CN1169666A - A Portable Device for Instant Analysis of Body Fluids - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable device for the instantaneous analysis of body fluids in a body cavity, comprising a shaft (2) for insertion into said body cavity (1) and slidably mounted in the shaft, the shaft comprising a handle (21) extending from one end of said shaft and a body fluid sampling member (3) at the other end. The rod (2) can assume two positions with respect to the tube (1), namely a retracted position (fig. 1) and an extended position (fig. 2). At the other end of the rod there are two arms (22, 23) which can be opened at an angle, the free ends (22a, 23a) of which carry a body fluid sampling member (3). The arms (22, 23) are mounted relative to the tube (1) such that in the retracted state (fig. 1) the sampling members (3) of the arms are brought together and remain at the end (1a) side of the tube and in the extended state (fig. 2) the sampling members are deployed outside the end (1a) of the tube (1).

Description

A Portable Device for Instant Analysis of Body Fluids

The present invention relates to the immediate analysis of body fluids in body cavities by means of a possibly dedicated portable device. By way of non-limiting example, for example, the present invention may relate to the immediate analysis of cervical mucus in a woman's vaginal cervix.

The object of the present invention is to propose a possibly dedicated portable device, which is particularly easy to use and which prevents any contact of the body cavity, especially its mucous membrane, with the analytical reagents.

In this regard, there is currently known a device comprising a tube for insertion into a body cavity and a rod slidable in the tube. The end of the rod itself serves as a handle and protrudes from one end of the tube; the other end of the rod houses the body fluid sampling device. The rod can have at least two states relative to the tube, namely a retracted state and an extended state.

The purpose of the present invention is to further achieve the purpose of enabling the portable device to simultaneously sample body fluid and measure the viscosity of the body fluid sample.

According to the present invention, at the other end of the rod, that is, the end opposite to the handle end, there are two divisible arms, and the free end of each arm is equipped with a body fluid collection device. The two arms are mounted relative to the tube in such a way that in the retracted state of the rod, the sampling devices of the two arms are close together and located on the side of the end of the tube; in the extended state of the rod, these sampling devices are at the end of the tube Open outside.

The function of this device is as follows:

- inserting the device into the body cavity with the rod retracted relative to the tube until the end of the tube comes into contact with the wall of the aforementioned body cavity, such as the cervical mucosa;

- by pushing the end of the device (at this end, the sampling device protrudes outwards), causing the sampling device to rub against the wall of the body cavity, thereby collecting and retaining some body fluids, such as cervical mucus, on the aforementioned sampling device;

- Then, withdraw the device from the body cavity;

- outside the body, moving the rod gradually and slowly relative to the tube from a retracted to an extended state, thereby elongating the body fluid without breaking it, becoming two arms straddling the rod, especially two sampling devices filaments between

- Finally, depending on the different viscosities of the body fluid, at a certain position of the rod relative to the tube, the above-mentioned filament breaks; the observation of this position constitutes a determination of the viscosity of the body fluid analyzed.

The present invention is described below with reference to accompanying drawing, wherein:

- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the device in a retracted state;

- Figure 2 is a view of the device shown in Figure 1 in an unfolded state;

- Figure 3 is a supplementary embodiment of the invention, constituted by an additional analysis component;

- Figure 4 depicts in the same figure two other embodiments of the invention, the right half being the second embodiment of the invention and the left half being the third embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 5 partially shows a fourth embodiment of the invention, the rod and its two arms shown in the retracted state in the left half of the figure, and partially extended in the right half of the figure.

According to the invention, the device can be realized in any suitable material, especially biocompatible plastic. Briefly, the device consists of a tube 1 which ends in a rounded general shape and has a shoulder at its proximal end (closer to the end of the handle). The tube is shaped and sized for insertion into a body cavity, such as a woman's vagina.

The rod 2 is slidably installed in the tube 1, and has a handle 21 on the side close to the proximal end 1c of the tube 1, and stretches out from the side close to the end 1a of the tube 1. Two arms 22 and 23 can be forked, the latter Inherently elastic, allowing it to return from a closed to an expanded state. The free end of each arm 22 or 23 has a bodily fluid collection member 3 in the form of fibers or hairs. The rod 2 has a series of snap-in grooves 2c at the other end opposite the arms 22, 23, while inside the inner diameter of the tube 1, as an integral part of the tube 1, there is a stop 16, so that the rod 2 can be positioned relative to the tube 1. fixed.

The tube 1 may be covered by a temporary protection device (not shown in the figure), such as a housing that at least partially surrounds or wraps the tube 1 and the body fluid sampling device in a sealed manner. Such a housing may have or be associated with an appendage, such as a pull ring, to pull the housing apart for exposing the tube 1 and, after insertion of the tube 1 into the body cavity, the sampling part 3 of the device.

The rod 2 can have two states relative to the tube 1, one is the retracted state as shown in Figure 1, the sampling parts 3 of the arms 22 and 23 are close to each other, and are exposed from the end of the tube 1; In the unfolded state shown in FIG. 2 , the arms 22 and 23 are spread out of the tube 1 at the end of the tube.

According to the invention, the device is equipped with a measuring device 4, in particular a reading device for measuring the displacement of the rod 2 relative to the tube 1. This reading device 4 comprises a marking line 24 inscribed or located on the rod 2, and a reading window 1b provided on the tube 1, more precisely at its proximal end 1c.

An additional analysis unit 5 shown in FIG. 3 is for analyzing the composition of the body fluid, eg enzymes in cervical mucus, or its chemical, biological or biochemical environment, eg pH value. This part is adapted to be mounted in contact with the two arms 22 and 23 of the rod 2 or the sampling part 3 of one of them. The additional analysis unit comprises a housing 6, in particular a housing of transparent material, and some reactants 7 distributed inside the housing 6, such as dyed redox reagents. These agents may react with at least one component of the body fluid in a visible or perceptible manner to the user, or under the conditions of the body fluid being studied. The shape and size of the housing 6 are suitable for bringing the sampling component 3 into contact with the reactant 7 inside the housing. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, its shell is hollow spherical.

In order to be able to actuate the additional part 5 relative to the arms 22 , 23 of the rod 2 , the housing 6 has a number of actuating bosses 8 on its exterior.

The interior of the shell 6 has several partitions 61 to 64, which isolate several different reaction zones from 71 to 75, where different reaction reagents, especially dyeing reagents, are placed.

The device shown in Figure 4 is different from the device described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2 in that it is embodied in the following features:

- the arms 22 and 23 are mounted relative to the tube 1 such that, in the retracted state shown in FIG. 4 , the sampling means 3 are arranged opposite each other inside the tube 1 , which is extended by the head 10 described below;

- the tube 1 has an end or a head 10 to accommodate the arms 22 and 23 in the closed and retracted state; the head has an opening 11 through which the arms 22 and 23 pass in the closed state shown in Figure 4 and the opening The closing part 12 of 11, when the rod 2 is in the retracted state, the closing part covers the opening; when the rod 2 moves to the outside of the end of the tube 1, for example, when it is turned into an expanded state, the closing part is opened to allow the closed arms to pass through;

- The closing member 12 includes two valves 131 and 132, which are installed in the opening 11 of the head 10, can shrink, and can elastically return to the closed state in the opening; the two opposite valves 131 and 132 can face in opposite directions contraction, and can be reset in opposite directions by reset device 14 again. Shown in the right half of Fig. 4, reset device 14 is made of a sheet, and this sheet forms a spring, and strictly speaking is connected with valve 131 or valve 132 as a whole, leans against the inner wall of head 10, and is placed in suitable position, Its end remains free in a way that can slide on the rod 2; as shown in the left half of Fig. 4, the valve 131 or 132 can be moved under the guidance of the supporting groove suitable for cooperating with the corresponding protruding pin on the valve. Translating in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the tube 1, the reset device 14 is integrated with the valve, also consisting of a reed, which leans against the inner wall of the tube 1 through its free end, more precisely, against the head of the tube on the inner wall of 10;

- each shutter 131 or 132 has its own retraction means that act under the displacement of the corresponding arm 22 or 23 to the outside of the tube through the opening 11; The corresponding shoulder 22a or 23a on the cooperating function;

- Each shutter 131 or 132 has a stop 15 that locks the corresponding arm 22 or 23 when the lever 2 is in the folded position and enables each arm 22 or 23 to move from this stop when the lever 2 is moved out of the tube 1 This stop is formed by a rib provided on the shutter 131 or 132, which corresponds to a pin protruding laterally on the arm 22 or 23.

According to FIG. 5, each shutter 131 or 132 is hinged to the head 10 of the tube, with a hook-shaped movable end. The movable end cooperates with a slot provided on the top end of the arm 22 or 23, respectively. In this way, in the retracted state shown in the left half of Fig. 5, the shutters 131 and 132 are locked in the closed position of the closing member 12, and when the arms move to the outside of the tube 1, the hook ends of the shutters are disengaged from the arms. Open, as shown in the right half of Figure 5, at the same time, the outward movement of the arm drives the rotation of the valve, making it reach the open position of the valve.

With reference to the device described in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the sampling part 3 can be protected when the device is inserted into the body cavity, and the sampling part can only be released or exposed to body fluid in the body cavity, and then returned to the tightened state, thereby The sampling part can also be protected when the device is withdrawn from the body cavity, while the open state of the arms is obtained outside the body cavity.

In conclusion, according to the invention, a particularly simple and effective analytical device is obtained which prevents any contact of the body cavity with reagents.

Claims (14)

1. the portable device of body fluid in the instant analysis body cavity, comprise a pipe (1) that is used to insert described body cavity, with a bar (2) that is slidably mounted in the pipe, this bar has a handle end (21) that stretches out from an end of pipe, and the bodily fluid sampling parts (3) that are positioned at its other end, bar (2) can have two kinds of states with respect to pipe (1), be indentation state (Fig. 1) and deployed condition (Fig. 2), it is characterized in that, bar (2) has at the described other end can be angled open, its free end (22a, 23a) respectively have the both arms (22 of described bodily fluid sampling parts (3), 23), they are so installed with respect to pipe (1), make both arms (22,23) sample unit (3) under the indentation state (Fig. 1), draw close and stay in end (1a) side of pipe mutually, under deployed condition (Fig. 2), then open in the outside of the end (1a) of pipe.

2. device as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, it has a measurement apparatus (4), especially measures the reading plotter of bar (2) with respect to pipe (1) amount of movement.

3. device as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that, reading plotter (4) has graticule (24) and reading window (16) that is arranged on the pipe (1) that is positioned on the bar (2).

4. device as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that, it comprises analyzing adjuncts parts (5), the component that is used for analysing body fluid, the perhaps chemistry of analysing body fluid, biology or biological chemical environment, and be suitable for installing to such an extent that contact with sample unit (3) on one of the both arms (22,23) of bar (2) or its.

5. device as claimed in claim 4, it is characterized in that, these analyzing adjuncts parts comprise a shell (6), especially the shell of transparent material, be distributed in the inner reaction reagent (7) of shell (6) with some, these reagent can be to react at least a component in visible or appreciable mode of user and the body fluid, perhaps react under described body fluid environment, the shape of described shell and size are suitable for making described sample unit (3) to contact with described reaction reagent (7).

6. device as claimed in claim 5 is characterized in that, shell (6) has some peripheral operation boss (8).

7. device as claimed in claim 5 is characterized in that, the inside of shell (6) has some dividing plates (61 to 64), is separated out some reaction zones that have nothing in common with each other (71 to 75), wherein places reaction reagent, the especially staining reagent that has nothing in common with each other.

8. device as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, both arms (22,23) are so installed with respect to pipe (1), make under the indentation state (Fig. 1) that sample unit (3) exposes from pipe.

9. device as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, both arms (22,23) are so installed with respect to pipe (1), make under the indentation state (Fig. 4) that sample unit (3) is positioned at the inside of pipe.

10. device as claimed in claim 9, it is characterized in that, pipe (1) has a head (10), the latter has one for the closure member (12) of the opening (11) that passes through of both arms (22,23) and this opening (Fig. 4) under it draws close state, under the indentation state of bar (2), closure member (12) covers opening, and both arms by the time opening is exposed.

11. device as claimed in claim 10, it is characterized in that, closure member (12) has a valve (131,132) at least, be installed in the opening (11) of head (10), collapsible, and but elastic recovery is to the closed condition that is positioned at described opening, and closure member (12) also has valve constriction device (23a, 132a; 22a, 131a), these devices work under by the displacement effect of opening (11) outside managing (1) at both arms (22,23).

12. device as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that, it has two relative valve (131,132), can shrink in the opposite direction, can reset in opposite directions under the effect of resetting means (14) again.

13. device as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that, each valve (131,132) have oneself constriction device, (131a 132a) constitutes, and matches and works with corresponding convex shoulder (22a, 23a) on being positioned at every arm (22 or 23) by an inclined-plane for they.

14. device as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that, each valve (131,132) has the stop device (15) that locks respective arms (22,23) when bar (2) when being in folded state.

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