Safety casing for intravenous catheter needle

• US 5,215,525 A
• Filed: 09/29/1992
• Issued: 06/01/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Warren M. Sturman
• Original Assignee: Warren M. Sturman
• Inventors: Sturman, Warren M.
• Primary Examiner(s): YASKO JR, JOHN D
• Application Number:
  US07/953,560
• Time in Patent Office: 245 Days
• Field of Search: 604/195, 604/198, 604/192, 604/263, 604/264, 604/164-170, 604/110
• US Class Current: 604/164.08
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0631 having means for fully covering the needle after its withdrawal, e.g. needle being withdrawn inside the handle or a cover being advanced over the needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/322 Retractable needles, i.e. disconnected from and withdrawn into the syringe barrel by the piston devices for protecting guide needles in combination with catheters A61M25/0612

Abstract

The safety casing for an intravenous catheter needle is used in conjunction with an elongated, hollow tube catheter having a catheter hub. The catheter hub has an interior catch rib therein. The safety casing includes an elongated needle case which is longer than the length of the needle. The case has a longitudinal slot therethrough. A movable slide control, attached to a proximal end of the needle, is disposed within the case and includes an operator tab protruding through the longitudinal slot. The needle case includes a distal end cap that is sized to fit within the proximal open end of the catheter hub. The end cap has a needle passage therethrough such that in all positions other than the fully retracted position, the needle is disposed within the needle passage. The end cap also includes a pair of needle jaws formed as flexible pincers within the needle passage. The pincers are biased towards the axial center line of the needle such that upon full retraction of the needle, by longitudinal movement of the slide control and operator tab through the slot of the needle casing, the pointed distal end of the needle moves axially inboard towards said needle case and both pincers snap towards the axial center line thereby effecting at least partial closure of the needle passage. This partial closure prohibits outboard longitudinal movement of the pointed distal end of the needle.

Claims

1. A safety casing for an intravenous catheter needle used in conjunction with an elongated, hollow tube catheter having a catheter hub affixed to a proximal end of said hollow tube catheter, said hub having an enlarged, proximal open end with an interior catch rib therein, said needle adapted to travel within said catheter and such that a pointed distal end of said needle protrudes from a distal end of said catheter when said needle is in a full forward position, said safety casing comprising:

an elongated needle case longer than said needle, said case having a longitudinal slot therein;

a movable slide control disposed within said case and having a operator tab protruding through said longitudinal slot, said slide control attached to a proximal end of said needle;

a distal end cap formed at a distal end of said needle case, an outer distal end surface of said end cap having a complementary size and shape to fit within said proximal open end of said catheter hub, said end cap having needle passage therethrough;

transversely movable means for latching a distal portion of said interior catch rib of said catheter hub, said means for latching disposed on said end surface of said end cap; and

a pair of needle jaws formed as flexible pincers within said needle passage of said end cap, said pincers being biased towards an axial center line of said needle such that upon full retraction of said needle by longitudinal movement of said slide control via said operator tab through said slot, the pointed distal end of said needle moves inboard said needle case and both pincers snap towards said axial center line thereby effecting at least partial closure of said needle passage with respect to said needle and prohibiting longitudinal, outboard movement of said pointed distal end of said needle.

2. A safety casing as claimed in claim 1 wherein each pincer has a respective contact surface for the other pincer such that upon full retraction of said needle, said contract surfaces mate and substantially close said needle passage.

3. A safety casing as claimed in claim 2 wherein said contact surfaces are formed as intermeshing, complementary, saw toothed surfaces.

4. A safety casing as claimed in claim 2 wherein said pincers form an inboard pointing arrowhead shape when said contract surfaces mate.

5. A safety casing as claimed in claim 2 wherein said means for latching is formed as a transverse counterpart of said pair of needle jaws such that when said needle is in all positions other than the fully retracted position, said needle separates said pincers of said jaws and forces said transversely movable means for latching towards said distal portion of said interior catch rib of said catheter hub and such that upon full retraction of said needle, said pincers close said needle passage and said means for latching moves transversely towards said axial centerline thereby unlocking said needle case from said catheter hub.

6. A safety casing as claimed in claim 5 wherein said slide control includes a slide channel latch near said operator tab, said needle case includes a complementary casing channel latch on a proximal end surface of said end cap, said slide channel latch adapted to be detachably locked with said casing channel latch when said needle is in said full forward position.

7. A safety casing as claimed in claim 6 wherein said casing channel latch and said slide channel latch are disposed near said slot, said needle case defining a slide track within which travels a slide body portion of said slide control, said slide track having a cross-sectional dimension, co-planar with the locked channel latches, slightly larger than the cross-sectional dimension of said slide body portion plus a depth of the shallower one of said latch channels.

8. A safety casing as claimed in claim 6 wherein said needle case includes a pair of facing longitudinal lips on opposing sides of said slot, and said slide control has a slide body portion which is captured by said opposing lips within a slide track defined by said needle case.

9. A safety casing as claimed in claim 5 wherein said interior catheter rib defines a transverse ledge and said means for latching co-acts with said transverse ledge to detachably lock said end cap and needle case to said catheter hub.

10. A safety casing as claimed in claim 1 wherein said slide control includes a slide body portion, said slide body having an longitudinal fluid passage therethrough in fluid communication with a lumen of said needle.

11. A safety casing as claimed in claim 10 wherein said slide body forms a fluid communication port interface on a rear end thereof.

12. A safety casing as claimed in claim 11 wherein said needle case includes a stop prohibiting further retractive movement of said needle such that said pointed distal end of said needle does not move longitudinal inboard significantly away from said needle jaws.

13. A safety casing as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for latching is formed as flexible, forward depending arms extending from said end cap and into said open end of said hub, said means for latching having transversely protruding operator tabs protruding from said arms and beyond said end cap such that upon compression of said operator tabs, said means for latching transversely moves away from said distal portion of said interior catch ribs in said catheter hub.

14. A safety casing as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pincers, when said needle is fully retracted, form upper and lower, forward pointing, arrowhead shaped, needle entrapment regions about said axial centerline of said needle.

15. A safety casing as claimed in claim 1 including two pair of needle jaws, one pair of jaws having pincers facing inboard toward the slide control and the other pair of jaws having pincers facing outboard away from said needle case.

16. A safety casing as claimed in claim 15 wherein said other pair of jaws includes said means for latching formed as a transverse counterpart of said other pair of jaws.

17. A safety casing as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pair of needle jaws has pincers which point longitudinally inboard toward said slide control.