygen and carbon dioxide.
  • Most practitioners who have followed the Cabreras use an alternative technique for extemporaneous preparation of foam which involves passing sclerosant solution and air repeatedly between two connected syringes.
  • Another alternative is a syringe with a second plunger with holes in its face and which is independently movable in the syringe barrel to froth a liquid and gas mixture in the syringe.
  • a product which aims essentially to reproduce the Cabreras' microfoam in a more convenient and easily reproducible way is currently being developed and is in clinical trials in Europe and the USA.
  • This product is a pressurized canister system, in which the foam is produced by passing gas and sclerosant solution under pressure through a number of fine meshes.
  • the aim is to treat an entire long saphenous vein and its varicosed tributaries in a single treatment, which can mean injection of 25 ml or even 50 ml of foam.
  • WO 00/72821-A1 (BTG International Limited), incorporated herein by reference, describes the fundamental concepts underlying this canister product.
  • the foam is produced by passing gas and sclerosant liquid through one or more meshes having small apertures measured in microns. Like the Cabrera patents, this document acknowledges the potential issues with air/nitrogen and seeks to reduce the levels of nitrogen in the foam.
  • a preferred form of gas described in WO 00/72821-A1 comprises 50% vol/vol or more oxygen, the remainder being carbon dioxide, or carbon dioxide, nitrogen and trace gases in the proportion found in atmospheric air.
  • WO 02/41872-A1 (BTG International Limited), incorporated herein by reference, the sclerosant liquid and an oxygen-rich physiologically acceptable blood dispersible gas are stored in separate containers until immediately prior to use, when the blood-dispersible gas is introduced into the container holding the sclerosant liquid.
  • the mixture of blood-dispersible gas and sclerosant liquid is then released, the components of the mixture interacting upon release of the mixture to form a sclerosing foam.
  • a proportion of nitrogen (25%) is deliberately introduced into the polidocanol canister. After charging of the sclerosing liquid (polidocanol) can with oxygen from the higher pressure oxygen canister, the percentage of nitrogen is reduced to about 7 or 8%. It was believed that this level of nitrogen could be tolerated.
  • the device disclosed in WO 02/41872-A1 gives a good uniform injectable foam, irrespective of the gases used.
  • Use of 100% CO 2 as the filling gas in the polidocanol canister is preferred, as CO 2 is very soluble in the bloodstream, but the present inventors have observed that increasing CO 2 percentage in the final gas mix may cause an undesirable decrease in foam stability, resulting in a shorter half separation time.
  • the half-life of the foam can fall short of the figure of 2.5 minutes which is indicated in WO 00/72821-A1 as being preferable.
  • the present inventors are continuing to research clinical aspects of the injection of sclerosing foam as well as developing the canister foam product and putting it through clinical trials in Europe and the USA. It has always been the intention to develop a safe foam product which is as well defined as possible but whose specification has achievable tolerances.
  • There are many parameters of a foam which may be varied. These include, without limitation: the chemical, its purity and the strength of the solution; the size of bubbles, or more accurately the distribution of sizes, the density (i.e. ratio of liquid to gas), the longevity of the foam (measured in terms of “half life”, or the time taken for half the foam to revert to liquid) and the gas mixture.
  • Nitrogen which makes up approximately 80% of air, is difficult as a practical matter to exclude totally from a foam. This is true whether the foam is made using a canister system, in which case nitrogen tends to creep into the canister during manufacture, or using either of the syringe techniques or the Cabreras' rotating brush technique, or indeed any of a number of other less common techniques which have been developed since the Cabreras' disclosure of microfoam.
  • One of the objectives of the foam product being developed by the inventors is to treat an entire greater saphenous vein together with major varicose tributaries in a human patient with one injection. This requires up to 25 ml, 30 ml or possibly even 50 ml of foam.
  • the most conservative users of air foam inject a maximum of 5 ml into the venous system, apparently without observing any deleterious effects.
  • the inventors therefore reasoned that an equivalent amount of nitrogen in a relatively large dose of foam needed to treat the entire saphenous vein should also be safe. They therefore used this as a starting point: 5 ml of air with 80% nitrogen will contain 4 ml nitrogen; a corresponding proportion of nitrogen in, say, 50 ml of low nitrogen foam would be around 8%.
  • bubbles have been observed on the left side of the heart in a patient who was subsequently shown to have a minor septal defect, or patient foramen ovale (“PFO”), i.e. a hole in the heart.
  • PFO patient foramen ovale
  • the inventors have now determined that in order to produce a product suitable for administration to patients without the need for lengthy PFO screening methodology it may be required to reduce the amount of nitrogen to upper limits that were previously unrecognized.
  • the inventors also recognize that techniques such as those described above using syringes, together with a variety of other techniques for extemporaneous preparation of sclerosing foam which have been developed since the Cabreras disclosure, may have their place in the field of foam scleropathy. These techniques may well provide a less expensive option than a canister product. The inventors believe that it is possible to prepare foams having a very low percentage of nitrogen, as set out above, using these types of technique as well as using a canister system.
  • a foam comprising a liquid phase and a gas phase wherein the liquid phase comprises at least one sclerosing agent and the gas phase consisting essentially of gaseous nitrogen present in an amount ranging from 0.0001% to 0.8% by volume and at least one physiologically acceptable gas.
  • the gas phase may further comprise other gases such as trace gases as defined below, which may also effect at least one of at least one of the density, half life, viscosity, and bubble size of the resulting foam.
  • consisting essentially of means that one or more additional component may be added, such as gas, that would not substantially effect at least one of the density, half life, viscosity, and bubble size of the resulting foam.
  • “Physiologically acceptable gas” means gases which are relatively readily absorbed by the blood or which can pass rapidly across the pulmonary gas exchange membranes. Specifically, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and helium are contemplated. Other gases, which may or may not fall within the terms of the definition of physiologically acceptable gases, may be used at least in small quantities, e.g. xenon, argon, neon or others.
  • a gas phase that is “substantially” a specific gas, such as “substantially O2” refers to a gas phase that is O2 with the impurities normally found in commercial medical grade O2 gas. Gases which are found only at trace concentrations in the atmosphere (such as those just mentioned) may be useful to incorporate in the formulation, e.g. at relatively low concentrations of between about 0.1% and 5%, in order to facilitate the detection of leaks.
  • the said other gas consists essentially of oxygen.
  • the other gas may consist essentially of oxygen and a minor proportion, preferably 40% or less of carbon dioxide, still more preferably 30% or less of carbon dioxide.
  • the gas phase may comprise at least 50% O2, such as for example, as 70%, 80%, 90% and 99% O2.
  • it may also comprise a major portion of CO2, such great than 50% CO2, such as 70%, 80%, 90% and 99% CO2.
  • between 0.1% and 5% of the other gas may be constituted by gases which are only found at trace levels in the atmosphere, e.g. argon, helium, xenon, neon.
  • the gas may be substantially 100% nitrous oxide or a mixture of at least two of oxygen, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide.
  • a sclerosant liquid is a liquid that is capable of sclerosing blood vessels when injected into the vessel lumen and includes without limitation solutions of polidocanol, tetradecyl sulphate, ethanolamine oleate, sodium morrhuate, hypertonic glucosated or glucosaline solutions, chromated glycerol, iodated solutions.
  • Scleropathy or sclerotherapy relates to the treatment of blood vessels to eliminate them.
  • An aerosol is a dispersion of liquid in gas. A major proportion of a gas is over 50% volume/volume. A minor proportion of a gas is under 50% volume/volume. A minor amount of one liquid in another liquid is under 50% of the total volume. Atmospheric pressure and bar are 1000 mbar gauge. Half-life of a foam is the time taken for half the liquid in the foam to revert to unfoamed liquid phase.
  • a predominantly insoluble gas mix such as air will yield a stable, staff foam with a half separation time of 150-200 seconds using the Cabrera method.
  • highly soluble gas atmospheres such as 100% CO2 yield foams with much shorter half separation times.
  • the rapid dissolution and transport of CO2 in the lamellar cell walls of the foam is responsible for the reduced stability of some CO2 foams.
  • Oxygen foams do not have this problem, but the injection of oxygen gas has been reported to be dangerous and, in fact, has been said to be almost as dangerous as air when injected into the venous system. See, for example, Moore & Braselton “ Injections of Air and carbon Dioxide into a Pulmonary Vein”, Annals of Surgery, Vol 112, 1940, pp 212-218. While another study suggests that for some high risk patient groups high concentrations of O2 in foams used for sclerotherapy may increase the risk of side effects.
  • the present inventors have discovered that it is possible to make an effective foam for use in sclerotherapy using high concentrations of CO2 as the gas phase and the addition of a viscosity enhancing agent to the liquid phase.
  • the addition of a viscosity enhancing agent while increasing the half life of a CO2 foam, also increases the density of the foam. Too high of a density can hinder a foams ability to displace blood and therefore be an effective foam for sclerotherapy. It was discovered that a balance of density and half life enables the production of an effective foam. In one embodiment, this balance of density and half life is achieved by increasing the viscosity enhancing agent to at least 20% wt/wt and using various methods as described herein to produce the foam.
  • Viscosity enhancing agents include any agent that will increase the viscosity of the liquid phase, such as PVP and glycerol. In one embodiment, at least 20% wt/wt viscosity enhancing agent is present in the liquid phase, such as for example 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%.
  • Viscosity of the liquid phase before production of the foam may also be a factor in the half life of the foam. For example, increasing viscosity of the liquid phase will increase half life of the foam. However, a higher viscosity may raise the density of the resulting foam in some systems.
  • the foam of the invention comprises a liquid phase and a gas phase wherein the liquid phase comprises at least one sclerosing agent and is at least 20% wt/wt of at least one viscosity enhancing agent; and the gas phase comprises at least 50% CO2; and wherein the foam has a density less than 0.25 g/cm and half life of greater than 100 secs.
  • the gas phase may, for example be at least 75% CO2, such as at least 90% CO2, such as at least 99% CO2.
  • the gas phase consists essentially of CO2.
  • the foam may have a half life of at least 90 second, such as at least 100, such as at least 110, such as at least 120 seconds, such as at least 130 seconds, such as at least 140 seconds, such as at least 150 seconds, such as at least 160 seconds, such as at least 170 seconds, such as at least 180 seconds, and such as at least 3.5 minutes.
  • the density of the foam may range from 0.07 to 0.22, such as 0.07 to 0.19 g/ml, 0.07 to 0.16 g/ml, such as 0.08 to 0.14, also such as 0.8 to 0.15 g/ml, such as 0.9 to 0.13 g/ml and such as 0.10 to 0.14 g/ml.
  • the gas phase may further comprises another physiologically acceptable gas that is dispersible in blood, such as O2.
  • the viscosity of the liquid phase may range from 2.0 to 10 cP, such 2.0 to 7.0 cP, such as 2.0 to 5.0 cP, such as 2.0 to 3.5 cP, such as from 2.0 to 3.0 cP, such as 2.0 to 2.5 cP.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a syringe barrel part of a first embodiment of device in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, showing it in a sealed state for storage;
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a cartridge for use with the syringe barrel of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a modified cartridge for use with the syringe barrel of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 4 is a further schematic representation of the syringe barrel of FIG. 1 with a cartridge of the type shown in FIG. 3 being installed;
  • FIG. 5 is a further schematic representation of the syringe barrel of FIG. 1 with a foaming unit and plunger stem fitted;
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the syringe, cartridge and foaming device of FIG. 5 , with the plunger stem of the syringe partially depressed;
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a second embodiment of device in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, comprising charged syringe with foaming unit fitted;
  • FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of the device of FIG. 7 installed in a syringe driver for generation and delivery of foam at a controlled rate;
  • FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of a third embodiment of device according to the invention.
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of the device of FIG. 9 fitted to a motorized driver
  • FIG. 11 is a plan view of a mesh element of an embodiment of a foaming unit forming part of the invention.
  • FIG. 12 is a side sectional view along the line I-I in FIG. 11 ;
  • FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of an embodiment of foaming unit forming part of the invention.
  • FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view of a pre-pressurized container for the generation of therapeutic foam according to the invention, as disclosed in WO 00/72821-A1 and further described below.
  • FIG. 15 shows a shows a cross-sectional view of a device comprising a container provided with engaging means and a mesh stack shuttle according to the invention, as disclosed in WO 02/41872-A1 and further described in below.
  • FIG. 16 shows a graph to compare the results from the four bi-can conditions tested in Example 3 below, showing the effect of gas mix, gas pressure and shuttle mesh on foam density and half-life.
  • Control 1 uses a 75% CO2/25% N2 gas mixture in a 0.5 bar canister with a 5 ⁇ m mesh;
  • Test 1 uses the same gas mixture with a 5 ⁇ m mesh;
  • Control 2 uses 100% CO2 in a 1.2 bar canister with the 20 ⁇ m mesh;
  • Test 2 uses the same gas with a 5 ⁇ m mesh.
  • FIG. 17 shows a graph of the average number of bubbles by diameter from the four bi-can conditions tested below.
  • FIG. 18 shows a graph of the proportion of bubbles by diameter from the four bi-can conditions tested in below.
  • FIG. 19 shows a graph of the average volume of bubbles by diameter from the four bi-can conditions tested in below.
  • FIG. 20 shows a graph of the proportion of bubbles by diameter from the four bi-can conditions tested in below.
  • FIG. 21 shows a graph to compare the results from the four bi-can conditions tested below, showing the effect of shuttle mesh size on half-separation time and density.
  • FIG. 22 shows the effects of (a) glycerol concentration on viscosity of the liquid phase before mixing with the gas phase to form a foam and (b) the effects of various viscosity enhancing agents on viscosity of the liquid phase.
  • FIG. 23 ( a, b, and c ) shows the effects of various viscosity enhancing agents on the density and half life of a Cabrera foam.
  • a sclerosant liquid is a liquid that is capable of sclerosing blood vessels when injected into the vessel lumen.
  • Scleropathy or sclerotherapy relates to the treatment of blood vessels to eliminate them.
  • An aerosol is a dispersion of liquid in gas. A major proportion of a gas is over 50% volume/volume. A minor proportion of a gas is under 50% volume/volume. A minor amount of one liquid in another liquid is under 50% of the total volume. Atmospheric pressure and bar are 1000 mbar gauge.
  • Half-life of a foam is the time taken for half the liquid in the foam to revert to unfoamed liquid phase.
  • the foam is such that 50% or more by number of its gas bubbles of 25 ⁇ m diameter and over are no more than 200 ⁇ m diameter.
  • Half-life is conveniently measured by filling vessel with a known volume and weight of foam and allowing liquid from this to drain into a graduated vessel, the amount drained in a given time allowing calculation of half-life i.e. of conversion of foam back into its component liquid and gas phases. This is preferably carried out at standard temperature and pressure, but in practice ambient clinic or laboratory conditions will suffice.
  • the viscosity is determined by Brookfield DVII+Pro made by Brookfield Engineering Labs at room temperature.
  • the gas/liquid ratio in the mix is controlled such that the density of the foam is 0.09 g/mL to 0.16 g/mL, more preferably 0.11 g/mL to 0.14 g/mL.
  • the foam has a half-life of at least 100 seconds, such as for example, 2 minutes, 2.5 minutes, and 3 minutes.
  • the half-life may be as high as 1 or 2 hours or more, but is preferably less than 60 minutes, more preferably less than 15 minutes and most preferably less than 10 minutes.
  • the mixture of gas and sclerosant liquid is in the form of an aerosol, a dispersion of bubbles in liquid or a macrofoam.
  • macrofoam is meant a foam that has gas bubbles that are measured in millimeters largest dimension, e.g. approximately 1 mm and over, and over such as can be produced by lightly agitating the two phases by shaking.
  • the gas and liquid are provided in the form of an aerosol where a source of pressurized gas and a means for mixing the two is provided to the point of use. It may be that a macrofoam is first produced where the liquid and gas are brought together only at the point of use.
  • the ratio of gas to liquid used in the mixture may be important in order to control the structure of the foam produced such that its stability is optimized for the procedure and the circumstances in which it is being carried out.
  • 1 gram sclerosant liquid with from approximately 6.25 to 14.3 volumes (STP), more preferably 7 to 12 volumes (STP), of gas.
  • the physiologically acceptable blood dispersible gas comprises a major proportion of carbon dioxide and/or oxygen.
  • the foam may comprise a minor proportion of nitrogen. While a proportion of nitrogen may be present, as in air, the present invention provides for use of carbon dioxide and/or oxygen without presence of nitrogen.
  • the gas used is a mixture of carbon dioxide and other physiological gases, particularly containing 3% vol/vol or more carbon dioxide, such as from 10 to 90% carbon dioxide, such as from 30 to 50% carbon dioxide.
  • the other components of this gas may be oxygen.
  • Another form of gas comprises 50% vol/vol or more oxygen, the remainder being carbon dioxide, or carbon dioxide, nitrogen and trace gases in the proportion found in atmospheric air.
  • One gas is 60 to 90% vol/vol oxygen and 40 to 10% vol/vol carbon dioxide, another is 70 to 80% vol/vol oxygen and 30 to 20% vol/vol carbon dioxide.
  • One embodiment is 99% or more oxygen.
  • the sclerosing agent is a solution of polidocanol or sodium tetradecylsulfate in an aqueous carrier, e.g. water, particularly in a saline. More preferably the solution is from 0.5 to 5% v/v polidocanol, preferably in sterile water or a physiologically acceptable saline, e.g. in 0.5 to 1.5% v/v saline. Concentration of sclerosant in the solution will be advantageously increased for certain abnormalities such as Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome.
  • Polidocanol is a mixture of monolauryl ethers of macrogols of formula C12C25(OCH2CH2)nOH with an average value of n of 9. It will be realized that mixtures with other alkyl chains, oxyalkyl repeat units and/or average values of n might also be used, e.g. 7 to 11, but that 9 is most conveniently obtainable, e.g. from Kreussler, Germany, e.g. as AethoxysklerolTM, a dilute buffered solution of polidocanol.
  • the concentration of sclerosant in the aqueous liquid is a 1-3% vol/vol solution, such as polidocanol, in water or saline, such as about 1% vol/vol.
  • the water or saline also, in some cases at least, contain 24% vol/vol physiologically acceptable alcohol, e.g. ethanol.
  • Saline may be buffered.
  • Some buffered saline is phosphate buffered saline.
  • the pH of the buffer may be adjusted to be physiological, e.g. from pH 6.0 to pH 8.0, more preferably about pH 7.0.
  • the sclerosant may also contain additional components, such as stabilizing agents, e.g. foam stabilizing agents, e.g. such as glycerol. Further components may include alcohols such as ethanol.
  • stabilizing agents e.g. foam stabilizing agents, e.g. such as glycerol.
  • Further components may include alcohols such as ethanol.
  • ranges for the gaseous nitrogen volume at are 0.0001% to 0.75%, such as 0.7%, such as 0.6%, and such as 0.5%.
  • the lower end for the range of nitrogen impurity which is preferable is 0.0005%, more preferably 0.001%, still more preferably 0.005%, 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3% or 0.4%.
  • a canister system adapted to dispense a foam and whose contents consist of a liquid phase and a gas phase, wherein the liquid phase comprises a sclerosing agent and the gas phase consists of a minor proportion of nitrogen gas and a major proportion of other gas, preferably physiologically acceptable gas, such that the gas phase of a foam produced by the canister system consists of between 0.0001% and 0.8% nitrogen gas.
  • the nitrogen gas component as recited above, also apply.
  • canister system can mean either a single canister containing a liquid and a gas for dispensing to generate a foam, or a two canister arrangement as described above, where gas is stored in one canister and liquid, optionally together with gas, in another.
  • said minor proportion of nitrogen gas in the canister is also 0.0001% to 0.8% by volume of the total gas volume in the canister, or optionally the other ranges recited above.
  • the canister includes an element through which the liquid and gas contents pass in order to dispense foam.
  • this element has apertures of approximately 0.1 to 15 micron diameter, more preferably 1-7 micron, still more preferably about 5 micron.
  • Another aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a foam suitable for use in scleropathy of blood vessels, particularly veins, characterized in that it comprises passing a mixture of gas and an aqueous sclerosant liquid through one or more passages having at least one cross-sectional dimension of from 0.1 to 15 ⁇ m, the ratio of gas to liquid being controlled such that a foam is produced having a density of between 0.07 g/mL to 0.19 g/mL and a half-life of at least 100 seconds, such as 2 minutes, such as 2.5 minutes.
  • the said one or more passages have at least one cross-sectional dimension of from 1-7 micron, more preferably about 5 micron.
  • the foam is preferably such that 50% or more by number of its gas bubbles of 25 ⁇ m diameter and over are no more than 200 ⁇ m diameter.
  • the method provides a foam characterized in that at least 50% by number of its gas bubbles of 25 ⁇ m diameter and over are of no more than 150 ⁇ m diameter. More preferably at least 95% of these gas bubbles by number are of no more than 280 ⁇ m diameter. Still more preferably at least 50% by number of these gas bubbles are of no more than 130 ⁇ m diameter and still more preferably at least 95% of these gas bubbles by number are of no more than 250 ⁇ m diameter.
  • the gas comprises from 1% to 50% carbon dioxide, preferably from 10% to 40%, more preferably from 20% to 30%.
  • carbon dioxide may be a desirable component of the gas mixture due to its extreme solubility, greater than that of oxygen.
  • a method for angiologic treatment comprises injecting an effective amount of a sclerosing foam whose gaseous component consists of between 0.0001% and 0.8% by volume gaseous nitrogen, the balance being other gas, preferably physiologically acceptable gas.
  • gaseous component consists of between 0.0001% and 0.8% by volume gaseous nitrogen
  • the balance being other gas, preferably physiologically acceptable gas.
  • the method of treatment comprises the injection of 10 ml to 50 ml of foam in a single injection, preferably 15 ml to 50 ml, more preferably 20 ml to 50 ml, still more preferably 30 ml to 50 ml of foam.
  • a method of treatment of the human greater saphenous vein comprises treating substantially the entire greater saphenous vein of one leg with a single injection of foam as described above.
  • a method of treatment of a blood vessel of diameter 7 mm or greater so as to cause damage to the endothelium of the vessel comprises injecting foam as described above.
  • a further factor in the inventors' developing understanding of the behavior in blood of bubbles comprising soluble gases is the phenomenon of nitrogen diffusing out of blood and adjacent tissues and into the bubbles due to a difference in the partial pressure of nitrogen in the bubbles as compared with that in the surrounding blood and tissues. This phenomenon will generally only occur when the partial pressure of nitrogen in the bubble is lower than that in the surrounding blood and tissues.
  • a sclerosant foam is composed of bubbles of which, ignoring bubbles of 1 micron or less diameter, 95% or more are of 150 micron diameter or less and 50% or more are of 100 micron diameter or less.
  • 95% or more of the bubbles are of 100 micron diameter or less and 50% or more of the bubbles are of 50 micron diameter or less.
  • 95% or more of the bubbles are of 75 micron diameter or less and 50% or more of the bubbles are of 30 micron diameter or less.
  • 95% or more of the bubbles are of 60 micron diameter or less and 70% or more of the bubbles are of 30 micron diameter or less. Examples are presented below showing how foams with these sorts of bubble distributions have been made.
  • Such ingredients could be, without limitation, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 80 or Polygeline.
  • glycerol and PVP may be added.
  • a foam with a bubble size distribution falling within the definitions set out above may be created by passing gas and liquid repeatedly through a fine mesh, e.g. a 5 micron mesh. Repeated passages through the mesh reduce the bubble size, though there appears to be a limit on this.
  • the inventors have also prepared a foam having an average bubble size in the range 50 micron to 80 micron by adapting a canister to alter the ratio of liquid and gas being passed through a mesh.
  • a further aspect of the invention is a pressurized canister product adapted to dispense a sterile gas and sclerosing liquid mixture in predetermined proportions into a syringe, as a solution to some of the issues with extemporaneous preparation of foam.
  • a pressurized canister is provided—which may be of any suitable material such as anodized aluminum or even glass—containing sterile gas and sclerosing liquid and arranged to dispense the correct volume of liquid and gas into a syringe. It is envisaged that the canister would contain sterile gas with a very low nitrogen concentration etc. as defined above.
  • the canister may have a pierceable septum for puncturing with a hypodermic needle, or it may have a break seal which is arranged to be broken by insertion of a syringe luer nozzle.
  • a syringe luer nozzle could be inserted into the canister in a sealing fashion, with the syringe nozzle pointing upwards.
  • Liquid in the canister would be dispensed first under pressure, followed by equalization of the pressure in the canister and syringe.
  • the pressure and volume of gas in the canister could of course be arranged so that the correct proportions of gas and liquid are dispensed.
  • the canister could be provided with an internal dip tube so that the same effect is achieved with the canister in an upright orientation.
  • a method of preparing a sclerosing foam which includes the step of cooling the ingredients of the foam to a sub-ambient temperature prior to generation of the foam.
  • a suitable temperature range might be 0 to 15 degrees Celsius, preferably 0 to 10 degrees, more preferably 3 to 7 degrees. Decreasing temperature increases liquid viscosity and, in this way, the inventors believe the half life of the foam could be extended. Since, during decay of a foam, the bubble size tends to increase, this methodology may help reduce the average size of bubbles over time in the body and thereby reduce residual bubbles.
  • a method of angiologic treatment of a patient comprises causing the patient to breathe oxygen gas or oxygen-enriched air for a predefined period prior to injection of foam as described above.
  • the predefined period is 1 to 60 minutes, more preferably 1-20 minutes, more preferably 5-10 minutes.
  • Another embodiment of the present invention provides a foam, that, for example, can be used in the elimination of blood vessels and vascular malformations, that are made available by the method and devices of the invention, comprising a physiologically acceptable gas that is readily dispersible in blood together with an aqueous sclerosant liquid wherein in that the foam has a density of from 0.07 to 0.19 g/cm.
  • the foam is capable of being passed down a 21 gauge needle without reverting back to gas and liquid by more than 10%, based on liquid content reverting back to unfoamed liquid phase.
  • Half-life is conveniently measured by filling vessel with a known volume and weight of foam and allowing liquid from this to drain into a graduated vessel, the amount drained in a given time allowing calculation of half-life i.e. of conversion of microfoam back into its component liquid and gas phases. This is preferably carried out at standard temperature and pressure, but in practice ambient clinic or laboratory conditions will suffice.
  • the funnel is pre-equilibrated in a water bath to ensure a temperature of 25° C. before drying and application of foam. Placing of a foam filled syringe upside down, without its plunger, above the funnel leading into a graduated receptacle allows convenient measurement of this parameter.
  • the foam on passage through said needle, does not revert back to unfoamed liquid by more than 5% based on liquid content, still more preferably by no more than 2%. This is measured by measuring the change in volume of the foam versus the liquid.
  • the foam is capable of being passed down a needle while retaining at least 50% by number of its gas bubbles of at least 25 ⁇ m diameter at no more than 200 ⁇ m diameter. This is conveniently measured under ambient conditions, more preferably at STP.
  • the gas includes less than 40% v/v nitrogen.
  • the density of the foam is from 0.09 to 0.16 g/mL, more preferably 0.11 g/mL to 0.14 g/mL.
  • the foam density which is a measure of liquid/gas ratio, is from 0.13 to 0.14 g/cm and the half-life is at least 2.5 minutes.
  • the foam more preferably does not move outside of its parameters of bubble size set out above in such time.
  • the gas consists of at least 50% oxygen or carbon dioxide, more preferably 75% or more oxygen or carbon dioxide and most preferably at least 99% oxygen or carbon dioxide, e.g. substantially 100% oxygen or carbon dioxide.
  • oxygen or carbon dioxide is medical grade.
  • glycerol may increase density and also produces a tendency for the meshes to block up when using a mesh device as described above, so should be used carefully where the device it is produced from may be used multiple times or the bag-on-valve concept is used.
  • the invention also provides:
  • the one aspect of the present invention provides a method for producing a foam suitable for use in scleropathy of blood vessels, particularly veins, characterized in that it comprises passing a mixture of a physiologically acceptable blood dispersible gas and an aqueous sclerosant liquid through one or more passages having at least one cross-sectional dimension of from 0.1 to 15 ⁇ m, the ratio of gas to liquid being controlled such that a foam is produced having a density of between 0.07 g/mL to 0.19 g/mL and a half-life of at least 100 seconds.
  • the arrangement described above addresses at least the issues of reproducibility of the foam as regards the gas/liquid ratio (provided the correct amount of liquid is loaded initially by the user) and also the number and speed of cycles.
  • it is obviously also quite inconvenient in many respects and sterility may also be compromised by build up of bacteria in the gas channels of the machine, for example.
  • the solution proposed by the inventors is to provide a sterile pack containing one or two syringes, optionally together with any connectors etc.
  • the syringe or syringes is/are pre-loaded with the correct volumes of gas and sclerosing liquid.
  • Most syringes are made from plastics material such as polypropylene which allows gas to permeate through it over time. Therefore, the packaging is preferably substantially gas-impermeable and the atmosphere in the pack is preferably substantially the same composition as the gas pre-loaded into the syringe.
  • This sort of packaging is well known in itself and examples include metallized plastic sheeting e.g. an aluminum and polyethylene laminate.
  • a substantially sterile pack comprising:
  • the gas mixture consists of 0.001% to 0.8% gaseous nitrogen, preferably 0.01% to 0.8%, more preferably 0.01% to 0.7%, still more preferably 0.01% to 0.6%.
  • the said other gas is oxygen, carbon dioxide or a mixture thereof.
  • a small percentage (e.g. 0.1 to 5%) of a tracer gas which is not found in significant amounts in the atmosphere, is added to allow leaks to be detected.
  • a tracer gas e.g. helium, neon, argon, xenon or any other gas which is found in trace concentrations (0.01%) in atmospheric air.
  • the pack contents may be at slightly above atmospheric pressure. This may be achieved by manufacturing the pack at an ambient temperature below standard room temperature. Once the pack enters normal ambient surroundings, the temperature increase of the atmosphere inside the pack will ensure a slight overpressure.
  • Manufacture of the packaged product would be carried out in aseptic conditions, using techniques standard in that field.
  • This pre-packaged product may include one syringe of the type comprising a barrel, a first plunger and a second plunger, the second plunger having an apertured plunger head which is adapted to be movable within the barrel independently of the first plunger.
  • the syringe may be a conventional one, containing an appropriate amount of gas as described above.
  • a further syringe containing sclerosing agent could be provided in the same or a different pack, together with the connectors, three way valves, etc. necessary to perform any of the known techniques for extemporaneous foam preparation.
  • the pack In use, the pack is opened and the usual technique followed for generating foam, without the need to measure out liquid or gas.
  • the syringes can be supplied ready connected, to increase convenience and remove a potential source of contamination.
  • the pack may include a syringe connector which incorporates a fine mesh with apertures of 1-200 micron, preferably 2 to 50, more preferably 3 to 20 micron maximum dimensions.
  • the apertures in the plunger may be provided by a mesh with pores of these proportions.
  • the package could constitute a cartridge for a foam generating machine similar to the “Turbofoam”® described above.
  • a pressurized canister which may be of any suitable material such as anodized aluminum or even glass—containing sterile gas and sclerosing liquid and arranged to dispense the correct volume of liquid and gas into a syringe. It is envisaged that the canister would contain sterile gas as defined above.
  • the canister may have a pierceable septum for puncturing with a hypodermic needle, or it may have a break seal which is arranged to be broken by a syringe luer nozzle.
  • a syringe luer nozzle could be inserted into the canister in a sealing fashion, with the syringe nozzle pointing upwards.
  • Liquid in the canister would be dispensed first under pressure, followed by equalization of the pressure in the canister and syringe.
  • the pressure and volume of gas in the canister could of course be arranged so that the correct proportions of gas and liquid are dispensed.
  • the canister could be provided with an internal dip tube so that the same effect is achieved with the canister in an upright orientation.
  • the aerosol, dispersion or macrofoam is preferably produced by mixing the gas and liquid from respective flows under pressure.
  • the mixing conveniently is carried out in a gas liquid interface element such as may be found in aerosol canisters.
  • the interface device may however be very simple, such as a single chamber or passage of millimeter dimensions, i.e. from 0.5 to 20 mm diameter, preferably 1 to 15 mm diameter, into which separate inlets allow entry of gas and liquid.
  • the interface is of design which is commonly found in aerosol canisters but which is selected to allow the correct ratio of gas to liquid to allow formation of a foam of the presently defined density. Suitable inserts are available from Precision Valves (Peterborough UK) under the name Ecosol and are selected to produce the ratio specified by the method above.
  • the mixing of gas and liquid may also be brought about within a dip-tube leading from the sclerosant solution located in the bottom of a pressurized container where holes in the dip-tube allow gas to enter into a liquid stream entering from the bottom of the tube.
  • the holes may be of similar diameter to the Ecosol holes.
  • Such holes may be conveniently produced by laser drilling of the dip-tube.
  • the one or more passages through which the aerosol or macrofoam so produced are passed to produce the stable foam preferably have diameter of from 4 ⁇ m to 22 ⁇ m, more preferably from 5 ⁇ m to 11 ⁇ m where simple passages are provided, such as provided by openings in a mesh or screen, e.g. of metal or plastics, placed perpendicular to the flow of gas/liquid mixture.
  • the passage is conveniently of circular or elliptical cross section, but is not necessarily so limited. A number of such meshes or screens may be employed along the direction of flow.
  • the passages are provided as multiple openings in one or more elements placed across the flow.
  • the elements are from 2 to 30 mm diameter, more preferably 6 to 15 mm diameter, face on to the flow, with 5 to 65% open area, e.g. 2% to 20% open area for woven meshes and 20% to 70% open area for microporous membranes.
  • Openings in a porous material, such as provided in a perforated body preferably provide several hundreds or more of such passages, more preferably tens or hundred of thousands of such passages, e.g. 10,000 to 500,000, presented to the gas liquid mixture as it flows.
  • Such material may be a perforated sheet or membrane, a mesh, screen or sinter.
  • Still more preferably a number of sets of porous material are provided arranged sequentially such that the gas and liquid pass through the passages of each set. This leads to production of a more uniform foam.
  • the passage may take the form of a gap between fibers in a fibrous sheet placed across the path of the gas/liquid flow, and the dimension described in not necessarily the largest diameter, but is the width of the gap through which the gas/liquid aerosol or macrofoam must flow.
  • the method provides for passing the mixture of gas and liquid through the same set of passages, e.g. as provided by one or more such porous bodies, a number of times, e.g. from 2 to 2,000, more preferably 4 to 200 times, or as many times as conveniently results in a foam of the required bubble size distribution set out above. It will be realized that the more times the foam passes through the meshes, the more uniform it becomes. Where multiple passes through the meshes are possible, a large mesh size may be desirable, e.g., 20 to 300 ⁇ m, such as 40 to 200 ⁇ m, such as 60 to 150 ⁇ m.
  • the pressure of the gas used as it is passed through the passages will depend upon the nature of the mechanism used to produce the foam. Where the gas is contained in a pressurized chamber and passes only once through the mesh, such as in an aerosol canister, in contact with the liquid, suitable pressures are typically in the range 0.01 to 9 bar over atmosphere. For use of meshes, e.g. 1 to 8 meshes arranged in series, having apertures of 10-20 ⁇ m diameter, 0.1 to 5 atmospheres over bar will, inter alia, be suitable. For use of 3-5 meshes of 20 ⁇ m aperture it is found that 1.5-1.7 bar over atmospheric is sufficient to produce a good foam. For a 0.1 ⁇ m pore size membrane, a pressure of 5 bar or more over atmospheric pressure is preferred.
  • the passages are in the form of a membrane, e.g. of polymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene, wherein the membrane is formed of randomly connected fibers and has a rated effective pore size which may be many times smaller than its apparent pore size.
  • a particularly suitable form of this is a biaxially oriented PTFE film provided by TetratecTM USA under the trademark TetratexTM, standard ratings being 0.1 to 10 ⁇ m porosity.
  • Preferred pore sizes for the present method and devices are 3 to 7 ⁇ m.
  • This material may be laminated with a porous backing material to give it strength and has the advantage that one pass through may be sufficient to produce a foam that meets the use requirements set out above with regard to stability. However, it will evident to those skilled in the art that use of more than one such membrane in series will give a still more uniform foam for given set of conditions.
  • a most preferred method of the invention provides a housing in which is situated a pressurisable chamber. For sterile supply purposes this will at least partly filled with a sterile and pyrogen free solution of the sclerosing agent in a physiologically acceptable aqueous solvent but otherwise may be charged with such at the point of use.
  • This convenient method provides a pathway by which the solution may pass from the pressurisable chamber to exterior of the housing through an outlet and more preferably a mechanism by which the pathway from the chamber to the exterior can be opened or closed such that, when the container is pressurized, fluid will be forced along the pathway and through one or more outlet orifices.
  • the method is particularly characterized in that the housing incorporates one or more of (a) a pressurized source of the physiologically acceptable gas that is readily dispersible in blood, and (b) an inlet for the admission of a source of said gas; the gas being contacted with the solution on activation of the mechanism.
  • the gas and solution are caused to pass along the pathway to the exterior of the housing through the one or more, preferably multiple, passages of defined dimension above, through which the solution and gas must pass to reach the exterior, whereby on contact with, e.g. flow through, the passages the solution and gas form a foam.
  • the gas and liquid pass through a gas liquid interface mechanism, typically being a junction between a passage and one or more adjoining passages, and are converted to an aerosol, dispersion of bubbles or macrofoam before passing through the passages, but as explained they may be converted first to a macrofoam, e.g. by shaking of the device, e.g., by hand, or mechanical shaking device.
  • a gas liquid interface mechanism typically being a junction between a passage and one or more adjoining passages, and are converted to an aerosol, dispersion of bubbles or macrofoam before passing through the passages, but as explained they may be converted first to a macrofoam, e.g. by shaking of the device, e.g., by hand, or mechanical shaking device.
  • a device for producing a foam suitable for use in scleropathy of blood vessels, particularly veins comprising a housing in which is situated a pressurisable chamber containing a solution of the sclerosing agent in a physiologically acceptable solvent referred to in the first aspect; a pathway with one or more outlet orifices by which the solution may pass from the pressurisable chamber to exterior of the device through said one or more outlet orifices and a mechanism by which the pathway from the chamber to the exterior can be opened or closed such that, when the container is pressurized and the pathway is open, fluid will be forced along the pathway and through the one or more outlet orifices:
  • said housing incorporating one or more of (a) a pressurized source of physiologically acceptable gas that is dispersible in blood and (b) an inlet for the admission of said gas; the gas being in contacted with the solution on activation of the mechanism such as to produce a gas solution mixture,
  • said pathway to the exterior of the housing including one or more elements defining one or more passages of cross sectional dimension, preferably diameter, 0.1 ⁇ m to 15 ⁇ m, through which the solution and gas mixture is passed to reach the exterior of the device, said passing of said mixture through the passages forming a foam of from 0.07 to 0.19 g/mL density and of half-life at least 2 minutes.
  • the apparatus includes a chamber, e.g. such as in a sealed canister, charged with the blood dispersible gas and the sclerosant liquid, e.g. in a single chamber, the device pathway including a dip tube with an inlet opening under the level of the liquid in this chamber when the device is positioned upright.
  • the dip-tube has an outlet opening at a gas liquid interface junction where the gas, which resides in the chamber above the liquid, has access to the pathway to the device outlet.
  • the pathway is opened or closed by a valve element which is depressed or tilted to open up a pathway to the exterior of the device, whereby the liquid rises up the dip tube under gas pressure and is mixed in the interface junction with that gas to produce an aerosol, dispersion of bubbles in liquid or macrofoam.
  • This element may conveniently be located in a cap on the canister in between the valve mounting and an outlet nozzle. Conveniently depression of the cap operates the valve. Alternatively the element is within the canister mounted above the gas liquid interface.
  • the gas liquid interface may comprise holes in the dip tube above the level of the liquid in the canister inner chamber.
  • the gas pressure employed will be dependent upon materials being used and their configuration, but conveniently will be 0.01 to 9 bar over atmospheric, more preferably 0.1-3 bar over atmospheric, and still more preferably 1.5-1.7 bar over atmospheric pressure.
  • a preferred device of this aspect of the invention is of the ‘bag-on-valve’ type.
  • Such device includes a flexible gas and liquid tight container, forming a second inner chamber within the pressurisable chamber, which is sealed around the dip-tube and filled with the liquid.
  • the dip-tube has a one-way valve located at a position between its end located in the sclerosant liquid and the gas liquid interface junction, which when the passage to the exterior is closed, remains closed such as to separate the liquid from the physiologically acceptable blood dispersible gas around it in the chamber.
  • the one way valve On opening the pathway to the exterior, the one way valve also opens and releases liquid up the dip-tube to the gas liquid interface where an aerosol is produced which is in turn then passed through the passages to be converted to foam.
  • a suitable one-way valve is a duck-bill type valve, e.g. such as available from Vernay Labs Inc, Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA.
  • Suitable bag-on-valve can constructions are available from Coster Aerosols, Stevenage, UK and comprise an aluminum foil/plastics laminate.
  • the one way valve is located at the top of the dip-tube between that and the gas liquid interface junction, i.e. an Ecosol device. This allows filling of the bag before application of the one way valve, followed by sterilization of the contents, whether in the canister or otherwise.
  • Such a preferred device has several potential advantages. Where oxygen is the gas, this is kept separate from the liquid before use and thus reduces possibility of oxygen radicals reacting with organic components in the liquid, e.g. during sterilization processes such as irradiation. Where carbon dioxide is the gas, storage can lead to high volumes of gas dissolving in the liquid, which on release to the atmosphere or lower pressure, could out-gas and start to destroy the foam too quickly. Such separation also prevents the deposition of solidified sclerosing agent components in the dimension sensitive orifices of the device in an unused can in storage or transit, particularly should that be oriented other than upright.
  • the gas liquid interface is provided as a defined orifice size device such as the Ecosol device provided by Precision Valve Peterborough UK.
  • the ratio of area of the gas holes to the liquid holes should be of the order of 3 to 5, preferably about 4. Where the passages are inside the pressurized chamber this is preferably higher.
  • a device for producing a foam suitable for use in sclerotherapy of blood vessels, particularly veins comprising a housing in which is situated a pressurisable chamber, at least part filled or fillable with a solution of a sclerosing agent in a physiologically acceptable solvent and/or a physiologically acceptable blood dispersible gas; a pathway by which the contents of the chamber may be passed to exterior of the housing through one or more outlet orifices and a mechanism by which the chamber can be pressurized such that its contents pass to the exterior along the pathway and through one or more outlet orifices
  • the elements defining the passages in the pathway or chamber may be static or may be moveable by manipulation of the device from outside of its interior chamber.
  • the housing is a container defining a chamber in which is situated the solution and gas under pressure and the pathway is a conduit leading from the chamber in the interior of the container to a valve closing an opening in the container wall.
  • Preferred forms of the one or more elements defining the multiple passages for use in the device of the present invention are meshes, screens or sinters.
  • meshes, screens or sinters will be provided, with some preferred forms employing a series of such elements arranged in parallel with their major surfaces perpendicular to the path of solution/gas expulsion.
  • elements of any of the devices according to the invention having a critical dimension are made of a material that does not change dimension when exposed to aqueous material.
  • elements with such function such as the air liquid interface and the element defining the passages of 0.1 ⁇ m-15 ⁇ m dimension preferably should not be of a water swellable material such as Nylon 66 where they are likely to be exposed to the solution for more than a few minutes. Where such exposure is likely these parts are more preferably being fashioned from a polyolefin such as polypropylene or polyethylene.
  • the canister is sized such that it contains sufficient gas and solution to form up to 500 mL of foam, more preferably from 1 mL up to 200 mL and most preferably from 10 to 60 mL of foam.
  • the amount of gas under pressure in such canisters should be sufficient to produce enough foam to treat, i.e. fill, at least one varicosed human saphenous vein.
  • preferred canisters of the invention may be smaller than those currently used for supply of domestic used mousse type foams.
  • the most preferred canister device is disposable after use, or cannot be reused once opened such as to avoid problems of maintaining sterility.
  • a device which maintains gas pressure in the canister as foam is expelled It may be preferred to incorporate a device which maintains gas pressure in the canister as foam is expelled. Suitable devices are such as described under trademarked devices PECAP and Atmosol. However, where a significant headspace or pressure of gas is provided this will not be necessary.
  • the canister system has some drawbacks, however. It is relatively complex and thus expensive. Furthermore, the initial quantity of foam generated using a canister system can be of unpredictable quality and thus tends to be diverted off to waste prior dispensing foam for use. It is not easy to deliver foam direct from a pressurized canister into a cannula in a patient's vein; although this is theoretically possible, it would require special valve/control arrangements on the canister output to allow for the delivery rate to be highly controllable by the clinician administering the treatment. A further issue is that, whenever dispensing of foam is stopped or slowed significantly, it is necessary on re-starting to divert a quantity of foam to waste again before dispensing usable foam.
  • the canister product mentioned above though a well designed and highly effective system, is designed to deliver foam product into a syringe for subsequent administration to a patient.
  • a special foam transfer unit is used for this purpose.
  • the syringe nozzle is inserted into a port on this transfer device and the device is then used to divert the first portion of foam before charging the syringe with usable foam.
  • a further issue is that the foam, once made, immediately starts to change—liquid drains out and bubbles coalesce.
  • a period of time is required time for the clinician to divert an initial quantity of foam from a canister, charge a syringe with good foam, connect it to a line to a patient's vein and administer the foam. This time will vary with different clinicians and even the same clinician will not always take the same length of time.
  • each treatment is different and the foam will be injected over a different period; sometimes the clinician will stop dispensing foam for a short period and then recommence. All this time, the properties of the foam will be changing.
  • the device should be suitable for containing a gas other than air for incorporation into the foam.
  • the device should ideally not store the gas together with the liquid under a pressure substantially greater than atmospheric.
  • a soluble gas especially a highly soluble gas such as carbon dioxide
  • storing the gas and liquid under pressure can contribute to the speed of decay of the foam. This is because the pressurized gas tends to go into solution in the sclerosant liquid. On exit of the foam, the gas comes out of solution into the bubbles thereby accelerating degradation of the foam. Pressurizing the gas also, of course, adds to the complexity and expense of the system.
  • a device for generating and dispensing foam for therapeutic use comprises:
  • the hole dimension be from 1 to 50 micron, more preferably 2 to 20 micron, still more preferably 3 to 10 micron.
  • These holes may be provided by a mesh, perforated screen, sinter or fabric, for example.
  • the shape and orientation of the holes may not be regular, the unit should have a major proportion (greater than 50%, preferably greater than 80%) of holes where at least one dimension in a direction approximately transverse to the flow should be in the ranges specified above.
  • the volumes of the first and second chamber are adjusted in order to drive the gas and solution out of the chambers and through the mixing region and foaming unit.
  • a mixture of gas and solution is formed as the gas and liquid pass through the mixing region and then a foam is formed as the mixture passes through the foaming unit.
  • the liquid and gas it is preferable for the liquid and gas to be driven through the mixing region and foaming unit at a flow rate which falls within a predetermined range, the desired flow rate range depending on the characteristics of the liquid and of the gas, the characteristics of the mixing region and foaming unit, and possibly other characteristics of the system.
  • the volume of the chambers may be varied manually to create the foam, but it is preferred that the adjustment of the chambers be carried out using some other source of motive power, e.g. an electric, clockwork, pneumatic or hydraulic motor or by the direct action of pressurized gas or even a simple spring.
  • An on/off control is preferably provided for the user to commence and to stop delivery of foam.
  • the source of motive power may be provided as part of the device.
  • the device may be designed as a cartridge for insertion into a delivery device which may for example be similar to known devices for automatically delivering medication from a syringe over an extended period of time.
  • the device may be configured with a flexible housing in form of e.g. a bag with dual chambers, or two separate bags, connected to a mixing region and foaming unit.
  • the bag or bags may then be rolled up in a delivery device or the contents squeezed out by some other mechanical means.
  • the chambers are of a size and shape which allow them to be squeezed out at the same rate, in terms of velocity, to achieve a desired foam density. This allows the mechanical means for squeezing the chambers to be of a more simple design.
  • the device may be configured as a syringe, with the first and second chambers having respective plungers which may be depressed in order to expel the contents.
  • the chambers Preferably size and shape of the chambers, most notably their cross sectional areas, are selected so that the plungers may be driven at the same speed to achieve a desired ratio of gas to liquid in the foam.
  • the device may be suitable for connection to a cannula needle, optionally via a line, for delivery of foam into the body, e.g. into a vessel such as a blood vessel, especially a varicose vein or other venous malformation. Since the foam is generated by the same action which expels the foam from the outlet, it may be possible to connect the cannula to the outlet of the device and administer foam to a patient at the same time as generating it. This is clearly a much simpler procedure than generating the foam, drawing it up into a syringe, connecting the syringe to a line/cannula and then administering the foam.
  • a method for administering a foam to the human body comprises the steps of: (a) sclerosant foam generating device to a cannula needle inserted into a patient; and (b) operating the device to generate and dispense foam to the patient.
  • the steps may include:
  • a further advantage of the generation and delivery of the foam in a single step is that the foam has very little time to degrade prior to entering the body to perform its function, e.g. the sclerosis of a varicose vein.
  • the device is therefore particularly suitable for generating foams with very soluble gases, such as carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide, which tend to revert to their gaseous and liquid phases relatively quickly.
  • a foam which is made with a sclerosant solution, e.g. polidocanol solution, and a gas, wherein, on creation of the foam, the dissolved level of the gas in the solution is not substantially higher than that of the solution when exposed to atmosphere at s.t.p., and wherein the gas is at least 70% by volume carbon dioxide, more preferably at least 90% carbon dioxide, still more preferably substantially 100% carbon dioxide.
  • the gas may also include 0.1 to 50% oxygen.
  • the gas may be substantially 100% nitrous oxide or a mixture of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide.
  • a device for generating foam from a sclerosant liquid, e.g. polidocanol solution, and a soluble gas as described above, wherein the device incorporates a chamber in which the gas is stored at substantially atmospheric pressure.
  • the device further comprises a chamber in which sclerosant liquid is stored.
  • the device further includes a foaming unit for creating a foam from the gas and sclerosant liquid, the foaming unit having holes with a dimension transverse to the flow direction of between 0.1 and 100 micron, such as 1 to 50, 2 to 20, 3 to 11, and especially about 5.
  • FIG. 1 shows a syringe barrel 1 in a storage condition with its open ends closed with seals 2 of metal/plastic laminate material.
  • the barrel 1 comprises an outer cylindrical wall 3 having a conical tapered end portion 4 at the front, from which extends a standard luer nozzle 5 .
  • Disposed within the outer cylindrical wall is an inner cylindrical wall 6 defining an inner chamber 14 .
  • the front of the inner wall 6 is partly closed by and end face 8 , in which is formed an orifice 9 with a frangible seal 10 .
  • the inner wall is supported at the front end by a web 11 , in which apertures 12 are formed.
  • annular space 7 which is filled with substantially 100% pure carbon dioxide gas.
  • the annular space 7 communicates with the interior space of the luer nozzle 5 via the apertures 12 in the web 11 .
  • annular plunger seal 13 Located at the rear of the barrel, in the annular space 7 , is an annular plunger seal 13 of resilient plastics material which seals against the outer and inner cylindrical walls 3 , 6 .
  • FIG. 2 shows a cartridge comprising a glass tube 20 filled with 1% polidocanol and sealed at each end by a resilient plastics bung 21 .
  • One or both of the bungs may function as a plunger seal, that is to say it may be movable down the length of the tube whilst retaining a sealing contain with the interior wall of the tube.
  • the cartridge of FIG. 2 is not suitable for use with the syringe barrel described above, but could be used with a modified version of the barrel as discussed below.
  • FIG. 3 shows a cartridge suitable for use with the syringe barrel described above with reference to FIG. 1 .
  • the cartridge comprises a glass tube 30 which is filled with 1% polidocanol solution.
  • a resilient bung 31 which is capable of functioning as a plunger seal as described above.
  • an end face 32 At the front end of the tube is an end face 32 in which is located a nozzle 33 , sealed with an end cap 34 .
  • the size and shape of the tube 30 complements the shape of the inner wall 6 of the syringe barrel of FIG. 1 .
  • the diameter of the tube 30 is such that the tube is a close fit in the interior space 14 defined within the inner wall 6 of the barrel 1 , and the nozzle 33 of the cartridge is sized so that, when fully inserted into the interior chamber 14 of the barrel, it protrudes through the orifice 9 in the front of the chamber 14 (the end cap 34 having first been removed).
  • Cartridges of the type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are well known for liquid drugs.
  • the cartridges are fitted to specially designed injection devices to administer the drug, and the empty cartridge then removed from the device and disposed of.
  • FIG. 4 shows a cartridge 30 as shown in FIG. 3 being inserted into the barrel of FIG. 1 . Note that the end cap 34 of the cartridge has been removed.
  • FIG. 5 shows the cartridge 30 fully inserted into the barrel 1 such that the nozzle 32 seals in the orifice 9 of the interior chamber 14 of the barrel.
  • a syringe plunger stem 40 is fitted to the rear of the syringe barrel 1 .
  • the plunger stem 40 comprises a disc 43 for applying manual pressure, connected via shafts 44 to a central disc shaped pressure pad 41 and an annular pressure pad 42 .
  • the pressure pads 41 , 42 are engaged with bungs/plunger seals 31 , 13 , respectively, of the annular barrel chamber 7 and of the cartridge 30 .
  • a foaming unit 50 is fitted to the luer nozzle 5 .
  • the foaming unit comprises a stack of mesh elements with microscopic perforations. The foaming unit will be described in more detail below in relation to FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 .
  • the plunger stem 40 is depressed either manually or in a syringe driver such as the one shown schematically in FIG. 8 and discussed below.
  • the syringe with partly depressed plunger stem and foaming unit fitted is shown in FIG. 6 .
  • the plunger seals 13 , 31 in the annular carbon dioxide chamber and in the chamber defined within the cartridge are advanced as the plunger stem is depressed, thereby driving carbon dioxide and polidocanol solution through the apertures 12 and the orifice 9 .
  • Mixing of the gas and liquid takes place in the region 15 in front of the orifice 9 where the annular gas flow interacts with the liquid flow.
  • the mixture then proceeds as indicated by arrow A in FIG. 6 through the syringe nozzle 5 into the foaming unit 50 where the gas and liquid are passed through microscopic perforations of average dimension 5 micron to create a fine foam or foam with an average bubble size of around 100 micron.
  • FIG. 7 shows an alternative syringe-based design.
  • a syringe barrel 101 houses twin parallel gas and liquid chambers 107 , 114 which receive respective cartridges 170 , 120 of the type shown in FIG. 2 with resilient bungs 171 a, 171 b, 121 a, 121 b at each end.
  • the gas chamber 107 contains cartridge 170 which is filled with substantially 100% pure carbon dioxide at substantially atmospheric pressure.
  • the liquid chamber 114 contains cartridge 120 which is filled with 1% polidocanol solution.
  • a plunger stem is fitted, comprising a disc 143 for applying manual pressure, connected via shafts 144 to two disc shaped pressure pads 41 , 42 received within the gas and liquid chambers 107 , 114 respectively.
  • an end wall 104 from which projects a cylindrical hub 116 with a nozzle 105 at the end.
  • a mixing chamber or mixing region 115 Within the hub 116 is a mixing chamber or mixing region 115 . In this region are located static mixing fins 117 .
  • hollow needle-like members 118 , 119 Located at the front of the chambers 107 , 114 are hollow needle-like members 118 , 119 respectively, each with a point 118 a, 119 a facing into the respective chamber.
  • Each needle-like member is contoured to lie along the front face of its respective chamber and to extend into the mixing chamber 115 .
  • a foaming unit 50 Fitted to the nozzle 105 of the syringe is a foaming unit 50 of similar design to that used in the device of FIGS. 1 to 6 .
  • the foaming unit will be described more fully below with reference to FIGS. 11-13 .
  • the syringe is supplied with cartridges 120 , 170 pre-fitted.
  • a clip 119 prevents depression of the plunger stem 140 until the clip is removed immediately prior to use.
  • the clip 119 is removed and the plunger manually depressed so that the cartridges 120 , 170 , which are a snug fit in their respective chambers 114 , 107 , are advanced into contact with the needle elements 119 , 118 respectively.
  • Further depression of the plunger stem 140 causes the needle points 119 a, 118 a to penetrate the resilient bungs 121 a, 171 a at the front of the cartridges, thereby opening a communication channel between the interior of the cartridges and the mixing chamber 115 .
  • the clinician When treating a patient, the clinician would go through the above steps and ensure that consistent foam is being discharged from the foaming unit 50 . Pressure is then released from the plunger stem 140 and a line from a cannula, which has previously been inserted into a vein to be treated, is connected by a standard luer fitting to the exit of the foaming unit. Pressure would then be applied again to the plunger stem 140 to produce foam and at the same time inject it through the line and cannula and into the patient's vein.
  • a syringe driver is shown schematically in FIG. 8 , with the syringe of FIG. 7 fitted in it.
  • the driver 200 comprises a base 201 , syringe clamp 202 and motor 204 fitted in a motor mounting 203 .
  • the motor 204 is coupled via a coupling 209 to a drive shaft 206 having an external thread 210 .
  • Received on the drive shaft is annular member 207 having an internal thread 211 engaged with the external thread 210 of the drive shaft. From the annular member 207 extends a driving member which bears on the plunger stem 140 of the syringe which is clamped in the syringe clamp 202 .
  • the motor is connected to a DC power supply 212 , has a speed calibration control 209 for setting the correct drive speed, and also an on/off control 205 .
  • the clinician would remove the clip 119 from the syringe of FIG. 7 , depress the plunger stem 140 to the point where consistent foam is being produced, then insert the syringe into the driver and connect up to a line 80 previously installed in a patient's vein.
  • the speed of the motor 204 would previously have been calibrated to a speed appropriate for the syringe being used.
  • the clinician then has control of the delivery of foam to the patient by means of the on/off switch.
  • FIGS. 9 and 10 show an alternative embodiment 300 of foam generating and dispensing device.
  • This embodiment is based on a bag 301 of metal/plastics laminate material.
  • the chambers 302 , 303 contain carbon dioxide and 1% polidocanol solution respectively.
  • the chambers are disposed in parallel along substantially the whole length of the bag, and the cross sections of the chambers, when filled, is selected so as to ensure a correct gas/air mix as with the syringe embodiments.
  • Each chamber 302 , 303 has a channel 304 , 305 leading to a mixing region or mixing chamber 306 defined within a housing 307 .
  • On the front of the housing 307 is a luer nozzle 308 , to which is fitted a foaming unit 50 as with previous embodiments.
  • Within the mixing chamber 306 are located mixing fins 311 .
  • the bag 301 is rolled around the rod 309 to expel gas and liquid from the chambers 302 , 303 respectively.
  • the gas and liquid enter the mixing chamber where they are well mixed before entering the foaming unit 50 and being converted to foam of preset density.
  • the bag is preferably used with a driver device such as is shown schematically in FIG. 10 .
  • a driver device such as is shown schematically in FIG. 10 .
  • the bag 301 can be seen in side view, held in place on a movable carriage 321 , slidably mounted on a base plate 320 .
  • the rear of the bag 301 is clamped by a bag clamp 322 at the rear of the carriage 321 ; the rod 309 in this situation serves to help prevent the bag slipping through the clamp.
  • the mixing chamber housing 307 at the front of the bag is clamped in a mixing chamber clamp 323 at the front of the carriage 321 .
  • the carriage complete with bag, is slid sideways under a roller 324 mounted on the base plate 320 .
  • the bag is manually depressed at the rear end, adjacent the rod 309 to allow it to fit under the roller 324 .
  • the roller 324 is driven by an electric motor 325 supplied from a DC power supply 326 .
  • the speed of the motor may be calibrated using speed control 327 and stopped and started using on/off switch 328 .
  • the roller rotates in the sense indicated by arrow B, causing the carriage, complete with bag, to slide under the roller. Gas and liquid contained in the bag is thereby forced through the mixing chamber 306 and foaming unit 50 , and out of an exit of the foaming unit.
  • the clinician would ensure that consistent foam is being produced before connecting up a line 80 to a cannula installed in a patient's vein.
  • the foaming unit comprises four mesh elements, each comprising a ring 51 having a mesh 52 secured across it.
  • the mesh has perforations of diameter approximately 5 micron.
  • Each mesh element has male and female sealing surfaces 53 , 54 respectively—these are best seen in FIG. 12 .
  • FIG. 13 shows four mesh elements stacked together such that the male sealing surface of one element engages the female surface of the element next to it.
  • the elements are retained in housing 55 having a socket half 56 and a nozzle half 57 . Between these halves of the housing, the mesh elements are retained under pressure, with the sealing surfaces 53 , 54 engaging with each other and with the interior of the housing 55 at each end. In this way a good seal is created between the mesh elements, so that all flow through the foaming unit must pass through the mesh.
  • the socket end 56 of the housing is formed with a standard luer socket 58 which, in use, fits over the luer nozzle output of the various devices described above.
  • the nozzle end 57 of the housing incorporates a standard luer nozzle 59 onto which a medical line having a standard luer socket may be fitted.
  • microbubbles were observed in the left atrium and ventricle. This patient was subsequently confirmed to have a patent foramen ovale.
  • the objective of this experiment was to investigate the nature of the residual bubbles that pass into the heart following injection into the saphenous vein of polidocanol foam made with different gas mixtures.
  • TEE transoesophageal echocardiogram
  • 1% polidocanol solution and a gas mix comprising less than 1% nitrogen and the remainder carbon dioxide and oxygen.
  • the TEE output was videotaped and subsequently analyzed. For all three compositions, bubbles reached the pulmonary artery in sufficient quantity to cause a substantially opaque image. It is believed that the threshold bubble density required to produce such an image as quite low, and therefore this image in itself did not provide useful data. The time taken for the occluded image to revert to a steady state background image was believed to be approximately indicative of the length of time taken for all or most the bubbles to have dissolved into the bloodstream. The TEE was very sensitive (showing activity even when saline was injected as a control); for this reason exact end points were difficult to determine. However, the following estimates have been made of the time period from opacification of the image to decay down to a background level.
  • a 20 ml polypropylene syringe barrel was prepared by puncturing its side wall with a relatively large hypodermic needle to make a hole approximately 1 mm in diameter. This hole was then covered by securing a piece of clear flexible vinyl sheet over it with clear adhesive tape. A small magnetic stirrer element was introduced into the syringe barrel and the plunger then replaced. 20 ml of human venous blood was then with withdrawn in the usual manner from a human subject using the specially prepared syringe fitted with a hypodermic needle.
  • the hypodermic needle was removed and the syringe then placed on a magnetic stirrer unit so that the magnetic element in the syringe thoroughly agitated the blood.
  • the Luer nozzle of the syringe was then connected to a 50 cm piece of manometer tubing which was arranged horizontally and left open at one end. The manometer tubing was secured against a scale.
  • a 0.5 ml measuring syringe with a fine pre-fitted needle was then filled with foam made from 1% polidocanol solution and air.
  • the density of the foam was 0.13 g/ml ( ⁇ 0.03 g/ml), the liquid component making up approximately 13% of the total volume of foam ( ⁇ 3%).
  • the needle of the 0.5 ml syringe was then introduced through the vinyl sheet on the side wall of the 20 ml syringe.
  • a small volume of blood was found to have entered the manometer tubing and the position of the distal end of this column of blood was noted against the scale.
  • the 0.5 ml aliquot of foam was then injected quickly and simultaneously a timer started (t 0 ).
  • t 0 the timer started
  • An anodized aluminum canister with an open top was filled with water.
  • the canister was then immersed in a bath of water and inverted.
  • a line from a pressurized cylinder of oxygen gas was then introduced into the water bath and the supply of oxygen turned on, thereby flushing the line of any air.
  • a canister head assembly comprising a valve, dip tube and mesh stack unit was then immersed in the water bath and connected to the oxygen line for a few seconds to purge air from the assembly.
  • the oxygen line was then introduced into the inverted canister until all water had been displaced from the canister.
  • the line was then removed from the canister and the previously purged head assembly quickly clamped over the top of the canister thereby sealing the canister.
  • the canister was then removed from the water bath with the head assembly still clamped against it; the head assembly was then secured to the canister using a standard crimping technique.
  • the canister was then pressurized to about 8 bar absolute pressure by connecting the canister valve to a regulated oxygen line for 1 minute.
  • the pressure as then relieved by opening the valve until the pressure in the canister was just above 1 bar absolute; a pressure gauge was applied to the valve intermittently during the pressure release operation to ensure that the canister pressure did not drop all the way down to 1 bar absolute. This was done to avoid the possibility of atmospheric air seeping into the canister.
  • the canister was then pressurized again up to about 8 bar absolute and the pressure release operation repeated. This process was then repeated a third time, with the final canister pressure being from 1.1 to 1.2 bar absolute.
  • the oxygen cylinder used in the above process was a standard medical grade oxygen cylinder supplied by B.O.C. and specified at 99.5% or greater purity.
  • the carbon dioxide cylinder used was so called “CP Grade” from B.O.C. which has a purity level of 99.995%.
  • the impurity (which will be mainly nitrogen) arising from the initial filling procedure should be reduced to zero after three pressure/release cycles.
  • the impurity level in the canister from the carbon dioxide cylinder can be considered zero to two decimal places, since the purity of the source was 99.995% and only approximately one third of the gas in the finished canister was carbon dioxide.
  • the impurity is mainly nitrogen.
  • the number of pressure/release cycles may be increased in order further to reduce the theoretical maximum impurity if the oxygen and carbon dioxide sources were 100% pure. It is a simple calculation to show the number of cycles necessary to reduce the maximum percentage impurity level to zero, calculated to 3, 4 or 5 decimal places. Provided the canister pressure never drops to or below 1 bar absolute and provided the lines from the oxygen and carbon dioxide cylinders are flushed through with gas prior to attachment to the canister valve, there is no reason to assume that any significant impurity will enter the canister during the pressure/release cycles.
  • a refinement of the procedure to reduce further any opportunity for impurity to enter would be to introduce the polidocanol solution immediately after initial flushing. In this way, any air/nitrogen introduced with the polidocanol will be eliminated during the subsequent pressure/release cycles.
  • a further refinement of the technique might be to maintain the water bath in an agitated state using a magnetic stirrer, under a continuously refreshed oxygen atmosphere for 24 hours. In this way, any dissolved nitrogen in the water bath should be eliminated and replaced with dissolved oxygen. Filling the canister from this oxygenated water bath should, it is postulated, remove the water bath as a possible source of nitrogen impurity.
  • canisters in this way having a somewhat higher minimum nitrogen level is not difficult and may be achieved, for example, by reducing the number of pressure/release cycles.
  • the inventors are at present developing a procedure for large scale manufacture of ultra-low nitrogen canisters, using a similar methodology.
  • two canisters are manufactured, one containing oxygen at 5.8 bar absolute and the other carbon dioxide and polidocanol solution at about 1.2 bar absolute.
  • the CO2/polidocanol canister is pressurized immediately prior to use by connecting it to the oxygen canister. This is described in WO02/41872-A1[CDE10].
  • an oxygen canister which is simply an anodized aluminum canister with a standard valve assembly in the top.
  • the canister Prior to fitting the valve assembly, the canister is first flushed with oxygen gas by inserting an oxygen line into the open top of an upright cylinder for 10 seconds. The line is then withdrawn. At this stage not all the air will have been eliminated and it is believed that the nitrogen impurity level is around 5% or 6%; this has not been measured specifically, but has been deduced from the measured impurity level at a later stage in the procedure (see below). It is not believed that flushing the canister for a longer period would substantially change this value for nitrogen gas impurity.
  • valve assembly is then loosely fitted and a filling head brought into engagement around the top of the canister and valve assembly so as to make a gas-ight seal against the canister wall. Connected to the filling head is a line for oxygen.
  • the canister is then brought up to a pressure of approximately 5.5 bar absolute (bara). Nitrogen gas impurity at this stage has been measured by standard gas chromatography techniques to be about 1%.
  • the pressure is then increased again to about 5.5 bara and again this pressure is released down to just over 1 bara.
  • the canister is then brought up to its final pressure of 5.5 bara ⁇ 0.4 bara.
  • the nitrogen gas impurity measured by gas chromatography is about 0.2%.
  • each of the pressure/release cycles should reduce the impurity due to residual air/nitrogen by a factor of about 5 assuming no leakage. It is reasonable to assume no leakage since a positive pressure is always maintained in the canister. Assuming a 100% pure source of oxygen, the theoretical nitrogen impurity after these three pressure/release cycles should be around 0.05%. Since the measured nitrogen level is around 0.2%, there is apparently either impurity in the line or nitrogen is entering the sample during the measuring process. It can at least be concluded that the impurity level is 0.2% or better.
  • polidocanol solution or any other liquid sclerosing agent, could be added into the canister during the above procedure and the standard valve and dip tube could be replaced with a unit including foam generating means such as a small aperture mesh.
  • the pressure in the canister may be brought up to whatever is required, e.g. around 3.5 bara. In this way, a final pressurized canister product containing sclerosant and substantially pure oxygen could be made.
  • the gas mix in the polidocanol canister was 25% nitrogen and 75% carbon dioxide.
  • the nitrogen was present in order to reduce the deleterious effect of the highly soluble carbon dioxide on the stability of the foam.
  • this canister was maintained at 0.5 bara. This meant that, when the canister was connected to the oxygen canister and the final pressure raised to about 3.5 bara, the nitrogen content reduced to around 7%.
  • the resulting foam had a nitrogen impurity of around 1-2%.
  • the current procedure is to insert a carbon dioxide line into the open top of a metal anodized canister for 10 seconds. The line is then withdrawn. At this stage not all the air will have been eliminated and it is believed that the nitrogen impurity level is around 5% or 6%. It is not believed that flushing the canister for a longer period would substantially change this value for nitrogen gas impurity.
  • the head assembly including dip tube, valve and foam generating mesh unit, is then loosely fitted and a filling head brought into engagement around the top of the canister and valve assembly so as to make a gas-tight seal against the canister wall.
  • a filling head Connected to the filling head is a line for carbon dioxide.
  • the canister is then brought up to its pressure of approximately 1.2 bara. Nitrogen gas impurity at this stage has not yet been measured but is expected to be in the region of 0.8%.
  • a unit was prepared comprising a housing with ports at each end formed as standard luer connections. Within the housing was an internal pathway between the ports in which pathway four mesh elements were installed such that flow between the ports was required to flow through the meshes.
  • the meshes had 5 micron apertures.
  • the air and polidocanol solution was then shuttled back and forth between the syringes as fast as possible by hand for one minute.
  • the number of passes achieved was 15.
  • Example 6 A similar experiment to Example 6 above was performed with a housing containing 4 mesh units each comprising a 5 micron mesh. This time, 10 ml of 1% polidocanol solution was drawn up in one 20 ml syringe and 10 ml of air drawn up in the other. The air and polidocanol were shuttled back and forth as fast as possible by hand for 2 minutes; 27 passes were achieved.
  • the bubble sizing technique used to measure the bubble size distribution of the foams from Examples 6 to 8 above comprises computer analysis of the image of the bubbles though a microscope. A small sample of the foam is deposited on a specially prepared slide which has spacers 37 microns high mounted on each side. A further slide is then carefully positioned on top of the sample and spacers, thereby spreading the sample into a layer of 37 micron thickness. A digital image of part of the 37 micron layer of bubbles is then recorded and processed: the bubbles appear as rings in the image, the ring representing the outermost diameter of the bubble. Each bubble is individually identified and numbered, and its diameter calculated.
  • Polidocanol solution is drawn up into a 20 ml syringe as described in Examples 6, 7 and 8, ensuring that excess solution is drawn up and then solution dispensed with the nozzle pointed upwards, until the appropriate volume of polidocanol solution is left. In this way any air voids in the syringe, particularly in the nozzle, are removed.
  • the polidocanol-filled syringe is then connected to the mesh unit, the assembly oriented with syringe pointing upwards, and the mesh unit filled with solution, eliminating all air bubbles.
  • a line from a cylinder of medical grade oxygen (99.5% purity) is connected to the luer connector of a 20 ml syringe with the plunger removed.
  • the oxygen line and syringe barrel and luer connector are then flushed for 10 seconds with oxygen from the cylinder.
  • the oxygen line is then removed, keeping the supply of oxygen turned on, and the syringe plunger inserted into the barrel and the plunger depressed.
  • the oxygen line is then re-attached to the syringe luer and the pressure of the oxygen allowed to push the syringe plunger back to fill the syringe with oxygen.
  • the oxygen syringe is then immediately connected to the mesh unit and the foam generating procedure described in Examples 6, 7 or 8 carried out.
  • a syringe and mesh unit filled with polidocanol solution as described in Example 10 above are placed in a collapsible “glove box” (a sealable container with integral gloves incorporated into the container wall to allow manipulation by a user of the contents of the container).
  • a further, empty syringe is also placed in the glove box.
  • the box is then sealingly connected to vacuum source and thereby collapsed such that substantially all air is removed.
  • the vacuum source is then replaced by a source of 99.995% pure oxygen and the glove box filled with oxygen from this source; the oxygen supply is maintained and a small vent is opened in the wall of the glove box opposite the point of entry of oxygen.
  • the procedure described in Example 10 above for filling the empty syringe with oxygen is then followed, using the 99.995% pure oxygen supply line within the glove box.
  • the procedure described in Examples 6, 7 and 8 is then carried out to generate foam.
  • a polidocanol syringe and mesh unit are prepared as in Example 10 above.
  • a syringe is immersed in a tank of water and the plunger removed. Once the syringe barrel is completely full of water with no air pockets, a stopper is secured over the luer nozzle. The syringe barrel is held with the nozzle pointing upwards and a line from a 99.9999% pure oxygen cylinder is first purged, then introduced into the syringe barrel. When all water is replaced by oxygen (taking care that the water in the nozzle is displaced), the plunger is inserted and the syringe removed from the water tank. The procedure of Example 10 is then followed to connect the syringe to the mesh unit and make foam.
  • this procedure could be refined by storing the water tank under a continually refreshed atmosphere of 99.9999% pure oxygen for 24 hours prior to filling the syringe.
  • the mesh unit can be replaced with a simple connector or three way valve and in all other respects the technique can remain the same, with the possible exception of requiring more passes to make acceptable foam.
  • the aperture in a standard connector or three way valve, through which the gas and liquid are passed, would be about 0.5 mm to 3 mm in its largest dimension.
  • the inventors have experimented with the Tessari technique and found that the size and distribution of bubbles varies widely according to the ratio of gas to air and also the speed and number of passes of the gas and liquid through the aperture.
  • the average bubble size for a Tessari foam has been reported in the literature to be around 300 micron.
  • the best that the inventors have managed to achieve using the Tessari technique is a foam with an average bubble size of around 70 micron, though to do this the ratio of liquid to gas had to be increased to about 40% liquid, 60% gas.
  • the Tessari technique can be adapted to make a foam of whatever density and bubble size is desired, within the limitations described above, but using gas with a very low percentage of nitrogen impurity.
  • a canister was prepared of the type described in WO00/72821-A1 having a dip tube and a standard valve assembly provided with a pair of small air inlet apertures, together with a mesh stack unit having a 5 micron aperture size.
  • the size of the apertures in the valve was enlarged slightly compared with the valve arrangement described in WO00/72821-A1 (which is designed to produce a foam of density between 1.1 g/ml and 1.6 g/ml).
  • the purpose of this modification was to increase the proportion of liquid to gas in the mixture passing through the mash stack.
  • the canister was filled with 18 ml of 1% polidocanol solution and pressurized with a mixture of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. A foam was then dispensed.
  • the inventors envisage reproducing the above experiments using a pure oxygen or oxygen and carbon dioxide formulation having nitrogen impurity levels as described above.
  • the same techniques as those described in Examples 4 and 5 may be followed for producing very low levels of nitrogen impurity.
  • FIG. 14 A typical apparatus for the generation of therapeutic foam according to the invention, as disclosed in WO 00/72821-A1, is shown in FIG. 14 .
  • the canister has an aluminum wall ( 1 ), the inside surface of which is coated with an epoxy resin.
  • the bottom of the canister ( 2 ) is domed inward.
  • the canister inner chamber ( 4 ) is pre-purged with 100% oxygen for 1 minute, containing 15 ml of a 1% vol/vol polidocanol/20 mmol phosphate buffered saline solution/4% ethanol, then filled with the required gas mixture.
  • a standard 1 inch diameter EcosolTM aerosol valve ( 5 ) (Precision Valve, Peterborough, UK) is crimped into the top of the canister after sterile part filling with the solution and may be activated by depressing an actuator cap ( 6 ) to release content via an outlet nozzle ( 13 ) sized to engage a Luer fitting of a syringe or multi-way connector (not shown).
  • a further connector ( 7 ) locates on the bottom of the standard valve and mounts four Nylon 66 meshes held in high density polyethylene (HDPE) rings ( 8 ), all within an open-ended polypropylene casing. These meshes have diameter of 6 mm and have a 14% open area made up of 20 ⁇ m pores, with the meshes spaced 3.5 mm apart.
  • HDPE high density polyethylene
  • a further connector ( 9 ) locates on the bottom of the connector holding the meshes and receives a housing ( 10 ) which mounts the dip tube ( 12 ) and includes gas receiving holes ( 11 a, 11 b ) which admit gas from chamber ( 4 ) into the flow of liquid which rises up the dip-tube on operation of the actuator ( 6 ).
  • gas receiving holes ( 11 a, 11 b ) which admit gas from chamber ( 4 ) into the flow of liquid which rises up the dip-tube on operation of the actuator ( 6 ).
  • Holes ( 11 a, 11 b ) have cross-sectional area such that the sum total ratio of this to the cross-sectional area of the liquid control orifice at the base of the valve housing (at the top of the dip-tube) is controlled to provide the required gas/liquid ratio.
  • FIG. 15 A device comprising a container provided with engaging means and a mesh stack shuttle according to the invention, as disclosed in WO 02/41872-A1, is shown in FIG. 15 .
  • the device comprises a low pressure container ( 1 ) for an aqueous sclerosant liquid and an unreactive gas atmosphere, a container ( 2 ) for a physiologically acceptable blood-dispersible gas and an engaging means comprising a connector ( 3 ).
  • the container ( 2 ) for a physiologically acceptable blood-dispersible gas is charged at 5.8 bar absolute pressure with the required gas mixture, whereas the container ( 1 ) is charged with an inert gas.
  • Container ( 2 ) is used to pressurize container ( 1 ) at the point of use to approx 3.5 bar absolute and is then discarded, just before the foam is required.
  • the two containers will thus be referred to hereinafter as the PD [polidocanol] can ( 1 ) and the O2 can ( 2 ), and the term “bi-can” will be used to refer to the concept of two containers.
  • Each of the cans ( 1 , 2 ) is provided with a snap-fit mounting ( 4 , 5 ). These may be made as identical mouldings.
  • the snap-fit parts ( 4 , 5 ) engage the crimped-on mounting cup ( 6 , 7 ) of each can ( 1 , 2 ) with high frictional force.
  • the connector is made in two halves ( 8 , 9 ), and the high frictional force allows the user to grip the two connected cans ( 1 , 2 ) and rotate the connector halves ( 8 , 9 ) relative to each other without slippage between connector ( 3 ) and cans.
  • Each of these can mountings ( 6 , 7 ) has snap-fit holes ( 10 , 11 ) for engaging mating prongs ( 12 , 13 ) which are on the appropriate surfaces of the two halves ( 8 , 9 ) of the connector.
  • the connector ( 3 ) is an assembly comprising a number of injection mouldings.
  • the two halves ( 8 , 9 ) of the connector are in the form of cam track sleeves which fit together as two concentric tubes. These tubes are linked by proud pins ( 14 ) on one half that engage sunken cam tracks ( 15 ) on the other half.
  • the cam tracks have three detented stop positions.
  • the first of these detents is the stop position for storage. An extra security on this detent is given by placing a removable collar ( 16 ) in a gap between the end of one sleeve and the other. Until this collar ( 16 ) is removed it is not possible to rotate the sleeves past the first detent position. This ensures against accidental actuation of the connector.
  • the cam track sleeves ( 8 , 9 ) are injection moulded from ABS as separate items, and are later assembled so that they engage one another on the first stop of the detented cam track.
  • the assembled sleeves are snap-fitted as a unit onto the O2 can ( 2 ) mounting plate ( 5 ) via four locating prongs.
  • the security collar is added at this point to make an O2 can subassembly.
  • the connector ( 3 ) includes in its interior a series of foaming elements comprising a mesh stack shuttle ( 17 ) on the connector half ( 8 ) adjacent to the PD can ( 1 ).
  • the mesh stack shuttle ( 17 ) is comprised of four injection moulded disk filters with mesh hole size of 20 ⁇ m and an open area of approx. 14%, and two end fittings, suitable for leak-free connection to the two canisters. These elements are pre-assembled and used as an insert in a further injection moulding operation that encases them in an overmoulding ( 18 ) that provides a gas-tight seal around the meshes, and defines the outer surfaces of the mesh stack shuttle.
  • the end fittings of the stack ( 17 ) are designed to give gas-tight face and/or rim seals against the stem valves ( 19 , 20 ) of the two cans ( 1 , 2 ) to ensure sterility of gas transfer between the two cans.
  • the mesh stack shuttle ( 17 ) is assembled onto the PD can valve ( 19 ) by push-fitting the components together in a aseptic environment.
  • the PD can ( 1 ) and attached shuttle ( 17 ) are offered up to the connector ( 3 ) and the attached O2 can ( 2 ), and a sliding fit made to allow snap-fitting of the four locating prongs ( 12 ) on the PD can side of the connector ( 3 ) into the mating holes ( 10 ) in the mounting plate ( 4 ) on the PD can ( 1 ). This completes the assembly of the system. In this state, there is around 2 mm of clearance between the stem valve ( 20 ) of the O2 can ( 2 ) and the point at which it will form a seal against a female Luer outlet from the stack.
  • the PD can valve ( 19 ) opens fully.
  • the gas flow from the O2 can ( 2 ) is restricted by a small outlet hole ( 21 ) in the stem valve ( 20 ). It takes about 45 seconds at the second detent position for the gas pressure to (almost) equilibrate between the two cans to a level of 3.45 bar ⁇ 0.15 bar.
  • the connector ( 3 ) is rotated further to the third detent position by the user.
  • the two cans ( 1 , 2 ) can be separated, leaving the PD can ( 1 ) with half ( 8 ) of the connector and the shuttle assembly ( 17 ) captive between the connector and the PD can.
  • the O2 can ( 2 ) is discarded at this point.
  • a standard 1 inch diameter aerosol valve ( 19 ) (Precision Valve, Peterborough, UK) is crimped into the top of the PD can ( 1 ) before or after sterile filling with the solution and may be activated by depressing the mesh stack shuttle ( 17 ), which functions as an aerosol valve actuator mechanism, to release the contents via an outlet nozzle ( 22 ) sized to engage a Luer fitting of a syringe or multi-way connector (not shown).
  • the canister containing the 1% polidocanol solution and a 75%/25% atmosphere of CO2/N2 is evacuated to 0.5 bar absolute pressure, whilst the other canister is pressurised to 5.9 bar absolute with oxygen.
  • the canister containing the 1% polidocanol solution is pressurised to 1.2 ⁇ 0.1 bar absolute with 100% CO2, whilst the other canister is pressurised to 5.8 ⁇ 0.1 bar absolute with oxygen.
  • the objective of the study is to examine and compare results obtained using 5 micron and 20 micron shuttle meshes, for PD canister pressures of 0.5 bar absolute with the current gas atmosphere and for 1.2 bar absolute PD canister pressures with a 100% CO2 as the filling gas.
  • the polidocanol solution was sterile filtered using a 0.2-micron filter before filling into clean glass screw top bottles.
  • Bi-can assemblies were prepared for testing to the specifications of gas mix and pressure in the polidocanol canister detailed in Table 5.
  • TABLE 7 Summary of PD canister preparation for each treatment group Canister Sample Gas Gas Pressure Mesh Pore Size Label Type Composition (bar absolute) ( ⁇ m) C Control 1 75% CO 2 /25% 0.5 20 N 2 D Test 1 75% CO 2 /25% 0.5 5 N 2 A Control 2 100% CO 2 1.2 20 B Test 2 100% CO 2 1.2 5
  • Polidocanol GC pattern and retention times to be equivalent to identification by GC reference preparation method 11 Polidocanol Assay 0.90 to 1.10% w/w 12 Related Substances No single identified impurity >0.20% area. No single unidentified impurity >0.10% area. Total impurities ⁇ 4.0% area
  • Example 9 The study of Example 9 was repeated using a device in which the shuttle mesh pore size was 20 microns, 11 microns and 5 microns, in combination with changes to the gas pressure and gas composition in the canister.
  • Bi-can assemblies were prepared for testing to the specifications of gas mix and pressure in the polidocanol canister detailed in Table 9.
  • TABLE 12 Summary of PD canister preparation for each treatment group Sample Gas Pressure Mesh Pore Size Type Gas Composition (bar absolute) ( ⁇ m) Control 1 75% CO 2 /25% N 2 0.5 20 Control 2 100% CO 2 1.2 20 Test 2 100% CO 2 1.2 5 Test 3 100% CO 2 1.2 11
  • Bubble Diameter (micrometers) excluding below 30 ⁇ m ⁇ 30 ⁇ 130 >30 ⁇ 280 >280 ⁇ 500 >500 59.1% 99.4% 0.6% 0.0% 71.2% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 75.3% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 67.3% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 66.4% 99.7% 0.3% 0.0% 73.6% 99.9% 0.1% 0.0%
  • All sample preparation was performed under controlled laboratory conditions at temperatures within the range 18-22 degrees C., using polidocanol solution obtained from Kreussler 1% Aethoxysclerol.
  • the container was a 100 ml beaker.
  • the beaker and the 10 ml of solution was placed in a small glass aquarium tank which was modified to allow the internal space to be sealed from atmosphere, then flushed and flooded with the test gas mix.
  • a flexible drive shaft was attached to the micromotor to allow the micromotor to stay outside of the glass tank, whilst driving the brush inside the glass tank at the required speed. Where the flexible drive shaft entered the glass tank, it was sealed to avoid leaks from atmosphere.
  • the flushing of the glass tank was performed for 30 seconds with the gas mix supplied at 0.2 bar above atmospheric pressure to the glass tank. After the 30 second flush, the regulator was turned down to allow a trickle of ingressing gas for the rest of the experiment. The speed of rotation and duration of whipping was fixed at 11500 rpm and 90 seconds.
  • Foams were made with polidocanol, glycerol and CO2 using various techniques.
  • the technique used to make the foam plays an important role in the half life and density of the resulting foam.
  • pH was adjusted by adding 0.1M sodium hydroxide to between 7.34 and 7.38 pH.
  • the solution was filtered through a 0.25 micron filter.
  • the carbon dioxide and pd/glycerol solution were then manually pumped back and forth between the two syringes as fast as possible for in excess of 30 cycles. A foam formed in the syringes during this process. After the final cycle, the foam was quickly transferred to half-life and density measuring apparatus and the half life and density of the foam determined.
  • the procedure was carried out for a buffered solution of 1% polidocanol and 30% glycerol and for a buffered solution of 1% polidocanol and 40% glycerol.
  • a so called “mesh stack” device was prepared having a flow path which incorporated a series of four mesh elements. Each mesh element measured about 2-3 mm in diameter and had pores with diameter 5 micron. At each end of the device was a luer connection.
  • the procedure was carried out for a buffered solution of 1% polidocanol and 30% glycerol and for a buffered solution of 1% polidocanol and 40% glycerol.
  • Pressurized canisters with a capacity of approximately 100 ml were made up with about 20 ml of buffered polidocanol/glycerol solution. The canisters were then pressurized with substantially pure carbon dioxide to a pressure of 3.5 bar absolute.
  • the canisters are each fitted with a valve, with a dip tube extending from the valve to the base of the canister. On each side of the valve are apertures which draw in gas as liquid passes up the dip tube under pressure. Above the valve, each canister is fitted with a mesh stack unit as described above.
  • the canister valve is opened. The first portion of foam is discarded and then foam is dispensed directly into the half life and density measurement apparatus.
  • the foam produced by the 30% glycerol solution was relatively stiff and formed a compact, rounded blob on a surface.
  • the blob could be seen to start decaying within a few seconds, but remained as a blob rather than a liquid puddle for much longer. Observations were not recorded for the 40% glycerol.
  • Viscosity was determined at 23 oC using the Brookfield device described above.
  • Foams were prepared using the polidocanol (PD) and different percentages of viscosity enhancing agents (wt/wt) and the Cabrera method described above. The half life and density of the resulting foam was determined as described above. Similar experiments can be used to determine if a particular combination of viscosity enhancing agent, sclerosing agent, and gas provide a foam with a suitable half-life and density. Foams were also produced using a canister as described above and the results are presented in Table 16.

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GB0326768A GB0326768D0 (en) 2003-11-17 2003-11-17 Generation of therapeutic microfoam
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US54286604P 2004-02-10 2004-02-10
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GB0422307A GB0422307D0 (en) 2004-10-07 2004-10-07 Generation and delivery of therapeutic microfoam
US10/522,529 US20060280690A1 (en) 2003-11-17 2004-11-17 Methods of preparing a foam comprising a sclerosing agent
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US10/522,525 Abandoned US20060062736A1 (en) 2003-11-17 2004-11-17 Therapeutic foam
US10/522,528 Active 2026-02-18 US7763269B2 (en) 2003-11-17 2004-11-17 Therapeutic foam
US10/522,529 Abandoned US20060280690A1 (en) 2003-11-17 2004-11-17 Methods of preparing a foam comprising a sclerosing agent
US10/522,527 Active US7731986B2 (en) 2003-11-17 2004-11-17 Therapeutic foam
US12/765,980 Expired - Fee Related US8323677B2 (en) 2003-11-17 2010-04-23 Therapeutic foam
US13/667,296 Expired - Fee Related US8734833B2 (en) 2003-11-17 2012-11-02 Therapeutic foam
US14/248,715 Abandoned US20140221501A1 (en) 2003-11-17 2014-04-09 Therapeutic foam
US14/708,096 Active US10472100B2 (en) 2003-11-17 2015-05-08 Therapeutic foam

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US13/667,296 Expired - Fee Related US8734833B2 (en) 2003-11-17 2012-11-02 Therapeutic foam
US14/248,715 Abandoned US20140221501A1 (en) 2003-11-17 2014-04-09 Therapeutic foam
US14/708,096 Active US10472100B2 (en) 2003-11-17 2015-05-08 Therapeutic foam

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