Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-07
2001-10-30
Mendez, Manuel (Department: 3763)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material introduced into or removed from body...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309376
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to needle protection devices and more particularly to a safety device adaptable to be used with an intravenous infusion needle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For intravenous (IV) infusions and/or withdrawing of venous blood, a device commonly known as a “butterfly” or winged intravenous infusion assembly is often used. This device may also be known as a hemodialysis needle.
Given the increasing risks of blood borne disease that a care giver, or for that matter a bystander, is exposed to when needle devices are used, some states have now mandate the use of protection devices that would preclude a contaminated needle from being exposed to the environment. Some of the currently available needle protection devices for IV infusion needles include the SAFETY-LOK blood collection sets manufactured by the Becton Dickinson Company and the ANGLWING safety needle protection system manufactured by the Sherwood Medical Company. These systems are sold as sets in that the needle protection device is already built onto the winged infusion assembly.
Yet there are standalone winged infusion assemblies. For those types of assemblies, there is therefore a need to provide or fit them with a safety device that would preclude the needle, after it has been contaminated with a patient's blood, from being exposed to the environment. Moreover, for ease of manufacture, it may be advantageous to mold the safety device and the IV infusion assembly as a single unit
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention is a safety device that is adaptable to be used with various types of winged intravenous infusion assemblies. In addition, the present invention safety device also can lend itself to being integral with the molding of the IV butterfly wings. Specifically, the safety device of the instant invention can be used as an add-on device that has a base which is adaptable to be fitted to the body of a winged IV infusion assembly. The base is configured to have an interior surface that comes into intimate contact with the outside surface of the body of the winged IV infusion assembly so that, once the base of the safety device is fitted over the body of the infusion assembly, it is securely mounted thereto. Alternatively, the base can be an integral part of the body of the winged IV infusion assembly.
Attached to the side of the base that faces the needle that extends from the infusion assembly is a housing or sheath. The housing is hingedly attached to the base by, for example, a living hinge. The housing further has a groove or a passage extending substantially along the length thereof so that after the needle of the infusion device is removed from the patient, the housing can be pivoted to a position in substantial alignment along the longitudinal axis of the base to envelop the contaminated needle.
Locking mechanisms may be integrated to the housing for fixedly retaining the contaminated needle within the housing once the housing has been pivoted to the alignment position. Such locking mechanisms may include for example a hook or opposing fingers within the housing that act as a barrier for the removal of the housing from the needle. Locking mechanisms may also be used external of the housing for keeping the needle relatively fixed in relation to the housing. Such external locking mechanisms may include for example a side snap mechanism in which at least one locking means at the base would cooperate with a corresponding locking means external of the housing so that once the housing is pivoted to the alignment position, it is prevented from further movement from the alignment position.
The base of the safety device of the instant invention may be configured in two ways. First, it may be configured to have two pairs of extending arms each of which would snappingly secure to a corresponding portion of the body of the infusion assembly. Another embodiment of the instant invention provides a base that has a tubular section slidable over an end portion of the body of the infusion assembly for securing the base thereto. A pair of arms extending from the base may also be added to the tubular section embodiment for snappingly embracing yet another portion of the body of the infusion assembly to thereby even more securely mate the base of the safety device to the body of the infusion assembly. To further ensure that the base be securely coupled to the body of the infusion assembly, a coating of conventional adhesive may be sprayed or added to the interior surface of the base of the safety device so that, once the base is mounted to the body of the infusion assembly, it becomes bonded thereto.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a safety device that can easily be adapted to be used with a conventional intravenous infusion needle assembly.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a safety device that can particularly be used to prevent a needle from a winged intravenous infusion needle assembly, once contaminated, from being exposed to the environment.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a one piece molded IV assembly with a built in safety device.
Mendez Manuel
Sims Portex Inc.
Woo Louis
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