Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-04
2001-02-06
Yasko, John D. (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
C604S192000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06183449
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to safety devices for sharps such as the needles and blades of medical devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Accidental penetration of the skin from sharp instruments is one of the most common modes of transmission of fatal or debilitating infectious diseases to health care workers. Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV (the AIDS virus) in the health care environment are typically transmitted from needle sticks and result in years of debilitating illness, loss of productivity, workman's compensation payments, medical expenses, and accelerated mortality. Groups of health care workers most susceptible to needle sticks include nurses and laboratory workers, but physicians, dentists, dialysis workers, oral surgeons, medical waste workers, and animal handlers are also exposed. Using a standard cap, recapping a hypodermic needle is an extremely dangerous procedure, entailing a significant risk of needle stick per capping attempt. OSHA requires regular instruction of health care workers in techniques to prevent accidental needle sticks, yet needle sticks, especially those from recapping, remain an important mechanism for transmission of virulent infectious agents to health care workers. Any advances in medical instrument design that would limit or prevent needle sticks would markedly reduce the health risks from infectious diseases for health care workers and would result in considerable savings from lost productivity, medical costs, litigation, and compensation payments. Most importantly, the health and safety of health care workers would be improved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide devices that improve the safety of hypodermic needles and other sharp instruments with applications to health care, research, and industry.
In one preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a device comprising: a sharp; and a cap engaging and holding the sharp, the cap including a sheath into which the sharp extends and which surrounds the sharp, the sheath including an open base region which engages a hub region on the sharp to hold the sharp in the sheath and including a top region covering a top portion of the sharp, the base region and the top region of the receptacle defining an axial direction extending from the center of the base region to the center of the top region, the hub region of the sharp including a means for mounting the sharp on a mounting device, the sheath leaving uncovered the means for mounting the sharp on the mounting device; a lateral member extending from the receptacle in a direction which is perpendicular to the axial direction of the sharp; and a handle connected to the lateral member and extending in a direction opposite to the axial direction.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a safety cap for a sharp comprising: a sheath for receiving a sharp and including means for engaging a hub region of the sharp, the receptacle extending in an axial direction from a base region of the receptacle to a top region of the receptacle; a lateral member extending from the receptacle in a direction which is perpendicular to the axial direction of the sheath; a handle connected to the lateral member and extending in a direction opposite to the axial direction; and a hub capping slider including an opening through which the handle extends and which allows the slider to slide on the handle, the hub capping means including a hub capping receptacle for engaging and covering a hub of a sharp when the sharp is held in the cap receptacle and the slider is moved on the handle to a position adjacent to the hub of the sharp held in the cap receptacle.
Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
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Sibbitt, Wilmer L., Jr., MD, Needle Stick Prevention, from the Center for Non-Invasive Diagnosis and The Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131.
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Jagtiani & Associates
Yasko John D.
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