POWDER DELIVERY DEVICE
Provided is a device for the dispensing of powders of the type in which a generated gas flow entrains the powder to be dispensed and carries the powder from the device via a barrel. The barrel has a bore including a main portion with a continuous internal surface, and is characterized in that the length of the main portion is at least fifteen times its maximum internal diameter; and/or the internal bore of the main portion is tapered; and/or the barrel has an outwardly flared outlet portion.
1 . A device for the dispensing of a haemostatic composition in dry powder form comprising:
a barrel comprising:
a bore including a main portion with a continuous internal surface through which a generated gas flow entrains the powder to be dispensed, and
an outwardly flared outlet portion having an internal diameter and an external diameter,
wherein:
a length of the main portion is at least fifteen times a maximum internal diameter of the bore;
the internal diameter and external diameter of the outlet portion increases from an upstream end to a downstream end of the outlet portion;
the maximum internal diameter of the main portion is from 1 mm to 6 mm; and
the device is charged with a quantity of the haemostatic composition in dry powder form for delivery to internal tissue exposed during surgical procedures or after traumatic injury.
2 . A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the internal bore of the main portion is tapered.
3 . A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the barrel is rigid.
4 . A device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the length of the main portion of the barrel is at least eighteen times or at least twenty times the maximum internal diameter of the bore.
5 . A device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the length of the main portion is between about 30 mm and 100 mm.
6 . A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the barrel is flexible.
7 . A device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the main portion of the barrel has a length of between 50 mm and 300 mm.
8 . A device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the internal diameter of the barrel is between 1 mm and 5 mm.
9 . A device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the main portion of the barrel comprises a plastic tube.
10 . A device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the barrel incorporates one or more malleable elongate members.
11 . A device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the elongate malleable members are wires or rods.
12 . A device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the wires or rods are embedded in the plastic material from which the barrel is formed.
13 . A device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the one or more elongate malleable members are one or more copper or copper-coated steel wires.
14 . A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the internal diameter of the main portion decreases from an upstream end to a downstream end of the main portion.
15 . A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the internal diameter of the main portion increases from an upstream end to a downstream end of the main portion.
16 . A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the internal diameter of the main portion increases from an upstream end to a downstream end of the main portion or decreases from the upstream end to the downstream end of the main portion at a taper angle of 0.5° to 3°.
17 . A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the outlet portion has a length of between 5 mm and 25 mm.
18 . A device as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the internal diameter of the outlet portion increases from the upstream end to the downstream end by a factor of two or more.
19 . A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the barrel is provided with a mounting that enables an orientation relative to the main portion of the device of which it forms part to be varied.
20 . A device as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the mounting is a ball-and-socket connector.