WO2011093781A1

WO2011093781A1 - Puncture shield for umbilical cord samples

Info

Publication number: WO2011093781A1
Application number: PCT/SE2011/050085
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sonia Gustavsson
Original assignee: Mediplast Ab
Priority date: 2010-01-27
Filing date: 2011-01-26
Publication date: 2011-08-04
Also published as: SE1000077A1; SE533733C2

Abstract

A puncture shield formed by an arched plate (1) to be received in the inside/palm of a hand and designed to have its longitudinal outer ends curved upwards/inwards (3, 4) extended in two upper sides (7, 8) forming an upper plane (9), comprising two planes said upper sides (7, 8) thereof sloping back towards a centre of a structure (6) a cross section thereof corresponding to the shape of an airplane wing turned upside-down, the design of the sloping upper sides (7, 8) directing a needle, if erroneously directed/placed, back towards the centre of the structure (6), so as to protect the user during the taking of samples, said upper sloping sides (7, 8) being rounded off (11, 12) from both sides vertically downwards towards an upper side (16) of a lower plane (2) of said arched plate and being separated by a distance of approximately 10 mm at said upper plane (9), the design forming a groove defined by surfaces (17, 18) pointing vertically downwards and said upper side (16) of the lower plane (2) of said arched plate, said groove receiving the umbilical cord in the longitudinal direction, and being produced from a material providing flexibility of the vertical even side surfaces (17, 18) defining said groove sufficient to provide a manual power holding function of the umbilical cord placed therein.

Description

PUNCTURE SHIELD FOR UMBILICAL CORD SAMPLES

This invention relates to a handheld puncture shield designed to protect the staff of delivery wards carrying out taking of specimens of the umbilical cord using a sharp cannula/needle on newborn children as set out in the preamble of claim 1.

Approximately 120000 children are born in Sweden every year. During most of these childbirths an examination of the umbilical cord is performed immediately after the birth. During the examination a midwife/ assistant nurse holds the umbilical cord in one hand immediately after the birth and punctures a vein or an artery in the umbilical cord where a blood test is taken. This procedure constitutes a major risk of puncture injuries. The object of the tests is to identify the acid base status of the child so as to compare test values of the child after the birth and how the child has been able to oxygenate during the childbirth and during the pregnancy. Such tests and studies have been performed in Sweden for about 10 years and are recommended by the National Board of Health and Welfare. Similar tests are performed also in other parts of the European Union, in USA and in Japan.

Fear of puncture injuries and a common judgement that it is not always fully relevant to perform the tests have given the result that tests presently are made on 70% of the children that are born in Sweden.

However, the goal is to reach 100% completed tests during childbirths.

Needle-stick injuries have increased in number recently as a result of an increased number of patients and more stressful delivery situations. As a result of an increasing number of infectious blood diseases, HIV etc.

midwifes/assistant nurses experience a larger fear of hurting themselves and being infected by such disease.

When the invention is used risks of self puncturing during umbilical cord testing are minimized. Other objects with the invention are to be easy of access, easy to disinfect, smooth and easy to use and user-friendly. Based on a clean and simple design it is meant to be an aid in developing countries where there is a large demand for the above mentioned tests but where the resources are small, while at the same time the risks of getting infected by the diseases mentioned above are significantly larger than in other countries. The invention is defined in the accompanying claim 1.

Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the

accompanying independent claims.

The invention/puncture shield is formed by an arched plate preferably made by a plastic material. A lower side of the arched plate is intended to engage the inside of the hand/palm and it is designed to have its longitudinal outer ends curved upwards/ inwards with a radius of approximately 5 mm forming a structure in two planes. Both longitudinal sides of an upper plane have a slope towards the centre of the structure, a cross section thereof corresponding to the shape of an airplane wing turned upside-down. The upper plane sloping inwardly will allow the needle, whenever erroneously directed/located, to be directed back to the centre of the structure thus protecting the user from pricking the hand or the fingers holding the structure during the taking of specimens (Fig. III). Just before the upper sides sloping inwardly meet in the upper plane above the centre of the structure (Fig. 1 ) they are rounded off from both sides vertically downwards and are

connected to the upper side of the lower plane of the arched plate at a radius of approximately 3 mm. This design forms a groove in the structure composed by edges pointing vertically downwards and forming a rectangular surface and the upper side of a horizontal section of the plate bearing on the palm. It is meant for the umbilical cord to be placed in a longitudinal direction in said groove.

The material in the arched plate is useful for providing a flexibility to allow vertically arranged side surfaces enclosing the defined central groove to provide a manual power holding function of the umbilical cord placed therein.

When using the puncture shield that is formed to be hold in the palm during the taking of samples the construction allows a user to pinch around the umbilical cord arranged in the longitudinal direction in the central groove of the structure as a result of a pinching function and leads to a stable and safe way of positioning the cannula/needle that will be used to perforate the surface of the umbilical cord. Preferably the invention is dimensioned to suit the inside/palm of a female hand since delivery personnel/ midwifes in most cases are women.

Preferred embodiments of the puncture shield in accordance with the invention will be further described by means of instances with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. I is a schematic view of a puncture shield in accordance with the

invention as seen obliquely from above.

Fig. II is a schematic cross section of a puncture shield in accordance with the invention.

Fig. Ill is a schematic view of a puncture shield in accordance with the

invention received in a palm.

A puncture shield as shown in Fig. I formed as a arched plate 1 preferably made of plastic material is shown in cross section in Fig. II having a bottom side/plane 2 and curved sides 3 and 4 rounded longitudinally and extending upwards/to the interior. Furthermore, the upwards/to the interior curved sides 3 and 4 having a radius of approximately 5 mm, 5 and 6 shown extended in two upper sides 7 and 8 forming an upper plane 9. The upper sides 7 and 8 of the puncture shield are shown sloping down from both sides towards a centre 6 of the structure at an angle 10 and 1 of approximately 5°, allowing the needle (not shown) to slide towards the centre 6 of the structure if applied erroneously. Since a distance of approximately 10 mm remains until the upper sloping sides 7 and 8 thereof meet in the upper plan 9 above the centre 6 of the structure they are shown again rounded from either side 12 and 13 at a radius of approximately 1 mm 14 and 15 vertically downwards and are connected to the upper side 16 and 17 of the lower plane 2 of the arched plate. The puncture shield is shown with its vertically downwardly sloping flat surfaces 18 and 19 Fig. I allowing a pinching function on the umbilical cord (not shown). The puncture shield is also shown lying in position in the hand/palm 20 of a user Fig. III.

Claims

1. A puncture shield for use with taking of specimens of umbilical cords of newborn children, characterised in

that said puncture shield is formed to be received in the palm of a user, so as to provide a barrier between the tip of a needle and the surface of the palm protecting against puncture injuries during umbilical cord testing,

that said puncture shield is formed with a central groove in which the

umbilical cord can be placed in a longitudinal direction,

that the shaping of the central groove allows the umbilical cord to be

pinched between flat insides (18, 19) of the central groove by use of manual power of the user,

that upper sides (7, 8) of said puncture shield slope towards a centre (6) of said puncture shield so as to direct the sampling needle towards the centre (6) of said puncture shield if erroneously applied during testing, so as to protect the hands and the fingers of the user.

2. A puncture shield as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it is produced from disposable material, preferably paper suitable for single use.

3. A puncture shield as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that it is produced from a smooth material that readily can be disinfected.

4. A puncture shield as claimed in claim 1 and 3, characterised in that it is produced from a smooth heat resistant material that can be treated in an autoclave process at 130°.