Medicament Administration Apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus for removal of premixed drugs or reconstitution of lyophilized drugs and for the injection of the reconstituted drug into the patient. The apparatus includes a syringe assembly and an adapter assembly that can be removably connected to a medicament container containing a premixed drug or lyophilized medicament. The syringe assembly of the apparatus includes a liquid chamber between the forward end of the body portion and the piston and a syringe cannula assembly. The syringe cannula assembly, which can be removably interconnected with the body portion, comprises a cannula support and a hypodermic needle sealably connected to the cannula support. The adapter assembly comprises an adapter preferably molded from a moldable plastic that includes a top wall, an adapter cannula connected to and extending from the top wall and a variety of connectors connected to the top wall for removably interconnecting the adapter with the medicament container.

1 . A method for reconstituting lyophilized medicaments and for the injecting of reconstituted medicaments into the patient using an apparatus comprising a vial accessing means for interconnecting an aspirator containing a fluid with a medicament container having an interior containing a medicament, the vial accessing means including an adapter having a top wall, a resiliently deformable skirt connected to and extending from the top wall for receiving a portion of the medicament container and an adapter cannula connected to and extending from the top wall and a plurality of circumferentially spaced, buttress members defining an opening; and an assembly made up of a needle sheath having a yieldably deformable wall and a syringe connector assembly for interconnection with an aspirator, the assembly being received within the opening defined by the buttress members; said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) mating the adapter with the medicament container in a manner to place the adapter cannula in communication with the interior of medicament container;   (b) attaching the aspirator to the assembly made up of the needle sheath and the syringe connector assembly to form an aspiration assembly;   (c) inserting the assembly made up of the needle sheath and the syringe connector assembly into the opening defined by the buttress members;   (d) using the aspirator containing a fluid, causing the fluid contained within the aspirator to controllably flow into the medicament container;   (e) intermixing the medicament within the container with the fluid to form a reconstituted medicament;   (f) using the aspirator, withdrawing the reconstituted medicament from the container;   (g) removing the aspiration assembly from the adapter;   (h) yieldably deforming the wall of the needle sheath and removing the syringe connector assembly from the needle sheath to form a combination aspirator and syringe connector assembly; and   (i) using the combination aspirator and syringe connector assembly, injecting the reconstituted medicament into the patient.   
     
     
         2 . A vial accessing means for interconnecting an aspirator with a medicament container containing a medicament, comprising:
 (a) an adapter including:
 (i) a body portion having a bore; 
 (ii) an adapter cannula connected to and extending from said body portion, said adapter cannula having a lumen in communication with said bore of said body portion of said adapter; and 
 (iii) an aspirator connector assembly connected to said body portion of said adapter for removably interconnecting the aspirator with said adapter, said aspirator connector assembly comprising:
 (a) a housing including a protector sleeve that is constructed and arranged to extend into said lumen of said adapter cannula; and 
 (b) a syringe cannula assembly having a barrel portion disposed within said housing and a syringe cannula connected to said barrel portion, said syringe cannula being disposed within and substantially encapsulated by said protective sleeve.