Protection assembly

Details Protection assembly Protection assembly

1996-09-09

1998-10-27

Jackson, Gary

Surgery

Means for introducing or removing material from body for...

Treating material introduced into or removed from body...

604177, A61M 500

Patent

active

058272399

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

Due to the existence of transmissable diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis, there are concerns regarding the potential of needle-stick injury to medical staff when handling wing catheters.
This invention relates to a protection assembly for protecting against needle-stick injury by a wing catheter.
As used herein, the term "catheter" is used to denote medical and veterinary devices for the purpose of infusing liquids or medication or, alternatively, for drawing off liquid such as, for example, occurs during the donation of blood. Accordingly, the term "catheter" includes within its scope wing needles, cannulas and other like devices for the intravenous, intramuscular or hypodermic injection of a substance into a human or other animal body, or for the removal of a substance (eg. blood) from a human or other animal body.
As used herein the term "wing" is used to denote a protrusion which extends transversely relative to the longitudinal extent of the catheter. Typically, there are a pair of protrusions extending in generally opposite transverse directions from the catheter. Such arrangements are sometimes referred to as "butterfly wings".


BACKGROUND ART

A number of protection assemblies for wing catheters have been proposed. They range from simple slotted cylinders to complex protection assemblies.
Known is a protection assembly for a wing catheter as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,311 in the name of Utterberg. In the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 15 of this patent, longitudinally extending slots are cut or formed in each of a pair of articulated sub-members in the form of semi-cylindrical shells. The protection assembly must be assembled on the catheter during manufacture, or at least prior to use, with the wings of the catheter being carefully extended through the respective slots as the semi-cylindrical shells are folded together.
Also known is a protection assembly according to the teaching of Australian Patent 650317 in the name of Becton. In this arrangement, a pair of sub-members of the protection assembly are folded or fixed together to create a pair of longitudinally extending closed slots. As with the teaching of Utterberg, the protection assembly must be located on the wing catheter during manufacture, or at least prior to use of the wing catheter.


DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

This invention in one aspect resides broadly in a protection assembly for a wing catheter, the protection assembly including:
a sleeve member adapted to be longitudinally displaced relative to the wing catheter from a needle exposed position to a needle protected position; and
fixing means for fixing the sleeve member in the needle protected position, locked together to form the sleeve member, the sub-members defining open-ended slots therebetween for receiving the wing of the wing catheter.
The sub-members may be separate and adapted to fit together by clip-locking or snap-acting fasteners. However it is preferred that the sub-members are articulated by hinge means extending along a portion of a common longitudinal edge. The hinge means can be affixed to each sub-member. Alternatively and preferably, the hinge means is integral with the sub-members.
Preferably also, the fixing means is a profile in at least one longitudinal edge of at least one sub-member, the profile adapted to retain the wing of the wing catheter in the needle protected position. In a preferred embodiment both longitudinal edges of both sub-members are profiled. Alternatively, the fixing means may include deformable plugs, ramps or engagement means peripherally disposed about the interior of the sleeve member and adapted to be non-releasably engaged by corresponding means associated with the needle. The fixing means may include a plurality of resilient spines adapted to engage with corresponding spines associated with the needle to allow movement of the sleeve member to a position enclosing the point of the needle but to prevent movement of the sleeve member away from this position.
In a preferred embodiment, the sub-members include p

REFERENCES:
patent: 5112311 (1992-05-01), Utterberg et al.
patent: 5120320 (1992-06-01), Faynfold
patent: 5350368 (1994-09-01), Sheilds

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