Project Description:

One of the most common forms of drug delivery is the intramuscular (IM) injection, which must be administered by trained health care professionals. Because of their ability to disperse a medicine quickly and efficiently throughout the body, this is often a preferred method in cases where IV administration is unavailable such as at home. Devices have been developed that attempt to bring IM injections to outside the medical profession through injection at the thigh muscle; however, they are painful, reliant on users to use proper technique, and limited in the number of drugs they can administer.

The Drug Cuff is an invention that incorporates a one push injection mechanism at the deltoid as well as an arm cuff that extends from the shoulder down to the bicep. A Velcro strap fastens the cuff to the user’s arm, and the device can mold to the user’s shoulder to provide comfort and keep a fixed site of injection. A hinge at the front of the device can flip up at a 90-degree angle to ensure proper IM injection technique.

The Drug Cuff’s ability to create an ease of access for IM injections through its intuitive design, one-push injection mechanism, and fit to conform to any arm, provide value to the 16 billion injections given each year around the world, and the 50% that are still administered by untrained professionals. The Drug Cuff can be used with any IM injection medicine to omit the use of traditional syringes to treat a variety of clinical cases. Furthermore, the Drug Cuff can factor into any First Aid Kit or emergency center to hasten the treatment process in the event of an emergency.