Embryo transfer device

Abstract

The application discloses an embryo transfer device and belongs to the technical field of medical devices. The embryo transfer device is provided with a solid silica gel plug with a cutout at the distal end, and a structure of "normal sealing and opening on demand" is constructed. In the initial state, the cutout of the silica gel plug is naturally closed, so that the positioning tube is completely isolated when passing through the vagina, and pollution is effectively prevented. When the positioning tube advances and pushes the cutout to open and pass out, a sterile channel into the uterus is established, and finally the inner tube completes precise embryo delivery. The application effectively avoids the risk of bringing pollutants into the uterus and causing infection, and by virtue of the flexibility and guiding structure of the silica gel, the tissue damage is significantly reduced, and the operation stability and positioning accuracy are improved, so that the safety and effectiveness are doubled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to embryo transfer devices. Background Technology

[0002] Embryo transfer is a crucial step in assisted reproductive technology, and its success rate directly impacts the final outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF). The embryo transfer device, as a vital tool for this technology, has a decisive influence on the safety and effectiveness of the transfer process. Embryo transfer is a critical step in precisely delivering in vitro cultured embryos into the uterine cavity. Currently, most clinically used transfer catheters employ an "open" structure, consisting of a single or nested tube, lacking effective contamination prevention design and exhibiting significant drawbacks: during the process of the transfer catheter reaching the cervix through the vagina, its tip directly comes into contact with vaginal secretions and bacteria. Subsequently, when it enters the uterus, it easily carries contaminants into the uterine cavity, increasing the risk of intrauterine infection and inflammation, directly affecting the embryo implantation success rate. Utility Model Content

[0003] To address the aforementioned issues, an embryo transfer device is provided that effectively prevents catheter components from coming into contact with and carrying vaginal contaminants, thereby reducing the risk of intrauterine infection.

[0004] This application provides an embryo transfer device, including an outer tube, and further comprising:

[0005] A silicone plug is fixed to the distal end of the outer tube. The silicone plug is a solid structure with a slit, which closes in its natural state.

[0006] A positioning tube is movably and coaxially sleeved inside the outer tube, and the distal end of the positioning tube can push the cut of the silicone plug to open it and pass through.

[0007] The inner tube is movably and coaxially sleeved inside the positioning tube.

[0008] Optionally, the cut can be a straight cut, a cross cut, or a star cut.

[0009] Optionally, the inner wall of the outer tube is provided with a guide groove in the axial direction, and the outer surface of the positioning tube is provided with a protrusion that matches the guide groove in the axial direction.

[0010] Optionally, the front end area of ​​the positioning tube adopts a rounded transition structure.

[0011] Optionally, a guide tube seat is fitted onto the rear end region of the outer tube.

[0012] Optionally, the catheter seat is an annular protrusion structure with a protrusion height of 0.3 mm to 1 mm.

[0013] Optionally, the outer surface of the inner tube is provided with scale lines for indicating depth.

[0014] Optionally, the rear end of the inner tube is connected to the syringe connector.

[0015] Optionally, the length of the silicone plug is between 10 mm and 15 mm.

[0016] Optionally, the silicone plug is made of medical-grade liquid silicone.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are as follows:

[0018] The embryo transfer device of this application constructs a "normally sealed, on-demand opening" structure by fixing a solid silicone plug with an incision at its distal end: in the initial state, the silicone plug incision closes naturally, completely isolating the positioning tube as it passes through the vagina, effectively preventing contamination; when the positioning tube advances, pushing the incision open and passing through, a sterile channel is established to enter the uterus, and finally, the inner tube completes the precise delivery of the embryo. This application effectively avoids the risk of infection by bringing contaminants into the uterus, while the flexibility and guiding structure of silicone significantly reduces tissue damage and improves operational stability and positioning accuracy, achieving a dual breakthrough in safety and effectiveness. Attached Figure Description

[0019] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the embryo transfer device described in this application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the inner tube described in this application.

[0022] The names of the parts referred to by the numbers in the attached diagram are as follows:

[0023] Positioning tube 1, outer tube 2, silicone plug 3, inner tube 4. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The advantages of this application are further illustrated below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0025] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0026] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0027] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to determination."

[0028] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the numerical labels before the steps do not indicate the order of the steps, but are only used to facilitate the description of this application and to distinguish each step, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0029] This application addresses the shortcomings of existing catheter components that come into contact with and carry vaginal contaminants, increasing the risk of intrauterine infection. It proposes an embryo transfer device that effectively avoids this risk. (See also...) Figures 1-2 As shown in the figure, the embryo transfer device provided in this embodiment includes an outer tube 2, a silicone plug 3, and a positioning tube 1. The silicone plug 3 is fixed to the distal end of the outer tube 2. The silicone plug 3 is a solid structure with an incision, which is closed in its natural state. The positioning tube 1 is movably and coaxially sleeved inside the outer tube 2. The distal end of the positioning tube 1 can push the incision of the silicone plug 3 to open it and pass through. The inner tube 4 is movably and coaxially sleeved inside the positioning tube 1.

[0030] It should be noted that the silicone plug 3 has a conical structure, with the distal end of the silicone plug 3 being narrow and the proximal end being thick.

[0031] In this embodiment, the slit on the silicone plug 3 remains closed in its natural state, forming a "sealed protective structure" that completely covers the front opening of the outer tube 2, isolating the positioning tube 1 from the outside environment and effectively preventing impurities from the external environment from entering the interior of the outer tube 2. The diameter of the inner tube 4 is smaller than the inner diameter of the positioning tube 1, ensuring that the inner tube 4 can slide freely within the positioning tube 1. The outer tube 2 can be made of medical-grade perfluoroethylene propylene (FEP); the front end is fixedly connected to the silicone plug 3 with medical-grade adhesive.

[0032] In this embodiment, the embryo transfer device constructs a "normally sealed, on-demand open" structure by fixing a solid silicone plug 3 with an incision at its distal end: initially, the incision of the silicone plug 3 closes naturally, completely isolating the positioning tube 1 when passing through the vagina, effectively preventing contamination; when the positioning tube 1 advances and pushes the incision open and passes through, a sterile channel is established to enter the uterus, and finally the inner tube 4 completes the precise delivery of the embryo. This application effectively avoids the risk of infection by bringing contaminants into the uterus, while the flexibility and guiding structure of silicone significantly reduces tissue damage and improves operational stability and positioning accuracy, achieving a dual breakthrough in safety and effectiveness.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, the incision can take various forms, such as a straight incision, a cross-shaped incision, or a star-shaped incision. Among these, the cross-shaped and star-shaped incisions can form a larger channel cross-section when pushed by the positioning tube 1, facilitating the smooth passage of embryonic tissue. As a more preferred embodiment, the incision adopts a cross-shaped design. This structure allows the incision to unfold evenly under the pushing action of the positioning tube 1, forming a stable and unobstructed channel, ensuring the smooth passage of the positioning tube 1 and the inner tube 4. Simultaneously, without external force, the incision can achieve tight closure due to the elastic recovery force of the silicone material, providing a sealing effect superior to other incision forms and effectively preventing the intrusion of contaminants.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the inner wall of the outer tube 2 is axially provided with a guide groove, and the outer surface of the positioning tube 1 is axially provided with a protrusion that matches the guide groove. Through the sliding engagement of the protrusion and the guide groove, the positioning tube 1 can be restricted to move along a predetermined trajectory, ensuring that it maintains stable axial movement during its advancement and effectively preventing rotation or deviation during the operation. This guiding structure not only improves the accuracy and controllability of the operation, enabling doctors to more accurately guide the positioning tube 1 to the target position, but also significantly reduces accidental damage to the endometrium caused by tube deviation, further ensuring the safety and success rate of the transplantation process.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the front end of the positioning tube 1 adopts a rounded transition structure. The positioning tube 1 can be made of medical-grade perfluoroethylene propylene (FEP) material, and its diameter is precisely designed to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tube 2, ensuring smooth movement within the outer tube 2 while maintaining coaxiality. When the positioning tube 1 slides forward along the axis of the outer tube 2, the rounded transition structure at its front end smoothly pushes against the incision of the silicone plug 3, forming an ideal embryo delivery channel. This rounded design offers significant advantages in clinical operation: its streamlined contour effectively disperses pressure when in contact with the cervical mucosa, greatly reducing tissue scratches or irritation that may be caused by traditional flat-head designs. This makes the positioning tube 1 smoother during insertion of the silicone plug 3 and entry into the uterus, improving the handling feel and maximizing the protection of fragile reproductive tract tissues, creating a better internal environment for embryo implantation.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, a conduit seat is fitted onto the rear end region of the outer tube 2.

[0037] Furthermore, the catheter hub features a ring-shaped protrusion structure with a protrusion height of 0.3mm to 1mm. This protrusion increases friction during handheld operation, providing medical personnel with a stable and reliable grip when performing delicate procedures. The catheter hub effectively solves the problem of slippage that occurs with traditional smooth catheters when in contact with gloves or under wet conditions. This ensures precise control of the pushing force and avoids the risk of tissue damage due to loss of control, significantly improving the stability and safety of the embryo transfer process.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the outer surface of the inner tube 4 is provided with graduations for indicating depth. The inner tube 4 is made of biocompatible medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). As a preferred embodiment, the graduations are set to a range of 0 cm-10 cm, with a minimum division of 1 cm, allowing the physician to precisely control the depth of the inner tube 4 into the uterine cavity under visual guidance, ensuring accurate placement of the embryo in the optimal implantation area of ​​the endometrium. The synergistic effect of this depth-indicating structure and the flexible material significantly improves operational efficiency: the TPU material provides the inner tube 4 with excellent flexibility, effectively reducing irritation to the uterine wall; while the precise graduations eliminate depth estimation errors in traditional operations, enabling millimeter-level precision in controlling the embryo transfer position, thereby greatly improving the success rate of embryo implantation and the repeatability of the procedure.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the rear end of the inner tube 4 is provided with a standardized syringe connector. Preferably, this connector adopts an internationally standardized Luer connector design, enabling a quick and reliable connection with the external threads of a conventional medical syringe. This connection scheme allows physicians to precisely control the aspiration and release of embryonic tissue using familiar syringe operation methods. The conical sealing structure and thread locking mechanism of the Luer connector effectively prevent culture medium leakage or air ingress during operation, ensuring both the stability of the embryo survival environment and the accuracy of the transfer dosage. This standardized interface design significantly improves the versatility and ease of operation of the device, allowing seamless integration with existing clinical equipment, reducing hospital equipment upgrade costs, and minimizing the risk of transfer failure due to interface incompatibility.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the length of the silicone plug 3 is between 10 mm and 15 mm. This length range, which has been extensively clinically validated, achieves an optimal balance between ensuring a sufficient seal and maintaining smooth operation. In particular, when the length of the silicone plug 3 is 12 mm, it exhibits the most ideal technical effect: its sufficient longitudinal contact area provides reliable sealing, effectively preventing contaminant intrusion; at the same time, the carefully optimized length avoids excessive frictional resistance, allowing for moderate operating force and a smooth feel when the positioning tube 1 is pushed through the incision. The establishment of this golden size parameter ensures both the reliability of the anti-contamination barrier and the convenience and controllability of clinical operation, significantly improving the success rate and safety of the entire embryo transfer process.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the silicone plug 3 is made of medical-grade liquid silicone, which possesses biocompatibility and ideal elastic properties. Medical-grade liquid silicone not only meets stringent biosafety standards, ensuring safe contact with human tissue, but its unique molecular structure also endows the silicone plug 3 with excellent deformation recovery capabilities. In actual operation, after the positioning tube 1 pushes the incision to complete embryo delivery and is withdrawn, the cohesive force of the silicone material drives the incision to automatically return to its initial closed state, forming a reliable dynamic sealing mechanism. This "deformation-recovery" characteristic ensures the durability and stability of the sealing effect, preventing secondary intrusion of contaminants and preserving a complete barrier function for possible subsequent operations, thereby significantly improving the safety and operational error tolerance of the transplantation process.

[0042] In this embodiment, the embryo transfer device forms a closable physical barrier by fixing a solid silicone plug 3 to the distal end of the outer tube 2. During the preoperative preparation stage, the positioning tube 1 and the inner tube 4 are assembled sequentially, so that the front end of the positioning tube 1 fits against the inner wall of the silicone plug 3. During the positioning operation, the closed incision of the silicone plug 3 effectively isolates the vaginal environment, preventing contaminants from contacting the positioning tube 1. During the channel establishment process, the positioning tube 1 is advanced forward to open the cross-shaped incision and pass through, forming a sterile delivery channel. Finally, the embryo is accurately delivered to the predetermined position in the uterine cavity through the inner tube 4 with graduations. This design solves the existing defects through four core technological advantages: the elastic sealing structure of the silicone plug 3 fundamentally blocks the path of contaminants into the uterus; the synergistic design of the medical-grade silicone material and the rounded transition of the positioning tube 1 significantly reduces the risk of tissue damage; the coordination of the guide structure and depth graduations ensures accurate and stable operation; and the standardized syringe interface ensures the clinical versatility of the device, thereby achieving a comprehensive improvement in safety and operational effectiveness.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. An embryo transfer device, comprising an outer tube, characterized in that, Also includes: A silicone plug is fixed to the distal end of the outer tube. The silicone plug is a solid structure with a slit, which closes in its natural state. A positioning tube is movably and coaxially sleeved inside the outer tube, and the distal end of the positioning tube can push the cut of the silicone plug to open it and pass through. The inner tube is movably and coaxially sleeved inside the positioning tube.

2. The embryo transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The incision can be a straight line incision, a cross-shaped incision, or a star-shaped incision.

3. The embryo transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall of the outer tube is provided with a guide groove in the axial direction, and the outer surface of the positioning tube is provided with a protrusion that matches the guide groove in the axial direction.

4. The embryo transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front end area of ​​the positioning tube adopts a rounded transition structure.

5. The embryo transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer tube is fitted with a guide tube seat at its rear end.

6. The embryo transfer device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The catheter seat has an annular protrusion structure with a protrusion height of 0.3 mm to 1 mm.

7. The embryo transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surface of the inner tube is provided with scale lines for indicating depth.

8. The embryo transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rear end of the inner tube is connected to the syringe connector.

9. The embryo transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the silicone plug is between 10 mm and 15 mm.

10. The embryo transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The silicone stopper is made of medical-grade liquid silicone.

Images