Ophthalmic injector
An ophthalmic injector having a nose cone with a heating chamber, a heater assembly, and a needle that provide improved drug delivery.
1 . An ophthalmic injector, comprising:
a nose cone having a heating chamber;
a dosage form in a solid state disposed in said heating chamber;
a needle fluidly coupled to said heating chamber;
a plunger assembly having a rod at least partially disposed in said heating chamber; and
and a heater assembly disposed on said nose cone;
whereby said heater assembly heats said nose cone and said heating chamber to cause said dosage form to change from a solid state to a liquid state, and said nose cone transfers sufficient heat to said needle to prevent said dosage form in said liquid state from re-solidifying within said needle.
2 . The ophthalmic injector of claim 1 wherein said heater assembly does not actively heat said needle.
3 . An injector for an eye, said eye having a pars plana, a vitreous, and a retina, comprising:
a heating chamber;
a dosage form in a solid state disposed in said heating chamber;
a needle fluidly coupled to said heating chamber, said needle having a length and a diameter enabling insertion into said vitreous at points other than said pars plana;
a plunger assembly having a rod at least partially disposed in said heating chamber; and
a heater assembly for heating said heating chamber to cause said dosage form to change from a solid state to a liquid state to enable said rod to inject said dosage form through said needle.
4 . The injector of claim 3 wherein said needle has a gauge of 23 or higher.
5 . The injector of claim 4 wherein said needle has a gauge of 23 to 25.
6 . The injector of claim 3 wherein said needle has a length of about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm.
7 . The injector of claim 5 wherein said needle has a length of about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm.
8 . The injector of claim 3 wherein said needle enables insertion through said retina into said vitreous.
9 . The injector of claim 8 wherein said needle enables insertion through said retina into said vitreous without detachment of said retina.
10 . The injector of claim 3 wherein said needle is self-sealing.