BFS Vial Dispensing Aid with Lockable Disablement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users with larger fingers, low grip strength, or mobility issues face difficulties in dispensing the contents of small Blow-Fill-Seal (BFS) vials due to their small geometry, and there is a need for customizable dosing and prevention of re-use to minimize infection risk.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable accessory device with a larger, slip-resistant surface area for gripping and a lockable mechanism that aids in dispensing and disables the BFS vial after use by preventing reformation or re-use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If BFS vials are made small to reduce cost and improve sterility, then manufacturing cost and sterile single-dose capability are improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in gripping and dispensing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (grip aid or adapter) that mediates between the user's hand and the small BFS vial. This intermediary provides a larger gripping surface area, allowing users with limited grip strength to easily hold and manipulate the small vial without compromising the vial's small size or sterile single-dose design
2Ease of manufacture
If BFS vials are made small to reduce cost, then manufacturing cost is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in dispensing contents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (grip aid or adapter) that mediates between the user's hand and the small BFS vial. This intermediary provides a larger gripping surface area, allowing users with limited grip strength to easily hold and manipulate the small vial without compromising the vial's small size or sterile single-dose design
3Reliability
If single-dose BFS system is used to minimize infection risk, then safety is improved, but adaptability deteriorates when dose adjustment is needed for different patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single-dose BFS vial contents into multiple smaller doses using a dosing device with multiple chambers or compartments. Each chamber can be filled with a portion of the original vial's contents, allowing individual dose adjustment for different patients while maintaining the sterile single-dose source and preventing contamination of the remaining medication
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for disabling Blow-Fill-Seal (BFS) vials such as pre-filled vials containing a vaccine or other medicament via utilization of an assistive dispensing device to selectively compress the fluid reservoir of the BFS vial. The assistive dispensing device can aid in applying compressive force to assist in dispensing the liquid from the vial, and may also be utilized to lock in a mated position so that the BFS vial may not be reused and/or is otherwise readily identifiable as having already been administered.