Syringe pump drive system and disposable syringe cartridge

Abstract

A motor driven syringe pump utilizing a disposable syringe cartridge. The syringe cartridge has no valves, and the apparatus repetitively and sequentially opens and closes, by means of an external pair of tube pinchers, a pair of intake and output I.V. tubes communicating with the inlet and outlet nipples. The cartridge includes a molded plastic cylinder having inlet and outlet nipples, a plastic piston and piston rod, and a rubber sealing cap defining a conical piston face, a pair of piston sealing rings and a sealing boot. The pair of sealing rings enhance axial alignment and stability, while the sealing boot prevents air or bacterial intake through the bottom of the cylinder during repetitive strokes. The plastic cross-sections are selected to provide maximum strength for minimum material employed. The interior cylinder chamber is sloped to drive out gas through the outlet nipple. An integral tab on the cylinder provides an operator handle for mounting and removing the syringe. One end of the piston rod is cut away and provided with mounting bosses, adapted to engage and be retained by a cooperating drive system mounting shoe so that the syringe can be inserted in the shoe horizontally, be rotated to a vertical position, and engage fixed guide and retaining slots by means of a pair of integral bosses projecting from the syringe cylinder. The shoe is connected to a linear drive shaft keyed against rotation.