Needle guard clip with lip

• US 8,403,886 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smiths Medical ASD, Inc. (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smiths Medical ASD, Inc. (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bialecki, Dennis M, Albert, Sean J, Sutton, Thomas K
• Primary Examiner(s): Sirmons, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHELL, LAURA C
• Application Number:
  US11/161,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,787 Days
• Field of Search: 604/110, 604/192, 604/187, 604/162, 604/164.07, 604/164.08, 604/198, 604/263, 128/919
• US Class Current: 604/110
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/325 Means obstructing the needle passage at distal end of a needle protection sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0618 having means for protecting only the distal tip of the needle, e.g. a needle guard
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3273 freely sliding on needle shaft without connection to syringe or needle

Abstract

A needle guard includes a clip with a canting wall to grip the needle shaft and a distal wall to block the tip thereof, wherein the canting and distal walls may be interconnected by an angled strut, a spring member, such as a leaf spring, may have a portion extending past an edge of the strut to bias the clip to grip the needle shaft, and the distal wall may be or include a stylus and have an L-shape to define a lip to help block the needle tip. The clip may have a depending heel to help pivot the clip about a ledge to grip the needle shaft. A needle support may be provided to limit flexure of the needle which might otherwise allow the needle to come loose from the clip. Arrangements for limiting rotation of the needle hub and needle guard housing are provided, as is a protective shroud to reduce the risk of inadvertent activation of the needle guard. Further, the needle guard may be used with a catheter assembly. Also provided is an improved duckbill release mechanism.

Claims

1. A safety catheter device comprising:

a catheter hub and a catheter tube extending therefrom;

a needle having a needle shaft terminating in a sharp tip;

a clip having a rigid, first wall with an aperture adapted to slidably receive the needle shaft therethrough in a first state of the clip and to grip the needle shaft in a second state of the clip, the clip having a second wall, the second wall being spaced from the first wall and being generally L-shaped to define an integral lip of the second wall at a free end thereof, the lip including a coined portion defining a stylus adapted to bear against the shaft in the first state, the second wall being adapted to confront a tip of the needle in the second state, the lip cooperating to confine the needle tip in the second state of the clip, and a strut connecting the first and second walls; and

a spring member biasing the clip toward the second state;

the needle having a first position slidably received through the aperture of the clip first wall, in bearing relationship with the clip second wall stylus, and extending through the catheter tube with the sharp tip exposed in the first state of the clip, the needle having a second position in which the needle tip has been pulled out of the catheter tube past the clip second wall such that the clip moves towards the second state and grips the needle shaft with the tip blocked by the clip second wall.

2. The safety catheter device of claim 1, the lip extending in a direction toward the first wall.

3. The safety catheter device of claim 1, the lip being to one side of the longitudinal axis of the needle shaft in the first state of the clip and being disposed to an opposite side of the longitudinal axis in the second state of the clip.

4. The safety catheter device of claim 1, further comprising a housing adapted to slidably receive the needle therethrough, the clip and spring member being contained within the housing.

5. The safety catheter device of claim 4, the housing being removably coupled to the catheter hub.

6. The safety catheter device of claim 4, further comprising a duckbill extending from the housing for removably coupling the housing to the catheter hub.

7. The safety catheter device of claim 4, further comprising a needle hub fixedly coupled with the needle, the needle hub including a shroud sized to overlie opposed portions of the housing in the first position of the needle and to be spaced therefrom in the second position of the needle, and a sheath enclosing at least the catheter tube and the needle tip, and overlying at least a portion of the shroud.

8. The safety catheter device of claim 4, further comprising a needle hub fixedly coupled with the needle, the needle hub being adjacent the housing in the first position of the needle, the needle hub and the housing including cooperating structure to hold them against relative rotation in the first position of the needle.

9. The safety catheter device of claim 1, further comprising a needle hub fixedly coupled with the needle, the needle hub including a shroud sized to overlie opposed portions of the clip in the first position of the needle and to be spaced therefrom in the second position of the needle, and a sheath enclosing at least the catheter tube and the needle tip, and overlying at least a portion of the shroud.

10. The safety catheter device of claim 1, the spring member being a leaf spring.

11. The safety catheter device of claim 1, further comprising a ledge and the clip further comprising a heel, the first wall and heel being disposed to opposite sides of the strut, the heel abutting the ledge in the first state of the clip and pivoting about the ledge as the clip moves from the first state toward the second state.

12. The safety catheter device of claim 11, further comprising a housing adapted to slidably receive the needle therethrough, the clip, the spring, and the ledge being contained within the housing.

13. The safety catheter device of claim 1, the lip of the second wall including an arcuate portion, the stylus being in the arcuate portion.

14. A needle protector comprising:

a housing adapted to slidably receive a needle therethrough;

a clip positioned within the housing and having a rigid, first wall with an aperture adapted to slidably receive a needle shaft of the needle therethrough in a first state of the clip and to grip the needle shaft in a second state of the clip, the clip having a second wall, the second wall being spaced from the first wall and being generally L-shaped to define an integral lip of the second wall at a free end thereof, the lip including a coined portion defining a stylus adapted to bear against the shaft in the first state, the second wall being adapted to confront a tip of the needle in the second state, the lip cooperating to confine the needle tip in the second state of the clip, and a strut connecting the first and second walls; and

a spring member in the housing biasing the clip toward the second state.

15. The needle protector of claim 14, the lip extending in a direction toward the first wall.

16. The needle protector of claim 14, the lip being to one side of the longitudinal axis of the needle shaft in the first state of the clip and being disposed to an opposite side of the longitudinal axis in the second state of the clip.

17. The needle protector of claim 14, further comprising a needle hub with a needle extending therefrom, the needle having a needle shaft terminating in a sharp tip, the needle having a first position slidably received through the aperture of the clip first wall, in bearing relationship with the clip second wall portion with the tip extending from the housing in the first state of the clip, the needle having a second position in which the needle tip has been pulled into the housing past the clip second wall such that the clip moves towards the second state and grips the needle shaft with the tip blocked by the clip second wall.

18. The needle protector of claim 17, the needle hub including a shroud sized to overlie opposed portions of the housing in the first position of the needle and to be spaced therefrom in the second position of the needle, and a sheath enclosing at least the needle tip and overlying at least a portion of the shroud.

19. The needle protector of claim 17, the needle hub adjacent the housing in the first position of the needle, the needle support and the housing including cooperating structure to hold them against relative rotation in the first position of the needle.

20. The needle protector of claim 14, the spring member being a leaf spring.

21. The needle protector of claim 14, further comprising a ledge and the clip further comprising a heel, the first wall and heel being disposed to opposite sides of the strut, the heel abutting the ledge in the first state of the clip and pivoting about the ledge as the clip moves from the first state toward the second state.

22. The needle protector of claim 14, the lip of the second wall including an arcuate portion, the stylus being in the arcuate portion.