MXPA96002221A

MXPA96002221A - Cate needle tip protector

Info

Publication number: MXPA96002221A
Application number: MXPA/A/1996/002221A
Authority: MX
Inventors: J Chang Joseph; J Kovalic Gerald
Original assignee: Johnson & Johnson Medical Inc
Priority date: 1995-06-07
Filing date: 1996-06-06
Publication date: 1997-08-01

Abstract

The present invention relates to a catheter characterized in that it comprises: a. a catheter hub; b. a needle tip shield placed inside the catheter hub, and c. a needle having a needle tip, the needle being secured to a needle housing, and first and second unequal diverting means extending between the needle housing and the needle tip guard, wherein as the needle is withdrawn from the needle catheter hub, the first and second diverter means extend the needle tip guard relative to the needle to an oblique position caused by the first and second unequal diverting means where the needle tip is placed within the needle tip guard.

Description

CATHETER NEEDLE TIP PROTECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. - FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to an intravenous catheter needle tip protector < IV), and more particularly it relates to an IV catheter needle tip protector that provides a safety mechanism that offers safe protection against failure for clinicians against accidental punctures by an IV needle used to automatically protect the sharp tip of the needle from the guide after it is removed from the body of a patient.

DISCUSSION OF THE PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE The present invention relates to a clinical apparatus of the type in which pointed needles are used to puncture the skin of a patient, and in particular to catheters that use such needles to make punctures in the veins. It is well known and common practice for physicians to inject fluids and drugs directly into the bloodstream of patients. Also, during surgical operations, it is frequently necessary to administer transfusions of whole blood and parenteral fluids.

Historically, the introduction of such fluids into the cardiovascular system * = a patient required to perform a puncture in the vein using a hollow rigid needle having a near binding site to connect the fluid of the needle to a source of intravenous fluid or the like. This method of fluid administration created some persistent problems in the art. First, the stiffness of the needle within the vein requires that the needle, usually on the arm, be held, for safety reasons, in a fixed position at the general site of the vein puncture through the entire duration of the administration of fluid or transfusion, which can consume a considerable time. Secondly, where it was necessary to periodically draw blood samples and / or successively administer intravenous fluids, patients required experimentation of a puncture in the vein whenever necessary, said repeated punctures in the veins are usually highly traumatic. More recently, it has been a practice to insert a flexible catheter tube into a vein and leave the catheter tube in that position for purposes such as periodically administering fluids, transfusions and medications, collecting blood samples, etc. In this way trauma, extraversion, infiltration, etc., of repeated punctures in the vein are avoided and the danger of discomfort from leaving a rigid needle in the body for a prolonged period is overcome. To place the distal end of said flexible catheter tube within a body quality, such as a vascular cavity, a hollow or cannulated needle is used to puncture the vein. Then, followed by the puncture in the vein, the catheter tube, which is telescopically mounted with respect to the needle, is displaced relative to the needle towards the patient's vein. The needle can then be completely removed from the catheter tube and discarded, being found in the patient's body, where it has been exposed to infectious agents, the needle represents an infectious danger to the clinical staff, if they are accidentally damaged with it after removing it. . Intravenous catheters for the infusion of fluids into a patient's peripheral vein are often produced in two general forms: catheters through the needle, where a catheter is threaded through the needle cannula and into the vein of a patient, and catheters on the needle, where the needle and a concentric external catheter are inserted into the vein, and the needle is then removed from the placed catheter. An IV vein catheter typically requires the user to remove and then discard a contaminated needle after the needle tip and catheter have been properly located in the patient's vein. Once the needle is removed from the catheter, the immediate priorities of the user are the connection of the infusion group and the preparation of the site, including the connection of the catheter to the patient. Due to the urgency of these procedures, the needle is normally dropped conveniently nearby and then recovered. Since the needle is currently exposed and located nearby, where the user is completing the work with the catheter, needle damage done by accident is common. A serious aspect has been considered the possibility that the clinical staff can contract conditions such as AIDS or hepatitis through accidental punctures for needles used. Accordingly, a significant body of the prior art has been developed to avoid such accidental punctures. Unfortunately, almost none of the developments of the prior art has succeeded in producing a device wherein removal of a needle from a patient's body automatically activates a protective mechanism. In each case, it was necessary for the clinical staff to conscientiously perform an extra step to invoke the protection offered by the prior art. An example is the patent of E.U.A. No., 31, 057 a Mitchell, which describes a safety tube capable of sliding forward to protect the pointed end of a hypodermic needle from accidental contact after use. This mechanism, however, like the rest of the prior art, is only effective if the clinician remembers to push the safety tube to its effective position after giving an injection. There is a strong possibility that you will occasionally forget to do this. Now that the scale of conditions to which clinicians are exposed as a result of accidental needle sticks includes the condition of AIDS, it is still very important to provide a safety mechanism, which offers such safety protection against personnel failure, that is, a device that operates without the need to consciously prevent on its part, a mechanism which automatically protects the sharp end of a needle from accidental punctures after it is removed from the patient's body. McDonald in the patent of E.U.A. > -t ^, 725 also addresses this problem, and describes an intravenous catheter that protects a physician from accidental punctures, which could result in the transfer of dangerous infections. The catheter is introduced with the aid of a needle, which is then removed from the patient's body to a protective housing without exposing the needle during any intermediate stage of the procedure. The housing is locked in place after removal of the needle, and to unlock a catheter hub in place after this time, and the removal and locking is performed in a continuous motion. Vaillancourt patent of E.U.A. No. W, 25,267 is also of great interest for the present invention and describes a post-injection needle sleeve for enclosing the pointed end of a needle used with a syringe. The sheath is initially in a compact and secured condition on the needle hub and has a substantial portion of the needle exposed for insertion into a patient or vial. Two modalities employ a compression spring. Three embodiments have a corrugated portion and a flange portion that are manipulated by the physician to push the sheath forward to enclose the pointed end of the needle. In all embodiments, the leading end includes a transverse wall wherein an opening is formed, which is slightly larger than the diameter of the needle. The exposed needle is protected before use by a conventionally removable protection, which is removed at the time of use. After removal of the patient's needle, the sheath, with the cap or end portion, is moved forward to enclose the sharp needle. The devices of this patent do not operate automatically to enclose a used needle tip in a guard positioned obliquely similar to the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved catheter needle tip shield. A further object of the present invention is the provision of a catheter needle tip shield, which automatically functions to ensure that the needle is secured against accidental punctures after it has been removed from the patient's body. In accordance with the teachings herein, the present invention provides a catheter having a catheter hub, and a needle tip shield positioned within the catheter hub. A catheter needle defines a needle tip, the needle being secured to a needle housing by first and second unequal deviating means extending between the needle housing and the needle tip guard. As the needle is withdrawn from the catheter hub, the first and second diverter means extend the needle tip guard relative to the needle to an oblique position caused by the uneven deflection where the needle tip is placed within the needle. Needle tip protector. In more detail, the first and second unequal diverting means comprise first and second winding wires, which have different diverting resistances for deflecting the needle tip guard to the oblique position, or they may have different lengths to deflect the needle tip guard towards the position oblique In one embodiment, the first and second winding wires are enclosed within a sleeve in a bellows type structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above objects and advantages of the present invention for a catheter needle tip shield can be more readily understood by those skilled in the art with reference to the following detailed description of its various preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein similar elements are designated by identical reference numbers through various views, and wherein: Figure 1 illustrates an assembled embodiment of an intravenous catheter having a needle tip guard in accordance with the teachings of the present invention placed within the catheter hub in a retracted position; and Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of Figure 1 after the needle is withdrawn from the catheter hub and the needle tip guard is extended under diverting forces of the two wound wires to an oblique position where the needle tip It is placed inside the protector to avoid accidental contact with the needle tip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to the drawings in detail, Figure 1 illustrates an assembled embodiment of an intravenous catheter 10 having a needle tip shield 12 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention positioned within the catheter hub 14 in a retracted position . Figure 2 illustrates the embodiment of Figure 1 after the needle 16 is withdrawn from the catheter hub 14, and the needle tip guard 12 is extended under the diverting forces of the two wound wires 16, 20 to a position oblique, wherein the needle tip is placed inside the shield 12 to avoid any accidental contact with the needle tip 6. The two winding wires 16, 20 of unequal strength or lengths extend between the needle tip shield 12 and a Plástic Hub Introducer Needle (PHIN) 22. The needle tip guard 12 is preferably formed of a rigid material with a past hole 24 dimensioned to barely accept the diameter of the needle 16. When the catheter device is threaded, the guard The needle tip 12 moves forward with the hub 14 until it is positioned beyond the needle tip 26. At this time, the needle tip shield 12 is located in a deflected manner or is liquefied due to the unevenness in the resistance or deviating length of the two wires 16, 20. This oblique position prevents the needle tip 26 from reentering the last hole 24, thereby providing protection against needle sting. In addition, the two wound wires 16, 20 can be enclosed in a sleeve 26, partially illustrated in faded lines in Figure 2, in a bellows-like structure. With this structure, the needle is fully centered by the sleeve 12, thus minimizing the possibility of accidental punctures by the used needle. Since various embodiments and variations of the present invention have been described for a catheter needle tip shield, it should be apparent that the description and teachings of the present invention will suggest many alternative designs for those skilled in the art.

Claims

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A catheter characterized in that it comprises: a. a catheter hub; b. a needle tip shield placed inside the catheter hub; and c. a needle having a needle tip, the needle being secured to a needle housing, and first and second unequal diverting means extending between the needle housing and the needle tip guard, wherein as the needle is withdrawn from the needle the catheter hub, the first and second diverter means extend the needle tip guard relative to the needle to an oblique position caused by the first and second unequal diverter means wherein the needle tip is placed within the tip guard of the needle. needle.

2. A catheter in accordance with the claim 1, further characterized in that the first and second unequal diverting means comprise first and second winding wires.

3. A catheter in accordance with the rei indication 2, further characterized in that the first and second winding wires have different diverting resistances for deflecting the needle tip guard to the oblique position.

4. A catheter in accordance with the claim 2, further characterized in that the first and second winding wires have different lengths to deflect the needle tip guard to the oblique position.

5. A catheter according to claim 2, further characterized in that the first and second wound wires are enclosed within a sleeve in a bellows-like structure.