Intravenous Admixture Protective Device

It is well known, especially in the medical and health-care communities, that incurable and potentially fatal diseases may be transmitted from infected persons to health-care personnel by inadvertent or accidental puncture of the skin of attending technicians during routine extraction of body fluids for laboratory analysis and diagnosis or during the administration of therapeutic drugs intravenously or intramuscularly by hypodermic means. Many of these punctures occur when the hypodermic needle is being returned to a protective sheath following extraction or injection in a process generally referred to as "re-capping the needle". The high, and increasing incidence of disease transmittable in this manner, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the hepatic diseases such as Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-non A and non B have raised grave concerns in the medical community, to the extent that some health-care professionals are leaving the field for fear of contracting a dread or presently incurable disease.

Since the discovery of these highly communicable diseases and the manner in which they may be transmitted from one individual to another many devices have been developed to reduce the risk and incidence of accidental "needle sticks". Among these developments is a protective shield for a needle receiver, the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,975 granted to Frist et al., wherein a collapsible disc surrounding the opening in the needle cap is disclosed. Said collapsible disc opens in response to the removal of the needle from the cap and provides a shield to prevent the user from being stuck by the needle in the event that entry of the needle into the sheath is not achieved while recapping the needle after use.

In other examples of the prior art, Masters et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,204 disclose a needle cap of a more nearly standard configuration equipped with a flared funnel-like shield surrounding the entry to the needle cap to guide errant needles into the opening in the cap and further provides a second shield of disc of funnel shape to remove the users fingers from the area proximate the target site. Similarly, Hymanson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,412 employs a funnel-shaped guard provided with a gripping means to retain the needle cap and to accommodate a plurality of sizes of said caps. Again similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,927 Davis et al. disclose yet another funnel-like device to channel the used needle into the protective cap. Finally, Marvel in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,618 discloses a Medical Safety Device which provides a shield with an elevated peripheral rim to protect the fisted hand of a person holding a test tube.

While all these examples of the prior art provide some manner of protection and benefit to the user, none have addressed the most critical issue and the principal reason that needle strikes occur; the proximity of the hand to the target area when re-capping a used hypodermic needle.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an intravenous admixture protective device with a means for preventing needle strikes when inserting and removing admixture needles, having means to securely attach said protective device to the admixture site, to the primary intravenous tubing and comprising means for preventing accidental disconnection of intravenous admixture tubing while providing a safe location for the storage of needle caps and a safe method for re-capping used hypodermic needles.

The present invention is a device for attachment to a conventional intravenous admixture site which provides needle stick protection for an individual administering intravenous medication; positive locking attachment to the admixture site; security from accidental disconnect of one or a plurality of admixture needles; and also provides a location for the storage of needle caps used in admixture and other intravenous injection procedures and a method whereby said needles may be safely re-capped following their use.

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of the device viewed from overhead prior to installation on the admixture site.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the device installed on the admixture site with an admixture needle inserted and locked into place so as to administer a secondary medication.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the device as in FIG. 2, rotated 90.degree. clockwise.

FIG. 4 is an alternate embodiment of the device which provides a larger admixture site to accommodate a plurality of needles and a self-contained needle for insertion into the conventional admixture site in partial cut-away view.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the device prior to attachment to the conventional admixture site showing the slotted hole lock which secures the device in place for use.

FIG. 6 depicts the slotted hole lock shown in FIG. 5 rotated 90.degree. counter-clockwise and viewed at 6--6.

FIG. 7 depicts in plan view, detail of the semi-detached segment and cylindrical depression of 190.degree. securely retaining intravenous tubing.

The embodiment of the present invention is depicted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings wherein a truncated conical shield 11 joins a central cylinder 20 at the frustum of the cone. Said cylinder 20 having an opening 12 which is internally sized to closely accommodate the injection port of a conventional admixture site 25, said conical shield 11 and cylinder 20 being of unitary construction of a plastic compound such as polyethylene, having properties to render it highly resistant to puncture by hypodermic needles and of a sufficient thickness to provide adequate strength to perform the several functions which are the object of the present invention. Said conical shield 11 has about a portion of its periphery, a semi-detached segment 13, said segment being attached by hinge-points 14, said hinge-points being situate in diametric opposition to allow the segment 13 to be raised into perpendicularity to the base of the conical shield 11 in the manner of a "bail" or handle of a water pail. Said segment 13 has at its mid-point, a cylindrical depression 15 the inner diameter of which is equal to the outside diameter of conventional intravenous tubing, including an angle of 190.degree. to be capable of securely retaining intravenous tubing, proximate the periphery thereof, said hole being provided with a slotted opening 17 extending radially outward to the peripheral rim of the conical shield 11 said slotted opening having its exterior corners relieved and rounded to facilitate the entry of intravenous tubing to said hole 16. The conical shield 11 also comprises a plurality of holes 18 proximate the periphery thereof, said holes being sized to accommodate conventional hypodermic needle sheaths or "caps". Further clarification of the function of the present invention is obtainable from the depiction in FIG. 2 which shows the device as it would appear in use to provide secondary intravenous medication to a patient. In this depiction the conical shield 11 has been attached to the intravenous tube 19 by sliding it downward along said tube to cause the outer rounded portions of the slotted opening to deform upwardly to allow said tubing 19 to enter and be secured in hole 16 and the lower cylindrical portion 20 of the device has been lowered over the admixture "Y" 21 and by virtue of an additional slotted hole 22 in said cylindrical section 20 been securely locked in mating engagement with the admixture "Y" 21. The secondary solution needle 23 is shown inserted through the rubber diaphragm 24 of the admixture port 25 and the segment 13 of the conical shield 11 has been raised into locking engagement of the cylindrical depression 15 and the secondary intravenous solution tubing 26. The primary and secondary solutions mix at the confluence of the "Y" 21 and flow into the patient medicating intravenous tubing 27.

In FIG. 3 the device is depicted as having been rotated 90.degree. axially to show with greater clarity the manner in which the segment 13 and the cylindrical depression 15 come into locking engagement and the manner in which the needle protective sheath or cap 28 is retained at hand, yet out of hand, while awaiting the resheathing or recapping operation.

FIG. 4 depicts an alternate embodiment of the present invention in which a plurality of additional solutions may be introduced through a single admixture site. It is similar in many respects to the devices in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 but differs in that it provides an expanded injection field 29 and comprises a locking spiking needle for insertion into a single needle admixture site. Said spiking needle 30, being surrounded by the cylindrical lower body 32 of the device, is protected from contamination, while the administering individual is protected from an accidental needle strike by virtue of the fact that the needle is enclosed within said cylindrical lower body 32. It is to be noted that this embodiment also comprises the same slotted hole 16 in the conical shield 11 and a similar segment 13 with hinge-points 14 and in this embodiment, a plurality of semi-cylindrical locking depressions 15. It is also provided with a plurality of holes 18 proximate the periphery of the conical shield 11 for the retention of needle protective sheaths or caps.

FIGS. 5 and 6 depict an enhanced detail the slotted hole locks 22 and 33 which are common to both embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 depicts, in plan-view, a detail of the manner in which the intravenous tubing 26 is retained within the arcuate (190.degree.) portion 15 of the hinged segment 13.

The utilization of the present invention is accomplished by first installing the device on the intravenous admixture site, this is achieved by placing the cylindrical lower body 20 of the device over the vertical portion of the admixture site 25 and applying manual force to bring the two members into complete mating engagement. During the application of this manual force the slotted hole lock 22 will be forced to open allowing the slot to pass over the offset "Y" 21 portion of the admixture site. As the limit of engagement is reached the slot closes effecting positive locking of the two members in mating engagement. The primary intravenous admixture tubing 19 is then pressed into the slotted opening 17 into hole 16 to provide additional mechanical support for the device and removing tension stresses from the admixture site and the connecting tubing. The intravenous admixture protective device is now in place and position to assume its protective function. The secondary intravenous solution container is suspended and its connecting tube and sheathed or capped needle are brought into proximity with the conical shield 11 and the needle sheath is inserted into one of the plurality of sheath retention holes 18 in the conical shield. While holding the needle shank between the fingers of one hand, the administering individual grasps and holds the needle sheath with the fingers of the other hand, simultaneously withdrawing the needle from the sheath and leaving said sheath to repose in the sheath retention hole. The grasp on the sheath is released and transferred to the cylindrical lower body 20 of the device to hold and support the admixture site during the insertion of the secondary solution needle. Following insertion of the admixture needle the peripheral hinged 14 segment 13 is raised and the secondary solution tube 26 is pressed into the cylindrical depression 15 positively and securely locking the tubing and needle into place and virtually eliminating the possibility of accidental removal.

When it is desired to remove the secondary solution needle the reverse of this procedure is followed, inserting the used needle into the sheath prior to bringing the other hand into proximity with the needle until said needle is again safely within its protective sheath. In the event that other hypodermic procedures are performed, the additional sheath retention holes 18 in the shield provide a convenient temporary means and method for safely removing, storing and resheathing needles.

The apparatus and mode of operation of the present invention affords safe, simple and effective means for protecting the health and well-being of health-care professionals who must routinely be in proximity with patient's body fluids and provides an extra measure of safety to the patient by assuring that life-sustaining medication will not be accidentally disconnected.

While there has herein been shown and described the presently preferred form of this invention, it is to be understood that such has been for purposes of illustration only, and that various changes may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims.