Single Hand Actuated Locking Safety Catheter and Method of Use

The present invention relates generally to medical needles and catheters and more particularly to a single hand actuated locking safety catheter and method use.

As is well known in the medical profession, following use of a medical needle, the spent needle is usually manually broken to prevent any inadvertent reuses and disgarded to a biological waste container. However, there is always a small possibility that the spent needle may inadvertently stick or scratch medical health personnel, thereby exposing the medical personnel to substantial health risk. Although such health risks have always been present, the magnitude of such health risks has recently become crictical due to the prevalence of severe infectious diseases such as the HTLV virus (The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, i.e. AIDS Virus) and Hepatitis.

In recognizing the substantialy safety hazards associated with inadvertent needle sticks, and/or contact with spent medical needles, various devices have recently been introduced into the marketplace, which are designed to cover a spent needle after use. One such device presently being marketed comprises the HR Needle sold by ICU Medical, Inc, of Laguna Hills, California, which functions to almost completely enclose the needle subsequent to use. However, this HR device does not provide a housing or protective cover for the needle tip. This, of course, leaves open the possibility of medical health personnel being accidently stuck or scratched. In addition, the HR Needle, as well as other prior art safety needles, requires medical health personnel to utilize both hands in extending the needle safety cover over the spent needle. During such dual hand manipulation, there is always a possibility that one of the user's hands will slip from the guard device or syringe, whereby an inadvertent needle stick could occur.

As such, there exists a substanatial need in the art for an improved device for preventing an inadvertent needle stick from a spent medical needle, and further which allows the device to be used in a single hand of the user and be manipulated in a simple motion to cover the spent needle.

The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates the above referenced need associated in the prior art and comprises a single hand actuated locking safety catheter and needle assembly and method of use.

More particularly, an assembly of a needle, catheter, and a device for selectively protecting the needle tip from inadvertent needle sticks is disclosed, characterized by use of an elongated housing having a needle extending therefrom, and a needle guard adapted for sliding movement relative the housinng. The needle guard is formed to carry a catheter hub and catheter thereupon and includes an actuation tab to enable selective sliding movement of the needle guard relative the housing and along the length of the needle. The housing is adapted to be held within one hand of the user to permit insertion of the needle and catheter into a patient in a conventional manner. However, after insertion of the needle into the patient, the needle may be withdrawn from the patient and covered by the needle guard merely by pressing agaist the actuation tab with the index finger of the user while slidably retracting the housing and needle relative to the needle guard by use of the thumb and middle finger of user. Upon full retraction of the housing relative to the needle guard, a detent mechanism formed on the housing and guard is engaged to permanently lock the needle guard about the length of the needle and thereby prevent accidental contact with the tip of the needle. Subsequent to use, the spent needle, housing, and needle guard may be disposed of in a biological waste container.

These, as well as other features of the present invention will be more apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled single hand actuated locking safety catheter of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1f

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken about lines 3.3 of FIG. 2f

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the single hand actuated locking safety catheter of the present invention depicting the same in its final locked orientation;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the present invention being held in the hand of a user with the needle and catheter being inserted into a patient;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the present invention illustrating the manner in which the device is manipulated in the single hand of a user to withdraw the needle from the patient; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the present invention being manipulated by a single hand of a user to its final locked orientation.

Referring to FIG. 1 through 3a, there is shown the single hand actuated locking safety catheter and needle assembly 10 of the present invention composed generally of a handle or housing 12, needle guard 14, medical needle 16 having a sharpened or beveled distal end and an opposing proximal end, catheter 18, catheter hub 20, and needle cover 22, all of which (except for the needle 16) are preferrably formed of a plastic material such as medical grade injection molded polycarbonate, or polystyrene. The housing 12 is preferrably formed having an elongated rectangular cross-sectional configuration the outside surfaces of which are preferrably provided with plural ridges 24 adapted to be grasped by the hand of a user. As best shown in FIG. 3, the interior of the housing 12 is provided with a central channel 26 extending throughout its length and includes a needle mount portion 28 which depends downwardly from the upper surface of the housing 12 adjacent one end thereof so as to be disposed within the interior of the central channel 26. The medical needle 16 is rigidly retained within an axial aperture formed within the needle mount portion 28, and extends outwardly from the housing 12 terminating at a bevelled tip 16(a). The interior sidewalls of the channel 26 formed within the housinng 12 are provided with a pair of slots 30 which form a first portion of the detent mechanism to be described in more detail infra.

The needle guard 14 is preferrably formed as an elongated tubular member having an axial slot or aperture 15 extending substantially throughout the length of it's upper surface which is registered with the needle mount 28 formed within the interior of the housing 12. The needle guard 14 is preferrably fabricated having an external cross-sectional configuration formed in a complimentary configuration to the channel 26 of the housing 12, such that the needle guard 14 may be slidably moved relative the housing 12 along the length of the needle 16. The distal end of the needle guard 14 is provided with a catheter hub mount 32 having a central aperture 34 extending therethrough, the diameter of which is sized to be slightly greater than the diameter of the medical needle 16. An actuation tab 36 extends outwardly from one surface of the needle guard 14 to an elevation beyond the upper surface of the housing 12. The opposite end of the needle guard 14 is provided with a pair of locking ears 38 which are formed in a complimentary configuration to the locking slots 30 formed on the interior walls of the housing 12. The locking ears 38 form the second portion of the locking detent mechanism and are preferrably formed in the manufacturinng process to be biased outwardly in the direction of the arrows indicated in FIG. 3. As will be recognized, this outward biasing is primarily effectuated by using plastic construction materials such as polystyrene and polycarbonate which have flexible memory properties in a thin wall form.

By such construction, it will be recognized that upon relative sliding movement of the needle guard 14, and the housing 12, the needle guard will travel from its relative orientative within the housing 12 as depicted in FIG. 2, to a final orientation depicted in FIG. 3(A). During such sliding movement, the locking ears 38 cam against the interior walls of the channel 26 formed in the housing 12 and upon alignment of the locking ears 38 with the locking slots 30, the locking ears 38 automatically extend in a snapping action into engagement with the slots 30. By such engagement of the locking ears 38 within the locking slots 30, a locking detent mechanism is provided which permanently locks the needle guard 14 to the housing 12 wherein the medical needle 16 is disposed within the interior of the needle guard 14.

The catheter hub 20 and catheter 18 preferrably comprise a conventional luer-lock hub design which is carried upon the length of the needle 16. When positioned upon the length of the needle 16, the catheter hub 20 is registered by engagement with the catheter hub mount 32 formed on the needle guard 14. In addition, with the catheter hub 20 and catheter 18 carried upon the device 10, only the tip 16(a) of the medical needle 16 extends beyond the end of the catheter 18 to allow insertion of the needle 16 and catheter 18 into a patient.

The cover 22 is preferrably formed having an elongate frusto-conical shape configuration terminating at a closed end 40. The opposite end of the cover 22 is provided with a pair of wings 42 which are sized to extend over a pair of locking ears 44 formed adjacent one end of the housing 12. As will be recognized, the cover 22 is formed to have an axial length and interior diameter sufficient to cover the catheter hub 20, catheter 18 and medical needle 16 when the same are assembled together.

With the structure defined, the method of utilizing the single hand actuated locking safety catheter and needle assembly 10 of the present invention, may be described with specific reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. Preparatory to use, the cover 22 is removed from the housing 12, thereby exposing the needle tip 16(a) catheter 18, and catheter hub 20, which is carried on the catheter hub mount 32 of the needle guard 14. A user, typically a medical technician, may then grasp the handle or housing 12 with one hand 60 and insert the protruding distal needle tip 16(a) and catheter 18 into the patient 70 in a conventional manner, as depicted in FIG. 4. Typically, the ridged side edges 24 of the housing 12 are grasped between the thumb 62 and middle finger 64 of the user's hand 60 with the index finger 66, being positioned behind the actuation tab 36. Due to the engagement of the rear surface of the actuation tab 36 with the upper surface of the housing 12, rearward or proximally directed sliding movement of the needle guard 14 relative the housing 12 is prohibited, thereby allowing the needle 16 and catheter 18 to be easily inserted into the patient 70 as depicted in FIG. 4. Additionally, when the needle 16 and catheter 18 is properly inserted into the patient, the viewing of blood flashback within the aperture formed within the needle mount 28 is facilitated due to the housing 12 and needle guard 14 preferrably being formed from a transparent or semi-transparent material.

With the catheter 18 and catheter hub 20 remaining in the patient 70, the needle 16 may be withdrawn proximally from the interior of the catheter 18 by the user merely pressing or applying moderate distally directed pressure upon the rear surface of the actuation tab 36 with the index finger 66 while slidably retracting or proximally withdrawing the housing 12 along the length of the needle guard 14 by way of the thumb and middle finger 62 and 64 as illustrated in FIG. 5. As will be recognized, in view of the handle or needle 16 being mounted to the housing 12, during the sliding motion of the housing 12 relative the needle guard 14, the needle is withdrawn from its first needle position within the interior of the catheter 20 and disposed in a second needle position within the interior of the needle guard 14.

Continued sliding movement of the housing 12 relative the needle guard 14 causes the locking ears 38 to engage the complimentary shaped locking slots 30 formed within the interior of the housing 12 whereby the locking ears 38 automatically snap into the slots 30 forming a locking detent wherein the complete length of the needle 16 is diposed in a second needle position within the interior of the needle guard 14 (as best depicted in FIG. 3(A). The entire assembly 10 may then be safely removed from the patient as illustrated in FIG. 6 and subsequently be disgarded in a biological waste container. As will be recognized, the disgarding of the assembly 10 may be effectuated without fear of any inadvertent needle stick in veiw of the fact that the guard 14 extends completely about and encloses the needle 16, with the position of the needle guard 14 relative the housing being maintained by the lock detent mechanism. Subsequently, a conventional fluid line 80 may be attached to the hub 20 of the catheter remaining with the patient 70.

From the above, it will be recognized that the present invention comprises a significant improvement in the art by allowing insertion of the catheter into the patient and subsequent withdrawal of the needle from the patient while allowing the catheter to remain therein by use of a single hand and a simple hand manipulation. Additionally, it will be recognized that the withdrawal of the needle 16 from the patient may be effectuated without ever exposing the needle to the medical user, since the catheter hub mount 32 of the needle guard 14 may be maintained in engagement with the catheter hub 20 and not disengaged therefrom until such time as the entire needle 16 is disposed with the interior of the needle guard 14. Further it will be recognized that due construction and method of utilizing the present invention, a user may withdraw and subsequently lock the needle within the interior of the needle guard by use of a single hand and in a simple manipulative fashion.

Although for purposes of description, certain materials configurations and methodologies have been disclosed herein, those skilled in the art will recognized the various modifications to the same can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention and such modification clearly contemplated herein.