WO2010128855A2

WO2010128855A2 - Container for a liquid material to be supplied to a body, which container can be heated by an exothermic reaction

Info

Publication number: WO2010128855A2
Application number: PCT/NL2010/050263
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mart Frans Pieter Sips; Oda Snoep
Original assignee: MAHAYANA HOLDING BV
Current assignee: MAHAYANA HOLDING BV
Priority date: 2009-05-04
Filing date: 2010-05-04
Publication date: 2010-11-11
Anticipated expiration: 2011-11-04
Also published as: WO2010128855A3; NL2002835C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a container 2 for a liquid material to be supplied to a body, which container is provided with an outlet opening 4 for the liquid material, wherein the container is provided with a heating device for heating the content of the container, wherein the heating device comprises a heating chamber 10 coupled thermally to the interior of the container, and a substance is present in the heating chamber which, following initiation, produces an exothermic reaction. As a result of these measures there is no longer a conductor present in or on the outer wall of the container. The heating chamber is preferably provided with a substance which, in the case of a mechanical shock, produces an exothermic physical reaction such as a phase transition or precipitation.

Description

Container for a liquid material to be supplied to a body, which container can be heated by an exothermic reaction

The invention relates to a container for a liquid material to be supplied to a human or animal body, which container is provided with an outlet opening for the liquid material, wherein the container is provided with a heating device for heating the content of the container, wherein the heating device comprises a heating chamber coupled thermally to the interior of the container.

Such a container is known from WO-A-2006/ 130681.

In this container the phase transition is initiated when a temperature is reached during the cooling. Once the container has been removed from an oven or other heating element, the temperature of the content of the container is hereby once again increased.

The present invention has for its object to provide such a container, the temperature of which can be increased at a desired moment by the user.

The present invention provides for this purpose a container of the above stated type, wherein a substance is present in the heating chamber which produces an exothermic reaction in the case of a mechanical shock.

A container is thus obtained, the temperature of which can be increased at any desired moment by applying a shock.

The invention thus also relates to a method for heating to a temperature of use a container for a liquid material to be supplied to a human or animal body, which container is provided with an outlet opening for the liquid material, wherein the container is provided with a heating device for heating the content of the container, wherein an exothermic reaction is initiated in the heating device by means of a mechanical shock.

In order to increase convenience of use a preferred embodiment proposes that the container be provided with an element which can be operated from outside the container for the purpose of generating a mechanical shock in the substance arranged in the heating chamber. This avoids the user having to drop or strike the containers.

According to a preferred embodiment the container is formed by a syringe with a cylindrical chamber in which a piston is movable, the heating chamber connects to the casing surface of the cylindrical chamber and the heating chamber extends around at least the greater part of the periphery of the cylindrical chamber of the syringe. A simple, inexpensive embodiment is thus obtained, which can be used to heat injection liquids before they are injected, which usually facilitates injection and alleviates the associated pain or whereby medication is taken up better and more quickly into the body because it is injected at body temperature. The invention can also be applied for administering flushing liquid to root canals during root canal treatments, wherein the increased temperature results in a greater effectiveness of the flushing liquid used.

This thermal coupling is improved when the heating chamber is received in the syringe, the heating chamber is provided with a cylindrical outer wall and the heating chamber and the cylindrical chamber are placed concentrically in the syringe. It is noted that the outer wall of the cylindrical chamber is usually of plastic, which has a mediocre thermal conductivity, so that it is important to make the surface area over which the heat flow takes place as large as possible. A plastic suitable for medical applications (medical grade) is preferably applied for this purpose. It is also possible to consider making use of a plastic with an improved thermal conductivity for the outer wall of the chamber.

According to another preferred embodiment, the heating chamber is provided with a cylindrical inner wall and the heating chamber is releasable from the other parts of the syringe. It hereby becomes possible to use the heating chamber a number of times while the syringe itself can be discarded, while it is moreover possible, when the heating chamber can be regenerated by being heated, to regenerate the chamber separately of the syringe, which can be important when the liquid present in the syringe cannot withstand the temperature necessary for the regeneration.

The same preferred embodiment further provides the measure that the heating device can be connected releasably to the container and that the heating device is connected to the container before the exothermic reaction is initiated in the heating device. The construction of the container is facilitated when the element which can be operated from outside comprises a stiff plate which has at least one stable position and is dimensioned to cause a mechanical shock in the substance arranged in the heating chamber when the stiff plate is moved. The plate can be manufactured from plastic, although use is preferably made of stainless steel The application of medical grade materials is also important here.

A structurally attractive embodiment results when the stiff plate is received in an outer wall of the heating chamber.

The embodiment becomes even simpler structurally when the container is cylindrical and the plate forms at least a part of the end wall of the cylinder remote from the outlet opening.

The construction is further simplified when the stiff plate is received in an insert forming a part of the outer wall.

The assembly is further simplified when the insert forms part of the casing wall, the insert connects to an end wall and when the end wall is fixed to the casing wall while enclosing the insert. It is however also possible for the insert to be formed integrally with the end wall and for the end wall to be fixed to the casing wall, or for the stiff plate to be received in a reinforcement of the casing wall and for a cover to be placed on the plate.

In the embodiments just elucidated above a plate is arranged in the wall of the container. According to an alternative embodiment, the stiff plate is placed in the heating chamber in the vicinity of an outer wall of the heating chamber and a part of the outer wall of the heating chamber is adapted to operate the stiff plate.

This embodiment is simplified structurally when the stiff plate is received in a carrier and the carrier is enclosed between a thickened portion received on the inner side of the casing wall of the heating chamber and the end wall fixed to the casing wall. A more specific embodiment provides the measure that the substance comprises a supercooled mixture of water and a salt, which is dimensioned to come out of solution when exposed to a mechanical shock. The reaction can hereby be initiated in simple manner.

According to a still more specific embodiment, the substance comprises a supercooled mixture of water and sodium acetate, particularly sodium acetate trihydrate. These substances are found to be highly suitable for the relevant purpose.

The substance is preferably dimensioned to reach a temperature in the region of 37⁰C and higher. A temperature is thus reached which is sufficient to heat the content of the cylindrical chamber to 37⁰C, so that the liquid to be introduced into the body is at body temperature and the advantages of the invention are indeed achieved.

The container is preferably provided with an indicator element indicating the temperature of the content of the container. It is hereby possible to read the temperature of the liquid to be injected or otherwise administered, so that for instance the correct moment for administering can be chosen.

It has been found that the measures according to the invention become particularly, though not exclusively, manifest when the syringe is filled with anaesthetic liquid, contrast liquid or a flushing liquid for root canal treatment.

The use of substances which produce a reversible exothermic reaction provides the option of regenerating the substances by heating so that the reverse endothermic reaction occurs. A preferred embodiment thus provides a method for preparing a container of the above stated type, wherein prior to initiation of the exothermic reaction the heating chamber is heated to a temperature above the melting point of the mixture and subsequently cooled.

The invention will be elucidated hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of a container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in figure 1 along line H-II; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a container according to the invention;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in figure 3; Figure 5 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of a container according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a fourth embodiment; Figure 7 is a front view of a part of a fifth embodiment;

Figure 8 is a sectional view along line VIII-VIII of the embodiment shown in figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a sectional view of a sixth embodiment.

Figures 1 and 2 show a syringe which is designated as a whole with 1 and which comprises a cylindrical container 2, which encloses a cylindrical chamber 3 in which the liquid to be administered is arranged. Arranged in a first end wall 9 of cylindrical container 2 is an outflow opening 4 which leads to a spout 5 to which a needle or other administering member can be connected by making use of a common connection such as a Luer Lock. Also arranged in cylindrical space 3 is a piston 6, which can be operated by means of a control rod 7 extending through an opening arranged in the second end wall 8 of the cylindrical container. Up to this point syringe 1 corresponds with a prior art syringe.

A heating chamber 10 enclosed on its outer side by a cylindrical outer wall 11 is arranged around cylindrical container 2. On its inner side heating chamber 10 is bounded by the outer wall of the cylindrical container. The two end walls 8, 9 of cylindrical container 1 extend such that they also form the end walls of heating chamber 10. A mixture of sodium acetate 3-hydrate is placed in the heating chamber. This is a supercooled liquid which in the case of a mechanical shock transposes to a solution of sodium acetate in water, during which reaction heat is released. This heat is used to heat the content of the cylindrical container so that it reaches a temperature approaching or slightly exceeding body temperature. When this substance is then heated to a temperature above its melting temperature of 58⁰C, the sodium acetate comes out of solution again and the original substance results. With careful cooling this state is maintained and the starting position is restored. Assuming a starting temperature of about 20⁰C, the quantity of sodium acetate 3- hydrate is dimensioned to reach a temperature of the content of the cylindrical chamber of about 37°C, or a slightly higher temperature, which means that the temperature of the sodium acetate 3 -hydrate will be slightly higher. The thermal resistance of the wall between the heating chamber and the cylindrical chamber and the heat capacity of the substance to be administered are taken into account here. Because the sodium acetate 3- hydrate is wholly enclosed in the heating chamber there is no danger of this material entering the body, for instance during use in the mouth when flushing liquid for a root canal treatments is administered by dentists. It will be apparent that, instead of sodium acetate 3-hydrate, other substances with similar behaviour can be applied. It is also possible to apply substances which, unlike sodium acetate 3-hydrate, do not enter into solution in an exothermic reaction but which undergo an exothermic phase transition.

It is noted that in the embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2 no provisions are made for initiating the reaction. Initiating means can be obtained by for instance making end wall 8, as shown in figures 1 and 2, from a stiff but flexible material such as metal sheet. The plate forming this wall then preferably takes an outwardly slightly convex form. It is then possible to press the plate inward using the fingers, thereby creating a Shockwave in the heating chamber, which initiates the reaction. The plate can then move back, this generally being accompanied by a 'click', as is the pressing in of the plate. A small notch or other irregularity is preferably also present in the surface of the plate adjacently of the heating chamber. This results in a simpler initiation of the reaction. End wall 8 is placed and hermetically sealed once the chamber has been filled with sodium acetate- trihydrate or other supercooled liquid. It is however also possible to arrange the metal plate in a casing wall 11 of the heating chamber. A separate pressing element is here preferably arranged on the plate so that it is pressed at the correct position to cause the sudden reduction in the volume of the heating chamber. In all these embodiments it is important for the plate to be in contact with the liquid.

Figures 3 and 4 show a syringe 21 which is surrounded by a separate heating chamber 25. This heating chamber is enclosed in a heating housing 26 which is adapted to fit closely round cylindrical wall 22 of the syringe. The heating housing does not extend over the full periphery so as to enable easy sliding of the housing round syringe 21. As in the foregoing embodiment, the sodium acetate 3-hydrate is placed in heating chamber 25.

This embodiment has the advantage that the heating chamber can be used a number of times, also in the case of syringes suitable for once-only use. A heating chamber is placed here around the syringe, the heating chamber is given a tap, for instance with the fingers, after which the sodium acetate 3-hydrate enters into solution and heat is released. The content of the syringe is then administered. The syringe is then discarded and the heating chamber is regenerated by being heated.

Finally, figure 5 shows an embodiment adapted for use of an exothermic reaction which occurs when two substances come together, for instance a chemical reaction. The embodiment suitable for this purpose corresponds to the embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2, with the proviso that heating chamber 10 of the first embodiment is divided in the present embodiment into two compartments 31 and 32, which are separated by a dividing wall 33. This dividing wall does not extend over the full length of the compartments, so that a passage 34 remains clear which is normally closed by a valve 35 movable in axial direction of the syringe. This valve 35, which in the present exemplary embodiment has a cylindrical form but which can also take other forms, is formed integrally with an operating ring 36 extending outside the heating chamber.

The operation of this device is as follows. Starting from a situation in which the cylindrical chamber is filled with liquid to be administered and compartments 31 and 32 are filled with substances which, when they are in contact with each other, produce an exothermic reaction, valve 35 is opened during use by sliding operating ring 36 forward. Passage 34 is hereby opened so that the substances come together and the exothermic reaction occurs. The content of the cylindrical chamber is hereby heated, after which the syringe is used to administer the liquid. It will otherwise be apparent that this embodiment can also be embodied in a releasable heating chamber.

The embodiments elucidated hereinbelow all relate to the placing of the element which can be operated from outside the container for the purpose of generating a mechanical shock in the substance arranged in the heating chamber, this element being referred to as stiff plate in the embodiments to be elucidated below. This plate is preferably manufactured from metal (preferably medical grade), but can also be formed from a stiff plastic.

The embodiment shown in figure 6 has a cylindrical container 40 in the form of a syringe with an integrated heating chamber 41 , this such that the heating chamber surrounds the actual syringe 42. An opening 44 enclosed by an annular thickened portion 45 is arranged in outer wall 43 of heating chamber 41. A stiff plate 46 enclosed in annular thickened portion 45 is arranged in opening 44. Because stiff plate 46 cannot be placed in wholly liquid-tight manner in thickened portion 45, a ring of stiff plastic 47, the enclosed part 48 of which is filled with a soft plastic such as neoprene, is arranged on the outer side of thickened portion 45, whereby a button 48 for operating the stiff plate is obtained. Ring 47 is here clicked onto the annular thickened portion 45 by means of a form-locking connection. Stiff plate 46 can be pressed in by means of button 48. As it clicks back to its initial rest position the stiff plate 46 will generate a Shockwave in the liquid present in heating chamber 41 , whereby it undergoes the exothermic phase change and heat is generated.

The embodiment shown in figures 7 and 8 corresponds to the embodiment shown in figure 6, with the proviso that thickened portion 50 is received with stiff plate 51 in a separate wall part 52. The special operations for forming thickened portion 50 and placing stiff plate 51 therein hereby need not be carried out directly on the whole syringe, these operations can be carried out on a separate, small and easier to handle part 52. A recess is made here in casing wall 53 of the heating chamber, the shape of which recess corresponds to that of the separate wall part 52. A seal is of course arranged between the two parts 52, 53, for instance in the form of a tongue and a groove.

This embodiment also differs in that no separate ring with a button is used; the soft button 55 for operating stiff plate 51 is here moulded into thickened portion 50 in which stiff plate 51 is placed. This embodiment makes it possible for the soft material for button 55 and the stiff plate 51 to be moulded during the manufacture of the relevant wall part 52. Finally, figure 9 shows an embodiment wherein stiff plate 61 is received in a separate carrier 62 and wherein carrier 62 extends in heating chamber 63. Carrier 62 is here formed integrally with a cover 64 of heating chamber 63. It will be apparent that other configurations are possible; a separate carrier 62 can for instance thus be slid into a groove arranged in outer wall 65, wherein this carrier 62 is enclosed by a separate cover 64. In both configurations it is important that the stiff metal plate 61 can be operated through outer wall 65. This can be achieved by arranging a soft part 66 in outer wall 65, as in the above discussed embodiments, but also by arranging a thinner part in outer wall 65. This latter measure can otherwise also be applied in the above elucidated embodiments.

It will be apparent that diverse modifications can be made to the above elucidated exemplary embodiments within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Measures of different embodiments can in particular be combined.

Claims

1. Container for a liquid material to be supplied to a human or animal body, which container is provided with an outlet opening for the liquid material, wherein the container is provided with a heating device for heating the content of the container, wherein the heating device comprises a heating chamber coupled thermally to the interior of the container, characterized in that a substance is present in the heating chamber which produces an exothermic reaction in the case of a mechanical shock.

2. Container as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the container is provided with an element which can be operated from outside the container for the purpose of generating a mechanical shock in the substance arranged in the heating chamber.

3. Container as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the container is formed by a syringe with a cylindrical chamber in which a piston is movable, that the heating chamber connects to the casing surface of the cylindrical chamber and that the heating chamber extends around at least the greater part of the periphery of the cylindrical chamber of the syringe.

4. Container as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the heating chamber is received in the syringe, that the heating chamber is provided with a cylindrical outer wall and that the heating chamber and the cylindrical chamber are placed concentrically in the syringe.

5. Container as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the heating chamber is provided with a cylindrical inner wall and that the heating chamber is releasable from the other parts of the syringe.

6. Container as claimed in any of the claims 2-5, characterized in that the element which can be operated from outside comprises a stiff plate which has at least one stable position and is dimensioned to cause a mechanical shock in the substance arranged in the heating chamber when the stiff plate is moved.

7. Container as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the stiff plate is received in an outer wall of the heating chamber.

8. Container as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the container is cylindrical and that the plate forms at least a part of the end wall of the container remote from the outlet opening.

9. Container as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the stiff plate is received in an insert forming a part of the outer wall.

10. Container as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the insert forms part of the casing wall, that the insert connects to an end wall and that the end wall is fixed to the casing wall while enclosing the insert.

11. Container as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the insert is formed integrally with the end wall and that the end wall is fixed to the casing wall.

12. Container as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the stiff plate is received in a reinforcement of the casing wall and that a cover is placed on the plate.

13. Container as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the stiff plate is placed in the heating chamber in the vicinity of an outer wall of the heating chamber and that a part of the outer wall of the heating chamber is adapted to operate the stiff plate.

14. Container as claimed in claim 13 , characterized in that the stiff plate is received in a carrier and that the carrier is enclosed between a thickened portion received on the inner side of the casing wall of the heating chamber and the end wall fixed to the casing wall.

15. Container as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the substance comprises a supercooled mixture of water and a salt, which is dimensioned to come out of solution when exposed to a mechanical shock.

16. Container as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the substance comprises a supercooled mixture of water and sodium acetate.

17. Container as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the substance is dimensioned to reach a temperature in the region of 37 ° C and higher.

18. Container as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that the syringe is filled with a flushing liquid for root canal treatment.

19. Container as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the container is provided with an indicator element indicating the temperature of the content of the container.

20. Method for heating a container for liquid material to a temperature of use, which container is provided with an outlet opening for the liquid material, wherein the container is provided with a heating device for heating the content of the container, characterized by initiating an exothermic reaction in the heating device by means of a mechanical shock.

21. Method as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that the heating device can be connected releasably to the container and that the heating device is connected to the container before the exothermic reaction is initiated in the heating device.

22. Method as claimed in claim 20 or 21, characterized in that prior to initiation of the exothermic reaction the heating chamber is heated to a temperature above the melting point of the mixture and subsequently cooled.

23. Method as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that only the heating chamber is heated and that the heating chamber is connected to the syringe after cooling.