TECHNICAL FIELD

The presently disclosed subject matter relates to a system and method for mixing and delivering a solution, such as buffered anesthetics.

BACKGROUND

Local anesthetics have been used for decades to decrease and/or eliminate the perception of pain to a patient. Local anesthetics function by blocking an ion channel upstream of a particular triggered nerve to impede all signals (e.g., pain) to the patient's brain. Local anesthetics are typically acidified to a pH of about 3.5 to 4.5 to increase stability, resulting in a longer shelf life. Once administered, the body of the patient must buffer the local anesthetic to a pH of 7.4 (the pH of the body) before the full effectiveness or numbness of the local anesthetic is achieved, which can take up to 20 minutes. Further, administering an acidic local anesthetic into human tissues creates a painful or burning sensation. Changing the pH of a local anesthetic to more closely mimic the pH of human tissue has been found to significantly decrease injection-associated pain. However, current methods of buffering local anesthetics are wasteful, time consuming, and expensive. Further, current methods are non-standardized, leaving room for human error. Particularly, physicians typically mix sodium carbonate (pH 8.4) with a desired local anesthetic at a ratio of 9:1 anesthetic to sodium bicarbonate by drawing a desired amount from larger vials of solution. Such a method is unmeasured and non-standardized. In addition, each large vial of buffered anesthetic solution is intended for a single patient, and is discarded after use. The physician will therefore discard the wasted solution or continue to use the vials on future patients, risking cross contamination. It would therefore be beneficial to provide a system and method that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a device for mixing and delivering a solution. Particularly, the device includes a tubular barrel that includes a first end, a second end, and interior compartment. A first plunger is positionable at the first end of the barrel, is moveable within the interior compartment of the barrel, and includes a spike protruding into the interior compartment, the spike having an end configured for piercing a membrane. A second plunger is positionable within the barrel, is also moveable within the interior compartment of the barrel, and has a pierceable membrane. The second plunger and the second end form a first area within the barrel for housing a first solution to be mixed and the first and second plungers form a second area within the barrel for housing a second solution to be mixed. The first and second plungers are slidably arranged within the interior area of the tubular barrel such that moving the first plunger toward the second plunger causes the spike to pierce the pierceable membrane and push the second solution through the pierced membrane to mix with the first solution in the first area.

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to method of mixing and delivering a solution. First and second solutions to be mixed are housed within a tubular barrel having a first end, a second end, and interior compartment. A first plunger is moved within the barrel from a first end of the barrel toward a second plunger positioned within the barrel, wherein the second plunger and the second end form a first area within the barrel for housing the first solution and the first and second plungers form a second area within the barrel for housing a second solution to be mixed. Contact by the first plunger against the second plunger is caused, wherein the contact causes a spike on the first plunger to pierce a membrane on the second plunger and push the second solution through the pierced membrane to mix with the first solution in the first area; and moving the first and second plungers together within the barrel into the first area.

In some embodiments, the first solution is a local anesthetic solution. In some embodiments, the local anesthetic solution is selected from one or more of articaine, bupivacaine, carticaine, cinchocaine/dibucaine, etidocaine, levobupivacaine, lidocaine/lignocaine, mepivacaine, piperocaine, prilocaine, ropivacaine, trimecaine, procaine/benzocaine, chloroprocaine, cyclomethycaine, dimethocaine/larocaine, propoxycaine, procaine/novocaine, proparacaine, tetracaine/amethocaine, lidocaine/prilocaine, saxitoxin, tetrodotoxin, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

In some embodiments, the second solution is a buffer. In some embodiments, the buffer is selected from one or more of sodium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, calcium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, and magnesium carbonate.

In some embodiments, the plunger comprises a main body with an exterior cross-sectional circumference that is approximately equal to the interior cross-sectional circumference of the barrel.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the barrel is transparent.In some embodiments, the main body of the plunger comprises one or more sealing ribs.In some embodiments, the container membrane is frangible. In some embodiments, the container membrane comprises one or more weakened areas comprising perforations, thinner material, or both.

