Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-26
2002-12-03
Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3742)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
C604S192000, C604S264000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06488666
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to apparatus for preventing used hypodermic needle sticks. More particularly, this invention relates to an adapter for being fastened to a needle sheath to lock a used hypodermic needle in the needle sheath; viewed alternatively, this invention relates to an adapter for being fastened to a needle sheath to entrap a used hypodermic needle between the adapter and the needle sheath. Further, this invention relates to a needle sheath for receiving a used hypodermic needle. Still further, this invention relates to the combination of such adapter and such needle sheath. Further yet, this invention relates to a kit including a syringe barrel, a syringe needle and such adapter and such needle sheath.
Additionally, this invention relates to combination syringe needle and cantilever latching apparatus, such combination in further combination with a needle sheath, and a kit including such combination syringe needle and cantilever latching apparatus, needle sheath and syringe barrel.
After a hypodermic needle has been used to inject a patient, or to draw blood from a patient, and has been withdrawn, the used and exposed hypodermic needle poses a grave risk of infectious disease transmission to the health care provider, doctor, nurse or any other person into whose skin the used hypodermic needle may stick accidentally. This problem is sometimes referred to as needle stick injury or accidental needle stick injury.
Representative prior art apparatus providing a solution to the hypodermic needle stick injury problem is illustrated in
FIG. 1
which shows a prior art syringe needle assembly indicated by general numerical designation
10
. Assembly
10
includes a syringe barrel
12
in which a plunger
13
is mounted for sliding, reciprocal movement, and a syringe needle indicated by general numerical designation
14
and which syringe needle includes a needle hub
15
and a hypodermic needle or cannula
16
having a pointed or sharp tip
17
; the needle hub is provided with external ridges
15
A. A protective needle sheath
18
is shown in
FIG. 1
for receiving the hypodermic needle
16
after it has been used. The needle sheath
18
is a hollow cylinder closed at the bottom and open at the top. The needle sheath
18
extends upwardly from a pedestal
19
in which the bottom portion of the sheath
18
is typically mounted in a wedged connection. As illustrated in
FIG. 1A
, the bottom of the needle sheath is typically filled with a suitable gel
20
, e.g. silicon, into which the tip
18
of the used hypodermic needle is inserted. Generally it is the gel
20
which retains the used needle
16
in the needle sheath
18
. The upper inner portion of the hypodermic needle sheath
18
is provided with a plurality of internal radially disposed ridges
18
A for engaging the radially disposed external ridges
15
A provided on the lower portion of the needle hub
15
.
The syringe barrel
12
,
FIG. 1
, is provided with a male luer lock connector indicated by general numerical designation
22
for leak-proof connection to the needle hub
15
. Male luer lock connector
22
is shown in detail and in cross-section in FIG.
2
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the male luer lock connector
22
includes a central externally tapered male luer
23
surrounded by an annular collar
24
which is spaced radially outwardly from the male luer
23
and provided with an internal thread
25
. The needle hub
15
,
FIG. 2
, provides an internally tapered female luer
26
and includes an upper flange
28
provided with diametrically opposed and radially outwardly extending tabs or tab portions
29
and
29
A. For leak-proof connection,
FIG. 2
, the male luer
23
of the syringe barrel connector
22
is inserted into the female luer
26
provided in the needle hub
15
and the needle hub tabs
29
and
30
are threaded into the internal thread
25
provided in the syringe barrel connector
22
. Typically this is done by the health care provider who then produces appropriate relative rotational movement between the syringe barrel
12
and the needle hub
15
. This rotational movement threads the female luer tabs
29
and
29
A upwardly into the internal thread
25
of the male luer lock connector
22
which forces the male luer
23
and the female luer
26
into a wedged or slight interference fit producing a leak-proof connection. This connection is sometimes referred to in the art as a slip fit connection. After such connection, the syringe needle assembly
10
, assembled as shown in
FIG. 1
, is ready for use to inject a patient with a liquid medication or to withdraw blood from the patient.
After use, the health care provider inserts the used needle
16
and the needle hub
15
into the needle sheath
18
(
FIG. 1
) engaging the external ridges
15
A provided on the needle hub
15
with the internal ridges
18
A provided in the needle sheath
18
to prevent relative rotation between the needle hub
15
and the needle sheath
18
. The heath care provider then provides appropriate relative rotational movement between the syringe barrel
12
and the needle sheath
18
, opposite to the relative rotational movement used to connect the male luer lock connector
22
and the needle hub
15
, and the needle hub tabs
29
and
29
A (
FIG. 2
) are unthreaded from the internal thread
25
of the male luer lock connector
22
which forces the male luer connector
23
upwardly out of the female luer
26
.
As the used hypodermic needle
16
is inserted into the hypodermic needle sheath
18
, the used needle tip
17
is inserted into the gel
20
as shown in the needle sheath
18
as the health care provider places the used needle
16
and needle sheath
18
in a medical waste receptacle. If the used needle
16
comes out of the gel
20
and comes out of the needle sheath
18
, the health care provider, or other person, must manually replace the used hypodermic needle
16
in the needle sheath
18
or place them separately in the medical waste receptacle. This places the health care provider and housekeeping personnel at risk of needle stick injury.
Numerous other prior art apparatus are known for preventing accidental needle sticks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides apparatus for locking a used hypodermic needle in a needle sheath; an adapter for locking to a needle sheath to entrap a used hypodermic needle between the adapter and the needle sheath, a needle sheath for receiving a used hypodermic needle, and the combination of such adapter and such needle sheath. A kit including a syringe barrel, a syringe needle and such adapter and such needle sheath. Combination syringe needle and cantilever latching apparatus, such combination in further combination with a needle sheath and a further kit including such combinations and a syringe barrel.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 5135489 (1992-08-01), Jepson et al.
patent: 5312346 (1994-05-01), Han
patent: 5347078 (1994-09-01), Eckels
patent: 5352200 (1994-10-01), Hammett et al.
patent: 5451213 (1995-09-01), Teicher et al.
patent: 5505705 (1996-04-01), Galpin et al.
patent: 5643219 (1997-07-01), Burns
patent: 5718689 (1998-02-01), Stevenson
patent: 5743888 (1998-04-01), Wilkes et al.
patent: 5797885 (1998-08-01), Rubin
patent: 6036671 (2000-03-01), Frey
patent: 6059758 (2000-05-01), Padilla et al.
patent: 6077253 (2000-06-01), Cosme
patent: 6213996 (2001-04-01), Jepson et al.
Patel Vinod D.
Rhodes, Jr. R. Gale
Vital Signs Inc.
Walberg Teresa
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