JPH01103905A - Medical device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a simple, safe and convenient medical treatment apparatus for protecting a user of an injection needle against the pricking after use by combining the coupler of an injection syringe, the injection needle, its protector and blocking means in a manner as to provide specific action.

CONSTITUTION: At the time a nurse begins to move the protector 24, a nipple 38 slips off from a groove 36 and a build-up 46 slips off from a groove 48. The shoulder 56 of the locking member imparts stability and guide to the protector 24 when this member moves along the stem 10b of the injection 10. When the ring 40 is connected to an inclined path end 52, the front end of this inclined path end is inserted into the opening to widen the ring. When the ring rides on the rear shoulder on the inclined path, this opening is slightly expanded. While the ring 40 exists on the opposite side of a vessel part 58, the opening is closed once more and the ring 40 enters the vessel part. The protector 24 is locked to the prescribed position by the converging side wall of the wall of the receiving part and the corresponding converging wall of the ring. The protector 24 is thus locked permanently to the prescribed position and the nurse is protected against the casual pricking of the injection needle.

COPYRIGHT: (C)1989,JPO

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to medical devices, such as those used in combinations of syringes and intravenous (IV) drug dispensers, and more particularly to medical devices used to prevent accidental needle sticks in the user. It relates to a device for subsequently enclosing a syringe needle.

BACKGROUND DISCUSSION Many drug therapies are treated by injecting the drug through a needle through the patient's body. The needle is usually
It is removably attached to a drug dispenser or syringe, such as an IV overset. When the needle is attached to the syringe, the nurse manually activates a plunger that forces the medication in the syringe through the needle and out of the needle tip and into the patient's body. It is common practice to use disposable injection needles. After the needle is used, the nurse removes it from the syringe and discards it. Nurses often clip the needle and
Prevent it from being used later.

Commonly used injection needles are encased in sheaths made of plastic, for example. This sheath grips the needle in such a way that the nurse can attach the needle to the dispensing end of the syringe while holding the sheath. Typically, a Luer lock or other form of conventional threaded device is used. , the nurse can simply screw the needle onto the discharge end of the syringe. Once the needle is attached to the syringe, the nurse removes the sheath and ashes the needle.

Nurses often replace the sheath covering the needle after the needle has been used to inject medication into a patient. Ribs on the inside of the sheath rotationally connect the spline to the babel hub of the needle. The nurse then rotates the sheath and removes the needle from the syringe. Very often in the act of re-sheathing the needle, the nurse accidentally pricks her hand 1. Nurses can also become infected when patients have highly contagious diseases. Therefore, a blood test must be done on the nurse to find out if she already has the disease, and if she was not infected at the time of the poke, her employer, i.e. the hospital, should be held responsible. This is necessary to take.

Accidental needle sticks have been recognized as a serious health risk, and the present patent application, filed May 3, 1984, entitled "Medical Coupler," and assigned to the same assignee, Discussed in US patent application Ser. No. 06/606.679. This medical coupler uses a hypodermic needle housed within a cap member so that the nurse is protected from accidental sticks. However, this coupler is not suitable for administering drug therapy directly to a patient by means of a syringe inserted into the patient's body; when the needle is not in use, the protective sheath of the needle is attached to the syringe and the injection Some suggest that it is movable to cover the needle and then be withdrawn to expose the needle. Such a device is described in US Pat. No. 4,425,120, No. 2.5.
No. 71.653, No. 3.134.380, No. 2.92
No. 5.083. However, all of these devices are designed for repeated use of the needle. This requires resterilization after each use and is inconsistent with current medical practice of using disposable needles.

Key Features of the Invention The problems discussed above provide an easy, safe, and convenient way to protect the user from needle sticks after the needle has been used to inject drugs into a patient. removed by the present invention.

The present invention has several features, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes, and without limiting the scope of the invention as expressed by the claims, the more prominent The features are briefly discussed below.

After considering this discussion, and especially after reading the section of this application entitled "Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments," it will be appreciated how the features of the present invention provide the advantages of simplicity, convenience, and safety. It will be understood.

One feature of the invention is that the needle is covered with a guard after it is used. The injection needle is secured to a coupler adapted to be removably attached to the drug dispenser.

This allows the needle to be removed and disposed of after use. The guard is manually movable and attached along the needle. It moves axially between a first position in which the needle tip is exposed and a second position in which the guard covers the needle tip and prevents needle stick.

According to another feature of the invention, locking means are mounted along the needle for permanently locking the guard in the second position upon movement of the guard from the first position to the second position. Because the protection is locked in place, the nurse must
No needle sticks. The guard is a tubular element, which has a ring at the rear end. Associated with the guard are means for releasably holding the guard in a first position, so that the nurse applies minimal force to overcome the grip of the retaining means. After using the needle, the nurse pushes the protector toward the tip of the needle and inserts it into the second
move to position. The locking means includes a stop that limits directional movement of the container and the guard relative to the ring; when the guard is moved forward, the ring connects to the stop and snaps into a locked position on the container. In this position,
The tip of the needle is covered with a protective material. The guard has openings at the forward and rear ends that permit axial movement along the needle axis. Thus, the needle tip is exposed when the guard is in the first position, but by moving the guard forward, the guard can be withdrawn from the tip. The opening at the forward end of the guard is limited so that the nurse cannot have her little finger stuck through the opening and be pricked by the needle tip when the guard is in the second position.

The medical device of the present invention is constructed from conventional plastic material that is molded into the desired shape, and the needle is conventionally constructed from a metal such as stainless steel. The device is easy to manufacture, low cost, and most importantly,
To provide a safe method for protecting nurses from being punctured by needles used when administering drugs to patients suffering from highly infectious diseases. - Once the needle has been used, the nurse must simply move the protective shield into position over the needle, remove the needle from the drug administration dispenser, and place it in an appropriate waste container. Throw it away. The needle does not need to be clipped because the guard is now permanently locked in place and cannot be removed without destroying the structure of the device.

Preferred embodiments of the invention exhibiting all features are discussed in detail below. This embodiment shows the device of the invention used in conventional syringes, where it is desired to protect the needle after it has been inserted into the patient, and where it is no longer desirable to reuse such needles. In rare applications it is used.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional method for injecting drugs into a patient's body requires a metal needle 10 removably attached to a syringe 12. The needle 10 has a plastic hub 14 with a dog ear (not shown) that is screwed onto the threaded dispensing end 16 of the syringe. The injection needle 10 is
Plastic sheath 1 that fits well into...1 of the hub 14
8, and is usually initially enclosed. Injection needles 10 come in many different sizes, both in diameter and length, and are individually sheathed. The nurse selects a needle of the size to be used to administer the drug, grasps the sheath 18 with one hand, and then inserts the hub 14 into the dispensing end 16 of the syringe 12 and rotates the sheath. The injection needle 10 is easily attached to a predetermined position with a screw. The sheath 18 carries splines 18a on its interior wall that connect the rib 20 to the hub 14, allowing the sheath and needle to rotate as a unit.

Upon rotation, the dog ear slides into the thread 16a at the end 16 to lock the needle 10 to the syringe 12. The nurse then pulls the sheath 18 from the hub 14 and unclogs the needle. Then she
Insert the needle 10 into the patient's body, press the plunger (not shown) of the syringe 12 to inject the liquid drug through the needle and into the patient's body from the needle tip 10a, and then Typically, the nurse will replace the sheath 18 and insert the needle 10 into the sheath opening 18.
Insert into b. It is at this point that accidents generally occur. If the nurse is distracted, has poor vision, or is simply inattentive, she may
I end up stabbing my own hand. If the needle 10 has just been used to inject medication into a patient suffering from a highly infectious disease, a nurse may contract the disease when she accidentally pricks her hand.

If she can change the sheath 18 of the needle 10 without stabbing herself, then she can replace the needle hub 14 with the sheath 18.
The needle 10 is removed by rotating the sheath while successfully inserting it into the opening 18b of the needle.

Rotation is then performed between the needle hub 14 and the discharge end 16 of the syringe 18 in order to remove the needle 10 from the syringe. In many cases, nurses are required by hospital policy to clip needles before discarding them. This is to prevent the injection needle 10 from being reused. Such ripping of the needle 10 creates an aerosol containing infectious bacteria that can be inhaled by the nurse or others nearby. This dangerous act of clipping the needle and recovering it is eliminated by the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the medical device 22 of the present invention includes a hub 14 having a dog ear 14a (FIG. 7) at one end that allows the device 22 to be removably attached to the end of the syringe 12. Extending from the hub 14 is an elongated metal needle 10 of any desired length and thickness. Attached to the shaft 10a of the injection needle 10 is a movable protector 24 that moves axially along the axis of the injection needle from a rear position as shown in FIG. 4 to a front position as shown in FIG. . In the forward position, a guard 24 is attached to the shaft 10 of the injection needle 10.
It is locked in place by a locking element 26 attached to a. As best shown in Figure 3,
Before use, the guard 24 is in the retracted position and the sheath 18 encloses both the needle 10 and the guard.
As best shown in the figures, barrel hub 14 is molded from any suitable plastic and has a sheath retainer forward portion 14a.

This portion 14a preferably has a tapered side wall 14b to allow the barrel hub 14 to be inserted into the opening 18b of the sheath, and the inner wall of the sheath to hold the shroud in place. Well located on the side wall of. Barrel hub 14 is cylindrical in shape and has a passageway 28 extending from the end of the hub that is coupled to syringe 12 to the end of the hub that holds the needle. This passageway 28 is centrally located along the longitudinal axis of the hub 14 and provides a conduit for drug flow from the syringe 12 to the needle 10.

Hub 14 includes a liquid reservoir 30 and passageway 28 has a series of parallel lumens 28a running around it.
8 terminates in a funnel-like opening 32. injection needle 10
One end of is inserted into passage 28 and stops at the bottom of reservoir 30. Adhesive 33 is inserted through opening 32 and flows around the outer walls of needle shaft 10a and into lumen 28a filling them. When solidified, adhesive 3
3 securely couples the injection needle 10 in place.

The end of the barrel hub 14 opposite the reservoir 30 includes a cavity 34 having an opening 34a through which the rear of the guard 24 passes, the cavity 34 being formed by an annular recess in the hub portion 14a. There is a circumferential groove 36 adjacent the port 34 that connects to a row of spaced nipples 38 (FIG. 10) retained on the exterior of the rear end of the guard 24. Centrally located and integral to hub portion 14a is neck portion 14c from which passageway 28 extends. This neck portion 14C is generally cylindrical.

The guard 24 has a cavity 34 when the guard is in the retracted position.
It is a generally hollow cylindrical member constructed of plastic having at its rear end an annular member 40 in the form of an annular wall received therein. Neck member 14c extends through opening 40a in ring 40, and the inner annular surface of the ring is adjacent to the outer surface of neck 14c. The protector 24 allows a typical adult user to insert a finger into this opening and insert the needle 1 into the opening.
It has an open end 24a (FIG. 8) that is sufficiently restricted so as not to touch the tip 10a of the 0. Typically, the diameter of this opening is less than 1 centimeter and the needle tip 10a is placed a minimum distance of 1.5 centimeters inward from this opening.

As best shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the rear end of the guard 24 has four equally spaced slits 42 extending longitudinally from the rear end around the nipple 38. Each slit 42 terminates in an angled end. These slits divide the ring 40 into four equal segments that bend outward and enlarge the opening 40a when the guard 24 connects to the locking element 26. This feature will be explained in greater detail below. A series of parallel lips 44 molded onto the exterior surface of the guard 24 provide a means to facilitate gripping and holding the guard. Open end 24 of protector 24
At a there is an annular ridge 46 which is retained on the inner wall of the protection. This ridge has a tapered sidewall that is received in a corresponding tapered groove 48 in the locking element 26. nipple 38
The ridges 46 hold the protector 24 in the rearward position until the nurse manually moves the protector forward to the position shown in FIG. Thus, there is sufficient action to allow the guard to be moved forward by hand, but sufficient tightness so that the guard does not squeak loose accidentally, for example during preparation.

Locking to the guard 24 is best illustrated by FIGS. 8-11. The locking element as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 includes a body member 50 having a conical end portion 52 that provides a ramp for the ring 40 to ride when the guard is moved to a fully extended forward position. include. The ramp terminates in an annular rear shoulder 54 with an annular front shoulder 56 at the other end of the body member 50 . The front shoulder 56 is higher than the rear scrap 54 and its diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the guard opening 24a, between the shoulders 54 and 56 there is a base 5.
There is a container portion 58 consisting of an annular recessed portion running around the central portion of the body member 50 having an internally tapered rear wall opposite 8a and front walls 58b and 58c. Ring 40 falls into this receiving portion 58 when guard 24 is moved to its fully extended forward portion as shown in FIG. The ring segments widen slightly as the guard 24 moves up the ramp end 52. Thus, the opening 40a in the ring 40 expands slightly to allow the end 52 to pass through the opening, and the ring rests on the shoulder 54. When the ring 40 is opposite the receiving part 58, the opening 40a resumes its normal diameter and the ring 40 falls into the receiving part, and the front tapered wall 58c acts as a stop against the ring. - Once the ring 40 is in the receiving part 58, the guard is permanently locked in place so that it cannot be moved rearwardly to return to the position shown in FIG.

Operation To use the medical device of the present invention, first insert the dog ear 14a into the threaded thread 16a at the dispensing end of the syringe and screw it into place, as shown in FIG. Rotating the device 22 attaches it to the discharge end 16 of the syringe 12. The nurse then: - removes the sheath 18 by simply pulling it off the barrel hub 14;

The tip 10a of the injection needle]0 is now exposed to the outside as shown in FIG. The nurse then pierces the patient's body and pushes the plunger of the syringe 18 to inject the drug through the passage 28 from the needle tip 10a into the patient's body. After the drug has been administered to the patient, the nurse withdraws the needle from the patient and instead of returning the sheath to the device 22, the nurse simply grasps the intermediate position of the protector 24, which is the position shown in FIG. , and pushes it forward in one smooth stroke, so that even if the nurse's hand slips from the protection 24, her fingers simply move without pricking themselves.
It extends from the axis tab of the injection needle 10 to its tip 10a. This is contrary to the conventional method in which the nurse's hand moves in the direction of the tip 10a of the injection needle 10. When the nurse pushes the guard, it moves to the right, as shown in FIG. 4, and moves from a retracted position, as shown at 61J, to a forward position, as shown in FIG. 5. Nurse wearing protective equipment 2
When starting this movement of 4, nipple 38 slides down from groove 36 and ridge 46? Slipped down from lI48. The shoulder 56 of the locking member provides stability and guidance to the guard 24 as it moves along the axis 10b of the needle 10. When the ring connects to the ramp end 52, the tip of the ramp end is inserted into the aperture 40a, widening the ring and slightly enlarging this opening 40a as the ring rests on the rear shoulder above the ramp. When the ring 40 is on the opposite side of the container portion 58,
The opening is closed again and the ring 40 is snapped into the container part. Due to the tapered side walls of the walls of the receiving part and the corresponding tapered walls of the annulus, the guard is locked in place. Thus, even if the guard W1fJs attempts to retract the guard by moving it to the position shown in FIG. Thus, the guard 24 is permanently locked in place, protecting the nurse from accidental needle sticks. Protective object 24 is device 2
Clipping the needle is not necessary, as it would not be possible to move the needle without destroying the entire structure of 2 and without destroying the needle.

Thus, dangerous germs containing aerosols are not dispersed into the atmosphere.6 Scope of the Invention The above description presents the best possible mode of carrying out the invention. However, the invention is susceptible to modifications and alternative configurations from the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above. Therefore, there is no intent to limit the invention to the particular embodiments disclosed,8 on the contrary, the purpose is to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed by the claims.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional method of covering disposable needles used in syringes. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the medical device of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view, exploded in cross-section, of the medical device of the present invention with the device sheath in place and the needle guard in the retracted position; 4 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 3 with the sheath removed; FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 4 with the guard moved to a forward position to cover the tip of the needle; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view in cross-section of the rear end of the device of the invention with the guard in the retracted position; FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the cross-section of the device in the interrupted position with the guard in the retracted position; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9--9 of FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the rear end of the protector. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. having a coupler means adapted to be removably attached to a syringe for use in a drug administration dispenser, and having a tip and a rear end secured to the coupler means; an elongated syringe needle in communication with the dispenser by attachment of the coupler means to the syringe so that the drug placed in the syringe flows from the syringe through the syringe tip and the tip of the syringe needle is exposed to the outside; mounted along the needle for movement between a first position having the guard means rearwardly from the tip and a second position in which the guard means covers the tip to prevent needle sticks; comprising a manually moveable guard means and a locking means mounted along the needle for permanently locking the guard means in the second position upon movement of the guard means from the first position to the second position; A combination characterized by. 2. The shield means is a tubular element having a ring member at the rear end and a restricted opening at the front end, and when the shield means is in the first position to expose the needle tip, the needle Claim 1 extending forward through the opening
Combinations listed in section. 3. The device according to claim 2, further comprising means for removably holding the protective object means in the first position until the user manually moves the protective object means from the first position to the second position. combination. 4. A combination according to claim 2, wherein the aperture of the guard means has a maximum width not exceeding about 1 centimeter. 5. When the guard means is in the second position, the needle is retracted into the guard means, so that the tip of the needle is approximately 1
．． 3. A combination according to claim 2, which is offset inwardly from the opening by a minimum distance of 5 centimeters. 6. A combination according to claim 2, wherein the ring has an orifice and includes a neck portion through which the coupler means fits when the guard means is in the first position. 7. A patent in which the coupler means includes a hub portion having threaded means at one end for coupling the threaded means of the dispenser, allowing the coupler means to be attached to the dispenser by screwing the coupler means to the syringe. A combination according to claim 1. 8. The shield means includes a sheath member that fits over the needle when in the first position to prevent exposure of the tip, the sheath member being closed at one end and having a closed end opposite the open end. 7. The combination of claim 6, wherein the sheath member encloses the needle and the shield means, but fits well into the open end so that it can be manually removed from the hub portion. 9. At the end opposite the end where the hub portion carries the threaded connection means to provide a cavity with an opening and a neck portion that remains centered within the cavity and is offset inwardly from said opening of the cavity. The combination according to claim 7, having an annular recessed portion. 10. A combination according to claim 9, wherein the guard means is an elongated hollow cylindrical element having an annular member at its rear end that fits into the annular cavity when it is in the first position. 11. a metal syringe needle having a drug source, a hollow shaft through which the drug flows, and one end adapted to pierce the body of a patient and in a position coupled with an open end from which the drug exits the needle; a first position attached to the shaft of the needle and offset inwardly from the tip to expose the tip so that the protector means can be inserted into the patient's body; guard means movable axially along the axis during a second position covering the second position; and upon movement of the guard member from the first position to the second position;
A medical device comprising locking means mounted along the needle shaft for permanently locking the guard member in position. 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the guard member has a ring member, and the locking member has a receptacle into which the ring member snaps upon movement of the guard member to the second position. 13. The locking means includes a ramp portion in front of the container on which the ring member rides as it approaches the container; 14. A device according to claim 13, having a high wall acting as a stop for the member. 14. According to claim 11, the container has an internally tapered wall and the ring has an externally tapered wall, the container and the ring wall abutting each other when the ring member is received in the container. The device described. 15. The device of claim 11, wherein the locking means has a central passage through which the shaft of the needle passes, and the locking means and the needle shaft are connected to each other. 16. The ring member has an inflatable orifice, and the locking means has a ramp portion that fits into and inflates the orifice when the guard member is moved to the second position. equipment. 17. a coupler means having a first end for removably attaching the coupler means to the dispenser and a second end having a hub portion opposite the first end;
The hub portion includes a coupler means having a passageway extending between a first end and a second end through which medication dispensed by the dispenser flows, and a metal needle secured to the second end of the barrel portion and in communication with the passageway. a metal syringe needle having an elongated hollow shaft through which the drug flows and an open tip adapted to pierce the body of a patient at the end of the shaft and from which the drug exits the needle; and a first position in which the guard is displaced inwardly from the tip of the needle so that the needle can be inserted into the patient's body, and a second position in which the guard covers the tip of the needle to prevent the needle from sticking. an elongate tubular shield movable axially along an axis between two positions, the shield having a ring member at a rearward end and a restricted opening at a forward end, the needle disposed in the shield; an object extends through the restriction aperture when in a first position to expose the tip and is offset inwardly from the aperture when the guard is in a second position; The tip of the little finger cannot be inserted into the opening and is therefore sufficiently restricted from being pierced by the needle tip, and movement of the needle tip and the sheath from the first position to the second position causes the second position to be removed. a locking means mounted along the shaft of the needle between second ends of the hub portion for permanently locking the guard at the stopper, supporting the guard when the guard is in the first position; - an element that acts as a guide when the object moves from a first position to a second position and that when it reaches the second position acts as a stop to prevent any more axial movement of the protection object A medical device for use in communication with a drug administration dispenser, characterized in that: 18. The sheath includes a sheath that fits over the needle to prevent exposure of the needle tip when the guard is in the first position, the sheath having an open end opposite the closed end; 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the coupler means fits snugly within the open end of the sheath such that the sheath encloses the needle and the guard but can be manually removed by pulling it from the coupler means. . 19. The guard has a ring member, and the locking means provides an audible sound to indicate that the ring member snaps in and the guard is safely locked in place upon movement of the guard to the second position. 19. Apparatus according to claim 18, comprising a container for standing. 20. The device of claim 19, wherein the locking means has a central passage through which the shaft of the needle passes, and the locking means and the needle shaft are connected to each other.