GB2259081A

GB2259081A - Dispensing apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2259081A
Application number: GB9117770A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kevin Shaw
Original assignee: British Nuclear Fuels PLC
Current assignee: Sellafield Ltd
Priority date: 1991-08-16
Filing date: 1991-08-16
Publication date: 1993-03-03
Also published as: GB9117770D0

Abstract

Dispensing apparatus comprises a robot (14) having two pairs of jaws (20a, 20b, 22a, 22b) for holding a syringe (58) and presentable to a number of stations. The stations include: a generator (26, 28) for supplying a pharmaceutical substance, a monitor (34) for monitoring the substance, an inventor (32) for inventing a vial to be presented to the syringe (58), and receptacles (38) for retaining charged syringes (58). <IMAGE>

Description

Dispensing Apparatus This invention relates to dispensing apparatus for use in the medical field, and more particularly but not exclusively to apparatus for dispensing potentially biologically damaging substances.

In many hospitals large numbers of doses containing potentially biologically damaging substances have to be prepared daily, for example radiopharmaceutical doses.

These doses are usually prepared manually in what is an exacting but tedious responsibility for highly skilled staff. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an automated dispenser to simplify the manual operations necessary for preparing doses containing potentially biologically damaging substances whilst maintaining the exacting standards set by medical regulatory bodies.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medical dispensing apparatus comprising a robot device having two pairs of gripping means, the pairs being displaceable relative to each other and presentable by the robot device to a plurality of stations, each station being adapted to co-operate.with the robot device in a sequence of operations such as to produce a measured pharmaceutical dose from a supply of a pharmaceutically acceptable substance.

The substance might comprise a potentially biologically damaging substance, such as a radionuclide or a cytotoxin.

2 The measured dose might be retained in a medical hypodermic syringe, or a medical vial. Preferably, means are provided for controlling the apparatus in a predetermined sequence of operation.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a medical dispensing apparatus for dispensing a measured radiopharmaceutical dose, the apparatus comprising a robotic device having two displaced gripping means capable of relative movement towards and away from each other and presentable at a plurality of stations, the stations including:: a. at least one means for providing a measured quantity of a solution comprising a radionuclide, b. means for locating a plurality of syringes and needles therefor, c. means for locating a plurality of sealed bottles, d. means for co-operating with the bottle locating means for lifting said bottles and being rotatable therewith, e. means for monitoring the radioactivity of the contents of a said bottle, and f. means for receiving syringes containing a required radiopharmaceutical dose dispensed by the apparatus, and means for controlling the robotic device and the stations. Preferably, the controlling means is capable of being programmed so that the robotic device and the stations perform a preselected of operations.

The invention further includes a robot device, the device having an arm movable on a column and being capable of rotational and translational movement, and two pairs of jaws operable independently of each other at a free end of the arm, the pairs being displaceable relative to each other.

The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 shows a perspective diagrammatic representation of a dispensing apparatus; Figure 2 shows a fragmentary plan view of part of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 2a shows a view in the direction of arrow A of Figure 2; Figures 3 to 6 show in median section a conventional hypodermic syringe and items associated therewith; Figure 7 shows to an enlarged scale a fragmentary plan view of part of Figure 1; Figure 8 shows to an enlarged scale a median sectional view of a medical vial and a shield therefor, and Figure 9 shows in median section an attenuation cover for a vial of Figure 8.

Referring now to Figure 1, an automatic dispenser 10 is shown and comprises a base 12 on which a robot device 14 is mounted. The robot device 14 has an upright column 16 capable of rotary and vertical movement as shown by the arrow. An arm 18 projects perpendicularly from the 25 column 16, and is capable of rotation about its own longitudinal axis as shown by the respective arrows. Lower grip members 20a, 20b, and upper grip members 22a, 22b, are provided at the free end of the arm 18. The lower grip members 20#a, 20b and the upper grip members 22a, 22b share a common grip centre, and the upper grip members 22a, 22b are also capable of movement towards and away from the lower grip members 20a, 20b as shown by the arrows.As shown in Figure 2 and 2a, the lower grip members 20a, 20b have triangular recesses 24a, 24b respectively in opposing relationship for locating about objects in the dispenser 10, and wedge-shaped tangs 21a, 21b protruding downwardly therefrom. The upper grip members 22a, 22b are similar to the lower grip members 20a, 20b, apart from the absence of tangs 21a, 21b.

The robot device 14 is movable to present the lower grip members 20a, 20b and the upper grip members 22#a, 22b at a number of stations in the form of: radioisotope generators 26, 28 respectively, an indexer 30, an inverter sub-assembly 32, a monitor assembly 34, a waste disposal outlet 36 having protruding forks 37, a tray 38 slidable on a base 39, and a rotatable table 87.

The generators 26, 28 are proprietary items supplied by companies such as Amersham International, Amersham, United Kingdom, or Dupont, or Mallinkrodt, for the supply of a specific radioisotope, eg Technetium 99m, Thallium, Gallium, or Iodine131. Each generator 26, 28 is connected by a respective capillary outlet 27, 29 to respective needle-type socket connectors 42, 44. Usually the generators 26, 28 are arranged so that they supply the radioisotope at different radioactive decay states.

The indexer 30 is in the form of a rotatable carousel having three circular platforms 46, 48, 50. As shown in more detail in Figures 3 to 7 the platforms 46, 48 have a circular array of alternate holes 52, 53 respectively. The holes 52 are for locating a respective hypodermic syringe 58 having a plunger 58a, and the holes 53 locate hypodermic needles 59 for the syringes 58 with the needle ends lowermost. The platform 50 has an outer circular array of holes 56 and an inner circular array of holes 57. The holes 56 locate sheaths 60 for the needles 59, and the holes 57 locate sockets in the form of medical hubs 73 for fitting on to the ends of the syringes 58 (ie without the needles 59 being on the ends of the syringes 58).

The inverter sub-assembly 32 comprises a circular rotatable table 61 having a number of holes 62 in a circular array for locating vial shields 63 as shown in Figure 8.

Each vial shield 63 comprises a tungsten pot 64 having a tungsten cap 65 secured by a bayonet-type catch 66 to the pot 64. A conventional medical vial 67 is supported in the pot 64 by a compression spring 68 which biases the vial 67 against the underside of the cap 65. The cap 65 has part-circular grooves 78 which have an inner angled face to complement the shape of the tangs 21a, 21b of the lower grip members 20a, 20b. A narrow hole 69 in the cap 65 has a chamfered entry for access to a rubber sealing plug 70 retained by a captive metal cap 71 in the vial 67. A circular circumferential groove 72 assists in handling the vial shields 63. Two holes 79 in the base of the vial shield 63 are equi-spaced on a circle co-axial with the axis of the vial shield 63.The vial 67 might be an empty bottle, or a bottle containing a powder intended to dissolve in a liquid injected into the bottle to indicate the contents of the vial or a bottle containing a medical saline solution.

A lifting device 74 of the inverter sub-assembly 32 has a rotatable horizontal arm 75 with a slide 76 at its free end. The slide 76 has lifting jaws 77 capable of gripping the groove 72 of the vial shield 63 in a particular hole 62 in the table 61, and lifting the vial shield 63 from the hole 62. A solenoid-operated interlock (not shown) engaging the arm 75 normally holds the slide 76 aligned in the vertical position with the jaws 77 lowermost.

The monitor assembly 34 comprises a slide 80 operated by a lead screw 81 and carrying a support 82 upon which an object can be placed so as to be lowered into and raised from a lead shielded, radioactivity monitor 84.

A label applicator 86 may also be provided to apply a label (not shown) to the syringes 58, and the vial shields 63, for example, with a bar code for the identification of a particular vial 67.

The rotatable table 87 has two upright equi-spaced pins 88 on the same pitch circle as the holes 79 in the vial shield 63 and each being of a diameter to locate easily in the holes 79.

Referring to Figure 9, an attenuation cover 89 is shown adapted to be lifted by the robot device 14 over a vial 67.

The cover 89 is made of a material to screen a selected nuclear emission from the contents of the vial 67.

The dispenser 10 is controlled by a computer (not shown) from a terminal 90 and from which an input to the computer can be provided with data, such as dosages, etc, for operation of the dispenser 10.

In use of the dispenser 10 some distinct operations are possible, eg: 1. A syringe 58 may be charged with a radiopharmaceutical dose 2. A vial 67 may be charged with a radiopharmaceutical dose and retained in the table 61 for subsequent manual collection.

In the charging of a syringe 58, vial shields 63 containing an empty vial 67 are loaded manually into the holes 62 of the table 61, and syringes 58, needles 59, sheaths 60, and hubs 73 are loaded manually into respective holes 52, 53 and 56, 57 of the indexer 30. Appropriate data is imparted to the computer from the terminal 90. The robot device 14 moves to grip one of the vial shields 63, it inverts the vial shield 63 and presents it to a selected connector 42 or 44 where it presses the vial shield 63 downwards so that the 10 needle of the connector 42 or 44 penetrates the hole 69 and the rubber plug 70 of the vial 8 67. The vial 67 is usually under vacuum so that liquid containing a radionuclide is sucked from the respective generator 26, 28 into the vial 67.The vial shield 63 is then lifted clear of the connector 42 or 44 by the robot device 14 inverted again and placed on the table 87 with the pins 88 locating in the holes 79. The tangs 21a, 21b of the lower grip members 20a, 20b then locate in the grooves 78, and the table 87 is rotated to release the cap 65 from the catch 66. The vial 67 is removed from the vial shield 63 and placed on the support 82 of the monitor assembly 34.

The support 82 lowers the vial 67 into the monitor 84 where a reading of the radioactive level of the vial 67 is taken.

The vial 67 is then lifted by the support 82 and the robot device 14 places the cover 89 over the vial 67 which is lowered again by the support 82 and monitored for the presence of a particular radioisotope eg molybdenum. The support 82 then raises the vial 67, the cover 89 is removed from the vial 67 by the robot device 14, the vial 67 is replaced in the shield 63, and the cap 65 refitted. The shield 63 is then returned to the respective hole 62 in the table 61.

A syringe 58 is gripped by the lower grip members 20a, 20b and its plunger 58a gripped by the upper grip members 22a, 22b and lifted clear of the respective hole 52. The syringe 58 is then moved over a needle 59 and pressed downwards to join the needle 59 to the syringe 58. The syringe 58 with its plunger 58a in the fully depressed position and with the needle 59 joined thereto are moved towards the inverter sub-assembly 32 where the vial shield 63 has been lifted by the jaws 77. The syringe 58 is aligned above the vial shield 63 and is pressed downwards by the robot device 14, so that the needle 59 of the syringe 58 penetrates the hole 69 and the rubber plug 70 of the vial 67. At the same time the ends of the lower grip members 20a 20 slide in complementary grooves (not shown) in the slide 76.The interlock of the arm 75 is disengaged, and the arm 18 rotates 1800 and thereby rotates the arm 75 to present the vial shield 63 in an inverted position with the syringe 58 below the vial shield 63. The upper grip members 22a, 22b then withdraw the plunger 58a to suck liquid from the vial 67 into the syringe 58. The arm 18 rotates through 1800 again to restore the vial shield 63 to the upright position with the charged syringe 58 uppermost, the interlock of the arm 75 then being engaged again. The charged syringe 58 is lifted by the robot device 14 from the vial shield 63 and moved to the waste disposal outlet 36.

The charged syringe 58 is positioned so that the forks 37 are between the charged syringe 58 and its needle 59, and lifted to remove the needle 59 from the charged syringe 58.

The charged syringe 58 is moved to the monitor assembly 34 for monitoring the radioactivity level in the charged syringe 58. The charged syringe 58 is then presented to the indexer 30 and pressed down on to a fresh needle 59, and then on to a sheath 60. Finally the charged syringe 58 is moved to the label applicator 86 (where fitted) and then to the tray 38 which contains a number of shielded receptacles 92 for receiving charged syringes 58. This sequence continues until a required number of charged syringes 58 are held in the tray 38.

In the event that a charged syringe 58 without a needle 59 is required, for example for connection to a cannula, the charged syringe 58 after monitoring in the monitor assembly 34 is pressed downwards into a hub 73 instead of a needle 59, and subsequently moved to the label applicator 86 and then to the tray 38.

In some applications of the dispenser 10 after a syringe 58 has been charged at the indexer 32, the vial shield 63 is lowered into its respective hole 62, the table 61 turns to present a fresh vial shield 63 to the jaws 77 which then lift this vial shield 63. The charged syringe 58 is lowered so that its needle 59 penetrates the rubber plug 70 of the vial 67, and the plunger 58a depressed to discharge liquid from the charged syringe 58 into the vial 67. The vial shield 63 is then lowered into the respective hole- 62. The vial 67 in this vial shield 63 may contain a powder which dissolves in the liquid charged into the vial 67 to act as an indicator.

In some doses dilution may be required. This can be achieved by withdrawing saline solution from an appropriate vial 67 by use of the syringe 58 as described above, and then inserting the saline solution into the required vial 67.

It will be understood that the sequence of operation of the dispenser 10 may be changed by appropriate instructions from the terminal 90. By appropriate modifications of the dispenser 10 with regard for example to the generators 26, 28, non-nuclear pharmaceutical doses may be dispensed, for example containing cytotoxins. The radiopharmaceutical uses of the dispenser 10 may relate to diagnostic and radiotherapeutic applications.

The vials 67 used in the apparatus may be of many conventional kinds, but the method of charging them with a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid in the dispenser 10 should remain essentially the same.

Claims

1. A medical dispensing apparatus comprising a robot device having two gripping means, the gripping means being displaceable relative to each other and presentable by the robot device to a plurality of stations, each station being adapted to co-operate with the robot device in a sequence of operations such as to produce a measured pharmaceutical dose from a supply of a pharmaceutically acceptable substance.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the robot device has an arm movable on a column and capable of rotational and translational movement, the gripping means comprising pairs of jaws operable independently of each other at a free end of the arm and sharing a common grip centre.

3. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, wherein the stations include: a. at least one means for providing measured quantity of a solution comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable substance, b. means for locating a plurality of syringes and needles therefor, c. means for locating a plurality of sealed bottles, d. means for co-operating with the bottle locating means for lifting said bottles and being rotatable therewith, e. means for monitoring the contents of a said bottle, and f. means for receiving syringes containing a required pharmaceutical dose dispensed by the apparatus.

4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the measured quantity means comprises a generator for a radionuclide and a capillary outlet connected at one end to the generator and having at the other end thereof a connector for a syringe, and the monitoring means comprises means for monitoring the radioactivity of said contents.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the syringe and needle locating means comprises a rotatable carousel having a plurality of circularly extending platforms, the syringes and the needles being locatable in holes therefor in the platforms.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the stations include a rotatable table having upstanding location means thereon, the location means being arranged so as to locate in complementary location means in the base of a shield for a bottle.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims wherein one of the gripping means defines downwardly extending location means in a lower position of the gripping means, said gripping means location means being arranged to locate in complementary location means in a cap for a shield for a bottle.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein programmable means are provided for controlling the robot device and the stations, thereby to perform a preselected sequence of operations of the apparatus.

9. A medical dispensing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.