Minimed, Inc.

Nannette M Schnabel

John Joseph Mastrototaro

William P Van Antwerp

Paul S Cheney, Ii

Peter C Lord

Clyde K Nason

John H Livingston

Raymond D Clark

A medication infusion pump is provided for controlled delivery of medication to a patient, wherein the pump includes a space-efficient flexible drive plunger for advancing a piston within a medication-containing syringe or cartridge for administration of the medication to a patient. The infusion pump comprises a compact housing defining a syringe chamber for receiving and supporting the barrel of a medication-containing syringe or cartridge having a nose end adapted for luer connection to catheter tubing through which the medication is delivered to the patient. An open rear end of the syringe barrel carries a piston which can be advanced in a controlled manner to dispense the medication. In the preferred form, the flexible drive plunger comprises a spring tape with a free end adapted for removable connection to the piston. The spring tape extends within the pump housing through a space-efficient curved path and is associated with a pump drive motor for advancing the piston within the syringe barrel to deliver the medication to the patient.

Medication infusion pump with flexible drive plunger

An improved insertion set is provided for transcutaneous placement of a sensor such as a glucose sensor at a selected site within the body of a patient. The insertion set comprises an insertion needle extending through a mounting base adapted for mounting onto the patient's skin. A flexible thin film sensor includes a proximal segment carried by the mounting base and adapted for electrical connection to a suitable monitor or the like, and a distal segment protruding from the mounting base with sensor electrodes thereon for transcutaneous placement. The distal segment of the sensor and a distal segment of the insertion needle are positioned within a flexible cannula which extends from the mounting base, whereby placement of the mounting base onto the patient's skin causes the insertion needle to pierce the skin for transcutaneous placement of the cannula with the sensor therein. The insertion needle can then be withdrawn from the cannula and the mounting base to leave the sensor distal segment at the selected insertion position, with the sensor electrodes being exposed to patient blood or other extracellular fluid via a window formed in the cannula. The cannula is carried by the mounting base to insure alignment of the sensor electrodes with the cannula window.

Transcutaneous sensor insertion set

A connector is provided for electrical connection to a flex circuit in a hermetically sealed manner. The flex circuit comprises thin film conductors encased between layers of insulative material, and including a proximal end with conductive contact pads exposed through one of the insulative layers. In a preferred form, the proximal ends of the two flex circuits are assembled in face-to-face relation and compressed by a clamp fixture against opposite side faces of a compressible terminal block. The terminal block is formed from a resilient insulative elastomer such as silicone rubber with embedded conductive strips having opposite edges exposed at the opposite side faces of the terminal block for electrically connecting aligned pairs of the contact pads on the two flex circuits. The exposed edges of the conductive strips are circumscribed by the insulative elastomer which engages the flex circuits with a footprint circumscribing the exposed contact pads, whereby the terminal block hermetically seals the interface between the conductive strips and the contact pads.

Flex circuit connector

An insertion set is provided for transcutaneous placement of a sensor such as a glucose sensor at a selected site within the body of a patient. The insertion set comprises a slotted insertion needle extending through a mounting base adapted for mounting onto the patient's skin. A flexible thin film sensor includes a proximal segment carried by the mounting base and defining conductive contacts adapted for electrical connection to a suitable monitor, and a distal segment protruding from the mounting base with sensor electrodes for transcutaneous placement. The proximal and distal segments of the sensor are linearly offset or misaligned, with the distal segment fitted within the insertion needle for transcutaneous sensor placement with the needle as the mounting base is pressed onto the patient's skin. The insertion needle can then be withdrawn to leave the sensor distal segment at the selected insertion position with the sensor electrodes in contact with patient blood or other extracellular fluid.

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Valencia, CA, United States of America

Nannette M Schnabel