On-site syringe filling apparatus for viscoelastic materials, and

Abstract

An automated, syringe filling apparatus is disclosed for the on-site filling of syringes with a viscoelastic fluid material from a supply reservoir. A housing has a port for receiving the outlet end region of the viscoelastic supply reservoir and a retainer is provided for releasably retaining a conventional syringe to be filled from the viscoelastic supply reservoir. A flexible plastic tube, preferably formed as part of the viscoelastic supply reservoir, is used to interconnect the supply reservoir with a filling end of a syringe retained in the syringe retainer. A peristaltic pump mounted in the housing has a rotating head with a plurality of rollers which force the viscoelastic material through the tube from the supply reservoir into a retained syringe when the tube is locked between the pump head and a back-up member. Electric pump controls include a timer calibrated for causing the automatic filling of the syringe with predetermined amounts of viscoelastic material from the supply reservoir. The controls include a sensor that automatically shuts off the pump when a syringe being filled is filled to a preestablished maximum level. An air pump is provided for pressurizing the viscoelastic supply reservoir to aid in the viscoelastic pumping operation and insure against air voids being formed in a syringe being filled. A corresponding method is disclosed for the on-site filling of a syringe with a viscoelastic fluid form a supply reservoir.