Device for selectively manipulating a syringe

Abstract

A device is configured for selectively manipulating a syringe. The syringe includes a syringe barrel and a syringe plunger selectively received in the syringe barrel. The device comprises a body configured to receive at least a portion of the syringe barrel. A plunger driver is configured to be connected to the syringe plunger and comprises at least one contact bar. An aspiration actuator is manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in an aspiration direction via the at least one contact bar. The syringe plunger is configured to be incrementally translated in the aspiration direction via the incremental translation of the plunger driver in the aspiration direction. Each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the aspiration direction being configured to cause fluid to be aspirated into the syringe.

Description

DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY MANIPULATING A SYRINGERelated Application

[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No.63 / 618,771 , filed 8 January 2024, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to a device for selectively manipulating a syringe. This disclosure also generally relates to a system having a syringe and a device for selectively manipulating the syringe.Background

[0003] In certain procedures, it is beneficial to have a relatively high level of control over a syringe, which includes a syringe barrel and syringe plunger. For example, certain procedures (e.g., large volume joint aspiration procedures) utilize a needle connected to a relatively large syringe to aspirate fluid from a target site. A lever arm defined by the large syringe may result in relatively subtle movements of the syringe plunger during an aspiration procedure causing relatively large movements at a tip of the needle, e.g., in a joint space during large volume joint aspiration procedures. Having a better control over the syringe would thus at least partially reduce the risk of undesirable needle tip movements.

[0004] Barbotage procedures (a commonly performed procedure that often involves needling to treat certain medical conditions such as, but not limited to, calcific tendinopathy) utilize repetitive bursts of aspiration and injection. A user, during a barbotage procedure, thus generally positions the syringe as well as pushes or pulls the syringe plunger, commonly with one hand, while also operating an ultrasound transducer with the other hand. This is both fatiguing to the user and time consuming. A device that provides for a relatively better control of the syringe would at least partially enable the user to perform barbotage procedures more efficiently.Summary

[0005] In an aspect, alone or in combination with any other aspect, a device is configured for selectively manipulating a syringe. The syringe includes a syringe barrel and a syringe plunger selectively received in the syringe barrel. The device comprises a body configured to receive at least a portion of the syringe barrel. A plunger driver is configured to be connected to the syringe plunger and comprises at least one contact bar. An aspiration actuator is manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in an aspiration direction via the at least one contact bar. The syringe plunger is configured to be incrementally translated in the aspiration direction via the incremental translation of the plunger driver in the aspiration direction. Each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the aspiration direction being configured to cause fluid to be aspirated into the syringe.

[0006] In an aspect, alone or in combination with any other aspect, a device is configured for selectively manipulating a syringe. The syringe includes a syringe barrel and a syringe plunger selectively received in the syringe barrel. The device comprises a body configured to receive at least a portion of the syringe barrel. A plunger driver is configured to be connected to the syringe plunger and comprises at least one contact bar. At least one actuator is operable to engage or further engage the at least one contact bar so as to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in a longitudinal direction. The at least one actuator has a flexible end that flexes or flexes further when brought into engagement or further engagement with the at least one contact bar. Flexion of the flexible end permits the at least one actuator to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in the longitudinal direction. The syringe plunger is configured to be incrementally translated in the aspiration direction via an incrementally translating plunger driver. Each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the longitudinal direction is configured to cause fluid to be aspirated into and / or ejected from the syringe.

[0007] In an aspect, alone or in combination with any other aspect a system comprises a syringe device for selectively manipulating the syringe.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] For a better understanding, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Fig. 1 is a side view of a system that includes a syringe and a device for selectively manipulating a syringe according to one aspect of the present invention;

[0010] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the aspect of Fig. 1 ;

[0011] Fig. 3 is a top view of the aspect of Fig. 1 ;

[0012] Fig. 4 is a top view of the device of the aspect of Fig. 1 ;

[0013] Fig. 5 is a front view of a portion of the aspect of Fig. 1 ;

[0014] Fig. 6 is a front view of a portion of the aspect of Fig. 1 ;

[0015] Fig. 7 is a perspective rear view of a system that includes a syringe and a device for selectively manipulating the syringe according to another aspect of the present device;

[0016] Fig. 8 a perspective front view of the aspect of Fig. 7;

[0017] Fig. 9 is a front view of the aspect of Fig. 7;

[0018] Fig. 10 is a front view of the device of the aspect of Fig. 7;

[0019] Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the aspect of Fig. 10;

[0020] Fig. 12 is a perspective rear view of a portion of the aspect of Fig. 7;

[0021] Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the aspect of Fig. 7;

[0022] Fig. 14 is a perspective rear view of the aspect of Fig. 7;

[0023] Fig. 15 is perspective first side view of the aspect of Fig. 7;

[0024] Fig. 16 is a perspective rear side view of a portion of the aspect of Fig. 7;

[0025] Fig. 17 is a perspective second side view of a portion of the aspect of Fig. 7;

[0026] Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the aspect of Fig. 7; and

[0027] Fig. 19 is a perspective rear view of a portion of the device the aspect of Fig. 7, including the device in an alternative configuration.Description of Aspects of the Disclosure

[0028] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0029] As used herein, the term “patient” can refer to any warm-blooded organism including, but not limited to, human beings, pigs, rats, mice, birds, cats, dogs, goats, sheep, horses, monkeys, apes, rabbits, cattle, farm animals, livestock, etc, though the term “patient” can also refer to cold-blooded organisms.

[0030] As used herein, the term “user” can be used interchangeably to refer to an individual who prepares for, assists with, and / or performs a procedure, and can be used interchangeably to refer to an individual who prepares for, assists with, and / or performs the operation of a tool.

[0031] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” can include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” as used herein, can specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0032] As used herein, the term “and / or” can include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0033] As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” can be interpreted to include X and Y.

[0034] As used herein, the phrase “at least one of X and Y” can be interpreted to include X, Y, or a combination of X and Y. For example, if an element is described as having at least one of X and Y, the element may, at a particular time, include X, Y, or a combination of X and Y, the selection of which could vary from time to time. In contrast, the phrase “at least one of X” can be interpreted to include one or more Xs.

[0035] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on,” “connected” to, “contacting,” etc., another element, it can be directly on, connected to or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “directly adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underliethe adjacent feature, whereas a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may not have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

[0036] It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. Thus, a “first” element discussed below could also be termed a “second” element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or Figures unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0037] Throughout this disclosure, various aspects of this invention can be presented in a range format. It should be understood that the description in range format is merely for convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the description of a range should be considered to have specifically disclosed all the possible subranges as well as individual numerical values within that range. For example, description of a range of about 1 to about 6 should be considered to have specifically disclosed subranges such as about 1 to about 3, about 1 to about 4, about 1 to 5, about 2 to about 4, about 2 to about 6, about 3 to about 6, etc., as well as individual and partial numbers within that range, for example, 1 , 2, 2.3, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, and 6. This applies regardless of the breadth of the range

[0038] The invention comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the following features, in any combination.

[0039] Figs. 1 -6 illustrate an example configuration of a system 10 that comprises a syringe 12 and a device 14 for selectively manipulating the syringe 12. The device 14 may be configured to selectively manipulate a “standard” commercially available syringe 12, which includes a syringe barrel 16 and a syringe plunger 18 that is selectively received in the syringe barrel 16. However, the device 14 and / or the system 10 may be configured such that the device 14 may be utilized with a “non-standard” syringe, e.g., a syringe that is specifically constructed to be utilized with the device 14.

[0040] As shown in Figs. 1-6, the device 14 includes a body 20 configured to receive at least a portion of the syringe barrel 16. In particular, the body 20 of the example configuration of Figs. 1-6 is a two-piece construction having a holder portion 20a and a handle portion 20b, though the body may instead be constructed as a single monolithic piece with or without the handle portion 20b. As shown in Figs. 3-4, the holder portion20a has a body recession 22 in which at least a portion of the syringe barrel 16 is selectively received. The holder portion 20a may also include a body slot 24 at and / or adjacent to an end of the body recession 22. This body slot 24 is configured to selectively receive a flange 26 of the syringe barrel 16. Therefore, when the syringe 12 (or at least the syringe barrel 16) is joined to the holder portion 20a, at least a portion of the syringe barrel 16 is received in the body recession 22 and the flange 26 is received in the body slot 24.

[0041] The flange 26 and / or the body slot 24 (e.g., a longitudinal length of the flange 26 and / or the body slot 24) may be configured such that a press-fit and / or frictional engagement is created between the flange 26 and the body slot 24 when the flange 26 is inserted into the body slot 24. The term “longitudinal” is used herein to indicate a substantially vertical direction in the orientation of Figs. 3-4, and is indicated at “LO” in the Figures. This press-fit or frictional engagement may help selectively retain at least the syringe barrel 16 joined to the holder portion 20a, and thus to the device 14 as a whole. In other words, the press-fit or frictional engagement between the body slot 24 and the flange 26 may at least partially prevent the flange 26 from being undesirably removed from the body slot 24, which in turn at least partially prevents the syringe barrel 16 from being undesirably removed from the body recession 22, until the user desires such a removal. Although the syringe barrel 16 has been described as being selectively retained connected to the holder portion 20a via a press-fit and / or frictional engagement, any other engagement method / mechanism may be provided, such as, but not limited to, a fastener-based engagement, a magnetic engagement, a hook and loop engagement, a snap-fit engagement, an adhesive engagement, a brazed / soldered / welded engagement, any other suitable engagement, or any combination thereof. Alternatively, the syringe barrel 16 may be formed integrally with at least the holder portion 20a of the body 20 as a single monolithic piece.

[0042] Returning to Figs. 1-6, the handle portion 20b is configured to be gripped by a user’s hand. Therefore, the handle portion 20b may include indentations 28 configured to fit the contours of at least a portion of the user’s fingers. As shown in Figs. 5-6, the handle portion 20b also includes a first transverse surface 30 on which at least a portion of the holder portion 20a rests when the handle portion 20b is selectively joined to the holder portion 20a. The term “transverse” is used herein to indicate a direction substantially perpendicular to the “longitudinal” direction, is shown as the vertical direction in the orientation of Figs. 5-6, and is indicated at “TR” in the Figures. Forselectively joining and / or retaining the holder portion 20a joined to the handle portion 20b, the handle portion 20b may include at least one (shown here as two) handle flanges 32. Each handle flange 32 may be L-shaped having a first portion 32a extending transversely from the first transverse surface 30 and a second portion 32b extends laterally inward from the first portion 32a, though at least one of the handle flanges 32 may have any other desired geometric configuration. The term “lateral” is used herein to indicate a direction substantially perpendicular to the “longitudinal” and “transverse” directions, is shown as the horizontal direction in the orientation of Figs. 5-6, and is indicated at “LA” in the Figures.

[0043] The first and second portions 32a, 32b of each handle flange 32 and the first transverse surface 30 of the handle portion 20b may define a first connection slot 34 configured to receive a portion of the holder portion 20a. For example, each lateral side of the holder portion 20a may include laterally extending first and second projections 36, 38, which define a second connection slot 40 transversely therebetween. When the holder and handle portions 20a, 20b are joined together, the second projections 38 of the holder portion 20b may be inserted into the first connection slots 34 and the second portions 32b of the handle flanges 32 may be inserted into the second connection slots 40. The second portions 32b, the first connection slots 34, the second projections 38, and / or the second connection slots 40, may be configured such that a press-fit and / or frictional engagement is created between the holder and handle portions 20a, 20b of the body 20 when they are joined together. This press-fit or frictional engagement may help selectively retain the holder portion 20a joined to the handle portion 20b, though the device 14 may utilize any other engagement mechanism / method (e.g., any of the other engagement mechanisms / methods described above or otherwise) for selectively joining the holder and handle portions 20a, 20b and / or retaining the holder and handle portions 20a, 20b joined together. Alternatively, the holder and handle portions 20a, 20b may be formed integrally together as a single monolithic piece.

[0044] Returning to Figs. 1 -4, the device 14 further includes a plunger driver 42 configured to be connected to the syringe plunger 18. In particular, the plunger driver 42 includes a driver body 44 and a contact bar 46 extending longitudinally from the driver body 44. The driver body 44 may include a driver slot 48 configured to selectively receive a flange 50 of the syringe plunger 18. Therefore, when the syringe 12 is joined to the device 14, the flange 50 of the syringe plunger 18 is received in the driver slot 48. The flange 50 and / or the driver slot 48 may be configured such that a press-fit and / orfrictional engagement is created between the flange 50 and the driver slot 48 when the flange 50 is inserted into the driver slot 48. This press-fit or frictional engagement may help selectively retain the syringe plunger 18 joined to the plunger driver 42, though the device 14 may utilize any other engagement mechanism / method (e.g., any of the other engagement mechanisms / methods described above or otherwise) for selectively joining the syringe plunger 18 and plunger driver 42 and / or retaining the syringe plunger 18 and plunger driver 42 joined together. Alternatively, the syringe plunger 18 may be formed integrally with the plunger driver 42 as a single monolithic piece.

[0045] The contact bar 46 may be located in a handle recession 52 of the handle portion 20b. For example, as shown in Figs. 5-6, the handle recession 52 extends transversely from the first transverse surface 30 to a second transverse surface 54, where the first and second transverse surfaces 30, 54 are spaced transversely apart from one another. The handle recession 52 and / or the contact bar 46 are configured such that the contact bar 46 (and, thus, the plunger driver 42 as a whole) is moveable in the longitudinal direction relative to body 20 (e.g., to the handle portion 20b).

[0046] The plunger driver 42 is moveable in the longitudinal direction relative to the body 20 via an aspiration actuator 56. In particular, and is shown in at least Fig. 2, the aspiration actuator 56 may include a driving member 58, an engagement member 60, and a biasing member 62 (which, in this example configuration, is a spring). At least a portion of the aspiration actuator 56 is movably received in an aspiration actuator passage 64. For example, as is shown in Fig. 2, the aspiration actuator passage 64 has a first passage portion 64a that extends from an inlet opening 66 to an inner shoulder 68 of the body 20 (e.g., of the handle portion 20b). A second passage portion 64b extends from the inner shoulder 68 to an outlet opening 70 of the aspiration actuator passage 64 such that the inlet and outlet openings 66, 70 are in fluid communication via the first and second passage portions 64a, 64b. The outlet opening 70 may be located such that it is adjacent to the contact bar 46 when the contact bar 46 is received in the handle recession 52.

[0047] The driving member 58 is at least partially movably received in the first passage portion 64a. The biasing member 62 is also located in the first passage portion 64a and has a first end 62a connected to the driving member 58 and a second end 62b connected to the inner shoulder 68. The first and second ends 62a, 62b of the biasing member 62 may be fixedly connected to the driving member 58 and the inner shoulder 68, respectively, whereas such fixed connections help moveably retain the drivingmember 58 at least partially received in the first passage portion 64a. However, the driving member 58 may instead or additionally be moveably retained in the first passage portion 64a via any other connection feature(s) and / or mean(s). The biasing member 62 is configured to bias the driving member 58 to a rest position (see Fig. 2) such that during an operation of the aspiration actuator 56, the user manually applies a force to the driving member 58 that moves the driving member 58 away from the rest position and toward the inner shoulder 68 against the bias of the biasing member 62. The biasing member 62 thus returns the driving member 58 to / toward the rest position upon removal of such manually applied force. Accordingly, the example aspiration actuator 56 shown in at least Fig. 2 is in the form of a spring-loaded pushbutton, though the aspiration actuator 56 may have any other desired form and utilize any other suitable biasing features for returning the driving member 58 to / toward the rest position.

[0048] The engagement member 60 has a first end connected 60a (e.g., fixedly connected) to the driving member 58 and a free second end 60b. The engagement member 60 extends from the driving member 58, at least partially through the first passage portion 64a, and at least partially through the second passage portion 64b such that the second end 60b is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening 70. At least the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 may be formed from an at least semi-flexible material such that at least the second end 60b may at least partially flex / deform when engaged or further engaged to another feature. The at least semiflexible material forming at least the second end 60b the engagement member 60 may be, e.g., an elastically deformable material. In such case, the second end 60b may elastically flex / deform back to / toward an original condition after being flexed / deformed from the original condition. In some configurations, an entirety of the engagement member 60 is formed from the at least semi-flexible and / or elastically deformable material, while in other configurations, only second end 60b is formed from the at least semi-flexible and / or elastically deformable material. Furthermore, the driving member 58 may be formed from a material that is more rigid than at least a portion of the engagement member 60, or may be formed from the same material as at least a portion of the engagement member 60. The driving and engagement members 58, 60 may thus be formed separately from one another and then subsequently connected to one another, or may be formed integrally as a single monolithic piece.

[0049] In use of the example system of Figs. 1 -6, the syringe 12 (with the syringe plunger 18 inserted into the syringe barrel 16) is joined to the device 14 in the manneras described above. A connection end 72 of the syringe barrel 16 may be operatively connected to a target site (e.g., a joint of a patient) via one or more medical devices and / or connectors such that an interior of the syringe 12 is in fluid communication with the target site. A user may then grip the handle portion 20b of the device 14 such that one of their fingers (e.g., their index finger) is on and / or adjacent to the driving member 58 and at least one other of their fingers (e.g., their middle, ring, and little / pinkie fingers) rest in and / or adjacent to the indentations 28 of the handle portion 20b.

[0050] Once the device 14 is gripped as desired, the user may aspirate fluid from the target site into the syringe 12 in a stepwise or incremental manner through operation of the aspiration actuator 56. For example, during a full manual operation of the aspiration actuator 56, a manual force provided by the user to the driving portion 58 moves at least a portion of the aspiration actuator 56 along the aspiration actuator passage 64 relative to the body 20, which in turn causes the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 to engage or further engage the contact bar 46 and translate the plunger driver 42 a predetermined longitudinal distance in an aspiration direction AD (also referred to herein as a predetermined aspiration distance). A full manual operation of the aspiration actuator 56 may involve the user manually moving / inwardly pressing the driving member 58 toward the inner shoulder 68 until (1 ) a portion of the driving member 58 engages a portion of the handle portion 20b (e.g., but not limited to, the inner shoulder 68) and is prevented from being moved further toward the inner shoulder 68 and / or (2) the biasing member 62 is compressed to such a degree that the biasing member 62 prevents the driving member 58 from being moved further toward the inner shoulder 68.

[0051] In at least the configuration shown in Figs. 1 -6, at least the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 is flexed or further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the contact bar 46. Because the aspiration actuator 56 and the contact bar 46 are at least partially non-parallel (i.e., at least partially extend at an angle relative to one another), the flexion of the engagement member 60 helps convert the movement of the aspiration actuator 56 into a longitudinal translation of the plunger driver 42 in the aspiration direction AD. It should be noted that although at least the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 is at least semi-flexible, it is still rigid enough to frictionally engage the contact bar 46 and drive the contact bar 46 in the aspiration direction AD.

[0052] The syringe plunger 18, via its connection to the plunger driver 42, is responsively moved the predetermined aspiration distance via the plunger driver 42 and generates negative pressure in the syringe 12, which causes a predetermined aspirationvolume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe 12. The predetermined aspiration distance moved by the syringe plunger 18 thus corresponds (e.g., directly corresponds) to the predetermined aspiration volume of fluid that is configured to be aspirated by the syringe 12 during the full manual operation of the aspiration actuator 56.

[0053] The predetermined aspiration distance, however, is less than a maximum distance the syringe plunger 18 can move in the aspiration direction AD while remaining inserted in the syringe barrel 16, where such maximum distance may be defined by a longitudinal distance between an inner shoulder 74 of the syringe barrel 16 and a position on the syringe barrel 16 that is at and / or adjacent to a plunger receiving opening 76 of the syringe barrel 16. The predetermined aspiration volume of fluid aspirated during a full manual operation of the aspiration actuator 56 thus is less than a maximum volume of fluid the syringe 12 can hold therein. Accordingly, the device 14 and / or the system 10 is / are configured to permit the user to perform multiple full operations of the aspiration actuator 56, where each full operation of the aspiration actuator 56 is configured to incrementally translate the plunger driver 42 (and, thus the connected syringe plunger 18) the same predetermined aspiration distance so as to cause the same predetermined aspiration volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe 12. In particular, each successive full operation of the aspiration actuator 56 is configured to cause (1 ) the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 to engage or further engage a portion of the contact bar 46 that is subsequent to and longitudinally spaced from a previously engaged portion of the contact bar 46 by the predetermined aspiration distance, and (2) the predetermined aspirated volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe 12.

[0054] The predetermined aspiration distance may, in at least some configurations, be configured to be in the range of about 2% to about 30% of the maximum distance the syringe plunger 18 can move in the aspiration direction AD while remaining inserted in the syringe barrel 16, though the predetermined aspiration distance may be configured to be any desired / suitable distance. Furthermore, the predetermined aspiration volume may, in at least some configurations, be configured to be about in the range of about 2% to about 25% of the maximum volume of fluid the syringe 12 can hold therein, though the predetermined aspiration volume may be configured to be any desired / suitable volume. It is important to note, however, that the distance the syringe plunger 18 can be moved in the aspiration direction AD may be limited in some circumstances by the pressure in the syringe 12 and / or the longitudinal distance between a plunger head 78of the syringe plunger 18 and a longitudinal position on the syringe barrel 16 that is at and / or adjacent to the plunger receiving opening 76.

[0055] In addition to being fully operable, the aspiration actuator 56 may also be partially manually operated via the user. A partial operation of the aspiration actuator 56 may be defined by any manual movement of the driving member 58 toward the inner shoulder 68 that is less than that of the full manual operation. In some partial operations, the manual force provided by the user translates the plunger driver 42 and connected syringe plunger 18 a partial longitudinal distance (i.e., a longitudinal distance that is less than that of the predetermined aspiration distance) in the aspiration direction AD, which in turn causes the causes a partial volume of fluid (i.e., a volume of fluid that is less than that of the predetermined aspiration volume) to be aspirated into the syringe 12. In other partial operations, the manual force provided by the user to the aspiration actuator 56 may only be enough to “urge” the plunger driver 42 to longitudinally translate, without any movement or significant movement of the plunger driver 42 occurring. In certain situations, such urging may still result in the generation of negative pressure in the syringe 12.

[0056] The contact bar 46 may include at least one engagement feature 80 for interfacing with the engagement member 60 of the aspiration actuator 56. In the configuration shown in Figs. 1-2, for example, the engagement feature(s) 80 may include a plurality of teeth 82. Each tooth 82 includes an engagement surface 84 substantially facing in a longitudinal direction that is opposite to the aspiration direction AD. For full operations and at least some partial operations of the aspiration actuator 56, the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 engages or further engages the engagement surface 84 of a tooth 82 to longitudinally translate the plunger driver 42 or at least urge the plunger driver 42 to longitudinally translate in the same manner as described above. For example, each successive full operation of the aspiration actuator 56 may be configured to cause (1 ) the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 to engage or further engage the engagement surface 84 of a tooth 82 that is subsequent to and longitudinally spaced from a previously engaged tooth 82 of the contact bar 46 by the predetermined aspiration distance, and (2) the predetermined aspiration volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe 12. Similarly to that described above, at least the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 may flex when engaged to or further engaged to an engagement surface 84 so as to permit the driving of the plunger driver 42 in the aspiration direction AD.

[0057] In certain configurations, the subsequent tooth 82 is directly longitudinally adjacent to the previously engaged tooth 82, with the predetermined aspiration distance being defined by the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces 84 of the subsequent tooth 82 and the directly adjacent previously engaged tooth 82. These configurations may be particularly useful in procedures that benefit from successive relatively small volume aspirations. In other configurations, such as the configuration shown in Figs. 1 -2, the subsequent tooth 82 may be longitudinally separated from the previously engaged tooth 82 by at least one intermediately positioned tooth 82, with the predetermined aspiration distance being defined by the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces 84 of the subsequent and previously engaged teeth 82. These other configurations may be particularly useful in procedures that benefit from successive relatively large volume aspirations (e.g., in large volume joint aspiration procedures).

[0058] Instead of or in addition to the above, the engagement feature(s) 80 of the contact bar 46 may include an outer surface of the contact bar 46 (whether it be smooth, flat, toothed, and / or textured) that the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 contacts to longitudinally translate or at least urge the longitudinal translation of the plunger driver 42. Alternatively, the engagement feature(s) 80 may additionally or instead include the contact bar 46 being at least partially formed from an elastically deformable material. In such configurations, the second end 60b of the engagement member 60 at least partially presses into and deforms the contact bar 46 when translating or at least urging the translation of the plunger driver 42.

[0059] In some configurations of the system 10, after the aspiration actuator 56 is utilized to translate the syringe plunger 18 to a new position (e.g., a position that is longitudinally spaced from a previous position by the predetermined or partial longitudinal distance), the syringe plunger 18 may remain in this new position without the direct intervention of the user via the pressure in the syringe 12, the frictional forces acting between relatively moving parts of the device 14 and / or the syringe 12, and / or via the engagement member 60. In other configurations of the system 10, at least the frictional forces in the device 14 and / or the syringe 12 may be configured such that a pressure equalization in the syringe 12 (e.g., an equalization with the target site when operatively connected to the target site) occurring after the operation of the aspiration actuator 56 is permitted to cause the syringe plunger 18 to at least partially longitudinally move in the direction opposite to the aspiration direction AD. This pressure equalizationmovement may cause the syringe plunger 18 to return to a longitudinal position in which the plunger head 78 abuts and / or is adjacent to the inner shoulder 74 of the syringe barrel 16, to the previous position, or to a longitudinal position that is longitudinally between the inner shoulder 47 and the new position. In any case, the user, through direct manual intervention, may manually urge and / or translate the syringe plunger 18 to any desired longitudinal position during or after use of the device 14 via an application of force to the plunger driver 42 and / or the syringe plunger 18.

[0060] It should be appreciated that the device 14 is configured so as to be manually operated by a single hand, leaving the other hand free to use other medical instruments (e.g., an ultrasound transducer) and / or manually move the syringe plunger 18 (e.g., via directly moving the syringe plunger 18) as desired. This manually or hand operated device 14 thus is free from any motors or other non-user power source for operating the aspiration actuator 56 and / or driving the plunger driver / syringe plunger 42 / 18 in the aspiration direction AD.

[0061] Figs. 7-18 illustrate another example configuration of the system 10'. The system 10' of Figs. 7-18 is similar to the system 10 of Figs. 1 -6 and therefore, structures of Figs. 1 -6 that are the same as or similar to those described with reference to Figs. 7- 18 have the same reference numbers with the addition of a “prime” mark. Description of common elements and function / operation similar to those in the previously described first configuration may not be repeated with respect to the second configuration, but should instead be considered to be incorporated below by reference as appropriate. Furthermore, elements shown or described with respect to one configuration may be shared any other configuration whether expressly stated, shown, or not.

[0062] Similarly to the configuration shown in Figs. 1 -6, the device 14' of Figs. 7-18 includes a body 20' having a body recession 22' configured to receive at least a portion of the syringe barrel 16' and a body slot 24' configured to receive the flange 26' of the syringe barrel 16'. The body 20' of Figs. 7-18, however, is a one-piece construction having a holder portion 20a' that is also utilized as a handle portion 20b', though the body 20' instead be configured to include a handle portion 20b' similar to that shown in Figs. 1-6 and / or to be a multi-piece construction. Although the body 20' is described and shown as being configured to receive the syringe barrel 16', the body 20' may instead be formed integrally with the syringe barrel 16' as a single monolithic piece.

[0063] The device 14' of Figs. 7-18 also includes a plunger driver 42' configured to be connected to the syringe plunger 18' in a similar manner as described above. Inparticular, the plunger driver 42' includes a driver body 44' having a driver slot 48' configured to selectively receive the flange 50' of the syringe plunger 18'. Though, as an alternative, the syringe plunger 18' may be formed integrally with the plunger driver 42' as a single monolithic piece.

[0064] Unlike the plunger driver 42 of Figs. 1 -6, the plunger driver 42' of Figs. 7-18 includes two contact bars 46', 47 (i.e., first and second contact bars 46', 47). Each contact bar 46', 47 may be at least partially located in and / or extend longitudinally through a bar passage 86 in the body 20'. The contact bars 46', 47 and / or the bar passages 86 are configured such that the contact bars 46', 47 (and, thus, the plunger driver 42 as a whole) is moveable in the longitudinal direction relative to the body 20'.

[0065] The plunger driver 42' is moveable in the longitudinal direction relative to the body via an aspiration actuator 56'. The aspiration actuator 56' of Figs. 7-18 is similar to that of the aspiration actuator 56 of Figs. 1 -6. In particular, and is shown in at least Figs. 13-16, the aspiration actuator 56' includes a driving member 58', an engagement member 60', and a biasing member 62' (which, in this example configuration, is a spring). At least a portion of the aspiration actuator 56' is movably received in an aspiration actuator passage 64'. For example, as is shown in Figs. 13-16, the aspiration actuator passage 64' has a first passage portion 64a' that extends from an inlet opening 66' to an inner shoulder 68'. The second passage portion 64b' extends from the inner shoulder 68' to an outlet opening 70' of the aspiration actuator passage 64' such that the inlet and outlet openings 66', 70' are in fluid communication via the first and second passage portions 64a', 64b'. The outlet opening 70' may be located such that it is adjacent to the first contact bar 46' when the first contact bar 46' is received in its corresponding bar passage 86.

[0066] The biasing member 62' is at least partially located in the first passage portion 64a' and has a first end 62a' connected to the driving member 58' and a second end 62b' connected to the inner shoulder 68'. The first and second ends 62a', 62b' of the biasing member 62' may be fixedly connected to the driving member 58' and the inner shoulder 68', respectively, whereas such fixed connections help maintain the driving member 58' connected to the body 20' adjacent to the first passage portion 64a' in such a manner that the driving member 58' is moveable relative to the body 20'. However, the driving member 58' may instead or additionally be moveably retained connected to the body 20' and adjacent to the first passage portion 64a' via any other connection feature(s) and / or mean(s). The biasing member 62' is configured to bias the drivingmember 58' to a rest position (see Fig. 13) such that during an operation of the aspiration actuator 56', the user manually applies a force to the driving member 58' that moves the driving member 58' away from the rest position toward the inner shoulder 68' against the bias of the biasing member 62'. The biasing member 62' thus returns the driving member 58' to / toward the rest position upon removal of such manually applied force. Accordingly, the example aspiration actuator 56' shown in at least Figs. 13-16 is in the form of a spring-loaded pushbutton, though the aspiration actuator 56' may have any other desired form and utilize any other suitable biasing features for returning the driving member 58' to the rest position.

[0067] The engagement member 60' has a first end connected 60a' (e.g., fixedly connected) to the driving member 58 and a free second end 60b'. The engagement member 60' extends from the driving member 58', through the first passage portion 64a', and at least partially through the second passage portion 64b' such that the second end 60b' is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening 70'. At least the second end 60b' of the engagement member 60' may be formed from an at least semi-flexible material such that at least the second end 60b' may at least partially flex / deform when engaged or further engaged to another feature. The at least semi-flexible material forming at least the second end 60b' may be, e.g., an elastically deformable material. In such case, the second end 60b' may elastically flex / deform back to / toward an original condition after being flexed / deformed from the original condition. In some configurations, an entirety of the engagement member 60' is formed from the at least semi-flexible and / or elastically deformable material, while in other configurations, only second end 60b' is formed from the at least semi-flexible and / or elastically deformable material. Having at least a portion of the engagement member 60' formed from the at least semi-flexible and / or elastically deformable material is particularly useful when the second passage portion 64b' has curved and / or otherwise non-linear geometry between the inlet and outlet openings 66', 70' as at least a portion of the engagement member 60' may at least partially conform to such curved and / or otherwise non-linear geometry. Furthermore, the driving member 58' may be formed from a material that is more rigid than at least a portion of the engagement member 60', or may be formed from the same material as at least a portion of the engagement member 60'. The driving and engagement members 58', 60' may thus be formed separately from one another and then subsequently connected to one another, or may be formed integrally as a single monolithic piece.

[0068] Use of the aspiration actuator 56' of the device 14' of Figs. 7-18 is similar to that as described above. Therefore, via the aspiration actuator 58', a user may aspirate fluid from a target site into the syringe 12' in a stepwise or incremental manner. For example, the user may grip the body 20' of the device 14' such that at least one of their fingers (e.g., their ring finger) is on and / or adjacent to the driving member 58'. During a full manual operation of the aspiration actuator 56', a manual force provided by the user to the driving portion 58' moves at least a portion of the aspiration actuator 56' along the aspiration actuator passage 64' relative to the body 20', which in turn causes the second end 60b' of the engagement member 60' to engage or further engage the first contact bar 46' and translate the plunger driver 42' a predetermined aspiration distance in the aspiration direction AD. A full manual operation of the aspiration actuator 56' involves manually moving / inwardly pressing the driving member 58' toward the inner shoulder 68' until (1) a portion of the driving member 58' engages a portion of the body 20' and is prevented from being moved further toward the inner shoulder 68' and / or (2) the biasing member 62' is compressed to such a degree that the biasing member 62' prevents the driving member 58' from being moved further toward the inner shoulder 68'.

[0069] In at least the configuration shown in Figs. 7-18, at least the second end 60b' of the engagement member 60' is flexed or further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the first contact bar 46'. Because the aspiration actuator 56' and first contact bar 46' are at least partially non-parallel, the flexion of the engagement member 60' helps convert the movement of the aspiration actuator 56' into a longitudinal translation of the plunger driver 42' in the aspiration direction AD. It should be noted that although at least the second end 60b' of the engagement member 60b' is at least semi-flexible, it is still rigid enough to frictionally engage the first contact bar 46' and drive the first contact bar 46' in the aspiration direction AD.

[0070] The syringe plunger 18', via its connection to the plunger driver 42', is responsively moved the predetermined aspiration distance via the plunger driver 42' and generates negative pressure in the syringe 12', which causes a predetermined aspiration volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe 12'. The predetermined aspiration distance moved by the syringe plunger 18' thus corresponds (e.g., directly corresponds) to the predetermined aspiration volume of fluid that is configured to be aspirated by the syringe 12' during the full manual operation of the aspiration actuator 56'.

[0071] The predetermined aspiration distance, however, is less than a maximum distance the syringe plunger 18' can move in the aspiration direction AD while remaining inserted in the syringe barrel 16', where such maximum distance may be defined by a longitudinal distance between an inner shoulder 74' of the syringe barrel 16' and a position on the syringe barrel 16' that is at and / or adjacent to a plunger receiving opening 76' of the syringe barrel 16'. The predetermined aspiration volume of fluid aspirated during a full manual operation of the aspiration actuator 56' thus is less than a maximum volume of fluid the syringe 12' can hold therein. Accordingly, the device 14' and / or the system 10' is / are configured to permit the user to perform multiple full operations of the aspiration actuator 56', where each full operation of the aspiration actuator 56' is configured to incrementally translate the plunger driver 42' (and its connected syringe plunger 18') the same predetermined aspiration distance so as to cause the same predetermined aspiration volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe 12'. In particular, each successive full operation of the aspiration actuator 56' is configured to cause (1 ) the second end 60b' of the engagement member 60' to engage or further engage a portion of the first contact bar 56' that is subsequent to and longitudinally spaced from a previously engaged portion of the first contact bar 46' by the predetermined aspiration distance, and (2) the predetermined aspiration volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe 12'.

[0072] The predetermined aspiration distance may, in at least some configurations, be configured to be in the range of about 2% to about 30% of the maximum distance the syringe plunger 18' can move in the aspiration direction AD while remaining inserted in the syringe barrel 16', though the predetermined aspiration distance may be configured to be any desired / suitable distance. Furthermore, the predetermined aspiration volume may, in at least some configurations, be configured to be about in the range of about 2% to about 25% of the maximum volume of fluid the syringe 12' can hold therein, though the predetermined aspiration volume may be configured to be any desired / suitable volume. It is important to note, however, that the distance the syringe plunger 18' can be moved in the aspiration direction AD may be limited in some circumstances by the pressure in the syringe 12' and / or the longitudinal distance between the plunger head 78' and a longitudinal position on the syringe barrel 16' that is at and / or adjacent to the plunger receiving opening 76'.

[0073] In addition to being fully operable, the aspiration actuator 56' may also be partially operated via the user. A partial operation of the aspiration actuator 56' may bedefined by any manual movement of the driving member 58' toward the inner shoulder 68 that is less than that of the full manual operation. In some partial operations, the manual force provided by the user translates the plunger driver 42' and connected syringe plunger 18' a partial longitudinal distance (i.e., a longitudinal distance that is less than that of the predetermined aspiration distance) in the aspiration direction AD, which in turn causes the causes a partial volume of fluid (i.e., a volume of fluid that is less than that of the predetermined aspiration volume) to be aspirated into the syringe 12'. In other partial operations, the manual force provided by the user to the aspiration actuator 56' may only be enough to “urge” the plunger driver 42' to longitudinally translate, without any movement or significant movement of the plunger driver 42' occurring. In certain situations, such urging may still result in the generation of negative pressure in the syringe 12'.

[0074] The first contact bar 46' may include at least one engagement feature 80' for interfacing with the engagement member 60' of the aspiration actuator 56'. In the configuration shown in Figs. 7-16, for example, the engagement feature(s) 80' may include a plurality of teeth 82'. Each tooth 82' includes an engagement surface 84' substantially facing in a longitudinal direction that is opposite to the aspiration direction AD. For full operations and at least some partial operations of the aspiration actuator 56', the second end 60b' of the engagement member 60' engages or further engages the engagement surface 84' of a tooth 82' to longitudinally translate the plunger driver 42' or at least urge the plunger driver 42' to longitudinally translate in the same manner as described above. For example, each successive full operation of the aspiration actuator 56' may be configured to cause (1 ) the second end 60b' of the engagement member 60' to engage or further engage the engagement surface 84' of a tooth 82' that is subsequent to and longitudinally spaced from a previously engaged tooth 82' of the first contact bar 46' by the predetermined aspiration distance, and (2) the predetermined aspiration volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe 12'. Similarly to that described above, at least the second end 60b' of the engagement member 60' may flex when engaged to or further engaged to an engagement surface 84' so as to permit the driving of the plunger driver 42' in the aspiration direction AD.

[0075] Instead of or in addition to the above, the engagement feature(s) 80' of the first contact bar 46' may include an outer surface of the first contact bar 46' (whether it be smooth, flat, toothed, and / or textured) that the second end 60b' of the engagement member 60' contacts to longitudinally translate or at least urge the longitudinaltranslation of the plunger driver 42'. Alternatively, the engagement feature(s) may additionally or instead include the first contact bar 46' being at least partially formed from an elastically deformable material. In such configurations, the second end 60b' at least partially presses into and deforms the first contact bar 46' when translating or at least urging the translation of the plunger driver 42'.

[0076] Unlike the device 14 of Figs. 1 -6, the device 14' of Fig. 7-18 includes an ejection actuator 88 in addition to the aspiration actuator 56'. Therefore, plunger driver 42' is also moveable in the longitudinal direction relative to the body 20' via the ejection actuator 88. In particular, and is shown in at least Figs. 13-18, the ejection actuator 88 may include a driving member 90, an engagement member 92, and a biasing member 94 (which, in this example configuration, is a spring). The driving member 90 includes a finger (e.g., thumb) receiving portion 96, which may include an at least partially curved interfacing surface 98 for interfacing with the geometry of a user’s finger (e.g., their thumb). The driving member 90 also includes a connection portion 100 extending at least longitudinally from the finger receiving portion 96. The driving member 90 may also include a projection 102 that extends longitudinally from at least one of the finger receiving portion 96 and the connection portion 100 in a direction opposite to that of the finger receiving portion’s longitudinal extension.

[0077] The biasing member 94 has a first end connected 94a to the driving member 90 and a second end 94b connected to a longitudinally facing surface 104 of the body 20'. The biasing member 94 and the driving member 90 may also be arranged such that the biasing member 94 at least partially extends circumferentially about the projection 102. The first and second ends 94a, 94b of the biasing member 94 may be fixedly connected to the driving member 90 and the longitudinally facing surface 104, respectively, whereas such fixed connections help maintain the driving member 90 connected to the body 20' adjacent to the longitudinally facing surface 104 in such a manner that the driving member 90 is moveable (e.g., in the longitudinal direction) relative to the body 20'. However, the driving member 90 may instead or additionally be moveably retained connected to the body 20' and adjacent to the longitudinally facing surface 104 via any other connection feature(s) and / or mean(s). The biasing member 94 is configured to bias the driving member 90 to a rest position (see Figs. 13-18) such that during an operation of the ejection actuator 88, the user manually applies a force to the driving member 90 that moves the driving member 90 away from the rest position toward the longitudinally facing surface 104 against the bias of the biasing member 94.The biasing member 94 thus returns the driving member 90 to / toward the rest position upon removal of such manually applied force. Accordingly, the example ejection actuator 88 shown in at least Figs. 13-18 is in the form of a spring-loaded pushbutton, though the ejection actuator 88 may have any other desired form and utilize any other suitable biasing features for returning the driving member 90 to / toward the rest position.

[0078] The engagement member 92 has a first end connected 92a (e.g., fixedly connected) to the driving member 90 and a free second end 92b. For example, the first end 92a of the engagement member 92 may be connected to an end of the connection portion 100 that is opposite to the finger receiving portion 96. As shown in at least Fig. 18, a fastener 106 may extend through corresponding apertures 108, 110 in the engagement member 92 and the connection portion 100 to connect and / or secure the engagement member 92 to the driving member 90, though the device 14' may utilize any other engagement mechanism / method (e.g., any of the other engagement mechanisms / methods described above or otherwise) for selectively connecting and / or securing the engagement member 92 to the driving member 90. Alternatively, the engagement member 92 and the driving member 90 may be integrally formed together as a single monolithic piece.

[0079] The engagement member 92 extends at least partially through an ejection actuator passage 112 of the body 20'. The ejection actuator passage 1 12 extends from an inlet opening 114 to an outlet opening 116, where the outlet opening 116 is located adjacent to the second contact bar 47 when the second contact bar 47 is received in its corresponding bar passage 86. The engagement member 92 thus extends from the driving member 90 and at least partially through the ejection actuator passage 112 such that the second end 92b is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening 116. At least the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 may be formed from an at least semi-flexible material such that at least the second end 92b may at least partially flex / deform when engaged or further engaged to another feature. The at least semiflexible material forming at least the second end 92b may be, e.g., an elastically deformable material. In such case, the second end 92b may elastically flex / deform back to / toward an original condition after being flexed / deformed from the original condition. In some configurations, an entirety of the engagement member 92 is formed from the at least semi-flexible and / or elastically deformable material, while in other configurations, only second end 92b is formed from the at least semi-flexible and / or elastically deformable material. Furthermore, the driving member 90 may be formed from amaterial that is more rigid than at least a portion of the engagement member 92, or may be formed from the same material as at least a portion of the engagement member 92. The driving and engagement members 90, 92 may thus be formed separately from one another and then subsequently connected to one another, or may be formed integrally as a single monolithic piece.

[0080] A user may operate the ejection actuator 88 of the device of Figs. 7-18 to eject fluid from the syringe 12' and / or inject fluid into a target site of a patient in a stepwise or incremental manner. For example, the user may grip the body 20' of the device 14' such that at least one of their fingers (e.g., their thumb) is on and / or adjacent to the interfacing surface 98 of the driving member 90. During a full manual operation of the ejection actuator 88, a manual force provided by the user to the driving portion 90 moves the ejection actuator 88 relative to the body 20', with the engagement member 92 moving along the ejection actuator passage 112 relative to the body 20'. This movement causes the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 to engage or further engage the second contact bar 47 and translate the plunger driver 42' a predetermined longitudinal distance in an ejection direction ED (also referred to herein as a predetermined ejection distance), where the ejection direction ED is longitudinally opposite to that of the aspiration direction AD. A full manual operation of the ejection actuator 88 involves manually moving / pressing the driving member 90 toward the longitudinally facing surface 104 of the body 20' until (1 ) a portion of the driving member 90 (e.g., the projection 102) engages a portion of the body 20' (e.g., the longitudinally facing surface 104) and is prevented from being moved further toward the longitudinally facing surface 104 and / or (2) the biasing member 94 is compressed to such a degree that the biasing member 94 prevents the driving member 90 from being moved further toward the longitudinally facing surface 104.

[0081] In at least the configuration shown in Figs. 7-18, at least the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 is flexed or further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the second contact bar 47. Because the ejection actuator 88 and second contact bar 47 are at least partially non-parallel to one another, the flexion of the engagement member 92 helps convert the movement of the ejection actuator 88 into a longitudinal translation of the plunger driver 42' in the aspiration direction AD. It should be noted that although at least the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 is at least semi-flexible, it is still rigid enough to frictionally engage the second contact bar 47 and drive the second contact bar 47 in the ejection direction ED.

[0082] The syringe plunger 18', via its connection to the plunger driver 42', is responsively moved the predetermined ejection distance via the plunger driver 42' and generates positive pressure in the syringe 12', which causes a predetermined ejection volume of fluid to be ejected from the syringe 12'. The predetermined ejection distance moved by the syringe plunger 18' thus corresponds (e.g., directly corresponds) to the predetermined ejection volume of fluid that is configured to be ejected by the syringe 12' during the full manual operation of the ejection actuator 88.

[0083] The predetermined ejection distance, however, is less than the maximum distance the syringe plunger 18' can move in the ejection direction ED when inserted in the syringe barrel 16', where such maximum distance may be defined by a longitudinal distance between a longitudinal position that is at and / or adjacent to the plunger receiving opening 76' of the syringe barrel 16' and the inner shoulder 74' of the syringe barrel 16'. The predetermined ejected volume of fluid ejected during a full manual operation of the ejected actuator 88 thus is less than a maximum volume of fluid the syringe 12' can hold therein. Accordingly, the device 14' and / or the system 10' is / are configured to permit the user to perform multiple full operations of the ejection actuator 88, where each full operation of the ejection actuator 88 is configured to incrementally translate the plunger driver 42' (and its connected syringe plunger 18') the same predetermined ejection distance so as to cause the same predetermined ejected volume of fluid to be ejected from the syringe 12'. In particular, each successive full operation of the ejection actuator 88 is configured to cause (1 ) the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 to engage or further engage a portion of the second contact bar 47 that is subsequent to and longitudinally spaced from a previously engaged portion of the second contact bar 47 by the predetermined ejection distance, and (2) the predetermined ejection volume of fluid to be ejected from the syringe 12'.

[0084] The predetermined ejection distance may, in at least some configurations, be configured to be in the range of about 2% to about 30% of the maximum distance the syringe plunger 18' can move in the ejection direction ED when inserted in the syringe barrel 16', though the predetermined ejection distance may be configured to be any desired / suitable distance. Furthermore, the predetermined ejection volume may, in at least some configurations, be configured to be about in the range of about 2% to about 25% of the maximum volume of fluid the syringe 12' can hold therein, though the predetermined ejection volume may be configured to be any desired / suitable volume. It is important to note, however, that the distance the syringe plunger 18' can be moved inthe ejection direction ED may be limited in some circumstances by the pressure in the syringe 12' and / or the longitudinal distance between the plunger head 78' of the syringe plunger 18' and the inner shoulder 74' of the syringe barrel 16'.

[0085] In addition to being fully manually operable, the ejection actuator 88 may also be partially manually operated via the user. A partial manual operation of the ejection actuator 88 may be defined by any manual movement of the driving member 90 toward the longitudinally facing surface 104 that is less than that of the full manual operation. In some partial operations, the manual force provided by the user translates the plunger driver 42' and connected syringe plunger 18' a partial longitudinal distance (i.e., a longitudinal distance that is less than that of the predetermined ejection distance) in the ejection direction ED, which in turn causes the causes a partial volume of fluid (i.e., a volume of fluid that is less than that of the predetermined ejection volume) to be ejected from the syringe 12'. In other partial operations, the manual force provided by the user to the ejection actuator 88 may only be enough to “urge” the plunger driver 42' to longitudinally translate, without any movement or significant movement of the plunger driver 42' occurring. In certain situations, such urging may still result in the generation of positive pressure in the syringe 12'.

[0086] The device 14' may be configured such that the predetermined ejection distance is equal or substantially equal to that of the predetermined aspiration distance, or may be configured such that the predetermined ejection distance is different than that of the predetermined aspiration distance.

[0087] The second contact bar 47 may include at least one engagement feature 80' for interfacing with the engagement member 92 of the ejection actuator 88. In the configuration shown in Figs. 7-18, for example, the engagement feature(s) 80' may include a plurality of teeth 82'. Each tooth 82' includes an engagement surface 84' substantially facing in the aspiration direction AD. For full operations and at least some partial operations of the ejection actuator 88, the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 engages or further engages the engagement surface 84' of a tooth 82' to longitudinally translate the plunger driver 42' or at least urge the plunger driver 42' to longitudinally translate in the same manner as described above. For example, each successive full operation of the ejection actuator 88 may be configured to cause (1 ) the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 to engage or further engage the engagement surface 84' of a tooth 82' that is subsequent to and longitudinally spaced from a previously engaged tooth 82' of the second contact bar 47 by the predeterminedejection distance, and (2) the predetermined ejection volume of fluid to be ejected from the syringe 12'. Similarly to that described above, at least the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 may flex when engaged to or further engaged to an engagement surface 84' so as to permit the driving of the plunger driver 14' in the ejection direction ED.

[0088] In certain configurations, such as the configuration shown in Figs. 7-18, the subsequent tooth 82' is directly longitudinally adjacent to the previously engaged tooth 82', with the predetermined ejection distance being defined by the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces 84' of the subsequent tooth 82' and the directly adjacent previously engaged tooth 82'. These configurations may be particularly useful in procedures that benefit from successive relatively small volume ejections. In other configurations, the subsequent tooth 82' may be longitudinally separated from the previously engaged tooth 82' by at least one intermediately positioned tooth 82', with the predetermined longitudinal distance being defined by the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces 84' of the subsequent and previously engaged teeth 82'. These other configurations may be particularly useful in procedures that benefit from successive relatively large volume ejections.

[0089] Instead of or in addition to the above, the engagement feature(s) of the second contact bar 47 may include an outer surface of the second contact bar 47 (whether it be smooth, flat, toothed, and / or textured) that the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 contacts to longitudinally translate or at least urge the longitudinal translation of the plunger driver 42'. Alternatively, the engagement feature(s) 80' may additionally or instead include the second contact bar 47 being at least partially formed from an elastically deformable material. In such configurations, the second end 92b of the engagement member 92 at least partially presses into and deforms the second contact bar 47 when translation or at least urging the translation of the plunger driver 42'. Fig. 19, for example, depicts an alternate configuration of the system 10' and device 14' of Figs. 7-18 where the outer surfaces of the first and second contact bars 46', 47 are smooth, the first and second contact bars 46', 47 are rounded (e.g., circular) in cross-section, and these outer surfaces may at least partially define the engagement features 80' of the first and second contact bars 46', 47. At least one of the first and second contact bars 46', 47 of Fig. 19 may optionally be formed from the elastically deformably material such that the engagement feature(s) 80' of at least one of the first and second contact bars 46', 47 is further defined by the deformability of the at least onefirst and second contact bar 46', 47. Although not explicitly shown, such a contact bar configuration may be implemented in at least some configurations of the device / system 14 / 10 of Figs. 1-6.

[0090] In some configurations of the system 10' of Figs. 7-18, after the aspiration actuator 56' and / or the ejection actuator 88 is utilized to translate the syringe plunger 18' to a new position (e.g., a position that is longitudinally spaced from a previous position by the predetermined or partial longitudinal distance in the aspiration or ejection direction AD, ED), the syringe plunger 18' may remain in this new position without the direct intervention of the user via the pressure in the syringe 12', the frictional forces acting between relatively moving parts of the syringe 12' and / or the device 14', and / or via at least one of the engagement members 60, 92. In other configurations of the system 10' of Figs. 7-18, at least the frictional forces in the device 14' and / or the syringe 12' may be configured such that a pressure equalization in the syringe 12' (e.g., an equalization with the target site when operatively connected to the target site) occurring after the operation of the aspiration and / or ejection actuators 56', 88 is permitted to cause the syringe plunger 18' to at least partially longitudinally move in the aspiration or ejection direction AD, ED. This pressure equalization movement may cause the syringe plunger 18' to return to a longitudinal position in which the plunger head 78' abuts and / or is adjacent to the inner shoulder 74' of the syringe barrel 16', to the previous position, or to a longitudinal position that is longitudinally between the inner shoulder 74' and the new position. In any case, the user, through direct manual intervention, may manually urge and / or translate the syringe plunger 18' to any desired longitudinal position during or after use of the device 14' via an application of force to the plunger driver 42' and / or the syringe plunger 18'.

[0091] It should be appreciated that the device 14' of Figs. 7-18 is configured so as to be manually operated by a single hand, leaving the other hand free to use other medical instruments (e.g., an ultrasound transducer) and / or manually move the syringe plunger 18' (e.g., via directly moving the syringe plunger 18') as desired. This manually or hand operated device 14' thus is free from any motors or other non-user power source for operating the aspiration and ejection actuators 56', 88 and / or driving the plunger driver / syringe plunger 42', 18' in the aspiration and ejection directions AD, ED. It should also be appreciated that the system 10' and device 14' of Figs. 7-18 may be particularly useful in barbotage procedures where user typically provides repetitive pulses of aspiration and ejection / injection to a target site.

[0092] Although the device 14' of Figs. 7-18 has been shown as having the aspiration actuator 56' and the ejection actor 88, the device 14' may be configured to include only one of the aspiration and ejection actuators 56', 88. Similarly, although the device 14 of Figs. 1-6 has been shown as having only the aspiration actuator 56, the device 14 may be configured to include the ejection actuator 88 in addition to or instead of the aspiration actuator 56.

[0093] As described above, the device 14 of Figs. 1 -6 may be configured so as to omit the handle portion 20b. In such a configuration, the device 14, similar to the device of Figs. 7-18, may only include the holder portion 20a, where such holder portion 20a also functions as the handle portion 20b. The body 20 of this alternative configuration of the device 14 may thus be a modified version of the body 20' of the device 14' of Figs. 7-18, or may have any other suitable body configuration. Similarly, an alternative configuration of the body 20' of the device 14' of Figs. 7-18 that includes the handle portion 20b may be a modified version of the body 20 of the device 14 of Figs. 1 -6, or may have any other suitable body configuration.

[0094] In summary, a person having ordinary skill in the art will understand that the present disclosure provides at least the below example aspects, whether they be alone or in combination with one another.

[0095] Example aspect 1 : a device for selectively manipulating a syringe, the syringe including a syringe barrel and a syringe plunger selectively received in the syringe barrel, the device comprising: a body configured to receive at least a portion of the syringe barrel; a plunger driver configured to be connected to the syringe plunger and comprising at least one contact bar; and an aspiration actuator manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in an aspiration direction via the at least one contact bar, the syringe plunger being configured to be incrementally translated in the aspiration direction via the incremental translation of the plunger driver in the aspiration direction, each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the aspiration direction being configured to cause fluid to be aspirated into the syringe.

[0096] Example aspect 2: the device of example aspect 1 , wherein the body includes a body recession in which at least a portion of the syringe barrel is configured to be received, the body having a body slot at and / or adjacent to an end of the body recession, the body slot being configured to receive a flange of the syringe barrel when the syringe body is received in the body recession.

[0097] Example aspect 3: the device of any of example aspects 1 -2, wherein the plunger driver comprises a driver body and the at least contact bar extending from the driver body, the driver body including a driver slot configured to receive a flange of the syringe plunger to connect the syringe plunger to the plunger driver.

[0098] Example aspect 4: the device of any of example aspects 1 -3, wherein the body has an aspiration actuator passage with an outlet opening located adjacent to the at least one contact bar, at least a portion of the aspiration actuator being movably received in the aspiration actuator passage such that an end of the aspiration actuator is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening, a manual operation of the aspiration actuator moving a portion of the aspiration actuator along the aspiration actuator passage relative to the body and the end of the aspiration actuator into engagement or further engagement with the at least one contact bar to at least urge the plunger driver to translate in the aspiration direction.

[0099] Example aspect 5: the device of example aspect 4, wherein the body comprises a holder portion having the body recession and the body slot, and a handle portion having the aspiration actuator passage, the handle portion including a first transverse surface on which a portion of the holder portion is received, the handle portion having a handle recession that extends transversely from the first transverse surface to a second transverse surface such that the second transverse surface is spaced transversely from the first transverse surface, at least a portion of the at least one contact bar being located in the recession in such a manner that the plunger driver is movable in the aspiration direction relative to the handle.

[0100] Example aspect 6: the device of any of example aspects 1 -5, wherein each full manual operation of the aspiration actuator is configured to incrementally translate syringe plunger a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction so as to cause a same predetermined volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe, and each partial manual operation of the aspiration actuator is configured to at least urge the syringe plunger to incrementally translate a partial longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction, translating the plunger driver the partial longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction causing a partial volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe, the partial longitudinal distance being less than the predetermined longitudinal distance, the partial volume being less than the predetermined volume.

[0101] Example aspect 7: the device of any of example aspects 1 -6, wherein the aspiration actuator is in the form of a spring-loaded pushbutton.

[0102] Example aspect 8: the device of any of example aspects 1 -7, wherein the at least one contact bar includes a plurality of teeth, each tooth includes an engagement surface substantially facing in a direction opposite to the aspiration direction, each successive full operation of the aspiration actuator causing a distal end of the aspiration actuator to engage or further engage the engagement surface of a tooth that is subsequent to a previously engaged tooth such that the plunger driver and connected syringe plunger are translated a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

[0103] Example aspect 9: the device of example aspect 8, wherein the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponds to the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces of the subsequent tooth and the previously engaged tooth, the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponding to a predetermined volume of fluid that is configured to be aspirated by the syringe during each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

[0104] Example aspect 10: the device of any of example aspects 8-9, wherein at least the distal end of the aspiration actuator is flexible such that the distal end is at least partially flexed or at least partially further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the teeth of the at least one contact bar, flexion of the distal end permitting the aspiration actuator to translate the plunger driver in the aspiration direction.

[0105] Example aspect 11 : the device of any of example aspects 1 -3, wherein the plunger driver comprises first and second contact bars, the aspiration actuator being manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in the aspiration direction via the first contact bar, the device further comprising: an ejection actuator manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in an ejection direction via the second contact bar, the ejection direction being opposite to the aspiration direction, the syringe plunger being configured to be incrementally translated in the ejection direction via the incremental translation plunger driver in the ejection direction, each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the ejection direction being configured to cause fluid to be ejected from the syringe.

[0106] Example aspect 12: the device of example aspect 11 , wherein the second contact bar includes a plurality of teeth, each tooth includes an engagement surface substantially facing in the aspiration direction, each successive full operation of the ejection actuator causing an end of the ejection actuator to engage or further engage the engagement surface of a tooth that is subsequent to a previously engaged toothsuch that the plunger driver and connected syringe plunger are translated a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the ejection direction each full operation of the ejection actuator.

[0107] Example aspect 13: the device of example aspect 12, wherein the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponds to the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces of the subsequent tooth and the previously engaged tooth, the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponding to a predetermined volume of fluid that is configured to be ejected by the syringe during each full operation of the ejection actuator.

[0108] Example aspect 14: the device of any of example aspects 1 -13, wherein at least the end of the ejection actuator is flexible such that the end is at least partially flexed or at least partially further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the teeth of the second contact bar, flexion of the end permitting the ejection actuator to translate the plunger driver in the ejection direction.

[0109] Example aspect 15: the device of any of example aspects 11-14, wherein the at least one contact bar includes a plurality of teeth, each tooth includes an engagement surface substantially facing in a direction opposite to the aspiration direction, each successive full operation of the aspiration actuator causing a distal end of the aspiration actuator to engage or further engage the engagement surface of a tooth that is subsequent to a previously engaged tooth such that the plunger driver and connected syringe plunger are translated a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

[0110] Example aspect 16: the device of example aspect 15, wherein the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponds to the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces of the subsequent tooth and the previously engaged tooth, the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponding to a predetermined volume of fluid that is configured to be aspirated by the syringe during each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

[0111] Example aspect 17: the device of any of example aspects 15-16, wherein at least the distal end of the aspiration actuator is flexible such that the distal end is at least partially flexed or at least partially further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the teeth of the at least one contact bar, flexion of the distal end permitting the aspiration actuator to translate the plunger driver in the aspiration direction.

[0112] Example aspect 18: the device of any of example aspects 11-17, wherein the body has an ejection actuator passage with an outlet opening located adjacent to the second contact bar, at least a portion of the ejection actuator being moveably received in the ejection actuator passage such that the end of the ejection actuator is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening, a manual operation of the ejection actuator moving a portion of the ejection actuator along the ejection actuator passage relative to the body, and the end of the ejection actuator into engagement or further engagement with the second contact bar to at least urge the plunger driver to translate in the ejection direction.

[0113] Example aspect 19: the device of any of example aspects 11-18, wherein the body has an aspiration actuator passage with an outlet opening located adjacent to the first contact bar, at least a portion of the aspiration actuator being moveably received in the aspiration actuator passage such that an end of the aspiration actuator is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening of the aspiration actuator passage, a manual operation of the aspiration actuator moving a portion of the aspiration actuator along the aspiration actuator passage relative to the body, and the end of the aspiration actuator into engagement or further engagement with the first contact bar to at least urge the plunger driver to translate in the aspiration direction.

[0114] Example aspect 20: the device of any of example aspects 11-19, wherein at least one of the aspiration actuator and the ejection actuator is in the form of a spring- loaded pushbutton.

[0115] Example aspect 21 : the device of any of example aspects 11-20, wherein the body has first and second bar passages, the first and second contact bars being located in the first and second bar passages, respectively, in such a manner that the plunger driver is movable in the aspiration and ejection directions relative to the body.

[0116] Example aspect 22: the device of any of example aspects 11-21 , wherein the ejection actuator is configured so as to not hinder or significantly hinder the movement of the plunger driver in the aspiration direction when the aspiration actuator is manually operated, and wherein aspiration actuator is configured so as to not hinder or significantly hinder the movement of the plunger driver in the ejection direction when the ejection actuator is manually operated

[0117] Example aspect 23: a system comprising: the device of any of example aspects 1 -22 and the syringe.

[0118] Example aspect 24: a device for selectively manipulating a syringe, the syringe including a syringe barrel and a syringe plunger selectively received in the syringe barrel, the device comprising: a body configured to receive at least a portion of the syringe barrel; a plunger driver configured to be connected to the syringe plunger and comprising at least one contact bar; and at least one actuator operable to engage or further engage the at least one contact bar so as to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in a longitudinal direction, the at least one actuator having a flexible end that flexes or flexes further when brought into engagement or further engagement with the at least one contact bar, flexion of the flexible end permitting the at least one actuator to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in the longitudinal direction; wherein the syringe plunger being configured to be incrementally translated in the aspiration direction via an incrementally translating plunger driver, each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the longitudinal direction being configured to cause fluid to be aspirated into and / or ejected from the syringe.

[0119] Example aspect 25: the device of example aspect 24, wherein the body includes a body recession in which at least a portion of the syringe barrel is configured to be received, the body having a body slot at and / or adjacent to an end of the body recession, the body slot being configured to receive a flange of the syringe barrel when the syringe body is received in the body recession.

[0120] Example aspect 26: the device of any of example aspects 24-25, wherein the plunger driver comprises a driver body and the at least contact bar extending from the driver body, the driver body including a driver slot configured to receive a flange of the syringe plunger to connect the syringe plunger to the plunger driver.

[0121] Example aspect 27: the device of any of example aspects 24-26, wherein the actuator comprises an aspiration actuator manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in an aspiration direction via the at least one contact bar, the syringe plunger being configured to be incrementally translated in the aspiration direction via the incremental translation of the plunger driver in the aspiration direction, each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the aspiration direction being configured to cause fluid to be aspirated into the syringe.

[0122] Example aspect 28: the device of example aspect 27, wherein the body has an aspiration actuator passage with an outlet opening located adjacent to the at least one contact bar, at least a portion of the aspiration actuator being movably received in the aspiration actuator passage such that an end of the aspiration actuator is located atand / or adjacent to the outlet opening, a manual operation of the aspiration actuator moving a portion of the aspiration actuator along the aspiration actuator passage relative to the body and the end of the aspiration actuator into engagement or further engagement with the at least one contact bar to at least urge the plunger driver to translate in the aspiration direction.

[0123] Example aspect 29: the device of example aspect 28, wherein the body comprises a holder portion having the body recession and the body slot, and a handle portion having the aspiration actuator passage, the handle portion including a first transverse surface on which a portion of the holder portion is received, the handle portion having a handle recession that extends transversely from the first transverse surface to a second transverse surface such that the second transverse surface is spaced transversely from the first transverse surface, at least a portion of the at least one contact bar being located in the recession in such a manner that the plunger driver is movable in the aspiration direction relative to the handle.

[0124] Example aspect 30: the device of any of example aspects 27-29, wherein each full manual operation of the aspiration actuator is configured to incrementally translate syringe plunger a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction so as to cause a same predetermined volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe, and each partial manual operation of the aspiration actuator is configured to at least urge the syringe plunger to incrementally translate a partial longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction, translating the plunger driver the partial longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction causing a partial volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe, the partial longitudinal distance being less than the predetermined longitudinal distance, the partial volume being less than the predetermined volume.

[0125] Example aspect 31 : the device of any of example aspects 24-30, wherein the actuator is in the form of a spring-loaded pushbutton.

[0126] Example aspect 32: the device of any of example aspects 27-31 , wherein the at least one contact bar includes a plurality of teeth, each tooth includes an engagement surface substantially facing in a direction opposite to the aspiration direction, each successive full operation of the aspiration actuator causing a distal end of the aspiration actuator to engage or further engage the engagement surface of a tooth that is subsequent to a previously engaged tooth such that the plunger driver and connected syringe plunger are translated a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

[0127] Example aspect 33: the device of example aspect 32, wherein the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponds to the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces of the subsequent tooth and the previously engaged tooth, the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponding to a predetermined volume of fluid that is configured to be aspirated by the syringe during each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

[0128] Example aspect 34: the device of any of example aspects 31-32, wherein at least the distal end of the aspiration actuator is flexible such that the distal end is at least partially flexed or at least partially further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the teeth of the at least one contact bar, flexion of the distal end permitting the aspiration actuator to translate the plunger driver in the aspiration direction.

[0129] Example aspect 35: the device of any of example aspects 24-26, wherein the plunger driver comprises first and second contact bars, the actuator comprising: an aspiration actuator manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in an aspiration direction via the first contact bar, the syringe plunger being configured to be incrementally translated in the aspiration direction via the incremental translation of the plunger driver in the aspiration direction, each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the aspiration direction being configured to cause fluid to be aspirated into the syringe; and an ejection actuator manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in an ejection direction via the second contact bar, the ejection direction being opposite to the aspiration direction, the syringe plunger being configured to be incrementally translated in the ejection direction via the incremental translation plunger driver in the ejection direction, each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the ejection direction being configured to cause fluid to be ejected from the syringe.

[0130] Example aspect 36: the device of example aspect 35, wherein the second contact bar includes a plurality of teeth, each tooth includes an engagement surface substantially facing in the aspiration direction, each successive full operation of the ejection actuator causing an end of the ejection actuator to engage or further engage the engagement surface of a tooth that is subsequent to a previously engaged tooth such that the plunger driver and connected syringe plunger are translated a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the ejection direction each full operation of the ejection actuator.

[0131] Example aspect 37: the device of example aspect 36, wherein the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponds to the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces of the subsequent tooth and the previously engaged tooth, the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponding to a predetermined volume of fluid that is configured to be ejected by the syringe during each full operation of the ejection actuator.

[0132] Example aspect 38: the device of any of example aspects 36-37, wherein at least the end of the ejection actuator is flexible such that the end is at least partially flexed or at least partially further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the teeth of the second contact bar, flexion of the end permitting the ejection actuator to translate the plunger driver in the ejection direction.

[0133] Example aspect 39: the device of any of example aspects 35-38, wherein the at least one contact bar includes a plurality of teeth, each tooth includes an engagement surface substantially facing in a direction opposite to the aspiration direction, each successive full operation of the aspiration actuator causing a distal end of the aspiration actuator to engage or further engage the engagement surface of a tooth that is subsequent to a previously engaged tooth such that the plunger driver and connected syringe plunger are translated a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

[0134] Example aspect 40: the device of example aspect 39, wherein the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponds to the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces of the subsequent tooth and the previously engaged tooth, the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponding to a predetermined volume of fluid that is configured to be aspirated by the syringe during each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

[0135] Example aspect 41 : the device of any of example aspects 39-40, wherein at least the distal end of the aspiration actuator is flexible such that the distal end is at least partially flexed or at least partially further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the teeth of the at least one contact bar, flexion of the distal end permitting the aspiration actuator to translate the plunger driver in the aspiration direction.

[0136] Example aspect 42: the device of any of example aspects 35-41 , wherein the body has an ejection actuator passage with an outlet opening located adjacent to the second contact bar, at least a portion of the ejection actuator being moveably receivedin the ejection actuator passage such that the end of the ejection actuator is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening, a manual operation of the ejection actuator moving a portion of the ejection actuator along the ejection actuator passage relative to the body, and the end of the ejection actuator into engagement or further engagement with the second contact bar to at least urge the plunger driver to translate in the ejection direction.

[0137] Example aspect 43: the device of any of example aspects 35-41 , wherein the body has an aspiration actuator passage with an outlet opening located adjacent to the first contact bar, at least a portion of the aspiration actuator being moveably received in the aspiration actuator passage such that an end of the aspiration actuator is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening of the aspiration actuator passage, a manual operation of the aspiration actuator moving a portion of the aspiration actuator along the aspiration actuator passage relative to the body, and the end of the aspiration actuator into engagement or further engagement with the first contact bar to at least urge the plunger driver to translate in the aspiration direction.

[0138] Example aspect 44: the device of any of example aspects 35-43, wherein at least one of the aspiration actuator and the ejection actuator is in the form of a spring- loaded pushbutton.

[0139] Example aspect 45: the device of any of example aspects 35-44, wherein the body has first and second bar passages, the first and second contact bars being located in the first and second bar passages, respectively, in such a manner that the plunger driver is movable in the aspiration and ejection directions relative to the body.

[0140] Example aspect 46: the device of any of example aspects 35-45, wherein the ejection actuator is configured so as to not hinder or significantly hinder the movement of the plunger driver in the aspiration direction when the aspiration actuator is manually operated, and wherein aspiration actuator is configured so as to not hinder or significantly hinder the movement of the plunger driver in the ejection direction when the ejection actuator is manually operated

[0141] Example aspect 47: a system comprising: the device of any of example aspects 24-46 and the syringe.

[0142] While aspects of this disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the example aspects above, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various additional aspects may be contemplated. For example, thespecific methods described above for using the apparatus are merely illustrative; one of ordinary skill in the art could readily determine any number of tools, sequences of steps, or other means / options for placing the above-described apparatus, or components thereof, into positions substantively similar to those shown and described herein. In an effort to maintain clarity in the Figures, certain ones of duplicative components shown have not been specifically numbered, but one of ordinary skill in the art will realize, based upon the components that were numbered, the element numbers which should be associated with the unnumbered components; no differentiation between similar components is intended or implied solely by the presence or absence of an element number in the Figures. Therefore, the description and Figures make apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art how some embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced. The Figures are for the purpose of illustrative discussion and may not show structural details of an embodiment in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the teachings of the present disclosure. Nor are the figures necessarily shown to scale. Any of the described structures and components could be integrally formed as a single unitary or monolithic piece or made up of separate sub-components, with either of these formations involving any suitable stock or bespoke components and / or any suitable material or combinations of materials. Any of the described structures and components could be disposable or reusable as desired for a particular use environment. Any component could be provided with a user-perceptible marking to indicate a material, configuration, at least one dimension, or the like pertaining to that component, the user-perceptible marking potentially aiding a user in selecting one component from an array of similar components for a particular use environment. A “predetermined” status may be determined at any time before the structures being manipulated actually reach that status, the “predetermination” being made as late as immediately before the structure achieves the predetermined status. The term “substantially” is used herein to indicate a quality that is largely, but not necessarily wholly, that which is specified-a “substantial” quality admits of the potential for some relatively minor inclusion of a non-quality item. Though certain components described herein are shown as having specific geometric shapes, all structures of this disclosure may have any suitable shapes, sizes, configurations, relative relationships, cross-sectional areas, or any other physical characteristics as desirable for a particular application. Any structures or features described with reference to one aspect or configuration could be provided, singly or in combination with other structures or features, to any other aspect or configuration, as it would be impractical to describeeach of the aspects and configurations discussed herein as having all of the options discussed with respect to all of the other aspects and configurations. A device or method incorporating any of these features should be understood to fall under the scope of this disclosure as determined based upon the claims below and any equivalents thereof.

[0143] Other aspects, objects, and advantages may be obtained from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

Claims

We claim:1 . A device for selectively manipulating a syringe, the syringe including a syringe barrel and a syringe plunger selectively received in the syringe barrel, the device comprising: a body configured to receive at least a portion of the syringe barrel; a plunger driver configured to be connected to the syringe plunger and comprising at least one contact bar; and an aspiration actuator manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in an aspiration direction via the at least one contact bar, the syringe plunger being configured to be incrementally translated in the aspiration direction via the incremental translation of the plunger driver in the aspiration direction, each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the aspiration direction being configured to cause fluid to be aspirated into the syringe.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the body includes a body recession in which at least a portion of the syringe barrel is configured to be received, the body having a body slot at and / or adjacent to an end of the body recession, the body slot being configured to receive a flange of the syringe barrel when the syringe body is received in the body recession.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plunger driver comprises a driver body and the at least contact bar extending from the driver body, the driver body including a driver slot configured to receive a flange of the syringe plunger to connect the syringe plunger to the plunger driver.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the body has an aspiration actuator passage with an outlet opening located adjacent to the at least one contact bar, at least a portion of the aspiration actuator being movably received in the aspiration actuator passage such that an end of the aspiration actuator is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening, a manual operation of the aspiration actuator moving a portion of the aspiration actuator along the aspiration actuator passage relative to the body and the end of the aspiration actuator into engagement or further engagement with the at least one contact bar to at least urge the plunger driver to translate in the aspiration direction.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein each full manual operation of the aspiration actuator is configured to incrementally translate syringe plunger a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction so as to cause a same predetermined volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe, and each partial manual operation of the aspiration actuator is configured to at least urge the syringe plunger to incrementally translate a partial longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction, translating the plunger driver the partial longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction causing a partial volume of fluid to be aspirated into the syringe, the partial longitudinal distance being less than the predetermined longitudinal distance, the partial volume being less than the predetermined volume.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the aspiration actuator is in the form of a spring-loaded pushbutton.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one contact bar includes a plurality of teeth, each tooth includes an engagement surface substantially facing in a direction opposite to the aspiration direction, each successive full operation of the aspiration actuator causing a distal end of the aspiration actuator to engage or further engage the engagement surface of a tooth that is subsequent to a previously engaged tooth such that the plunger driver and connected syringe plunger are translated a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the aspiration direction each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponds to the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces of the subsequent tooth and the previously engaged tooth, the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponding to a predetermined volume of fluid that is configured to be aspirated by the syringe during each full operation of the aspiration actuator.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein at least the distal end of the aspiration actuator is flexible such that the distal end is at least partially flexed or at least partially further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the teeth of the at least one contact bar, flexion of the distal end permitting the aspiration actuator to translate the plunger driver in the aspiration direction.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plunger driver comprises first and second contact bars, the aspiration actuator being manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in the aspiration direction via the first contact bar, the device further comprising: an ejection actuator manually operable to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in an ejection direction via the second contact bar, the ejection direction being opposite to the aspiration direction, the syringe plunger being configured to be incrementally translated in the ejection direction via the incremental translation plunger driver in the ejection direction, each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the ejection direction being configured to cause fluid to be ejected from the syringe.11 . The device of claim 10, wherein the second contact bar includes a plurality of teeth, each tooth includes an engagement surface substantially facing in the aspiration direction, each successive full operation of the ejection actuator causing an end of the ejection actuator to engage or further engage the engagement surface of a tooth that is subsequent to a previously engaged tooth such that the plunger driver and connected syringe plunger are translated a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the ejection direction each full operation of the ejection actuator.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponds to the longitudinal distance between the engagement surfaces of the subsequent tooth and the previously engaged tooth, the same predetermined longitudinal distance directly corresponding to a predetermined volume of fluid that is configured to be ejected by the syringe during each full operation of the ejection actuator.

13. The device of claim 11 , wherein at least the end of the ejection actuator is flexible such that the end is at least partially flexed or at least partially further flexed when engaged to or further engaged to the teeth of the second contact bar, flexion of the end permitting the ejection actuator to translate the plunger driver in the ejection direction.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the body has an ejection actuator passage with an outlet opening located adjacent to the second contact bar, at least a portion ofthe ejection actuator being moveably received in the ejection actuator passage such that the end of the ejection actuator is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening, a manual operation of the ejection actuator moving a portion of the ejection actuator along the ejection actuator passage relative to the body, and the end of the ejection actuator into engagement or further engagement with the second contact bar to at least urge the plunger driver to translate in the ejection direction.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the body has an aspiration actuator passage with an outlet opening located adjacent to the first contact bar, at least a portion of the aspiration actuator being moveably received in the aspiration actuator passage such that an end of the aspiration actuator is located at and / or adjacent to the outlet opening of the aspiration actuator passage, a manual operation of the aspiration actuator moving a portion of the aspiration actuator along the aspiration actuator passage relative to the body, and the end of the aspiration actuator into engagement or further engagement with the first contact bar to at least urge the plunger driver to translate in the aspiration direction.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the aspiration actuator and the ejection actuator is in the form of a spring-loaded pushbutton.

17. The device of claim 10, wherein the body has first and second bar passages, the first and second contact bars being located in the first and second bar passages, respectively, in such a manner that the plunger driver is movable in the aspiration and ejection directions relative to the body.

18. The device of claim 10, wherein each full manual operation of the ejection actuator is configured to incrementally translate syringe plunger a same predetermined longitudinal distance in the ejection direction so as to cause a same predetermined volume of fluid to be ejected from the syringe, and each partial manual operation of the ejection actuator is configured to at least urge the syringe plunger to incrementally translate a partial longitudinal distance in the ejection direction, translating the plunger driver the partial longitudinal distance in the ejection direction causing a partial volume of fluid to be ejection from the syringe, the partial longitudinal distance being less than the predetermined longitudinal distance, the partial volume being less than the predetermined volume.

19. A system, comprising: the device of claim 1 ; and the syringe.

20. A device for selectively manipulating a syringe, the syringe including a syringe barrel and a syringe plunger selectively received in the syringe barrel, the device comprising: a body configured to receive at least a portion of the syringe barrel; a plunger driver configured to be connected to the syringe plunger and comprising at least one contact bar; and at least one actuator operable to engage or further engage the at least one contact bar so as to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in a longitudinal direction, the at least one actuator having a flexible end that flexes or flexes further when brought into engagement or further engagement with the at least one contact bar, flexion of the flexible end permitting the at least one actuator to at least urge the plunger driver to incrementally translate in the longitudinal direction; wherein the syringe plunger being configured to be incrementally translated in the aspiration direction via an incrementally translating plunger driver, each incremental translation of the syringe plunger in the longitudinal direction being configured to cause fluid to be aspirated into and / or ejected from the syringe.

Images