GB2607940A - Injection administration device - Google Patents

Abstract

A hand-held device 1 for use with an injection administering hypodermic syringe has a syringe housing 10 holding a hypodermic syringe detachably coupled to the device body. Syringe housings may be adapted for various syringe sizes or may have size-adapter inserts. The device has a syringe plunging piston 20 driven via a rotary-linear converter 32 and an electric motor 30, e.g. a stepper motor. A control unit 40 receives at least one input directly or via a remote device 60 e.g. wirelessly, which input specifies a set of one or more injection parameters defining characteristics of an injection to be carried out and identifies dimensions of the syringe. The control unit calculates, based on the dimensions, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters and, based on the calculation, controls the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection. The parameters may include plunge start and stop positions, injection rate and force applied to the syringe plunger. There may be sensors e.g. ambient 52 and barrel 54 temperature sensors. Improves precision, repeatability, and data recording over hand administered injections.

Description

INJECTION ADMINISTRATION DEVICE

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a device for use with a hypodermic syringe to administer an injection.

A hypodermic syringe is a syringe with a hypodermic needle for injecting substances into the body. The hypodermic needle can be used to pierce skin so as to position the end of the needle at an injection site (e.g., within muscle tissue, fat tissue, or into a vein). With the hypodermic needle situated, a plunger of the syringe (also referred to in some texts as a "piston") can be depressed to expel fluid (e.g., liquid) from a barrel of the syringe, through the hypodermic needle and into the injection site. In this way, the fluid, which may contain one or more pharmaceutical products, can be injected into the body, providing a means for the delivery of such pharmaceutical products.

Typically, an injection from a hypodermic syringe can be administered by hand with a digit of the user used to depress or plunge the plunger. This can make it difficult to control how the injection is carried out.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a hand-held device for use with a hypodermic syringe, a hypodermic syringe being a syringe comprising a hypodermic needle, to administer an injection, the device comprising: a body; a syringe housing configured to hold a hypodermic syringe, wherein the syringe housing is detachably coupled to the body; a piston movable relative to the syringe housing to plunge the hypodermic syringe when the hypodermic syringe is held in the syringe housing; an electric motor operably connected to the piston and arranged to move the piston; and a control unit configured to receive at least one input comprising a set of one or more injection parameters that define characteristics of an injection to be carried out and identifying dimensions of the hypodermic syringe; wherein the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the dimensions, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters and, based on the calculation, to control the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a hand-held device for use with a hypodermic syringe, a hypodermic syringe being a syringe comprising a hypodermic needle, to administer an injection, the device comprising: a body; a syringe housing attached to the body and configured to hold a hypodermic syringe, wherein the syringe housing is adapted to receive one or more inserts, wherein placement of the one or more inserts within the syringe housing defines a space available for the hypodermic syringe to be held in the syringe housing; a piston movable relative to the syringe housing to plunge the hypodermic syringe when the hypodermic syringe is held in the syringe housing; an electric motor operably connected to the piston and arranged to move the piston; and a control unit configured to receive at least one input comprising a set of one or more injection parameters that define characteristics of an injection to be carried out and identifying dimensions of the hypodermic syringe; wherein the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the dimensions, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters and, based on the calculation, to control the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection.

Prior devices for administering injections include syringe pumps. These devices are not suitable for use with a hypodermic syringe, which comprises a hypodermic needle that is injected directly into the skin. Instead syringe pumps make use of tubing and cannula to deliver an injection. This leads to a bulky device that can be hard to manoeuvre and complicated to move between locations. In contrast to such devices, the techniques described herein relate to a hand-held device that can be used to hold a hypodermic syringe to an injection site directly without the need for tubing or a cannula, thereby simplifying the process of administering the injection and providing additional freedom for placing the syringe in the correct location and direction relative to the injection site. Further, with syringe pumps, a specific cannula has to be selected that is compatible with the syringe, needle and pharmaceutical product to be injected, further limiting the compatibility of the prior devices with different syringe, needle and pharmaceutical products. Moreover, by operating with a hypodermic syringe directly connected to a hypodermic needle, use of the device as described herein reduces the dead volume of the device and thus decreases the waste of the pharmaceutical product when carrying out an injection since fluid is not left uninjected in the tubing and cannula. Further, syringe pumps are typically used to deliver injections over a long period of time and make use of a motor specialised to delivering injections over this long period of time (e.g., for carrying out infusions). Such devices are therefore unsuitable for delivering injections over shorter injection durations (e.g., bolus injections).

The device is a hand-held device suitable for hand-held use, thereby providing additional portability and convenience. In other words, the device is proportioned to be held within a human hand. The device may further comprise a handle allowing the device to be held and manoeuvred by the user when delivering the injection.

The syringe housing may be detachably coupled to a body of the hand-held device. This allows the syringe housing to be easily detached and replaced with another syringe housing of a different size. In this way, the device can be used with syringes of a plurality of sizes. That is, by selecting an appropriate syringe housing to couple to the hand-held device, the device is able to securely support a range of sizes of syringe. In some examples, the syringe housing is coupled to the body of the device using clips although it will be appreciated that a number of possible fastening mechanisms could be used, e.g., a hook-and-loop fastener, straps, or a locking assembly to secure the syringe housing in place.

Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples a syringe housing is provided that is adapted to receive one or more inserts. In such examples, the choice of insert used with the syringe housing determines the space available in the syringe housing for a syringe. For example, when a large syringe is used with the device, an insert may be selected that leaves a large space available for the syringe. Conversely, when a small syringe is used, an insert may be selected with a smaller space available for the syringe in order to securely support the syringe within the syringe housing as the injection is administered. Similarly, inserts may be selected to accommodate syringes of different shapes, as well as different sizes.

These approaches to supporting a range of differently dimensioned syringes with the same device are in contrast to prior devices which make use of a heavily sculpted enclosure which is only suitable for a single type of syringe. Therefore, unlike some prior devices which provide a shaped enclosure which cannot be removed to match the syringe with which they are designed to operate, the devices described herein provide a more convenient approach to administering injections using a range of different sizes of syringe. This may be particularly beneficial when used in a preclinical setting or during clinical research studies where there may be more variation in the type and size of syringe being used.

In some examples, the device is compatible with both pre-filled syringes and manually-filled syringes by virtue of providing a syringe housing or syringe housings dimensioned to accommodate both types of syringe. This may be particularly important in early development stages of a pharmaceutical product where using pre-filled syringes would be too expensive. This is in contrast to some prior devices for administering injections which are only compatible with pre-filled syringes designed for use with such devices. For example, a possible approach to providing a device to aid in administering injections is to make use of a pre-filled syringe or cartridge with a stopper but no attached plunger. In this case, the device may induce movement of the stopper using a piston of the device adapted for the particular dimensions of pre-filled syringe. However, such an approach limits the use of the device to a particular form of pre-filled syringe, thereby not achieving the flexibility and convenience afforded by supporting a range of types of syringe. The techniques described herein are applicable to syringes with plungers (both manually-filled syringes and pre-filled syringes), or to pre-filled syringes without plungers, increasing the range of syringes with which the device may be used.

The piston of the device is movable relative to the syringe housing. By moving the piston, the device is able to plunge a hypodermic syringe when the syringe is held in the syringe housing. The piston can be said to move from a retracted position, at which no injection has been delivered, to a plunged position, corresponding to a position of the piston at which the injection has been delivered. During this motion, the piston presses against a plunger of the syringe thereby moving the plunger of the syringe to cause fluid within the syringe to be expelled.

As used herein, the retracted position refers to a position of the piston relative to the syringe housing at which a hypodermic syringe held in the syringe housing is at a filled or at an initial retracted position. The retracted position may therefore refer to the position at which the syringe is in its most retracted state, at which point the piston of the device may abut against the plunger of the syringe. However, it will be recognised that the expected volume to be delivered by the syringe may be lower than the capacity of the syringe. In such cases, the retracted position refers to the initial position of the piston relative to the syringe housing before any of the injection has been administered. By moving the piston of the device from the retracted position towards the plunged position, the syringe is plunged, thereby administering the injection. Once the piston reaches the plunged position, the hypodermic syringe is fully plunged. In some examples, the plunged position may therefore correspond to the plunger of the syringe having reached an end-stop position within the barrel of the syringe. However, it will be recognised that the plunged position may also correspond to a predetermined amount of fluid corresponding to a single injection having been dispensed even if the plunger has not reached the end-stop.

The device also comprises an electric motor operably connected to the piston and arranged to move the piston between the retracted position and the plunged position. The electric motor is arranged to be controlled by a control unit. By moving the piston using an electric motor and controlling the electric motor with the control unit, the device is able to provide a high level of control over the motion of the piston. For example, the control unit may be configured to control the speed at which the syringe is plunged throughout the injection to ensure a constant speed throughout the injection or ensure a predetermined speed profile

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throughout the injection. This is in contrast to some prior devices which make use of a spring to actuate the movement of the device. For these devices, the force exerted throughout the injection cannot be adjusted and an appropriate spring has to be selected for the particular injection characteristics required. Moreover, real-time adjustment of the profile of injection is not possible with such devices. Hence, in addition to providing further control over administration of the injection by virtue of using an electric motor, the techniques described herein provide a more convenient means for administering the injection.

In some examples, the control unit is implemented in software/firmware executing on processing circuitry such as a microcontroller or microprocessor.

The device is arranged to operate in response to at least one input comprising injection parameters specified by a user and identifying dimensions of the syringe being used. The control unit is configured to receive the at least one input and to control the electric motor to move the piston in a manner consistent with the injection parameters. In this way, the user is able to control how the injection is to be carried out at a high level of precision. For example, the injection parameters may specify a volume of fluid to be injected or one or more parameters that are to be held constant whilst allowing other parameters to vary during the course of the injection (e.g., by adapting the flow rate to maintain a constant injection force).

The device also enables a high level of reproducibility in the injections administered, which may be particularly important in research settings.

The at least one input also identifies dimensions of the hypodermic syringe with which the injection is being carried out. For example, the input may specify a length of the barrel of the syringe (which may in turn set a maximum distance by which the syringe can be plunged) or a barrel diameter indicative of a diameter of the barrel of the syringe. This may be the internal diameter of the barrel of the syringe, from which the cross-sectional area of the syringe may be determined which can be used to determine how a volume of fluid injected will relate to the distance by which the plunger of the syringe is pressed. The input may identify the dimensions directly (e.g., by specifying a length of the syringe) or the device may support a selection of preset syringe types and the input may identify the syringe type being used, from which the control unit is able to determine the dimensions.

Rather than carrying out the injection based only on the injection parameters, to allow the device to be used with syringes of different dimensions, the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the dimensions of the syringe being used, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters. For example, where the injection parameters specify a volume of fluid to be injected and the dimensions indicate an internal diameter of the syringe barrel, the control unit may calculate a distance by which the piston of the device must be moved in order to inject the specified volume of fluid. In this way, the device can be controlled to carry out the injection in the manner specified by the injection parameters whilst supporting syringes of a range of dimensions.

This provides significant flexibility, particularly in settings where different types of syringes may frequently be used such as preclinical settings or in clinical research trials. The techniques described herein may also allow the device to be used with both manually-filled syringes and pre-filled syringes.

The at least one input may be received directly from the user at the device, for example by way of selection on a control panel of the device, or may be received from a remote device in the form of control signals transmitted from the remote device. The identification of the dimensions of the syringe may be received together with the injection parameters as part of a single input, for example, as part of a configuration message received from the remote device specifying all of the configuration information. However, the injection parameters and the syringe dimensions may be received as several distinct inputs, for example, as a user provides responses to a series of setup prompts.

In some examples, the set of one or more injection parameters specifies a first position of the piston relative to the syringe housing as the retracted position and a second position of the piston relative to the syringe housing as the plunged position. This approach may provide further flexibility for carrying out injections with a range of dimensions of syringe since both the retracted position and the plunged position can be set based on the dimensions of the syringe. The device can therefore accommodate syringes of different lengths and account for variation in the positioning of the syringe relative to the body of the device.

In some examples, the set of injection parameters in response to which the control unit controls the electric motor to move is associated with one or more of: an injection volume specifying a volume of fluid to be injected, a force to be applied during the injection, a duration over which the injection is to be carried out, a flow rate specifying a rate at which fluid is to be injected from the hypodermic syringe, and a speed at which the electric motor is to move the piston to administer the injection. By controlling the electric motor to operate based on such injection parameters, the user is therefore able to specify at a high level of precision a specific manner in which an injection is to be carried out. This may be important when performing research and development, for example, as it may be desirable to be able to vary how an injection is carried whilst achieving this in a reproducible way.

In some examples, the electric motor is a stepper motor. In a stepper motor, the rotation of the motor is divided into a plurality of steps. Control signals to the stepper motor can be used to control the motor to move between these steps or to hold a position at a particular step. In examples in which the electric motor is a stepper motor therefore, the movement of the piston, as effected by the stepper motor, can be controlled with high precision. For example, the control unit may be configured to define the retracted position and the plunged position of the piston with reference to steps of the stepper motor. The control unit may be able to control the stepper motor to move the piston to carry out the injection precisely according to the injection characteristics by controlling the steps through which the motor moves. For example, based on the injection parameters and the dimensions of the syringe, the control unit may determine a particular starting position for the motor corresponding to the retracted position of the piston and a final position for the piston following the injection corresponding to the plunged position. The control unit may also provide control signals to the stepper motor to cause the motor to move in a manner consistent with the injection parameters such as by moving the piston at a certain speed (corresponding to a number of steps of the motor per second). The use of a stepper motor may also allow a number of different parameters of the piston's movement to be controlled precisely (e.g., distance to plunge, speed at which to plunge the syringe, force to be applied).

In some examples, the device further comprises one or more sensors for measuring characteristics of an injection. The sensors are configured to record certain characteristics associated with the injection and provide these to the control unit. Correspondingly, the control unit is configured to receive measurements representative of the characteristics from the one or more sensors. These measurements may be beneficial for aggregating data about an injection which can be used in a research setting for example, to determine how the efficacy of an injection varies based on how the injection is carried out (e.g., the ambient temperature or the temperature at the site of injection or the duration of the injection).

The one or more sensors may include sensors for measuring ambient properties at the time of the injection (e.g., ambient temperature/humidity), properties specific to the injection site (e.g., an angle between the hypodermic syringe and a plane of the injection site) or both types of properties.

For example, the one or more sensors may comprise at least one of: an ambient temperature sensor for measuring an ambient temperature, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the injection site, a syringe barrel temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the syringe barrel, a humidity sensor for measuring the ambient humidity, a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure exerted by the piston on the hypodermic syringe as the injection is carried out, and an angle sensor for measuring an angle made between the hypodermic syringe and the injection site. The one or more sensors may also comprise a flow rate sensor for measuring a flow rate of fluid expelled from the syringe. However, in some examples, the flow rate of fluid from the syringe is determined based on the distance by which the piston is moved. For example, where the electric motor is a stepper motor, a number of steps moved by the motor may be used in combination to precisely determine a distance moved by the piston. Based on this distance and a known dimension of syringe barrel, the flow rate of fluid expelled from the syringe can be accurately determined without the need for a flow rate sensor. This may be desirable since a flow rate sensor may be difficult and/or costly to implement. It will be appreciated that the device may comprise any combination of these sensors and may comprise sensors other than these sensors. The sensors that the device is provided with may be selected based on the characteristics of the injection that are deemed to be most important to be able to measure.

By providing the device with one or more sensors and a control unit configured to receive measurements from the sensors, the device may support the recording of a large amount of data using a single tool, thereby providing a more convenient means for administering an injection whilst also recording data about the injection. The control unit may also automatically record and store the data. This approach ensures data integrity and consistency and reduces the potential for human error as compared with a system that requires manual recording and collation of data from a potentially large number of sensors.

In some examples, the control unit is configured to use the measurements from the sensors as feedback when controlling the motion of the piston. That is, the control unit may use the measurements received from the sensors during an injection to adjust how the piston is moved so as to ensure that the motion of the piston is consistent with the specified injection parameters. For example, the control unit may detect based on the measurements that the piston has moved too slowly during a first part of the injection to carry out the injection in a time specified by the injection parameters and may control the electric motor to move the piston more quickly during a second part of the injection in order to satisfy the injection parameters.

The control unit may therefore begin controlling the electric motor to move the piston in accordance with first control parameters. These control parameters are parameters associated with how the control unit is to control the piston and are set based on the one or more injection parameters. For example, the injection parameters may specify that the injection is to be carried out over a period of two seconds and the control parameters may set a power level of the electric motor that is determined to carry out the injection over two seconds. The control parameters may be calculated by the control unit itself or the control parameters may be received by the control unit from another source. In some examples, this calculation may be performed by software running on a remote device such as a computer, a phone or a tablet. In such examples, the remote device may be arranged to communicate the calculated control parameters to the control unit which is arranged to carry out the injection based on the control parameters. By calculating the control parameters in software at the remote device in this way, the system is able to make use of the processing capability of the remote device in order to efficiently determine the control parameters to carry out the injection.

Since the remote device may be provided with more processing capability than the control unit itself, this approach may also allow more complicated calculations to be performed and/or enable adjustment of the control parameters in real-time in response to feedback from sensors of the device. Provision of control parameters from the remote device may also enable the creation, storage and sharing of sets of frequently-used parameters by the remote device, allowing the same set of parameters to be used for multiple injections and thereby ensuring consistency in how the injections are carried out.

After initially controlling the electric motor to move the piston according to the first control parameters, the control unit is configured to determine, based on measurements received from the one or more sensors during plunging of the syringe, one or more adjustments to the first control parameters required to move the piston in accordance with the set of one or more injection parameters. In this way, the control unit is able to adapt the motion of the piston to satisfy the injection parameters based on feedback from the sensors. For example, the control unit may determine from a measurement of the volume of fluid expelled that moving the piston based on the first control parameters is carrying out the injection too quickly. Accordingly, the control unit can determine as an adjustment to the first control parameters, a lower power level for the electric motor that will proceed with the remaining part of the injection more slowly. The control unit is configured to then control the electric motor to move the piston according to second control parameters differing from the first control parameters by the set of adjustments.

By adjusting the control parameters according to which the piston is moved to carry out the injection based on the measurements received from the sensors, the device is able to perform the injection as specified by the injection parameters to a high level of accuracy. This approach therefore enables consistency to be achieved in the way injections are carried out even where different sizes of syringe are used or where the characteristics of the injection site vary. This may be particularly important in a research setting where a precise dose or speed of injection, for example, may be desired.

The input to the control unit may define an injection profile specifying how the one or more injection parameters are to vary as the piston is moved from the retracted position to the plunged position to carry out the injection. That is, rather than just specifying a single value for an injection parameter (e.g., a desired flow rate), the control unit may be configured to operate in response to a specified profile for one or more injection parameters (e.g., a flow rate profile specifying how the flow rate is to vary during the course of the injection). The control unit is configured to then control the electric motor to move the piston in accordance with the injection profile. This may therefore involve adjusting the control to the electric motor during the course of the injection, for example, by increasing or decreasing the power level.

The at least one input may specify that one or more injection parameters are to be held constant throughout the injection. For example, the input may specify a constant flow rate.

Accordingly, the control unit is configured to control the electric motor to move the piston at a constant speed to achieve the specified constant flow rate. In order to achieve this constant flow rate, the device may need to vary the injection force applied throughout the injection. In many cases, a constant flow rate is a desirable property of an injection, however, it is typically difficult to implement. Since the force applied to the plunger of the syringe required to achieve a constant flow rate will typically fluctuate throughout the course of an injection, it can be difficult for a human to accurately adjust the force applied as needed and where a spring is used to actuate the plunging mechanism of prior devices, once the spring has been released, the user has no control over how the injection is carried out and instead the characteristics of the spring used dictate the force applied. The techniques described herein therefore provide an accurate means of tailoring the injection parameters to the desired characteristics of the injection.

In some examples, the device supports emergency stop functionality. If an alert condition occurs, the control unit is configured to halt the injection. This may be important for safety as the alert condition could correspond to an undesired event occurring in association with the injection. The alert condition may be detected by the control unit itself, for example, if the force applied by the electric motor exceeds a threshold. The device may also comprise a stop button which can be pressed by the user to trigger the alert. Additionally, or alternatively, the control unit may be configured to receive an alert received from outside the control unit. For example, an alert could be issued to the control unit by a remote device. In response to the received alert or the detected alert condition when the piston is in motion, the control unit is configured to stop the piston moving. This may be particularly important if safety is at risk since continuing with the injection could otherwise cause harm to the subject (e.g., the patient or animal) or damage to the device.

In accordance with some examples, the device is configured to operate in combination with a remote device. The remote device is configured to provide control signals to the control unit and to control the electric motor in accordance with the control signals. These control signals may be transmitted wirelessly, for example, using Bluetooth (RTM). The control unit may provide an application programmatic interface (API) that can be used by the remote device to interact with the control unit of the device. This may provide a more convenient way for a user to configure the device to carry out an injection and provide assistance in the injection procedure. For example, the remote device may be a mobile device such as a phone or tablet thereby providing the portability of the mobile device while being able to control the injection In some examples in which the device comprises one or more sensors, the control unit may be further configured to communicate measurements from the one or more sensors to the remote device. By communicating the measurements to the remote device, the remote device can enable easier collection of data and may provide further tools for handling the collected measurements. For example, the remote device may provide assistance with interpreting the data collected from the sensors such as by generating graphics, tables and/or calculations.

The at least one input received by the control unit of the device may be received from the remote device. The remote device may provide that input to the control unit in response to receiving user input indicative of the set of one or more injection parameters to use a selection of a syringe type/input of syringe dimensions. In this way, a user can easily and conveniently configure the device to administer an injection in a specified manner for the particular syringe being used.

In some examples, the device further comprises a camera to record images or video during the injection. The camera may be integrated in the device or mounted externally on the device. Images or video may be captured during the injection in order to record local effects during the injection. For example, with the camera pointed towards the injection site, images/video captured by the camera may record any immediate visible effects of the injection. The camera may also be used to provide an overview of the injection, thereby providing context to parameters/characteristics recorded by other sensors of the device.

Additionally, or alternatively, the camera may be used to facilitate remote administration of the injection by an operator, e.g., when it is not desirable or not permitted to have extra people other than the person in charge of the injection in the room at the time the injection is carried out. As such, in examples where the device comprises a camera, an operator of the device may be able to initiate the injection, remotely monitor the camera feed and real-time feedback from sensors, as well as remotely stop the injection in case of an emergency.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a hand-held device for use with a hypodermic syringe, a hypodermic syringe being a syringe comprising a hypodermic needle, to administer an injection, the device comprising: a body configured to detachably couple with a syringe housing; a piston movable relative to the body to plunge the hypodermic syringe when the hypodermic syringe is held in the syringe housing; an electric motor operably connected to the piston and arranged to move the piston; and a control unit configured to receive at least one input comprising a set of one or more injection parameters that define characteristics of an injection to be carried out and identifying dimensions of the hypodermic syringe; wherein the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the dimensions, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters and, based on the calculation, to control the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for use with a hypodermic syringe, a hypodermic syringe being a syringe comprising a hypodermic needle, to administer an injection, the system comprising i) a hand-held device comprising: a) a body; b) a syringe housing configured to hold a hypodermic syringe, wherein the syringe housing is detachably coupled to a body of the hand-held device; c) a piston movable relative to the syringe housing to plunge the hypodermic syringe when the hypodermic syringe is held in the syringe housing; d) an electric motor operably connected to the piston and arranged to move the piston; and e) a control unit configured to receive at least one input comprising a set of one or more injection parameters that define characteristics of an injection to be carried out and identifying dimensions of the hypodermic syringe; f) wherein the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the dimensions, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters and, based on the calculation, to control the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection; ii) and a remote computing device in communication with the device; wherein the remote computing device is configured to receive a user input indicative of the set of one or more injection parameters and to communicate the set of one or more injection parameters to the device; wherein the control unit of the device is configured to receive the at least one input from the remote computing device.

Optional features of the device of the first and second aspects are also optional features of the system of the third and fourth aspects.

The device as described herein may advantageously be used in a laboratory setting for which the precision of the device may be used to allow the device to act as a characterisation tool when a precise volume of a test item is needed (e.g., to determine a product's density). Additionally, or alternatively, the device may be used during preclinical research to improve injection reproducibility with extensive and automated data recording. Similarly, in clinical research settings the device may be used to gather data whilst ensuring consistency between injections.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments will be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a hand-held device for use with a hypodermic syringe to administer an injection; Figure 2A shows a representation of a syringe housing containing a hypodermic syringe; Figure 2B shows a representation of a syringe housing and inserts for the syringe 35 housing; Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of the device shown in Figure 1 in communication with a remote device; Figure 4 shows a schematic representation illustrating the communication between elements of the injection device and the remote device; Figure 5 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method of administering an injection; and Figure 6 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method of adjusting the control of an electric motor based on the measurements from the sensors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows a hand-held device 1 for use with a hypodermic syringe 100, a hypodermic syringe being a syringe comprising a hypodermic needle 106, to administer an injection. The device 1 comprises a syringe housing 10 configured to hold a hypodermic syringe 100. The syringe housing 10 is detachably coupled to a body 2 of the device 1 so that the syringe housing 10 may be replaced with another syringe housing adapted for a different size of syringe. The syringe housing 10 is dimensioned to securely support a particular size of syringe. However, the syringe housing 10 could be shaped to define a space in which a range of shapes of syringe can fit which may be modifiable with one or more inserts to provide a space for a particular size of syringe. By providing such adaptability, the device 1 can be used with both pre-filled syringes and manually-filled syringes. This is in contrast to prior devices which have a highly-sculpted shape adapted specifically for a particular size and shape of syringe and which are not compatible with syringes having dimensions other than those for which the device was designed.

The device 1 also comprises a handle 3 by which the device 1 can be easily and securely gripped to enable easy manoeuvre of the device 1 by a user to administer an injection directly into the skin of a patient/animal.

The device 1 further comprises a piston 20 which is movable relative to the syringe housing 10. The piston 20 is movable along an axis parallel with the length of the syringe 100, wherein movement of the piston 20 from a retracted position to a plunged position causes the piston 20 to press against a plunger 104 of the syringe 100 to plunge the syringe 100 and cause fluid stored in the barrel 102 of the syringe 100 to be expelled through the hypodermic needle 106. With the hypodermic needle 106 positioned at an injection site (e.g., inserted into or below the skin of a patient/animal), the expulsion of fluid (e.g., liquid) causes the injection to be administered. The fluid contained in the barrel 102 of the syringe may be a liquid containing an active pharmaceutical ingredient for example with the injection being used to efficiently administer the active pharmaceutical ingredient to the patient/animal. As shown in Figure 1, the piston 20 is in an intermediate position between the retracted position and the plunged position.

With continued reference to Figure 1, the movement of the piston 20 is effected by an electric motor 30. In this example, the electric motor 30 is a stepper motor, allowing the position of the motor and therefore the position of the piston 20 to be precisely controlled by the control unit 40. However, it will be recognised that other forms of motor may be used. The electric motor 30 is operably connected to the piston 20 via converter 32 which converts the rotational motion of the motor 30 to linear motion using conventional techniques.

A control unit 40 is provided to control the operation of the device 1 and in particular to control the electric motor 30 to move the piston 20. The control unit 40 operates in response to at least one input comprising a set of injection parameters defining how the injection is to be carried out (e.g., duration of the injection, injection flow rate, plunging distance). In response to these injection parameters, the control unit 40 is arranged to cause the electric motor 30 to move the piston 20 from the retracted position to the plunged position in a manner determined based on the injection parameters, thereby carrying out the injection as specified by the injection parameters. For example, in response to a set of injection parameters that specify that the injection is to be carried out at a first flow rate, the control unit 40 is arranged to cause the electric motor 30 to move the piston 20 at a first speed corresponding to the first flow rate whereas, in response to a set of injection parameters that specify that the injection is to be carried out at a second flow rate lower than the first flow rate but using the same size syringe, the control unit 40 is arranged to cause the piston 20 to move at a slower speed corresponding to the second flow rate.

The control unit 40 is arranged to operate further in response to dimensions of the syringe being used as identified in the at least one input. The injection parameters may directly specify how the injection is to be carried out (e.g., in an injection volume field of the set of injection parameters) or may indirectly specify the desired characteristics of the injection (e.g., by specifying a power level for the electric motor 20 and a duration for which the motor is to be run to indirectly control the volume of fluid to be injected). In response to the specified injection parameters and the syringe dimensions, the control unit 40 is arranged to calculate how to move the piston in order to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters for a syringe having the specified dimensions. Having calculated this, the control unit 40 is configured to control the electric motor 30 to move the piston 20 to administer the injection in accordance with the calculation. As such, in response to a first set of one or more injection parameters and a first set of syringe dimensions, the control unit 40 is configured to cause the electric motor 30 to move the piston 20 in a first manner whereas in response to a second set of one or more injection parameters and a second set of syringe dimensions, the control unit 40 is configured to cause the electric motor 30 to move the piston 20 in a second manner.

By supporting a range of syringe dimensions in this way, the device 1 can be used to administer injections with a range of differently dimensioned syringes. For example, the device 1 may support syringes having a range of different shapes as well a range of different distances by which the plunger of the syringe can be depressed to administer an injection.

The device 1 also allows an injection profile to be defined in the input to the control unit 40. That is, the input may specify how one or more injection parameters are to vary over the course of the injection and the control unit 40 is arranged to control the electric motor 30 to move the piston 20 in accordance with this injection profile.

The device 1 also supports emergency stop functionality. In response to an alert condition being detected or an alert being received, the control unit 40 is arranged to halt the injection. By being responsive to an alert condition being detected, the control unit 40 is able to detect itself if an event requiring an emergency stop occurs. For example, if the load cell 50 measures that a force above a predetermined threshold is being applied, the control unit 40 may detect an alert condition and stop the injection. The control unit 40 may also be responsive to an alert from a user which may be indicated for example, by pressing a stop button on the device 1 or may be communicated to the control unit 40 from a remote device.

It will be appreciated that the device 1 of Figure 1 can be used to control the dose administered. For example, a plunging distance by which the plunger of the syringe is moved to administer the injection may be calculated and controlled by the control unit 40, based on the dimensions of the syringe and the injection parameters, in order to ensure that a specified dose is injected, even if this distance does not correspond to fully depressing the plunger of the syringe.

The device 1 also comprises a plurality of sensors 50-58 to measure characteristics of an injection. These measurements are provided to the control unit 40 and can be used to record data about an injection for research purposes or used as feedback to adjust the control of the electric motor 30 to carry out the injection in accordance with the specified injection parameters.

As shown in Figure 1, the device 1 is equipped with a load cell 50 to measure the force being applied by the piston 20 to the plunger 104 during an injection. As shown in Figure 1, the load cell 50 is positioned at an intermediate position along the length of the piston 20. However, it will be recognised that the load cell 50 could be positioned elsewhere and still be able to measure the force applied to the plunger 104. For example, the load cell 50 could be positioned at the end of the piston 20 closest to the plunger 104 such that the load cell itself comes into contract with the plunger 104 of the syringe 100 when in use. The device 1 is further equipped with one or more ambient sensors 52 to measure ambient properties during the injection. In this example implementation, the sensors 52 are an ambient temperature sensor and an ambient humidity sensor. The device 1 is also provided with a syringe barrel temperature sensor 54 to measure the temperature of the syringe barrel. As depicted in Figure 1 the device is also provided with an injection angle sensor 58 to measure the angle between the hypodermic needle 106 and the injection site at which the hypodermic needle 106 is inserted. It will be appreciated that other combinations of these sensors and other sensors may be used in other example implementations.

The device 1 is arranged to be plugged into a power source (not shown) by means of a wire. This ensures a reliable supply of power to the device. However, in some examples, the device 1 further or alternatively comprises a battery which may be rechargeable. Powering the device using a battery improves the portability of the device and its convenience for administering injections, since the device 1 is not constrained by an external physical connection.

In some examples, the device 1 is also provided with a heater 452 (shown schematically in Figure 4) which may be used to heat the syringe barrel 102. The heater 452 may be used in combination with the syringe barrel temperature sensor 54 to ensure that the injection is carried out when the syringe barrel 102 is at a particular temperature. In this example, the control unit 40 is arranged to delay commencing the injection until the syringe barrel temperature sensor 54 detects that the heater 452 has heated the syringe barrel 102 to the temperature specified in the injection parameters.

Figure 2A shows a syringe housing 10 holding a syringe 100 according to an example.

In this example, the syringe housing 100 comprises a lower portion and an upper portion which are hingedly connected to allow the syringe 100 to be placed in a recess of the lower portion and then secured in place with the upper portion. This arrangement for the syringe housing 100 provides a secure way to hold the syringe 100 in place during an injection. As shown in Figure 2A, the syringe housing 10 is provided with clips 11 which couple with the body 2 of the device 1 in order to attach the syringe housing 10 to the device 1. By unclipping the clips 11 from the device 1, the syringe housing 10 can be removed from the device 1 and replaced with another syringe housing 10. In this way, a suitably dimensioned syringe housing 10 may be selected for the syringe 100 being used.

Although as illustrated in Figure 2A, the syringe housing 10 is provided with clips 11, it will be appreciated that the syringe housing 10 could alternatively or additionally be detachably coupled to the device 1 using a hook-and-loop fastener, straps or adhesive, for example.

Figure 2B illustrates another example syringe housing 10. As shown in Figure 23, the syringe housing 10 provides a large recess. Whilst this recess may be suitable for holding a large syringe 100, the syringe housing 10 may be adapted to receive one or more inserts 12 that serve to restrict the size of the recess and provide a space to accommodate a syringe (not shown in Figure 2B). Figure 23 illustrates three such inserts 12A-12C of different sizes. By selecting an appropriate size of insert for the syringe being used, a space may be provided in the syringe housing 10 suitable for the syringe. In this way, the syringe housing 10 and corresponding inserts are able to accommodate syringes of a range of sizes and shapes.

Figure 3 shows a schematic of the device 1 in communication with a remote device 60. The remote device 60 provides a convenient means for communicating with the control unit 40 of the device 1. In some example implementations, the remote device 60 is a mobile phone which is in communication with the control unit 40 via Bluetooth (RTM) (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy). The control of the device 1 can therefore be carried out from an app on the mobile phone making use of an API to communicate with the control unit 40.

The remote device 60 is arranged to provide the set of one or more injection parameters to the control unit 40 as well as receive measurements from the sensors 50-58.

The remote device 60 may also be used to signal an alert to the device 1, for example in the case of a user detecting an error, to cause the injection to be halted. This remote stop functionality may be provided as well as or instead of local stop functionality implemented on the device itself (for example in the form of a button on the device 1 that can be pressed to trigger an alert). The remote device 60 may also aid in collating the measurements from the sensors 50-58, performing calculations based on the measurements, and management and visualisation of the data from the sensors 50-58. In some examples, the data from the sensors 50-58 and/or the results of calculations performed based on such data may be viewed in real-time at the remote device, allowing a user to monitor the characteristics of the injection as the injection progresses.

Figure 4 shows a schematic illustrating the communication between elements of the injection device 1 and the remote device 60. As shown in Figure 4, the device 1 comprises a microcontroller 430 which implements the functionality of the control unit 40 and supports an application programmatic interface (API) used by the remote device to communicate with the injection device 1. Although microcontroller 430 and microprocessor 410 are shown in Figure 4, it will be appreciated that the functions of these elements could be carried out with other forms of processing circuitry.

The microcontroller 430 is in communication with the sensors 442-444 (e.g., ambient temperature sensor, humidity sensor, syringe barrel temperature sensor) which measure characteristics of the injection (e.g., ambient temperature, ambient humidity, syringe barrel temperature) via AC/DC converter 440. The microcontroller 430 is also able to control a heater 452 via a relay 450 which may be used to heat the syringe barrel to a temperature specified in the set of injection parameters. When the specified temperature is detected by syringe barrel temperature sensor 54, the microcontroller 430 may be arranged to begin carrying out the injection. The microcontroller 430 is also in communication (e.g. via an RS232 connection) with the motor 460 to control the motor 460 to carry out the injection in accordance with the injection parameters. One or both of the remote device and the injection device may also be provided with a stop button that can be used to trigger an alert. The injection device is responsive to such an alert to halt the injection. This may be beneficial where a problem arises during an injection and it is necessary to halt the injection as quickly as possible. As shown in Figure 4, in some example implementations, the injection device 1 comprises a camera 470 in communication with the microcontroller 430 (e.g., via a camera serial interface (CSI)) to relay pictures or video to the microcontroller 430 implementing the control unit 40. These pictures/video may then be transmitted along with the measurements from the sensor 442- 444 to the remote device 60.

The remote device 60 comprises a microprocessor 410 (or other processing circuitry) and is in communication with the injection device 1 using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), although it will be appreciated that other suitable forms of communication may be used. The microprocessor 410 implements a number of modules 412-420 to carry out functions related to the administration of the injection. As shown, the microprocessor 410 implements a storage module 412 for storing sets of injection parameters, measurements from sensors 442-444 and pictures/video from camera 470. The microprocessor 410 also implements a data acquisition module 414 to handle the acquisition of data from the injection device 1 and its sensors 442- 444, process control module 416 to handle the controlling of the injection, data processing module 418 to perform data analysis on the data collected form the injection device 1 and display module 420 to output information for display to a user.

Figure 5 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method of administering an injection. At step 502, the device 1 receives a syringe 100 in the syringe housing 10. As described, the syringe housing 10 and/or inserts 12 may be selected based on the syringe 100 being used.

At step 504, the device receives at least one input specifying a set of one or more injection parameters and identifying dimensions of the syringe being used. The injection parameters define how the injection is to be carried out and may include parameters such as a volume of fluid to be injected, a duration of the injection, product container temperature at which the injection is to be started, and/or speed at which the injection is to be carried out. In some examples, the input specifies a profile indicative of how the injection parameters are to vary over the course of the injection.

The at least one input also identifies dimensions of the syringe. The dimensions may for example include an internal syringe barrel diameter and/or a syringe length and may be specified directly in the input (e.g., as a parameter in a control message) or may be indirectly specified by virtue of identifying a particular preset syringe type having dimensions already known the control unit.

At step 506, the control unit calculates how the piston is to be moved in order to carry out the injection satisfying the injection parameters for a syringe having the specified dimensions. For example, the control unit may determine a distance by which the piston of the device is to be moved/a speed for the piston to be moved at, in order to administer the injection.

To administer out the injection, at step 508, the electric motor 30 is controlled to move the piston 20 the manner determined based on the injection parameters and the syringe dimensions. In this way, a user can control how the injection is to be administered.

Figure 6 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method of adjusting the control of an electric motor 30 based on the measurements from the sensors 50-58. In accordance with some example implementations, the control of the electric motor 30 is adjusted in response to feedback from the sensors 50-58 to allow the control unit 40 to compensate for deviations from the injection parameters during the course of the injection. This approach improves the accuracy with which the device 1 is able to carry out the injection in accordance with the injection parameters.

At step 602, control parameters are calculated or received. The control parameters are related to the injection parameters and define the controls commands to be issued to the device 1 to cause the device 1 to carry out the injection. The control parameters are selected based on the injection parameters. For example, the injection parameters may specify that the injection is to be carried out over a duration of eight seconds. The control parameters are then selected in order to achieve this duration of injection. Thus, the control parameters may specify that the electric motor is to be driven at a particular power level so as to move the piston 20 at the correct speed to carry out the injection over eight seconds. The control parameters may be calculated by the control unit 40 based on the injection parameters or may be calculated elsewhere and received by the control unit 40 (e.g., calculated by the remote device 60 and transmitted to the control unit 40).

At step 604 the electric motor 30 is controlled to move the piston 20 according to the control parameters. The piston 20 is therefore moved in a manner corresponding to the current best assessment of how the piston 20 should move to satisfy the injection parameters.

However, moving the piston 20 in accordance with the initially determined control parameters may not lead to the injection being carried out exactly according to the injection parameters. To continue the example introduced earlier, the force required to move the plunger 104 of the syringe 100 may be higher than anticipated and so by driving the electric motor 30 at the power level initially determined, the piston 20 may move too slowly to carry out the injection within eight seconds. It will be appreciated that there a large number of factors that could mean that moving the piston 20 according to the initially determined control parameters would not lead to the injection parameters being achieved to a required degree of accuracy.

Accordingly, at step 606 the control unit 40 determines based on measurements received from the sensors 50-58, one or more adjustments to make to the control parameters in order to move the piston 20 in accordance with the injection parameters. For example, the control unit 40 may be arranged to select a higher power level for the motor 30 in order to move the piston 20 more quickly and thereby carry out the injection in the desired time period.

Whilst the adjustment process as herein described may be carried out only once during the injection, in some example implementations, this adjustment process is carried out iteratively (for example, at regular intervals) until the injection is complete. In this way, the accuracy of adherence to the specified injection parameters can be improved.

There has therefore been described a hand-held device for use with a hypodermic syringe to administer an injection. The device is capable of carrying out an injection with syringes of a plurality of sizes including both manually-filled and pre-filled syringes. The device provides a high level of control regarding how the injection is carried out by allowing injection parameters indicative of desired characteristics of the injection certain to be specified. The device as described herein may also collect data using one or more sensors which can be aggregated, displayed and analysed for use, for example, during preclinical and clinical research studies and may serve as a source of reliable data mining. In accordance with the techniques described herein, the device may also be used in combination with a remote device such as a mobile phone or tablet to collect and analyse the data as well as provide a more convenient means to control the device.

Claims (19)

1. CLAIMS1. A hand-held device for use with a hypodermic syringe, a hypodermic syringe being a syringe comprising a hypodermic needle, to administer an injection, the device comprising: a body; a syringe housing configured to hold a hypodermic syringe, wherein the syringe housing is detachably coupled to the body; a piston movable relative to the syringe housing to plunge the hypodermic syringe when the hypodermic syringe is held in the syringe housing; an electric motor operably connected to the piston and arranged to move the piston; and a control unit configured to receive at least one input comprising a set of one or more injection parameters that define characteristics of an injection to be carried out and identifying dimensions of the hypodermic syringe; wherein the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the dimensions, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters and, based on the calculation, to control the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection.
2. 2. The hand-held device according to claim 1, wherein the set of one or more injection parameters comprises at least one of: an injection volume specifying a volume of fluid to be injected from the hypodermic syringe; a duration over which the injection is to be carried out; an injection flow rate specifying a rate at which fluid is to be injected from the hypodermic syringe; and a speed at which the electric motor is to move the piston from the retracted position to the plunged position.
3. 3. The hand-held device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: the dimensions of the syringe comprise at least one of: an internal barrel diameter of the hypodermic syringe; and a length of the barrel of the hypodermic syringe.
4. 4. The hand-held device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the set of one or more injection parameters and the dimensions, a retracted position of the piston relative to the syringe housing as a starting position of the piston for the injection and a plunged position of the piston relative to the syringe housing as a final position of the piston following the injection and to control the electric motor to move the piston between the retracted position and the plunged position to carry out the injection.
5. 5. The hand-held device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the electric motor is a stepper motor and the control unit is configured to issue control signals to the stepper motor to control the motion of the stepper motor between steps of the stepper motor.
6. 6. The hand-held device according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising: one or more sensors for measuring characteristics of an injection; wherein the control unit is configured to receive measurements from the one or more sensors.
7. 7. The hand-held device according to claim 6, wherein: the one or more sensors comprise at least one of: an ambient temperature sensor for measuring an ambient temperature; a syringe barrel temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of a barrel of the hypodermic syringe; a humidity sensor for measuring ambient humidity; a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure exerted by the piston on the plunger of the hypodermic syringe; and an angle sensor for measuring an angle between the hypodermic syringe and the injection site.
8. 8. The hand-held device according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein: the control unit is configured to control the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection by: calculating or receiving first control parameters to move the piston in accordance with the set of one or more injection parameters; controlling the electric motor to move the piston according to the first control parameters; determining, based on measurements received from the one or more sensors during plunging of the hypodermic syringe, one or more adjustments to the first control parameters required to move the piston in accordance with the set of one or more injection parameters; and controlling the electric motor to move the piston according to second control parameters differing from the first control parameters by the set of adjustments.
9. 9. The hand-held device according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein: the control unit is configured to iteratively calculate updated control parameters over the course of an injection; and control the electric motor to move the piston according to the updated control parameters; wherein calculating the updated control parameters comprises determining, based on measurements received from the one or more sensors during plunging of the hypodermic syringe, one or more adjustments to a previous set of control parameters required to move the piston in accordance with the set of one or more injection parameters.
10. 10. The hand-held device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one input defines an injection profile specifying how the one or more injection parameters are to vary as the injection is administered; and the control unit is configured to control the electric motor to move the piston in accordance with the injection profile.
11. 11. The hand-held device according to claim 10, wherein: the at least one input specifies a constant flow rate and the control unit is configured to control the electric motor to move the piston at a constant speed to achieve the specified constant flow rate.
12. 12. The hand-held device according to claim 10, wherein: the at least one input specifies a flow rate profile and the control unit is configured to control the electric motor to change the speed of the piston as the piston moves to achieve the specified flow rate profile.
13. 13. The hand-held device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: the control unit is configured to receive an alert or to detect an alert condition, the alert or alert condition indicating that an injection is to be stopped; and responsive to the received alert or the detected alert condition, when the piston is in motion, to control the electric motor to stop the piston moving.
14. 14. The hand-held device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: the control unit is configured to receive control signals from a remote device and to control the electric motor in accordance with the control signals.
15. 15. The hand-held device according to any of claims 6 to 8, wherein: the control unit is configured to communicate the measurements from the one or more sensors to a remote device.
16. 16. A hand-held device for use with a hypodermic syringe, a hypodermic syringe being a syringe comprising a hypodermic needle, to administer an injection, the device comprising: a body configured to detachably couple with a syringe housing; a piston movable relative to the body to plunge the hypodermic syringe when the hypodermic syringe is held in the syringe housing; an electric motor operably connected to the piston and arranged to move the piston; and a control unit configured to receive at least one input comprising a set of one or more injection parameters that define characteristics of an injection to be carried out and identifying dimensions of the hypodermic syringe; wherein the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the dimensions, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters and, based on the calculation, to control the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection.
17. 17. A system for use with a hypodermic syringe, a hypodermic syringe being a syringe comprising a hypodermic needle, to administer an injection, the system comprising: a hand-held device comprising: a body; a syringe housing configured to hold a hypodermic syringe, wherein the syringe housing is detachably coupled to the body; a piston movable relative to the syringe housing to plunge the hypodermic syringe when the hypodermic syringe is held in the syringe housing; an electric motor operably connected to the piston and arranged to move the piston; and a control unit configured to receive at least one input comprising a set of one or more injection parameters that define characteristics of an injection to be carried out and identifying dimensions of the hypodermic syringe; wherein the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the dimensions, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters and, based on the calculation, to control the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection; and a remote computing device in communication with the device; wherein the remote computing device is configured to receive a user input indicative of the set of one or more injection parameters and to communicate the set of one or more injection parameters to the device; wherein the control unit of the device is configured to receive the at least one input from the remote computing device.
18. 18. The system according to claim 17, wherein: the hand-held device further comprises one or more sensors for measuring characteristics of an injection; the control unit is configured to receive measurements from the one or more sensors; the control unit is configured to communicate the measurements to the remote computing device; and the remote computing device is configured to display the measurements to the user.
19. 19. A hand-held device for use with a hypodermic syringe, a hypodermic syringe being a syringe comprising a hypodermic needle, to administer an injection, the device comprising: a body; a syringe housing attached to the body and configured to hold a hypodermic syringe, wherein the syringe housing is adapted to receive one or more inserts, wherein placement of the one or more inserts within the syringe housing defines a space available for the hypodermic syringe to be held in the syringe housing; a piston movable relative to the syringe housing to plunge the hypodermic syringe when the hypodermic syringe is held in the syringe housing; an electric motor operably connected to the piston and arranged to move the piston; and a control unit configured to receive at least one input comprising a set of one or more injection parameters that define characteristics of an injection to be carried out and identifying dimensions of the hypodermic syringe; wherein the control unit is configured to calculate, based on the dimensions, how to move the piston to carry out the injection according to the injection parameters and, based on the calculation, to control the electric motor to move the piston to administer the injection.