Surgery – Instruments – Forceps
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-19
2002-08-06
Truong, Kevin T. (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Forceps
C606S147000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06428560
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to devices used with implantable vascular access ports having a subcutaneous septum, and more particularly, to a novel apparatus for safely removing a needle from such subcutaneous septum without the risk of accidental needle/hand contact.
Care givers time after time come in contact with an implantable vascular access device
10
, also referred to as a port, or portal (FIG.
1
). In the center of the portal
10
is a self-sealing silicone septum
12
. This device is surgically implanted under the skin and below the collarbone, as illustrated in FIG.
1
. To access the portal, a Huber needle
14
, or the like, is placed through a patient's skin with enough pressure to penetrate the silicone septum
12
.
Problems start when care givers are removing the needle
14
from the septum
12
of portal
10
. Extreme caution is needed because one must typically place the fingers of one hand firmly over the portal
10
, which is located under the skin, to apply a counter pressure to the portal
10
as a needle is being removed from the portal
10
with the care giver's other hand. Just the right amount of counter pressure is needed on the portal
10
to permit safe removal of the needle
14
, but this procedure places the care giver's fingers within millimeters of the needle
14
. The principal fear is that when pulling the needle
14
out of this portal
10
with one hand, the counter pressure applied with the other hand causes a “bounce back” phenomenon when the needle is dislodged and withdrawn, making a contaminated needle stick of the care giver's hand or the patient possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The solution to this problem is to use as a safety device the apparatus of the present invention, which allows a care giver's fingers that apply counter pressure to the subcutaneous portal
10
to be kept at a safe distance from the contaminated needle being withdrawn. The solution is illustrated and demonstrated in
FIGS. 1-5
. By placing sterile wood or plastic extension pieces
16
,
18
upon the patient's chest wall over the portal
10
, the same amount of counter pressure applied by a care giver's fingers is now transferred to the portal
10
by the sterile extension pieces
16
,
18
, also referred to as blades, thus keeping the care giver's fingers out of harms way.
FIGS. 1 and 2
show in detail the relationship between the apparatus
8
of the present invention and a subcutaneous portal
10
within a patient's body.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 5061248 (1991-10-01), Sacco
patent: 5143414 (1992-09-01), Rosellini
patent: 5156426 (1992-10-01), Graves
patent: 5219354 (1993-06-01), Choudhury et al.
patent: 5336193 (1994-08-01), Rom et al.
patent: 5460612 (1995-10-01), Madore
patent: 5476452 (1995-12-01), Thompson
patent: 5571092 (1996-11-01), Thompson
patent: 5637099 (1997-06-01), Durdin et al.
patent: 5693069 (1997-12-01), Shallman
patent: 5709660 (1998-01-01), Doyle et al.
patent: 5911707 (1999-06-01), Wolvek et al.
patent: 6051004 (2000-04-01), Gill
Browning Clifford W.
Truong Kevin T.
Woodard Emhardt Naughton Moriarty & McNett
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