GB1574983A

GB1574983A - Medico-surgical assemblies

Info

Publication number: GB1574983A
Application number: GB2574277A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Smiths Group PLC
Current assignee: Smiths Group PLC
Priority date: 1978-05-17
Filing date: 1978-05-17
Publication date: 1980-09-17

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO MEDICO-SURGICAL ASSEMBLIES (71) We SMITHS INDUSTRIES LIMITED, a British Company of Cricklewood, London NW2 6JN, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to medico-surgical assemblies and in particular to such assemblies involving a medico-surgical device and packaging thereof.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a medico-surgical assembly wherein a medico-surgical device is packaged within a container that has an open end, the said device being releasably attached to a cap that is adapted to close the said open end so that removal of the said cap from the open end serves to withdraw said device from the container, wherein the said device is attached to the cap by engagement of a lug formed on a portion of said device that extends into the cap and rests on a resilient lip therein with the lug trapped behind a shoulder within the cap, and wherein the said lip is arranged to flex so as to release the lug in response to twisting said device relative to the cap.

The said portion of the device may rest on a substantially flat surface of said lip and the said portion may comprise a handle portion of the device.

The present invention is especially, though not exclusively, of advantage in the provision of sterile packaging for an intravenous-needle device. The attachment of the device to the cap enables most, if not all of the device, and in particular the needle and any cannula carried in assembly with it, to be held away from contact with the container wall within the packaging.

Furthermore, it enables the whole device and any cannula carried with it, to be withdrawn from the container simply by removal of the cap; there is no need for any part of the device or such cannula to be touched until clear of the container. As soon as the device is clear of the container then it can be gripped, for example at a handle by which the attachment to the cap is made, and detached from the cap, ready for use.

A medico-surgical assembly involving a packaged intravenous-needle and cannula set, in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa side view of the assembly; Figures 2 and 3 are side views of the assembly with a seal of the packaging broken and the intravenous-needle and cannula set partially withdrawn from the packaging; Figure 4 shows the intravenous-needle device and cannula of the set separated from one another; and Figures 5 and 6 are respectively enlarged sectional-side and -end elevations of the cap of the packaging container, and serve to illustrate the releasable attachment to the cap of the intravenous-needle device.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the sterile intravenous-needle and cannula set 1 is packaged within a transparent plastics, tubular container 2 which at one end 3 is sealed, and at the other, open end 4 is closed by an opaque plastic cap 5.

The cap 5 fits into the open end 4 and is sealed to the container 2 by a partially-enveloping plastics sleeve 6 that is shrunk-fit onto the container 2 and cap 5. The sleeve 6 includes a teartab 7 to enable it, or at least the portion overlying the open end 4 of the container 2, to be stripped off for release of the cap 5. The teartab 7 is conveniently formed by the removal of a 'half-moon' shape portion of the sleeve 6 which causes a portion of the sleeve 6 within the 'moon' to rise up, thereby constituting the tear-tab 7.

The set 1 is carried by the cap 5 so that release and subsequent removal of the cap 5 from the container 2 as illustrated in Figure 2, withdraws the set 1 from within the container 2. The container 2 and the cap 5 may be gripped for this as illustrated in Figure 3, so that no part of the set 1 is touched during withdrawal of the set 1 clear of the container 2. Once clear of the container 2 the set 1 can be freed from the cap 5 for use simply by twisting or otherwise pivotting it relative to the cap 5.

Referring especially to Figure 4, the set 1 includes a hollow needle 11 that extends forwardly from a hub 12 and at its sharp, distal end 13 is bevelled conveniently to assist in the piercing of tissue. An arm 14 inclines upwardly and rearwardly from the hub 12 to bend into a handle portion 15 of channel section that extends rearwardly substantially parallel to the needle 11 but spaced out of alignment with it.

The arm 14 terminates in a small lug 16 on the upper face of the handle portion 15.

The provision of the lug 16 enables the arm 14 to be releasably attached to the cap 5. More particularly, and as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the lug 16 on the handle portion 15 engages with the cap 5 behind an inwardly-projecting shoulder 17 that is integrally moulded with the cap 5. The handle portion 15 in this rests on a lip 18 which is moulded with the remainder of the cap 5 and which holds the arm 14 trapped to the cap 5. A slot 19 in the lip 18 allows for flexing of the lip 18, so that when the arm 14 is twisted (anticlockwise in Figure 6) relative to the cap 5 the lip 18 is deflected to enable the lug 16 to be freed from behind the shoulder 17.

The lug 16 may be similarly freed by upward pivotting of the arm 14 about the shoulder 17 whereby the lip 18 is again deflected downwardly. Freeing of the lug 16 from the shoulder, which in either of these ways can be achieved simply by grip on the arm 14, enables the whole set 1 to be removed entirely from the cap 5 for use.

The needle 11 carries in the set 1 a tapered cannula 20 for placement in a vein. The cannula 20 fits closely onto a tapered boss 21 of the hub 12 at its proximal end 22, and tapers down along its length to embrace the needle 11 closely at its distal end 23 just short of the sharp needle-end 13. A moulding 24 of polypropylene is welded to the cannula 20 adjacent the proximal end 22 to provide wings 25 that can be folded outwards and taped down when the cannula 20 has been introduced on the needle 11 into the vein and prior to withdrawal of the needle 11.

It is notable that with the intravenous-needle and cannula set 1 attached to the cap 5 the set 1 can be mounted out of contact with the packaging container 2. More particularly the cannula 21 and the needle 11 can be held clearly spaced from the inside of the container 2. A short length of tubing 26 may be fitted onto the cannula 21 as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 so as to ensure that the sharp needle-end 13 cannot puncture the container 2 in the event that the set 1 becomes detached from the cap 5 within the container 2; the tubing 26 can be readily removed after the set 1 has been withdrawn clear from the container 2.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A medico-surgical assembly wherein a medico-surgical device is packaged within a con tainer that has an open end, the said device being releasably attached to a cap that is adapted to close the said open end so that removal of the said cap from the open end serves to withdraw said device from the container, wherein the said device is attached to the cap by engagement of a lug formed on a portion of said device that extends into the cap and rests on a resilient lip therein with the lug trapped behind a shoulder within the cap, and wherein the said lip is arranged to flex so as to release the lug in response to twisting said device relative to the cap.

2. A medico-surgical assembly according to claim 1 \wherein said portion of the device rests on a substantially flat surface of said lip.

3. A medico-surgical assembly according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said portion of the device comprises a handle portion of the device.

4. A medico-surgical assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cap comprises a plastics moulding and wherein said shoulder is moulded integrally with said cap.

5. A medico-surgical assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said lip is formed integrally with said cap.

6. A medico-surgical assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the container is tubular.

7. A medico-surgical assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the said device is an intravenous-needle device.

8. A medico-surgical assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

and rearwardly from the hub 12 to bend into a handle portion 15 of channel section that extends rearwardly substantially parallel to the needle 11 but spaced out of alignment with it.

The arm 14 terminates in a small lug 16 on the upper face of the handle portion 15.

The provision of the lug 16 enables the arm

14 to be releasably attached to the cap 5. More particularly, and as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the lug 16 on the handle portion 15 engages with the cap 5 behind an inwardly-projecting shoulder 17 that is integrally moulded with the cap 5. The handle portion 15 in this rests on a lip 18 which is moulded with the remainder of the cap 5 and which holds the arm 14 trapped to the cap 5. A slot 19 in the lip 18 allows for flexing of the lip 18, so that when the arm 14 is twisted (anticlockwise in Figure 6) relative to the cap 5 the lip 18 is deflected to enable the lug 16 to be freed from behind the shoulder 17.

The lug 16 may be similarly freed by upward pivotting of the arm 14 about the shoulder 17 whereby the lip 18 is again deflected downwardly. Freeing of the lug 16 from the shoulder, which in either of these ways can be achieved simply by grip on the arm 14, enables the whole set 1 to be removed entirely from the cap 5 for use.

The needle 11 carries in the set 1 a tapered cannula 20 for placement in a vein. The cannula 20 fits closely onto a tapered boss 21 of the hub 12 at its proximal end 22, and tapers down along its length to embrace the needle 11 closely at its distal end 23 just short of the sharp needle-end 13. A moulding 24 of polypropylene is welded to the cannula 20 adjacent the proximal end 22 to provide wings 25 that can be folded outwards and taped down when the cannula 20 has been introduced on the needle 11 into the vein and prior to withdrawal of the needle 11.

It is notable that with the intravenous-needle and cannula set 1 attached to the cap 5 the set 1 can be mounted out of contact with the packaging container 2. More particularly the cannula 21 and the needle 11 can be held clearly spaced from the inside of the container 2. A short length of tubing 26 may be fitted onto the cannula 21 as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 so as to ensure that the sharp needle-end 13 cannot puncture the container 2 in the event that the set 1 becomes detached from the cap 5 within the container 2; the tubing 26 can be readily removed after the set 1 has been withdrawn clear from the container 2.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A medico-surgical assembly wherein a medico-surgical device is packaged within a con tainer that has an open end, the said device being releasably attached to a cap that is adapted to close the said open end so that removal of the said cap from the open end serves to withdraw said device from the container, wherein the said device is attached to the cap by engagement of a lug formed on a portion of said device that extends into the cap and rests on a resilient lip therein with the lug trapped behind a shoulder within the cap, and wherein the said lip is arranged to flex so as to release the lug in response to twisting said device relative to the cap.
2. A medico-surgical assembly according to claim 1 \wherein said portion of the device rests on a substantially flat surface of said lip.
3. A medico-surgical assembly according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said portion of the device comprises a handle portion of the device.
4. A medico-surgical assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cap comprises a plastics moulding and wherein said shoulder is moulded integrally with said cap.
5. A medico-surgical assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said lip is formed integrally with said cap.
6. A medico-surgical assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the container is tubular.
7. A medico-surgical assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the said device is an intravenous-needle device.
8. A medico-surgical assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.