Apparatus and methods for delivering fluid and material to a subject

Abstract

The present invention provides fluid and material delivery methods and devices for practicing the methods. In one embodiment the device is a micrometer assisted fluid delivery device comprising a micrometer, a holder portion, and a syringe. The micrometer assisted delivery device is designed to control the amount of the solution that can be aspirated and delivered and the rate at which material is aspirated and dispensed from a syringe into tissue. The invention also provides a method of delivering cellular material comprising injecting the cellular material into a subject such that the injected cells retain their inherent morphologic characteristics upon injection.

1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A micrometer assisted fluid delivery device, having a configuration suitable for single hand operational control by a user, comprising:
 a holder portion comprising a main body having a front face, a back face, a top, a bottom, two side walls, an interior channel, a syringe body channel, a syringe plunger channel and a micrometer receiving aperture which passes through the front face of the main body to the interior channel of the main body; and   a micrometer comprising a main body, an adjustment thimble and a spindle, wherein the main body of the micrometer is received by the micrometer receiving aperture of the holder portion.   
     
     
         16 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 15  further comprising a syringe plunger holder comprising a main body having a front face, a back face, a side wall, a syringe tabbed end channel which is dimensioned to receive a syringe plunger tabbed end, and a syringe plunger channel which is dimensioned to receive a syringe plunger, and a spindle channel which receives the spindle of the micrometer. 
     
     
         17 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 16  wherein the main body of the syringe plunger holder further comprises a spindle securing threaded aperture that receives a screw which can be tightened to secure the spindle of the micrometer. 
     
     
         18 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 15  wherein the main body of the holder portion further comprises a micrometer securing threaded aperture which receives a screw which can be tightened to secure the main body of the micrometer to the main body of the holder portion. 
     
     
         19 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 15  wherein the front face of the main body of the holder portion has a threaded channel that receives a screw which can be tightened to secure a finger tab of a syringe to the main body of the holder portion. 
     
     
         20 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 16 , wherein
 the interior channel is a plunger yoke channel, and the micrometer receiving aperture is located on the front face and passes through to the plunger yoke channel, and wherein the syringe body channel is located on the front face and passes through to the plunger yoke channel; and   the syringe plunger holder is a syringe plunger yoke.   
     
     
         21 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 63 , wherein the plunger of the syringe is received by a syringe plunger channel located on the bottom of the syringe plunger yoke. 
     
     
         22 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 21  wherein the syringe further comprises a plunger tabbed end which is received by a syringe plunger tabbed end channel located on the bottom of the syringe plunger yoke. 
     
     
         23 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 20  wherein the spindle of the micrometer is attached to the syringe plunger yoke within a spindle receiving aperture, the spindle being friction fit within the spindle receiving aperture. 
     
     
         24 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 64  wherein the syringe further comprises finger tabs which are received by the syringe tab channel. 
     
     
         25 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 24  wherein the device further comprises a syringe holder block received by the syringe tab channel, the syringe block holder having a syringe plunger channel that receives the syringe plunger, the syringe plunger block securing the finger tabs of the syringe to the main body of the holder portion by pressure exerted on the syringe plunger block by a spring located in a spring channel located in the main body of the holder portion, the spring channel extending from the back face of the main body of the holder portion to the syringe tab channel. 
     
     
         26 - 62 . (canceled) 
     
     
         63 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 a syringe comprising a main body and a plunger;
 wherein the main body of the syringe comprises an inner channel which receives the plunger and the main body of the syringe is received by the syringe body channel of the holder portion; 
 wherein the plunger is attached to the syringe plunger yoke; and 
   wherein the spindle of the micrometer is attached to the syringe plunger yoke.   
     
     
         64 . The micrometer assisted fluid delivery device of  claim 20 , further comprising a syringe tab channel in the main body of the holder portion.