INITIATING REPERFUSION TREATMENT WHEN HEART ATTACK SYMPTOMS ARE PRESENT

摘要

INITIATING REPERFUSION TREATMENTWHEN HEART ATTACK SYMPTOMS ARE PRESENTABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREA device for initiating reperfusiontreatment of a coronary prone individual prior tothe establishment of qualified direct contactpersonal care at a time during the early minutes orhours after the onset of heart attack symptoms andafter qualified personnel have participated bytelephone in the decision to initiate suchtreatment. The device comprises an automaticinjector assembly (12) including a releasable forceapplying assembly, (32 and 34) a safety (128,130 and132) normally disposed in a release preventingposition movable therefrom into a release permittingposition, a container or containers (44 and 96) forseparately containing a plurality of separatemedicament dosages including a first dosage (52)containing a clot selective coronary thrombolyticagent and a separate second dosage (98) containing acardiac antiarrhythmic agent and one or morehypodermic needles (48 and 102). The automaticinjector is operable in response to a predeterminedmanual actuating procedure including the movement ofthe safety into its release permitting position foreffecting release of the releasable force applyingassembly and causing the released force to beapplied so as to effect (1) the movement of thehypodermic needle or needles into the muscle tissueof the individual and (2) the flow of the separatemedicament dosages outwardly from the container orcontainers through the hypodermic needle or needlesinto the muscle tissue of the individual.