GB2544472A

GB2544472A - An improved syringe safety disposal device

Info

Publication number: GB2544472A
Application number: GB1520140.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nunn Adrian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-11-16
Filing date: 2015-11-16
Publication date: 2017-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 2035-11-16
Also published as: GB2544472B; GB201520140D0

Abstract

A device 10 to separate a needle from a syringe 110 is disclosed. The device 10 comprises a planar member including an aperture 13 therein, said aperture 13 being closed by a closure mechanism 15 comprising two or more closuremembers 16. Each closure member 16 is mounted along one edge to the edge of the aperture 13, with the free edges of each closure member 16 being in spaced relationship with the free edges of a neighbouring closure member 16. The free edges of each closure member are in spaced relationship with the free edges of a neighbouring closure member, said space being smaller than the radius of a syringe connector. Each closure member 16 is further formed of a resilient material and biased to the closed position. The device may comprise a second planar member with a second aperture with closure members 26, the second aperture may be in line with the first aperture 13, and the closure members 26 may be rotationally offset from the closure members 16. A container and method are also claimed.

Description

An Improved Syringe Safety Disposal Device

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device to improve safety when disposing of a syringe. In particular the device facilitates removal of the syringe needle from the syringe barrel. The invention also includes a method of detaching a syringe needle from a syringe barrel.

Background to the Invention

Accidental injuries caused by syringe needles are acknowledged to be a substantial risk, not only to patients, but to workers dealing with the needles. The needles themselves are an important device within the healthcare sector, particularly for administering drugs and for taking fluid samples from a patient. Usually the needle is incorporated into a syringe designed to contain fluid, to allow a healthcare worker to hold the syringe, and to be operable to carry out the required function.

Although in itself, the needle already poses a physical injury risk, once the needle has been removed from the patient following use, the consequences of any such injury can be significantly worse for the person injured. Following use on a patient then an injury, often referred to as a needle-stick or stick injury, carries the risk of infection of the injured person. Where the patient has a serious condition such as Hepatitis or Aids then the health worker, apart from the immediate problem of the physical wound, may be faced with a longer term illness transmitted by the needle.

Although clear figures for the UK National Health Service overall are not easy to obtain, where available they show around 2% of staff each year receiving a stick injury of some sort during their work. Data from NHS-Scotland shows that the largest percentage of these are on the ward and to nursing staff. Moreover, and of particular relevance to the current invention, the same set of figures show that around 28% of stick injuries occur on disposal of a used syringe.

Several methods of disposal are currently utilised, many of which involve separation of the needle from the syringe barrel, allowing separate decontamination and/or disposal. To this end many syringes include a means by which the syringe needle is detachable from the syringe barrel. Two common fixing methods are a screw-thread fixture and a detachable push-fit or bayonet fixture.

Devices for use in conjunction with each type of fitment are also available to facilitate safe detachment and disposal of the components.

Regulations relating to needle disposal are evolving and many require that equipment and procedures be available allowing disposal to be able to be carried out using one hand only.

It is an object of the present invention to address the above problems and provide a device to facilitate removal of a syringe needle from a syringe barrel, which ideally requires the use of one hand only. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of removal of a syringe needle from a syringe barrel capable of being carried out using one hand.

Herein, reference to a syringe is to a syringe having a barrel section and a needle, the needle and the barrel section being connected by a separable connection such as a push-fit, bayonet fixing, screw-thread fixing or the like.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a device to separate a needle from a syringe, the device comprising; a planar member including an aperture therein, the aperture being closed by a closure mechanism comprising two or more closure members; each closure member being mounted along one edge to the edge of the aperture, the free edges of each closure member being in spaced relationship, with the free edges of a neighbouring closure member, said space being smaller than the radius of a syringe connector, each closure member being formed of a resilient material and biased to the closed position, but allowing a needle and portion of a syringe to be pushed by hand between the closure members.

The needle can therefore be pushed through the aperture in the device, which itself results in an effective barrier being placed between the needle and the user's hand, the closure members then act to grip a syringe connector or prevent the connector being pulled back through the aperture, allowing the user to withdraw the syringe barrel from the connector and needle safely and without contact with the needle.

Advantageously, the free edges of neighbouring closure members are contiguous.

The closure mechanism preferably includes three or more closure members and especially preferably four closure members. Utilising three or more closure members enables configurations of closure members which meet at a point to be more easily effected.

Preferably the device comprises a second planar member defining a second aperture, said second aperture being further preferably in line with the aperture in the other planar member, said second aperture including a second closure mechanism including second closure members. Yet further preferably the free edges of the second closure members are offset relative to the free edges of the closure members.

Advantageously the or each planar member forms one side of a closed container to catch and retain the needles removed from a syringe.

Optionally, the device includes a closure means to cover over the aperture which is of advantage, for example, if no further use is to be made of the device.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a container including a device as defined above, which container is able to aid in separating safely a needle from a syringe and retain said needles for disposal.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show by way of example only, five embodiments of a separation device and also containers incorporated into the device. In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a device;

Figure 2 is a top view of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view of the reverse side of a second embodiment of a device;

Figure 4 illustrates a closure mechanism;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a container including a third embodiment of a device; Figures 6a, 6b illustrate further containers incorporating a first embodiment of the device;

Figure 7 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a device;

Figure 8 illustrates a closure mechanism for a device in accordance with, at least the first embodiment;

Figures 9a, 9b illustrate a fifth embodiment of a closure device.

Figures 10a to 10d are perspective views and a side view respectively of further embodiments of a container and fitment means for use by left /right handed persons;

Figure 11 illustrates a further embodiments of fitment means; and

Figure 12 illustrates use of the first embodiment of the device.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The majority of syringes used within the healthcare industry are now of a type in which the syringe barrel and the needle are separable following use, although they may be received from the supplier already connected together. The separability allows, following use, the needles and barrels to be safely decontaminated separately in specifically designed apparatus. In general, barrels (and plungers) are, formed of plastics materials, they can be disposed of via an incinerator which kills any micro-organisms which are adhering thereto or contained in residual fluids: specifically from the patient. Needles are however predominantly formed of a metal to provide the necessary strength and retain sharpness and so are not so readily treated in a conventional incinerator and require separate treatment.

The problem to a healthcare worker of disposal of the needles is therefore that of separating the barrel and the needle whilst minimising the risk of a stick injury. Moreover, increasingly, new regulations are requiring that equipment available to help with disposal be such that the separation can be carried out using only one hand.

Standard syringes have the barrel and needle connected together using a connector, holding the needle, which connector is removably secured to the barrel by a push-fit, bayonet or screw-thread type fitment. This is typically actuated by a user grasping the connector with one hand and using the required force to effect separation. This action however brings the user's fingers close to the needle itself and so increases the risk of accidental injury. The invention described herein seeks to minimise this risk by enabling a user to carry out separation without the user's hand having to come near to the needle but instead simply to be able to grip the barrel.

Referring initially to Figures 1 and 2, this shows a device in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention in which the device, generally referenced 10, is shown incorporated onto a container 11, only part of which is shown. The device 10 is suitable for incorporation into many different types of containers and indeed the support 12 can be, and is conveniently, the container wall itself. Alternatively the support 12 can be secured to the outside of a container.

The support 12 defines an aperture 13 having an aperture wall 14. When the device 10 is in position as part of a container, the aperture 13 connects the outside of the container 11 with the internal volume of the container 11 and allows a needle to be pushed into the container 11, whilst at the same time forming a barrier to protect a user and to prevent a needle from falling out of the container 11.

The device 10 has a first closure mechanism 15. The closure mechanism 15 consists of four closure members, 16, each closure member 16 being formed of a resilient material and having a ‘memory’ such that after deflection from its normal configuration, via application of a force, the closure member 16 returns to its rest state as shown. Suitable materials include high density polyethylenes, high density polypropylenes, and polyterephthalates such as Nylons (RTM).

Each closure member 16 is joined, including being formed integrally, with the aperture wall 14 along one edge 17. The free edges, 18,19 are in close spaced relationship, and preferably contiguous with a free edge of a neighbouring closure member 16. The number of closure members included in a device can be chosen to suit the application to which the device is to be put. Although a closure mechanism having only two closure members can be contemplated, three or more is preferred to reduce the force required to deflect a closure member. However, a closure member 16 needs to be sufficiently strong to, as described below, grip a syringe sufficiently to enable separation of the barrel and needle.

The device 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a further closure mechanism 25, which operates as described above in relation to the first closure mechanism 15, beneath the first closure mechanism 15. The closure members 26 of the further closure mechanism 25 are, as shown, preferably rotationally offset relative to the closure members 16, but with the regions where the apices of closure members 16, 26 meet in line to allow a syringe to be more easily pushed through, straight into the container 11. It will be understood that the number of closure members 26 in the closure mechanism 25 can be different to that of the closure members 16. However, for simplicity of manufacturing a device 10, mechanisms having the same number may be convenient.

In use, and with reference to Figure 12, the upper row of illustrations shows removal of a needle connected to the barrel by a bayonet or a push-fit fixing, and the lower row by a screw-thread fixing: as shown by the left-hand panels in each row.

With regard to the push-fit /bayonet fixing, the syringe 110 is pushed firstly through the outer closure mechanism 111, then through the inner closure mechanism 112. For convenience in use the device is located in an upper surface of a container in which the needles are collected and the outer and inner will be in effect be upper and lower closure mechanisms. As the connector passes through the upper and lower closure mechanisms 111, 112 the closure members of the closure mechanisms are deflected downwards, which effectively widens the gap between the closure members. Once the connector has passed through the upper closure members, syringes typically have a narrower width and the resilient nature of the material from which the closure members are formed acts to return the closure members upwards to the rest state. This will usually cause an audible click which alerts the user to the passage of the connector through the members. Similarly the syringe is passed through the lower closure mechanism.

When the connector of the syringe has passed through the lower closure mechanism, the action of pulling the syringe back through the closure mechanisms acts to separate the needle from the barrel. As the syringe 110 is withdrawn by the user the closure mechanisms 111, 112 then act cooperatively, on the connector 114 to exert a force on the connector 114 and prevent it from passing back through the closure mechanisms 111,112. The resilient material forming the closure mechanisms 111,112 assists in that the withdrawal of the syringe causes an increasing restoring force to be exerted on the connector thus aiding its separation from the syringe barrel. As the syringe 110 is withdrawn the needle is therefore separated from the syringe barrel and remains behind in the container. At no point during this procedure does the user have to bring his fingers close to the needle and moreover the action can be carried out using one hand only.

In respect of the screw-thread fitment shown in the lower row of Figure 12, the syringe 120 is pushed through the closure mechanisms 121, 122 until the mechanisms 121,122 grip the connector 123 and prevent its rotation. The user then twists the barrel of the syringe in the appropriate direction to unscrew the barrel from the connector 123. Once fully unscrewed, the needle and connector 123 are pushed through the closure mechanisms 121,122 with the syringe 120 and fall into and are retained by the container.

In respect of both operations, the lower closure mechanisms 112,122 also assist in guiding the syringe to be in the correct orientation and cooperate with the upper closure mechanisms 111, 121 in that process.

Turning now to Figure 4, this illustrates a closure lid 30 which is hingeably attached at 31 to the upper surface of the device and enables an aperture to be sealed when not in use or, when a device is incorporated into a container, said container is full and/or ready to be disposed of or to be transported to another location.

Figure 5 shows a container 50 incorporating a third embodiment of a device 51. The container 50 itself is of a conventional design having a container body 52 secured to which, by a conventional push-fit closure mechanism known in the art, is a container lid 53. The device 51, as in the previous embodiment comprises an aperture 54 and a closure mechanism having four closure members 55 each attached along one edge 56 to a wall 57 of the aperture 54. For ease of manufacture, the device 51 does not include a further closure mechanism below this closure mechanism. It would be recognised however that a further closure mechanism as described in respect of the first embodiment can be included. An aperture lid 58, attached by a hinge 59 to the container lid 53 is provided to enable the aperture 54 to be closed when required.

Figure 6a and 6b show containers 60, 65 which are suitable for use in conjunction with the embodiments of the disclosed device. In respect of the container 65, a further aperture lid 66 comprising a cover portion 67 which sits within a recess 68, said recess having an aperture 69 through which syringes can be pushed to remove the needles and two gripping elements 70 which facilitate lifting of the cover portion 67.

Figure 7 illustrates a further embodiment of a closure mechanism in which a closure member 76 comprises a plurality of syringe engaging elements 77, each mounted on a resilient support 78, said support 78 being biased to cause the elements 77 to be pushed together and so against the sides of a syringe needle. The act of pushing the syringe through the closure member 76 acts to force the elements 77 outwards against the restoring force arising from tension in the support 78. Once the connector of the syringe needle has been pushed through, the elements 77 act to prevent movement of the connector with the syringe barrel as the syringe is withdrawn, thus effecting separation of the syringe barrel and the connector /needle.

Figure 8 illustrates an alternative means of closing an aperture of a lid in the form of a stopper 80. The stopper 80 has a generally frusto-conical body and has a flange 82, 83 at either end, with the smaller flange 83 being at the thinner end of the stopper 80. The stopper 80 is thus pushed partially through the closure members 84, 85 of the device by pressure applied to the surface 86 of the flange 82. Once the flange 83 is passed beyond the lower closure member 85, pressure is ceased. The flange 83 then acts to prevent accidental removal of stopper 80 whilst the flange 82 covers over any gaps between neighbouring closure members 84 to hinder airborne micro-organisms from exiting the container of which the device is a part.

Figures 9a and 9b illustrate a fifth embodiment of a closure device 90 in which closure members 95 are so-shaped as to be able to cooperate to form a conical section to guide a syringe as it is inserted through the device 90. The closure members 95 are of a resilient material and one edge 96 is mounted to or integral with the aperture wall 97. As the syringe therefore is pushed through the device 90, the closure members 95 move outwards allowing the syringe through. Once the connector of the syringe has passed the free edge 98, the tension force in the resilient material causes the closure members 95 to move inwards engaging the barrel about the connector. The connector and needle can then be removed as described above. In the case of a screw-threaded fitment the grip on the connector caused by tension force in the closure members is used to assist in unscrewing the syringe barrel from the connector as described earlier.

Figures 10a to 10d illustrate a container 100 into which a device 101 is incorporated said device 101 being as described above. A container 100 also has incorporated therein a stopper 80 as illustrated in Figure 8. The container has a recess 102 within its base region into which a first clip arm 103 of a clip 104 can be inserted. A second clip arm 105 can then be used to secure the container 100 to a work surface 106 as shown in Figure 10c. The user does not then have to hold the container 100 when using the device 101 which reduces the risk of accidental injury and leaves the user's other hand free. In addition to the clip 104 other means, not illustrated, can be used to reduce the chance of movement of a container such as the provision of a high friction material on the underside of a container.

In Figure 11a further embodiment of a clip is illustrated. For example the clip 130 of Figure 11 has a screw-threaded grub screw 131 which can engage the underside of a surface 106 on which a container rests.

It will be recognised that the invention is not limited to the specific details described herein which are given by way of example only, and various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A device to separate a needle from a syringe, the device comprising; a planar member including an aperture therein, the aperture being closed by a closure mechanism comprising two or more closure members, each closure member being mounted along one edge to the edge of the aperture, the free edges of each closure member being in spaced relationship with the free edges of a neighbouring closure member, said space being smaller than the radius of a syringe connector, each closure member being formed of a resilient material and biased to the closed position, but allowing a needle and portion of a syringe to be pushed by hand between the closure members.

2. A device according to Claim 1, wherein the free edges of neighbouring closure members are contiguous.

3. A device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the closure mechanism includes three or more closure members.

4. A device according to Claim 3, wherein the closure mechanism has four closure members.

5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the device comprises a second planar member defining a second aperture, said second aperture including a second closure mechanism including second closure members.

6. A device according to Claim 5, wherein the second aperture is in line with the aperture in the other planar member.

7. A device according to Claim 6, wherein the free edges of the second closure members are offset relative to the free edges of the closure members.

8. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each planar member forms one side of a closed container.

9. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the device includes a closure means to cover over the aperture.

10. A container including a device as defined above, which container is able to retain said needles for disposal.

11. A device substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

12. A container substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

13. A method substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.