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Injection tube for jet injection device

Injection tube for jet injection device description/claims

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/866,741, filed Nov. 21, 2006 and entitled, “INJECTION TUBE FOR JET INJECTION DEVICE, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates generally to jet injection devices for the delivery of therapeutic fluids to a treatment site. More specifically, the present invention relates to a non-metal reinforced polymeric injection tube having performance characteristics compatible with minimally invasive jet injection devices.

A wide variety of medical treatments are at least partially performed through the delivery and introduction of therapeutic compositions to a treatment location. In home or outpatient settings, typical delivery methods can comprise oral delivery, via liquid or solid forms, as well as a variety of inhalant style devices. In clinical or hospital settings, therapeutic fluids can be injected using needle based or in some minimally invasive procedures, the therapeutic fluid can be delivered through a tubular device such as a catheter or endoscope based systems.

One way in which therapeutic fluids can be delivered internally is through the use of a tubular device configured to provide a jet-injection of the therapeutic fluid at a desired treatment site. Generally, a remote injector is utilized to deliver the therapeutic fluid from an external reservoir located at a proximal end of the tubular device such administration can occur at a distal end of the tubular device. Due to the relatively long travel length of the therapeutic fluid through the tubular device, the remote injector must generally be capable of pressurizing the therapeutic fluid to pressures exceeding about 2,000 psi. In order to accommodate these pressures, the tubular devices have been fabricated of alloys such as NiTi or stainless steel or with metal-reinforced polymers such as the braided tubes typically found in catheters. While the use of alloys and metal reinforced polymers satisfy the operational requirements related to burst pressure and distention strength, they are generally of limited flexibility making them difficult to navigate within the tortuous paths often found in the human body such as, for example, the urogenital tract.

The present invention comprises a non-metal, polymeric tubular device for delivering a therapeutic fluid to a treatment site within a patient. The non-metal, polymeric tubular device can be fabricated using suitable high strength polymers including, for example, polyimide, polyetherimide available from General Electric under the trade name Ultem® and linear aromatic polymers such as PEEKTM available from Victrex plc. In some embodiments, the non-metal, polymeric tubular device can be reinforced through the inclusion of materials including nano-particles, clays and/or glass. In some presently contemplated embodiments, the non-metal, polymeric tubular device can be reinforced with one or more polymers such as, for example, tubes braided with carbon fiber, synthetic para-aramid fiber such as Kevlar available from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or other high-strength polymers. The non-metal, polymeric tubular device can be fabricated so as to have a burst strength exceeding at least about 2,000 psi and in some embodiments, having a burst strength within a range of about 2,000 psi to about 5,000 psi. The non-metal, polymeric tubular device can be fabricated so as to have distention properties, wherein an orifice or jet port located at a distal end of the polymeric tubular device retains its shape and/or size without suffering swelling that can have a detrimental impact on a fluid jet used to deliver the therapeutic fluid at the treatment site.

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a non-metal, polymeric tubular device for delivering a therapeutic fluid to a treatment site within the body wherein the non-metal, polymeric tubular device has a burst strength within a range of about 2,000 psi to about 5,000 psi. The non-metal, polymeric tubular device can be fabricated using suitable high strength polymers including, for example, polyimide, polyetherimide available from General Electric under the trade name Ultem® and linear aromatic polymers such as PEEKTM available from Victrex plc. In some embodiments, the non-metal, polymeric tubular device can be reinforced through the inclusion of materials including nano-particles, clays and/or glass. In some presently contemplated embodiments, the non-metal, polymeric tubular device can be reinforced with one or more polymers such as, for example, tubes braided with carbon fiber, synthetic para-aramid fiber such as Kevlar available from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or other high-strength polymers. In some embodiments, the non-metal, polymeric tubular device can have a tube length ranging from about 18 to about 72 inches. In some embodiments, the non-metal, polymeric tubular device can include an orifice functioning as a jet nozzle, wherein the non-metal, polymeric tubular device has sufficient strength to avoid distention at the orifice.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method of delivering a therapeutic fluid comprising providing a non-metal, polymeric tubular device having a burst strength range of about 2,000 psi to about 5,000 psi, delivering the therapeutic fluid through the non-metal, polymeric tubular device and administering the therapeutic fluid to the treatment site with a jet orifice located at a distal end of the non-metal, polymeric tubular device. The method can further comprise positioning the non-metal, polymeric tubular device through an internal lumen within a patient such as a patient's urogenital tract.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a therapeutic fluid delivery system can comprise an injector device and a non-metal, polymeric tubular device for delivery a therapeutic fluid to a treatment location within a patient's body. The non-metal, polymeric tubular device can have a burst strength ranging from about 2,000 psi to about 5,000 psi so as to prevent tube failure and to similarly, avoid distention at a jet orifice located at a distal end of the non-metal, polymeric tubular device.

The above summary of the various representative embodiments of the invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the invention. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the invention. The figures in the detailed description that follows more particularly exemplify these embodiments.

The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a therapeutic fluid delivery system for delivering a therapeutic fluid to a treatment location according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an embodiment of a non-metal, polymeric tubular device according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3a is a section view of the non-metal, polymeric tubular device of FIG. 2 taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

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