CN109200399B

CN109200399B - Medical sharps removal and storage device

Info

Publication number: CN109200399B
Application number: CN201810733449.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A·利马耶; D·希夫; E·常
Original assignee: Becton Dickinson and Co
Current assignee: Becton Dickinson and Co
Priority date: 2017-07-07
Filing date: 2018-07-06
Publication date: 2022-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-06
Also published as: CN209575438U; CN109200399A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for completely removing a medical sharp from a holder to which the medical sharp is attached, the device comprising: a body; a heating unit disposed in the body; a receiving unit fixedly disposed in the body and configured to receive the holder; and a collet movably disposed in the body and configured to receive the medical sharp. The device also includes a first biasing member disposed within the body and a user interface coupled to the collet and configured to displace the collet away from the receiving unit, actuate the first biasing member to increase the bias on the collet toward the receiving unit, and activate the heating unit.

Description

Medical sharps removal and storage device

Cross reference to related applications

The present application claims priority from us provisional patent application serial No. 62/529,926 entitled "medical sharp removal and storage device" filed on 7/2017 and us provisional patent application serial No. 62/530,001 entitled "induction heating circuit for medical sharp removal device" filed on 7/2017, the entire disclosures of both of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to a device for completely removing a medical sharp from a holder and storing the removed medical sharp.

Background

After a medical sharp object, such as a hypodermic needle or pen needle, has been used for injection, it is desirable for a number of reasons to remove the needle and place it in a safe container. For example, medical sharps often become dull after a single use, so subsequent use may cause discomfort to the patient. In addition, multiple uses of the medical sharp also reduce the strength of the sharp, which can lead to potential fracture. In addition, the reuse of medical sharps can exacerbate patient hygiene problems and health risks. In addition, exposed medical sharps can present health risks to patients, caregivers, and waste management personnel.

Sharps containers for storing needles known in the art include an inner case member and an outer case member. The cartridge and the housing are each provided with an aperture sized to receive a hypodermic needle. The cartridge and the housing are hingedly connected to each other such that the apertures of the cartridge and the housing overlap in the open position and a needle can be inserted into both apertures to extend into the cartridge. After the needle has been inserted into the hole, the cartridge and the housing are moved relative to each other, e.g. in a scissor action, thereby shearing the needle. After shearing, the needle falls into a magazine for storage and subsequent disposal. Traditionally, sharps containers have been large red boxes and medical sharps are relatively easy to insert, but removal of the medical sharps therefrom has been difficult.

U.S. patent No. 6,545,242 to Butler discloses a device that heats at least a portion of a needle to about 1750 ℃ after insertion of a portion of the needle, and then shears the needle, leaving a portion of the needle holder or hub behind. Similarly, U.S. patent No. 5,545,869 to Piva discloses a device that melts a portion of the blade or needle and cuts the blade or the butt of the needle, leaving a portion of the needle or blade in the needle/blade holder or hub. In addition, U.S. patent No. 4,867,309 to german discloses a device that secures a needle and its holder or hub by a needle shaft so that a user can twist the hub off of the syringe or pull the hub off if it is friction fit on the syringe.

However, for each of these devices, a portion of the needle remains in the needle holder. Thus, there is still a potential for needle stick injuries. Furthermore, the needle holder must be disposed of as medical waste and cannot be recycled. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved medical needle removal device that completely removes the needle. It is also desirable to store the removed needles.

Disclosure of Invention

One aspect of the present invention provides a device for completely removing a medical sharp from a medical sharp holder and storing the removed medical sharp.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a device for completely removing a medical sharp from a holder to which the medical sharp is attached, the device comprising a body, a heating unit disposed in the body, a receiving unit fixedly disposed in the body and configured to receive the holder, and a collet movably disposed within the body and configured to receive the medical sharp. The apparatus also includes a first biasing member disposed within the body, and a user interface coupled to the collet and configured to displace the collet away from the receiving unit, actuate the first biasing member to increase the bias on the collet toward the receiving unit, and activate the heating unit.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are also achieved by providing a method of completely removing a medical sharp from a holder to which the medical sharp is attached, the method comprising inserting the medical sharp and at least a portion of the holder attached thereto into a receiving unit of a device, displacing a user interface in a first direction to pull the medical sharp in the first direction and activate an induction coil in the device, and maintaining a force on the user interface until the induction coil heats the medical sharp sufficiently to separate the medical sharp from the holder.

Additional and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows or will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become more readily appreciated from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medical sharp removal and storage device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the collet of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the collet of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the collet of FIG. 3 and a receiving unit of the device of FIG. 1;

6-18 illustrate the operation of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a heating unit of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 shows the device of FIG. 1 with the container removed, sealed and mailed; while

Fig. 21 shows the receiving unit of the device of fig. 1 replaced.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments described herein illustrate but do not limit the invention by referring to the figures.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Embodiments herein are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms "connected," "coupled," and "mounted," and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms "connected" and "coupled" and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. Furthermore, terms such as upper, lower, bottom, and top are relative and are used to aid in explanation, not limitation.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a medical sharp removal and storage device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device 100. As shown, the apparatus 100 includes a body 102 and a heating unit 104. The electrical construction and operation of the device 100 is summarized below, but is described in more detail in U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/530,001 entitled "induction heating circuit for medical sharp removal device" filed 7/2017. According to one embodiment, the heating unit 104 includes: an energy source 106, such as a battery 106; an induction coil 108; and a controller 110 electrically connectable to the energy source 106 and the induction coil 108. The controller may include a printed circuit board and may have circuit board components such as a memory chip and a microprocessor.

As best shown in fig. 19, the heating unit 104 may additionally be configured as a power subsystem 112 that includes an energy source 106 and a boost converter circuit 113. According to one embodiment, the boost converter circuit 113 and the induction heating resonant circuit 115 are part of the controller 110. In one embodiment, the energy source 106 includes a battery 106, such as one or more lithium ion batteries (e.g., two 3.7 volt batteries) configured in series. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other battery configurations or other types of batteries may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention. According to one embodiment, the energy source 106 is removable from the body 102 and replaceable.

Referring back to fig. 2, the device 100 further includes a receiving unit 114 fixedly disposed in the body 102, a collet 122, a sharps receiving container or chamber 124, first and

second biasing units

130 and 132, a door member 134, and a slider or user interface 136. In one embodiment, sharps receiving container 124 is removable from body 102.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the collet 122, and fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the collet 122. The collet 122 includes: a sharps receiving portion 125 for receiving a medical sharps; a collet biasing member or collet closure member 126 biasing the sharp receiving portion 125 radially inward to grasp the medical sharp; a radial flange 128; and a neck 127 connecting flange 128 and sharps receiving portion 125. According to one embodiment, the collet 122 includes a plurality of relief spaces 129 between sections of the collet that provide the collet 122 with a compressive capacity, such as a capacity to compress under the bias of the collet closure member 126. Relief space 129 also accommodates different shaped medical sharps in collet 122. One example of a collet closure member 126 is an elastomeric O-ring. Other collet closure members may also be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the collet 122 and the receiving unit 114. As shown in fig. 1, 2 and 5, the receiving unit has a receiving portion 116 with internal splines 120 and a cylindrical portion 118 extending from the receiving portion 116. As best shown in fig. 5 and described in more detail below, the interior of the column portion 118 has: a straight section 119; and a tapered portion or outwardly tapered section 121 that widens as it extends away from the receiving portion 116. According to one embodiment, adjacent to the receiving portion 116, the cylindrical portion 118 includes a chamfered or inwardly tapered section 123.

When positioned as shown in fig. 5, i.e., prior to displacement of the user interface or slider 136, the straight section 119 inside the cylindrical portion 118 radially compresses the collet. For example, preferably straight section 119 contacts collet closure member 126 to further compress sharp object receiving portion 125 of collet 122. In other words, according to one embodiment, the combination of the collet closure member 126 and the straight section 119 can compress the sharp receiving portion 125 of the collet 122 to a greater degree than the collet closure member 126 alone. Alternatively, in one embodiment, collet closure 126 is omitted and straight section 119 provides compression for sharp receiving portion 125 of collet 122.

Fig. 6-18 illustrate the operation of medical sharp removal and storage device 100. In fig. 6, a user inserts a pen needle 140 connected to a pen injector 138 into the receiving portion 116 of the receiving unit 114. The pen needle 140 includes a hub 142 and a medical sharp or needle 144. The splines of the pen needle engage with the internal splines 120 of the receiving portion 116 to prevent rotation of the pen needle 140 so that a user can unscrew the pen injector 138 from the pen needle 140 (fig. 7) and remove the pen injector 138, leaving the pen needle 140 in the receiving portion 116 of the receiving unit 114 (fig. 8 and 9).

When a user inserts the pen needle 140 into the receiving unit 114, the receiving portion 116 of the receiving unit 114 receives the hub 142 and the sharp receiving portion 125 of the collet 122 receives the needle 144. According to one embodiment, when a user inserts the pen needle 140 into the receiving unit 114, the collet closure member 126 allows the sharps receiving portion 125 to expand and grip the needle 144. According to another embodiment, in the initial receiving position, the collet 122 is open, and as the user inserts the pen needle 140 into the receiving unit 114, the open collet 122 receives the pen needle 140. In such embodiments, the chamfered or inwardly tapered section 123 helps hold the collet 122 open in the initial receiving position and, as described subsequently, the collet 122 grips the needle 144 as the collet 122 moves away from the receiving unit 114. In both such embodiments, the straight section 121 and the collet closure member 126 and/or sharp receiving portion 125 inside the cylindrical portion 118 help the sharp receiving portion 125 grip the needle 144.

After the user inserts the pen needle 140 into the receiving unit 114, as shown in fig. 10 and 11, the user closes the door member 134 by sliding the door member 134 forward relative to the body 102. This action preferably has two effects: first, the gate member 134 helps to retain the pen needle 140 in the receiving unit 114; second, the closed position of the door member 134 enables the controller 110 to energize the induction coil 108 via the door closing switch. For example, a physical or optical sensor may be provided that is connected to the controller 110 and is triggered when the door member 134 reaches the closed position after a predetermined displacement relative to the body 102. Alternatively, the door member 134 may have electrical contacts that form part of the electrical circuit between the controller 110 and the induction coil 108. Other methods of enabling the controller 110 to energize the induction coil 108 may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

According to one embodiment, the door member 134 helps to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions while also providing a lockout mechanism to ensure that the pen injector 138 is not attached to the pen needle 140 during the pulling of the needle 144. This ensures that the medication in the pen injector 138 is not affected by heat from the device 100. According to one embodiment, the door closure switch described above ensures that the device 100 can only be operated when the door member 134 is in the closed position (and the pen injector 138 is removed).

After the user closes the door member 134, the user slides the slider or user interface 136 downward in a first direction, as shown in fig. 12 and 13. Although the user 136 is depicted as a slider 136, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other user interfaces, such as a release button, may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. According to one embodiment, when the user moves the slider downward in a first direction, this action closes the collet to grip the needle while energizing the coil.

As best shown in fig. 13, the second biasing unit or spring 132 is disposed on top of the flange 128 and the first biasing unit or spring 130 is disposed below the flange 128. According to one embodiment, in the initial state shown in fig. 13, the first spring 130 biases the collet 122 towards the receiving unit 114 before the collet 122 is displaced. According to one embodiment, in the initial state shown in fig. 13, the second spring 132 also biases the collet 122 away from the receiving unit 114. According to one embodiment, in the initial state shown in fig. 13, neither the first spring 130 nor the second spring 132 biases the collet 122. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that by appropriately sizing the first and biasing

units

130 and 132, a desired force profile for a user to apply a force to the slider 136 to operate the device 100 may be achieved.

A user interface or slider 136 is coupled to the collet 122. In one embodiment, the user interface or slider 136 is coupled directly to the collet 122. In another embodiment, another element, such as a second biasing unit or spring 132, is disposed between the user interface or slider 136 and the collet 122 and translates displacement of the slider 136 into displacement of the collet 122.

The slider 136 is displaced a predetermined distance so that the collet 122 grips the needle 144 and also activates or energizes the heating unit. According to one embodiment, the device 100 includes a mechanical or optical sensor coupled to the controller 110 to determine when a predetermined displacement of the slider or user interface 136 has occurred to signal the controller to complete the circuit and provide a high frequency current to the induction coil 108. Alternatively, the slider or user interface 136 may have electrical contacts that form part of a complete electrical circuit from the energy source 106 to the induction coil 108, such that the controller 110 can control the supply of energy to the induction coil 108.

Energizing the induction coil 108 creates a strong magnetic field in the middle of the induction coil. Due to the presence of the metal medical sharp, the magnetic field induces an electrical current and resulting heating in the metal medical sharp (e.g., stainless steel needle 144). The heating causes the adhesive and/or plastic of medical sharp 144 in connection with holder 142 (hub 142 in this example) to soften and weaken. According to one embodiment, during heating, the needle 144 reaches a temperature sufficient to sterilize the needle 144.

Because the collet 122 is pushed downward by the force applied to the slider 136 by the user, once the connection between the needle 144 and the hub 142 is sufficiently softened and weakened by the induction heating to allow the needle 144 to be displaced relative to the slider 136, the collet 122, which is still gripping the needle 144, pulls the needle 144 downward and out of the hub 142. As shown in fig. 14-16, as the collet 122 travels downward in the first direction, the radially inward force applied to the sharp object receiving portion 125 of the collet, and thus the clamping force on the needle 144, is reduced due to the taper (downwardly increasing diameter) of the tapered section 121 of the interior of the cylindrical portion 118 of the receiving unit 114. In other words, the tapered shape of the tapered section 121 allows the collet to expand as it travels in the first direction (i.e., downward in the figure). Preferably, the location of the tapered section 121 relative to the location of the straight section 119 allows the collet 122 to expand and release the needle 144 only after the needle 144 is fully disengaged from the hub 142.

According to one embodiment, the condition in which the connection between the needle 144 and the hub 142 is sufficiently softened and weakened by induction heating to allow the needle 144 to be displaced relative to the hub 142 is achieved quite abruptly and the collet 122 imparts momentum to the needle. Once the grip of the collet 122 is sufficiently reduced, the collet 122 releases the needle 144 and the momentum of the needle 144 carries it into the sharps receiving container 124 (fig. 16). In some experiments, the needle was once pulled out of the hub within two seconds. It is believed that the needle can be released from the hub in less than one second, particularly if a non-metallic collet is used. For the user experience, the user applies a force and slides the user interface 136 a predetermined distance, with a short delay while applying the same force, and then releases the user interface 136 to travel the rest of its path.

Preferably, sharps receiving container 124 has an opening in the top with a rubber septum or valve (e.g., a duckbill valve). According to one embodiment, when sharps receiving container 124 is connected to body 102, the diaphragm or valve is opened by the wedge or cone, allowing needle 144 to subsequently enter sharps receiving container 124, as previously described. Preferably, when sharps receiving container 124 is removed from body 102, the septum or valve spring closes such that needle 144 is retained from falling out. As shown in fig. 20, after the container 124 is removed, the container 124 may be sealed with a lid 131 (e.g., a plastic lid) for disposal by a different waste collection method (e.g., sharps mail recycling project).

Once the needle 144 is placed in the sharps container 124, the user releases the downward force applied to the slider 136 and the first spring 130 returns the collet 122 and slider 136 to the initial position shown in FIG. 17. Alternatively, the user may return the slider 136 (and thus the collet 122 because of their coupling) to the initial position shown in fig. 17.

According to one embodiment, the controller 110 supplies energy to the induction coil 108 at predetermined times. Alternatively, the controller may control the supply of energy to the induction coil 108 based on the position of the slider 136 or collet 122 (e.g., via a different sensor or electrical contacts or sensors as previously described).

As shown in fig. 18, after the needle 144 is separated from the hub 142, the user may open the door member 134 and remove the hub 142 from the device 100 for disposal or recycling, while the needle 144 is safely disposed in the sharps receiving container or chamber 124.

In the example shown in fig. 6-18, the medical sharp is a needle (needle)144 and the holder (holder) is a hub (hub) 142. Other medical sharps and holders may be separated using the device 100. For example, the lancet (lancet) may be separated from its handle, the trocar (trocar) may be separated from its handle, the needle (needle) may be separated from a cylindrical syringe (held system) holding the needle, and the needle (needle) may be separated from a holder mounted to the syringe or any medical device having a harmful sharps member that needs to be separated from its plastic holder piece and contained for disposal. When the device 100 is used to separate a medical sharp from a holder, a door cutout 146 (see, e.g., fig. 1 and 10) in the door member 134 accommodates a lancet handle, trocar handle, and/or syringe, and still allows the door member 134 to close. Similarly, different shaped receiving units may be utilized to accommodate different medical devices to provide a tight fit between the receiving unit and the holder/handle of the sharps. In other words, different devices 100 may have differently shaped receiving units, each receiving unit being adapted for a different type of medical sharp. Alternatively, a plurality of interchangeable receiving units may be provided to accommodate different types of medical sharps in a single device 100. According to one such embodiment, the user may switch the receiving unit (e.g., switch or replace receiving unit 114 with receiving unit 141, as shown in fig. 21) to accommodate a particular medical sharp.

Body 102, containment unit 114, collet 122, door member 134, slider 136, and sharps receiving container 124 may be made of a plastic, such as polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), Polycarbonate (PC), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and Polyetheretherketone (PEEK). The different parts may be made of different plastics. Preferably, the collet 122 is ceramic or made of metal such as aluminum.

Embodiments of the present invention having an induction coil are particularly useful in situations where direct access to multiple points of contact on a medical sharp is difficult, thereby making a conductive heating mechanism difficult to implement, such as a lancet or cylindrical injector, as previously described.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a portable personal sharps container/removal device that allows for safe containment and disposal of contaminated sharps and that may improve needle handling compliance for needle users.

Embodiments of the present invention operate by removing only the sharps part of the injection device (such as, but not limited to, a pen needle or syringe) and retaining the sharps part within the device, while allowing the user to dispose of the plastic non-sharps part as ordinary trash or recyclables. Embodiments of the present invention achieve this effect by creating a region of intense high temperature, for example, near the bead of adhesive that adheres the medical sharp to the holder, in conjunction with a "pull-out" mechanism.

Separation of the sharp from its holder may be achieved in several ways, for example by melting all or part of the sharp, by locally heating the sharp to make it more easily cut or broken, by using the heated sharp to soften or melt the adhesive used to attach the sharp to the holder, or using the heated sharp to soften or melt the abutting plastic material of the holder itself. These methods may be used alone or in combination with each other, or may be used in combination with a mechanical separation method. In some embodiments of the invention, heating may be achieved by an induction heating mechanism. With this mechanism, the needle does not need to be in direct contact with the heating mechanism. Heating may also be accomplished in other ways, such as by a heating element in direct contact with the medical sharp, or by contact with the medical sharp to complete an electrical circuit, thereby causing current to flow through the medical sharp.

In some embodiments of the invention, the device has a durable component and a disposable component. The durable component uses a power source, such as a battery (rechargeable or other battery). An indicator may be incorporated into the device that alerts the user when the cannula holding compartment or sharps container 124 has reached a certain volume. Similar features may be used to manage power requirements, such as battery replacement or recharging. The disposable component (chamber or sharps receiving container 124) may be utilized until a sufficient number of needles have been introduced into the chamber, after which it may be suitably separated and disposed of.

Appropriate disposal may include a variety of options, for example, the disposable component may be mailed to the manufacturer or a separate waste management company, or the disposable component may be discarded in an appropriate medical disposal container. Preferably, a replacement disposable component is available to continue use of the durable component for subsequent medical sharps removal.

Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Instead, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention. Any embodiments and/or elements disclosed herein may be combined with each other to form various additional embodiments not specifically disclosed, so long as they are not mutually inconsistent. It is particularly noted that those skilled in the art may readily combine the various technical aspects of the various elements of the various exemplary embodiments that have been described above in a variety of other ways, all of which should be encompassed within the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device for completely removing a medical sharp from a holder to which it is attached, the device comprising:

a body;

a heating unit disposed in the body;

a receiving unit fixedly disposed in the body and configured to receive a holder;

a collet movably disposed in the body and configured to receive a medical sharp;

a first biasing member disposed in the body; and

a user interface coupled to the collet and movable in a first direction to displace the collet in the first direction away from the receiving unit, actuate the first biasing member to increase the bias on the collet toward the receiving unit, and activate the heating unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiving unit comprises:

a receiving portion configured to receive the holder; and

a columnar portion extending from the receiving portion in the first direction;

wherein the collet travels within the cylindrical portion and the cylindrical portion compresses the collet during at least a portion of the travel path of the collet.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein a section of the cylindrical portion is tapered to widen in the first direction.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein a section of the post portion is shaped to reduce the force applied by the post portion to the collet when the collet travels in the first direction.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heating unit comprises:

an energy source;

an induction coil; and

a controller configured to control the energy source to provide energy to the induction coil.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the induction coil is disposed around the receiving unit.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second biasing member disposed between the user interface and the collet, the second biasing member configured to bias the collet away from the receiving unit.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a collet closing member biasing the collet toward a closed state.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the receiving unit comprises internal splines configured to grip a pen needle to assist in removing the pen needle from an injection pen.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a door member movably disposed on the body and configured to contact the holder and to be capable of operating the heating unit.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the operation of displacing the user interface in a first direction biases the collet to displace the collet in a first direction, actuates the first biasing member to increase the bias of the collet toward the receiving unit, and activates the heating unit.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein when the heating unit heats the medical sharp sufficiently to loosen the connection between the holder and the medical sharp, the collet is displaced in the first direction, removes the entire medical sharp from the holder, and releases the medical sharp.

13. A method of completely removing a medical sharp from a holder to which it is attached, the method comprising:

inserting a medical sharp and at least a portion of a holder attached to the medical sharp into a receiving unit of a device;

sliding a door member to a closed position to secure a medical sharp and the holder relative to a body of the device;

displacing a user interface in a first direction to pull the medical sharp in a first direction and activate an induction coil in the device; and

maintaining a force on said user interface until said induction coil heats said medical sharp sufficiently to detach said medical sharp from said holder.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein inserting the medical sharp and at least a portion of the holder further comprises inserting the medical sharp into a collet holding the medical sharp and coupled to the user interface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein displacing the user interface in the first direction further comprises displacing the collet in the first direction and actuating a biasing member to increase a bias on the collet toward the receiving unit.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein securing the medical sharp and the holder comprises sliding a door to secure the medical sharp and the holder relative to the body and enable energizing the induction coil.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

releasing the force on the user interface; and

removing the holder from the device for disposal of the holder.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

releasing the force on the user interface; and

removing the holder from the device to recover the holder.

19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein the method further comprises mailing the holder to a manufacturer or waste management company.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

collecting one or more discrete medical sharps within a container in the device;

removing the container from the device;

sealing the container; and

the holder is mailed to the manufacturer or waste management company.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

the receiving unit of the device is exchanged for a receiving unit corresponding to a different type of medical sharp.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein inserting the medical sharp and at least a portion of the holder connected to the medical sharp into the receiving unit comprises inserting a pen needle assembly into the receiving unit.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein inserting the medical sharp and at least a portion of the holder connected to the medical sharp into the receiving unit comprises inserting a lancet and at least a portion of the holder of the lancet into the receiving unit.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein inserting the medical sharp and at least a portion of the holder connected to the medical sharp into the receiving unit comprises inserting a syringe and at least a portion of the holder of the syringe into the receiving unit.