Safety needle assembly with passive pivoting shield

• US 20040111068A1
• Filed: 12/04/2002
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Swenson, Kirk D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,231,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/263
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15003 for venous or arterial blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150351 Caps, stoppers or lids for sealing or closing a blood collection vessel or container, e.g. a test-tube or syringe barrel caps for bottles or containers in general B65D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150389 Hollow piercing elements, e.g. canulas, needles, for piercing the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150473 Double-ended needles, e.g. used with pre-evacuated sampling tubes hollow piercing element tip design A61B5/150396; needle sets for catheters A61M25/06; needles for bringing media into the body A61M5/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150572 Pierceable protectors, e.g. shields, caps, sleeves or films, e.g. for hygienic purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150587 by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150679 fully automatically triggered, i.e. the triggering of the pivotable protective sleeve does not require a deliberate action by the user such as terminating the contact with the patient's skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150717 manually removed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150732 Needle holders, for instance for holding the needle by the hub, used for example with double-ended needle and pre-evacuated tube,
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/154 Devices using pre-evacuated means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3217 Means to impede repositioning of protection cap from needle covering to needle uncovering position, e.g. catch mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3216 Caps placed transversally onto the needle, e.g. pivotally attached to the needle base
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3219 Semi-automatic repositioning of the cap, i.e. in which the repositioning of the cap to the needle covering position requires a deliberate action by the user to trigger the repositioning of the cap, e.g. manual release of spring-biased cap repositioning means

Abstract

A blood collection assembly includes a needle cannula, a hub mounted on the needle cannula, and a spring biased pivoting shield pivotably mounted to the hub and moveable about a pivot axis between a retracted position and a shielded position encompassing a distal end of the needle cannula. A needle holder is mated at a first end with the hub, and is adapted for receiving a blood collection container such as an evacuated tube through the opposing end. A retaining member is attached to the pivoting shield and is releasably engageable with the hub to maintain the pivoting shield in the retracted position against the spring bias. Insertion of a blood collection tube into the needle holder causes the retaining member to release from engagement with the hub, thereby causing the pivoting shield to move toward the shielded position due to the spring bias.

Claims

1. A shieldable needle assembly comprising:

a needle cannula having a proximal end and a distal end;

a hub mounted to the needle cannula at a location spaced from the distal end;

a shield pivotably mounted to the hub and moveable about a pivot axis between a retracted position and a shielded position encompassing the distal end of the needle cannula;

a first biasing member biasing the pivoting shield towards the shielded position;

a lock for releasably maintaining the pivoting shield in the retracted position; and

an actuator for releasing the lock,

wherein the actuator is activated to release the lock by pressure applied during a standard sequence of operation of a medical procedure and wherein the pivoting shield will move toward the shielded position upon activation of the actuator to release the lock.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the actuator includes at least one actuating arm slidably mounted with respect to the hub for releasing the lock.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the pivoting shield includes a retaining arm for engagement with the hub to form the lock.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein one of the hub and the retaining arm includes a locking recess and the other of the hub and the retaining arm includes a locking lug, wherein the locking lug is engageable with the locking recess to form the lock, and wherein the actuating arm disengages the locking lug from the locking recess to release the lock.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the hub includes a locking recess and the retaining arm includes a locking lug engageable with the locking recess.

6. The assembly of claim 5 further including a second locking recess in the hub wherein the retaining arm is engageable with the second locking recess to secure the pivoting shield in the shielded position encompassing the needle cannula.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first biasing member is a spring, wherein the spring has a spring force less than the force required to release the lock.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a cannula lock on the pivoting shield for securing the pivoting shield in the shielded position.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the hub is adapted for mating with a needle holder, and wherein the actuator is activated by pressure applied through insertion of a blood collection tube within the needle holder.

10. A blood collection assembly comprising:

a needle cannula;

a hub mounted on the needle cannula;

a spring biased pivoting shield pivotably mounted to the hub and moveable about a pivot axis between a retracted position and a shielded position encompassing a distal end of the needle cannula;

a needle holder having a first end mated with the hub and a second end adapted for receiving a blood collection container; and

a retaining member attached to the pivoting shield and releasably engageable with the hub,

wherein the retaining member maintains the pivoting shield in the retracted position against the spring bias when engaged with the hub, and wherein insertion of a blood collection container into the needle holder causes the retaining member to release from engagement with the hub, thereby causing the pivoting shield to move toward the shielded position due to the spring bias.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the retaining member includes at least one retaining arm extending from the pivoting shield for engagement with the hub.

12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the retaining arm includes a locking lug and the hub includes a locking recess, the locking lug and locking recess in interference engagement to maintain the pivoting shield in the retracted position against the spring bias.

13. The assembly of claim 12, further comprising an actuator extending within the needle holder, the actuator capable of releasing the locking lug from interference engagement with the locking recess upon insertion of a blood collection container into the needle holder.

14. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the spring biased pivoting shield includes a torsion spring biasing the pivoting shield toward the shielded position, wherein the biasing force of the spring is less than the force required to cause the retaining member to release from engagement with the hub.

15. A blood collection assembly comprising:

a needle cannula;

a hub mounted on the needle cannula;

a pivoting shield mounted on the hub and pivotable between a retracted position and a shielded position encompassing a distal end of the needle cannula;

a spring mounted on the hub biasing the pivoting shield towards the shielded position;

a lock on the hub maintaining the pivoting shield in the shielded position against the bias of the spring;

a needle holder having a first end mated with the hub and a second end adapted for receiving a blood collection tube; and

an actuator in moveable engagement with the hub for releasing the lock,

wherein insertion of a blood collection tube in the needle holder activates the actuator to cause release of the lock, thereby releasing the bias of the spring and allowing the pivoting shield to move toward the shielded position.

16. The assembly of claim 15 wherein the actuator includes an actuating arm extending within the needle holder and capable of engaging with a blood collection tube within the needle holder.

17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the pivoting shield includes a retaining arm extending therefrom, and wherein one of the hub and the retaining arm includes a locking recess and the other of the hub and the retaining arm includes a locking lug, wherein the locking lug is engageable with the locking recess to form the lock, and wherein the actuating arm disengages the locking lug from the locking recess to release the lock.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the actuating arm disengages the locking lug from the locking recess through an axial movement of the actuating arm.

19. The assembly of claim 18 wherein the actuating arm and the locking lug include corresponding camming surfaces for causing the locking lug to move transversely with respect to the actuating arm upon axial movement of the actuating arm.

20. A method of shielding a needle comprising:

providing a needle holder adapted for receiving a blood collection tube;

providing a needle assembly mated with the needle holder, the needle assembly comprising a hub mounted to a needle cannula with a spring biased pivoting shield mounted on the hub, the pivoting shield including a retaining member engaging the hub to releasably maintain the pivoting shield against the spring bias to prevent the pivoting shield from moving to a shielded position encompassing the needle cannula; and

inserting a blood collection tube into the needle holder to cause the retaining member to disengage from the hub, thereby causing the pivoting shield to be biased toward the shielded position.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising an actuator extending between the needle holder and the needle assembly, wherein inserting a blood collection tube into the needle holder causes axial movement of the actuator which causes the retaining member to disengage from the hub, thereby causing the pivoting shield to be biased toward the shielded position.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein one of the hub and the retaining member includes a locking recess and the other of the hub and the retaining member includes a locking lug, wherein the locking lug is engageable with the locking recess to releasably maintain the pivoting shield against the spring bias to prevent the pivoting shield from moving to a shielded position encompassing the needle cannula.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein insertion of a blood collection tube within the needle holder causes the actuator to disengage the locking lug from the locking recess.

24. The method of claim 20 further including the step of locking the pivoting shield in the shielded position.