Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-30
2004-05-18
Casler, Brian L. (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
C604S110000, C604S263000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06736798
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement of a needle guard, a capped needle guard, and a guarded winged needle assembly for attaching and protecting a winged needle assembly such as PSV (Pediatric Scalp Vein) or AFV (Arteriovenous Fistula) used for dialysis, fluid and/or blood infusion, and so on, and an improvement of protection ability, stability, and operationality of the above-mentioned needle assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid spread of infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis and AIDS through infected medical needles used for carriers' blood and/or fluid infusion, the greatest care must be given in medical facilities to avoid infection from accidental needle sticks by workers engaged in blood infusion and dialysis and to protect environmental pollution by infected and contaminated needle disposal.
For example, cylindrical or tapered caps for winged needle assemblies or medical needles for blood collection are used for protection of needle tips when stored. These caps are also used for safety when discarding needles after use. However, these needles with blood are so extra-fine that accidental needle sticks by workers trying to attach such caps and needles with their hands often happen due to fine visual errors. Meanwhile, disposal of needles without such caps induces a great risk of accidental needle sticks with contaminated blood by waste disposal workers. These practices are not acceptable.
As a result, different types of needle guards to securely retract medical needles after use are suggested. They are normally cylindrical and retract needles by sliding needles in the needle guards. They are composed in the way that needles can be both exposed and retracted by sliding. These guards for winged needle assemblies should be especially composed in the way that wings do not interfere slides of the needle guards.
U.S. Patent Numbers given to Utterberg U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,112,311, 5,433,703, 5,562,636 and 5,562,637 are the examples of such needle guards. These patents disclose inventions comprising a slit to lock a pair of wings of a winged needle assembly on each sidewall of the needle guards, slidably locking the wings after use according to locations and shapes of the slit, and retracting a needle in the needle guard.
However, these inventions are not satisfactory and have a room for further improvement about (1) easiness and stability to attach needle guards to winged needle assemblies, (2) operationality when inserting guarded winged needle assemblies to patients, and (3) operationality when shielding needles after use.
The inventors of the present invention proposed a new needle guard with a pair of protruded wings on both sides of a body (Patent Publication No. 2001-327599 (P2001-327599A)). A winged needle assembly after use is retracted in the above-mentioned needle guard, the wings are bended upward, and locked with stoppers in the wings. The winged needle assembly does not protrude from the needle guard.
But the presence of a tube connected to the support of the winged needle assembly makes it difficult for the needle guard to firmly retract and lock the needle inside the guard.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a needle guard which is attached to a winged needle assembly with a tube, and which enables to lock the needles safely and securely within the guard.
Another objects of this invention will be detailed hereinafter.
(Needle Guard)
(1) This invention provides an elongated cylindrical needle guard for attaching and protecting a medical needle to which a tube is connected, which comprises:
a cylindrical body consisting of a front portion
2
, a body
3
and a rear portion
4
;
an aperture
5
at the bottom of the body
3
;
at least two or more projecting portions
7
a
,
7
b
,
7
c
on the top wall of the cylindrical body from the front portion
2
to the rear portion
4
;
a slit
9
at the bottom of the rear portion
4
along a longitudinal direction of said needle guard; and
a groove
22
for fixing the tube on the top of the rear portion
4
; and
projecting portions
23
a
,
23
b
facing to each other at the back of said groove
22
.
(2) This invention provides a needle guard
1
according to the above (1), wherein
a cutout portion
22
a
in said projecting portion
7
c
is formed in upwardly-widened tapered shape.
(Capped Needle Guard)
(3) This invention provides a capped needle guard
71
, wherein
a cap
18
is detachably attached to the front portion
2
of said needle guard
1
according to the above (1) or (2).
(4) This invention provides a capped needle guard
81
, wherein
a cap
28
is integrally molded via a rim
28
a
with the front portion
2
of said needle guard
1
according to the above (1).
(Guarded Winged Needle Assembly)
(5) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly
1
A,
21
A,
31
A, wherein
said needle guard
1
according to the above (1) or said capped needle guard
71
,
81
according to the above (2) or (3) is attached to a winged needle assembly
10
.
(6) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly
1
A, comprising:
a winged needle assembly
10
, in which a needle pin
12
is attached to the front portion of a support
13
, to which a pair of wings
14
is attached on both sides of the support, to which a needle cap
16
is attached on the front outside surface of the support, and to which a tube
15
is connected on the rear outside surface of the support; and
a needle guard (
1
) according to the above (1) or (2) which is slidably mounted on said winged needle assembly
10
; wherein
in a situation that said winged needle assembly
10
is attached and retracted to said needle guard
1
through an aperture
5
and a slit
9
,
the outside surface of the needle cap
16
is attached to the inside surface of the front portion
2
;
said winged needle assembly
10
is fixed to said needle guard
1
;
the needle pin
12
is shielded in the needle cap
16
;
the needle pin
12
of said winged needle assembly
10
is exposed by uncapping the needle cap
16
;
the needle pin
12
of said winged needle assembly
10
is retracted into said needle guard
1
by sliding said winged needle assembly toward the rear portion
4
of said needle guard
1
; and
the tube
15
is fixed into a groove
22
through projecting portions
23
a
,
23
b
facing to each other by backwardly pulling it and lifting it up; there by
said winged needle assembly
10
being kept not to slide toward the front portion
2
of said needle guard
1
and the needle pin
12
of said winged needle assembly
10
being kept not to be exposed from said needle guard
1
.
(7) This invention provides a guarded winged needle assembly
21
A,
31
A, comprising:
a winged needle assembly
10
, in which a needle pin
12
is attached to a front portion of a support
13
, to which a pair of wings
14
is attached to both sides of the support, and to which a tube
15
is connected to the rear outside surface of the support; and
a capped needle guard
71
,
81
according to the above 3 or 4 which is slidably mounted on said winged needle assembly; wherein
in a situation that said winged needle assembly
10
is attached and retracted to said capped needle guard
71
,
81
through an aperture
5
and a slit
9
;
the front outside surface of the support
13
is attached to the inside surface of the front portion
2
of said capped needle guard
71
,
81
;
said winged needle assembly
10
is fixed to said capped needle guard
71
,
81
;
the needle pin
12
is shielded in said capped needle guard
71
,
81
;
the needle pin
12
is exposed by uncapping said capped needle guard
71
,
81
;
the needle pin
12
of said winged needle assembly
10
is retracted into said capped needle guard
71
,
81
by sliding said winged needle assembly
10
toward the rear portion
4
of said capped needle guard
71
,
81
; and
the tube
15
is fixed into a groove
22
through projecting portions
23
a
,
23
b
facing to each other by backwardly pulling it and lifting it up; there by
s
Abe Kei
Ohkubo Masato
Ono Seiichi
Casler Brian L.
Kawasumi Laboratories Inc.
Kontos Lina R
LandOfFree
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