| 摘要 |
The present invention is an apparatus and method for aspirating and collecting a middle ear fluid specimen through the ear drum of a patient. Broadly, the present invention involves using a hollow needle that is adapted for puncturing through the ear drum. The hollow needle is mountable on a bulb, and the bulb is operatively adapted to draw a specimen of middle ear fluid into the hollow needle when the needle is mounted on the bulb. Such an apparatus can be made inexpensively and disposable after each use. Mounting the hollow needle on the bulb makes the present invention self-contained by eliminating the need for an external vacuum source. One possible feature of the present invention is a stop guard that is secured to the outside of the hollow needle. The stop guard is adapted to inhibit penetration of the hollow beyond a desired depth through an ear drum. That is, once the desired depth through the ear drum is reached, the stop guard provides enough resistance to further penetration that a practitioner can tell that the desired depth has been reached. Thus, with this feature, the depth of penetration through the ear drum can be determined without having to rely solely on the skill of the practitioner performing the procedure. |
