NEEDLE IMPROVEMENTS FOR DRUG DELIVERY USING TATTOO MACHINES

Abstract

This invention privilege patent belongs to the field of medicine and surgical instruments, and is intended to provide a new route of drug administration through needles plated with specific metals, aiming at better drug distribution and absorption upon administration, more precisely in the eyeball and/or on the patient's skin; to which the product has been originally improved in order to increase its efficacy in relation to other means of drug delivery known in the medical field, especially in skin, mucous and ocular diseases; it is an improvement that allows drug delivery to the skin and/or subcutaneous tissue, by means of a duly modified tattoo machine, which instead of ink, uses drugs, as a product to be inserted in the skin; in addition, this invention can be used to administer drugs directly to a person's eyeball, offering great practicality and agility to surgical procedures.

Claims

1. A drug delivery system using a tattoo machine comprising: a removable cartridge including a needle bundle tip and a drug container having an opening configured to be loaded with a drug, said needle bundle tip comprises a plurality of tattoo needles arranged together so that the tips of said plurality of tattoo needles are aligned with either a curvature of an eye or a contour of the skin of a patient, wherein the drug is discharged by shearing onto oscillating said plurality of tattoo needles.

2. The drug delivery system of claim 1, wherein a strength of said drug is selected by a physician.

3. The drug delivery system of claim 1, wherein the drug is delivered to one of: a corneal stroma, an eye structure and a patient skin by a back and forth movement of said plurality of tattoo needles.

4. The drug delivery system of claim 1, wherein the opening of said drug container has with a mouthpiece projected outwardly with variable dosing holes positioned approximately midway of said cartridge.

5. The drug delivery system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tattoo needles are arranged so that a central needle portion is retracted, an adjacent needle portion is less retracted than said central needle portion and an externally arranged needle portion is more exposed than said adjacent needle portion so that plurality of tattoo needles tips is aligned with the curvature of the eye.

6. The drug delivery system of claim 1, wherein said drug container is a removable, replaceable and disposable unit.

7. The drug delivery system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of tattoo needles is plated with a metal.

8. The drug delivery system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of tattoo needles is plated with a gold.

9. A Needle for injecting drugs into the eyeball and/or the skin, by means of tattoo machines, with a cartridge loaded with a specific drug at a strength chosen by the physician, characterized with the cartridge being loaded with a specific drug at a strength chosen by the physician, the needles in a back and forth movement, deliver the drug to the corneal stroma and/or eye structures and/or the skin; the needles, as a whole, should be arranged so that the tips are aligned with the curvature of the eye and/or the skin; the drug is delivered by means of an adapted tattoo machine having a disposable single-piece tip having a drug container, with a mouthpiece projected outwardly and deeply with variable dosing holes positioned approximately mid-height of the tip and which discharges the drug by shearing onto oscillating needle bundles; the needles are arranged in a group, the central needle being more retracted, the adjacent needles less retracted and the externally arranged needles are more exposed so that they align with the curvature of the eye.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0045] To complement the present description in order to obtain a better understanding of the features of the present invention and in accordance with a preferred practical embodiment thereof, a set of figures, attached, accompany the description, where operation has been represented with examples that are not limited:

[0046] FIG. 1 shows the detail of needles with tips aligned with the curvature of the eye;

[0047] FIG. 2 shows the detail of needle tip oval arrangement;

[0048] FIG. 3 shows the detail of the needles seen from below;

[0049] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the needles;

[0050] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a set of tattoo needles used in the method for drug micro infusion on the skin through a tattoo machine.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a tattoo tip used in drug micro infusion through a tattoo machine.

[0052] FIG. 7 shows a side view in transparency of the lower portion of a tip used in drug micro infusion through a tattoo machine.

[0053] FIG. 8 shows a detailed view of the application in drug micro infusion on the skin through a tattoo machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0054] According to the above-mentioned drawings, the present invention relates to metal-plated needles (1) for injecting drugs into the eyeball (8) and/or the skin (9) by means of tattoo machines to make eye and/or skin disease treatment more effective, more efficient and safer.

[0055] The principle of the invention is very similar to ancient tattoo techniques. In a drug-loaded cartridge (6), with the drug strength being chosen by a physician, the needles (1), in a back and forth movement, deliver the drug to the corneal stroma (8) and/or eye structures (8) and/or the skin (9). It should be pointed out that, because of the round anatomical structure, the needles (1), as a whole, should be arranged so that the tips (1) are aligned with the curvature of the eye (8) and/or the skin (9), as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 8.

[0056] Drug is delivered by means of an adapted tattoo machine which, instead of ink, uses specific drugs, the tattoo machine has a disposable single-piece tip (5) and a drug container (6) with a mouthpiece projected outwardly and deeply with variable dosing holes, positioned approximately mid-height of the tip (5) and which discharges the drug by shearing onto oscillating needle bundles (7).

[0057] According to FIG. 3, the needles (1) are arranged in a group, the central needle (2) being more retracted, the adjacent needles (3) less retracted and the externally arranged needles (4) are more exposed, so that they align with the curvature of the eye (8).

[0058] The needles (1) should be plated with specific metals, for example, gold for the following reasons: [0059] Gold is less likely to cause allergic reactions in the area to be treated; [0060] Gold has bactericidal properties; and [0061] Gold plating makes the surface of the needle smoother.

[0062] The invention is susceptible to variations that may occur in needle morphology (number of needles (1), diameter and adjustments in tip curvature) and metal coating.

[0063] Certainly, when the present invention is put into practice, modifications can be made with respect to certain details of construction and shape, without departing from the fundamental principles that are clearly substantiated in the claim, being understood that the terminology employed was not intended to be limiting.

[0064] This is a descriptive report of a completely new concept which, as it can be seen from the analyzes carried out, shows new technical and functional characteristics.

[0065] For the advantages being offered, and yet, because it has truly innovative features that meet all the requirements of novelty and originality in the genre, the present invention meets the conditions necessary to merit the patent of invention.