Single hand actuated locking safety catheter and method of use

• US 4,950,252 A
• Filed: 05/05/1988
• Issued: 08/21/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medex Incorporated (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Luther Medical Products, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Luther, Ronald B., Choksi, Pradip V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): DeFranco, Denise W.
• Application Number:
  US07/191,286
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 604/164-169, 604/158, 604/162, 604/263, 604/192, 604/198, 604/110, 604/51-53
• US Class Current: 604/198
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/581 by audible feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0631 having means for fully covering the needle after its withdrawal, e.g. needle being withdrawn inside the handle or a cover being advanced over the needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/158 Needles for infusions; Accessories therefor, e.g. for inserting infusion needles, or for holding them on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3202 Devices for protection of the needle before use, e.g. caps A61M5/50 takes precedence; for infusion spikes A61M5/1626; protectors for sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3243 being axially-extensible, e.g. protective sleeves coaxially slidable on the syringe barrel devices for protecting guide needles in combination with catheters A61M25/0612
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3273 freely sliding on needle shaft without connection to syringe or needle

Abstract

An assembly of a needle, catheter, and a device for selectively protecting the needle tip from inadvertent needle sticks is disclosed, characterized by use of elongate housing, having a needle extending therefrom, and a needle guard adapted for sliding movement relative the housing. The needle guard is formed to carry a catheter hub and catheter thereupon, and includes an actuation tab to enable selective sliding movement of the needle guard relative the housing and along the length of the needle. The housing is adapted to be held within one hand to permit insertion of the needle and catheter into a patient, and after insertion, the needle may be withdrawn from the patient and covered by the needle guard merely by pressing against the actuation tab with the index finger of the hand of a user, while slidably retracting the housing and needle relative the needle guard by use of the thumb and middle finger. Upon full retraction of the housing relative the needle guard, a detent mechanism formed between the housing and needle guard is engaged, to permanently lock the needle guard about the length of the needle and prevent accidental contact with the tip of the needle.

Claims

1. An over-the-needle catheter assembly comprising:

a housing including sidewalls and a first portion of a detente lock;

a needle mounted to said housing and extending therefrom;

a needle guard slidably mounted to said housing including a second portion of a detente lock;

a catheter hub support formed on said needle guard;

a catheter mountable upon said needle, said catheter having a catheter hub sized to be registered upon said catheter hub support such that, following insertion of said needle and said catheter into a patient;

(i) said housing and said needle may be concomitantly retracted relative to said needle guard, said concomitant retraction of said housing and said needle being operative to withdraw said needle from said catheter and into said needle guard, and, thereafter;

(ii) said catheter hub may be separated from said catheter hub support allowing the housing, needle guard, and the needle positioned with said needle guard to be separated from the patient while the catheter and cateter hub remain with the patient.

2. The assembly claim 1 further comprising an actuation tab formed on said needle guard extending outwardly beyond said housing.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said housing is sized and configured such that it maybe grasped with one hand of a user.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said actuation tab is sized, configured, and positioned such that it may be pressed in a first direction toward said catheter with one finger of said one hand of said user while said housing is slidably moved in a second direction, opposite said first direction, by said one hand of said user.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein said needle guard is formed having a length sufficient to extend completely over the length of said needle prior to separation of housing and needle from said catheter and catheter hub.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein said housing is sized and configured to be grasped between the thumb and middle finger of said one hand of said user.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said housing and said actuation tab are sized, configured, and positioned such that the index finger of said hand may be pressed against said activation tab in said first direction while the thumb and at least one other finger of said hand are employed to grasp said housing and to slidably move said housing in said second direction.

8. A method of administering a catheter to a patient comprising the steps of:

grasping a housing having a needle and catheter extending therefrom and a needle guard slidably mounted to said housing;

inserting said needle and said catheter into a patient by urging said housing toward said patient;

retracting said housing to withdraw said needle from said catheter while maintaining said catheter within said patient, said retraction being accomplished by holding said housing in one hand and manually sliding said housing with said one hand, relative said needle guard, to a locked positioned wherein said needle is enclosed withn said needle guard, and, thereafter;

removing said locked needle, needle guard and housing from said catheter.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said retracting step comprises:

pressing said needle guard in a first direction toward said catheter with one finger of said one hand of said user; and

sliding said housing in a second direction opposite said first direction with said one hand of said user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said sliding of said housing in said second direction is continued until a locking detent mechanism formed between said housing and said needle guard is engaged.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said needle guard includes an actuation tab and said pressing step comprises pressing said actuation tab in said first direction toward said catheter.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said pressing step comprises pressing said actuation tab with the index finger of said user in said first direction toward said catheter.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said sliding step comprises sliding said housing in said second direction, opposite said first direction by movement of the thumb and middle finger of said one hand of said user.

14. A method of administering a catheter to a patient comprising the steps of:

grasping a housing having a needle extending therefrom and a needle guard slidably mounted to said housing which engages a catheter disposed upon the length of said needle;

inserting said needle and said catheter into a patient by urging said housing in a first direction toward said patient;

retracting said needle from said catheter while maintaining said catheter in engagement with said needle guard by holding said housing with one hand and manually sliding, with said one hand, said housing relative said needle guard in a second direction opposite said first direction to enclose said needle within said needle guard, and, thereafter;

disengaging said needle guard with said needle enclosed therein from said catheter to permit subsequent removal of the housing, needle guard and needle while said catheter remains within said patient.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein between said retracting and disengaging steps said method comprises the further step of locking said housing to said needle guard by sliding said housing in said second direction to a position wherein a detent mechanism formed between said housing and said needle guard is engaged.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising the further step of removing said locked needle, needle guard and housing from said catheter.

17. A percutaneously insertable over-the-needle catheter assembly, said assembly comprising:

a tubular catheter having a proximal end, a distal end, and a tubular lumen extending axially therethrough;

a needle having a proximal end and a sharpened distal end, said needle being positionable in a first needle position wherein the needle is axially disposed within the lumen of the tubular catheter and the sharpened distal end of the needle extends beyond the distal end of the tubular catheter;

a needle guard having an interior needle receiving passage formed therein, said needle guard being positioned relative to said needle such that said needle is axially retractable from said first needle position to a second needle position wherein at least a portion of said needle is diposed within said needle receiving passage and further wherein the sharpened distal tip of said needle is shielded by said needle guard;

a handle attached to said needle, said handle being sized and configured to be graspable by a human hand facilitate manual pulling of said needle from said first needle position to said second needle position; and

said handle and said needle guard being cooperatively sized and configured to frictionally engage one another when said needle has reached said second needle position, said frictional engagement of the handle and needle guard being operative to hold said handle is a fixed position relative to said needle guard, thereby holding said needle in said second needle position.

18. The catheter assembly of claim 17 further comprising a finger engagement tab attached to and extendig outwardly from said needle guard.

19. The catheter assembly of claim 17 wherein said handle is sized and configured to be grasped between the thumb and third finger of the human hand.

20. The catheter assembly of claim 18 wherein:

said handle is sized and configured to be grasped between the thumb and third finger of one human hand; and

said finger engagement tab is sized, configured and positioned such that the second finger of said one hand may be positioned against said tab while said handle is grasped between the thumb and third finger of said one hand.

21. The catheter assembly of claim 17 wherein the said handle and said needle guard further comprise:

a first detente lock portion formed on the needle guard; and

a second detente lock portion formed on the handle;

said first and second detente lock portions being positioned and configured to engage one another when said needle reaches said second needle position, thereby locking said needle in said second needle position.