Container for disposable needle or cannula

• US 20050035014A1
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unomedical A/S
• Original Assignee: Unomedical A/S
• Inventors: Cane, Mario
• Granted Patent: US 7,407,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/365
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1581 Right-angle needle-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1585 Needle inserters
• 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 5/3243 being axially-extensible, e.g. protective sleeves coaxially slidable on the syringe barrel devices for protecting guide needles in combination with catheters A61M25/0612

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container for a disposable needle or cannula, intended to facilitate needle or cannula placement for the infusion of a liquid drug under a patient'"'"'s skin, the container including a cylindrical housing (1; 101) in which there are defined a cap (1a; 101a) and a sleeve (1b; 101b) provided with a resting base (1c; 101c), the cap (1a; 101a) being axially slidable relative to the sleeve (1b; 101b) when a sufficient pressure is exerted on the cap (1a; 101a); a needle (21; 121) or cannula, which is located inside the housing so as to be directed towards the resting base (1c; 101c) for the infusion of the drug; a retaining member (9; 109), which is located within the housing (1; 101) between said cap (1a; 101a) and the sleeve (1b; 101b) and to which the needle (21; 121) or cannula is secured; the container being equipped with a releasing member for releasing the needle (21; 121) or cannula when the cap (1a; 101a) is made to slide on the sleeve (1b; 101b),

Claims

1. A container for a disposable needle or cannula, intended to facilitate needle or cannula placement through a patient'"'"'s skin, the container comprising:

a cylindrical housing (1;

101) in which there are defined a cap (1a;

101a) and a sleeve (1b;

101b) equipped with a resting base (1c;

101c), said cap (1a;

101a) being axially slidable relative to said sleeve (1b;

101b) when a sufficient pressure is exerted on said cap (1a;

101a);

a needle (21;

121) or cannula, located inside said housing so as to be directed towards said resting base (1c;

101c) for the infusion of the drug;

a retaining member (9;

109), which is located within said housing (1;

101) and to which said needle (21;

121) or cannula is secured;

a releasing member (33;

151) for releasing said needle (21;

121) or cannula from said retaining member (9;

109) when said cap (1a;

101a) is made to slide on said sleeve (1b;

101b), thereby allowing the placement of said needle or cannula under the patient'"'"'s skin and the subsequent removal of said container;

wherein, the container is disposable and upon exertion of said pressure on said cap the force resulting from said pressure is transferred to said needle (21;

121) or cannula so that said needle (21;

121) or cannula is placed through the patient'"'"'s skin by means of said pressure exerted on said cap (1a;

101a).

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base (1c;

101c) has, on its outer face, a gauze (5) weakly adhering to said base (1c;

101c) and of which the other face is adhesive and is protected by a removable protection film (3).

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein said gauze (5) is weakly joined to said base in correspondence of a set of circular portions (7).

4. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sleeve (1b;

101b) has an axial slit (63;

163) through which said hose (11;

111) extends radially and along which said hose (11;

111) is slidable when said cap (1a;

101a) is made to slide on said sleeve (1b;

101b).

5. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein said needle (21;

121) or cannula is an L-shaped needle or cannula and has a drug inlet branch (21a;

121a) transversally arranged within said housing and an axially arranged drug outlet branch (21a;

121a), said inlet branch being connected to said hose (11;

111) radially extending from said container.

6. A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein said retaining member (9) includes a securing portion (9a) directed towards said cap (1a) and a retaining portion (9b) directed towards said sleeve (1b), said securing portion (9a) being firmly held inside an axial cylindrical hub (10) extending within the cap (1a) and integral therewith, and said retaining portion (9b) axially extending within the housing (1) and ending, at its end remote from said securing portion (9a), with a plate (13) transversally arranged relative to the axis of the retaining member (9), said plate (13) being engaged against said sleeve (1b) so as to allow sliding of said cap (1a) on said sleeve (1b) when said plate is released from said sleeve (1b).

7. A container as claimed in claim 6, wherein said plate (13) has a substantially circular shape and comprises a pair of diametrically opposite radial grooves (15) for the passage of corresponding axial projections (17) formed within the sleeve (1b) and arranged to guide the axial sliding of the plate (13), and consequently of the retaining member (9), when said cap (1a) is depressed.

8. A container as claimed in claim 7, wherein said plate (13) comprises a groove (19), diametrically crossing the whole plane of the plate (13) and retaining the inlet branch (21a) of the L-shaped needle (21) for the infusion of the drug, said groove (19) being arranged perpendicularly to said radial grooves (15).

9. A container as claimed in claim 8, wherein said groove (19) retaining the needle (21) or cannula axially extends inside the plate (13) and the retaining member (9) and widens at its end, into a radial hollow (23), thereby to define two diametrically opposite portions of said plate (13), which portions are deformable to release the needle (21) or cannula retained in said groove (19).

10. A container as claimed in claim 9, wherein a pair of circumferential rims (25, 27) are formed on the internal wall of said sleeve (1b) to keep the plate (13) in engagement with said sleeve (1b), and wherein the internal wall of said sleeve (1b) comprises an axial groove (31) through which the outlet branch (21b) of the L-shaped needle (21) or cannula passes.

11. A container as claimed in claim 10, wherein said releasing member for releasing said needle (21) or cannula from said retaining member (9) comprises a pair of diametrically opposite fins (33), which are formed in the retaining portion (9b) of said retaining member and which project upwardly from the plate (13) and diverge towards the cap (1a), said fins (33) ending with a convex portion (35) interfering with said axial projections (17) when the cap (1a) is depressed and the retaining member (9) is made to slide along the sleeve (1b) for releasing the plate (13) from the circumferential rims (25, 27), so that, when the cap (1a) is completely lowered against the sleeve (1b), the retaining member (9) is arranged with the plate (13) against the gauze (5) and the branch (21b) of the L-shaped needle (21) is completely placed through the patient'"'"'s skin after having passed through the gauze (5) in correspondence of an opening (37) provided therein.

12. A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein said retaining member (9;

109) comprises two coupled half-shells (109c) and includes a securing portion (109a) directed towards said cap (101a) and a retaining portion (109b) directed towards said sleeve (101b), said retaining portion (109b) including a cavity (161) between said half-shells (109c) for receiving said needle (121), and said securing portion (109a) comprising two shoulders (157, 159), which are received into corresponding recesses (165, 167) formed in the edge of the sleeve (101b) remote from said base (101c), and an axial recess (155) extending up to said cavity (161).

13. A container as claimed in claim 12, wherein said sleeve (101b) comprises means for resiliently retaining said half-shells (109c) against each other.

14. A container as claimed in claim 12, wherein respective radial projections (166, 168) are provided on the inner surface of said sleeve (101b) in correspondence with the recesses (165, 167), which projections co-operate with said shoulders (157, 159) and with respective teeth (158, 160) formed in the securing portion (109a) of said retaining member (109) to axially join said retaining member (109) to said sleeve (101b).

15. A container as claimed in claim 12, wherein one of said half-shells (109c) comprises one or more pins (173) engaging corresponding holes (175) in the other half-shell when said half-shells are coupled to each other.

16. A container as claimed in claim 12, wherein the inlet branch (121a) of said needle (121) or cannula is retained inside said cavity (161) thanks to the co-operation between one or more support projections (177, 178) and one or more tongues (181) provided on one of said half-shells (109c) and received in respective seats (179) provided in the other half-shell.

17. A container as claimed in claim 16, wherein one of said support projections (178) is arranged in correspondence of the bend between the inlet and outlet branches of said needle (121) and it prevents transversal movements of said needle (121) relative to said sleeve (101b).

18. A container as claimed in claim 12, wherein the half-shells (109c) are divided, in correspondence of said retaining portion (109b), into first sections (109d) and second sections (109e) connected by a flexible connecting member (183), said first sections (109d) being so shaped that, when said half-shells (109c) are joined to each other, they define therebetween a passage for the outlet branch (121b) of said needle (121) or cannula.

19. A container as claimed in claim 18, wherein said sleeve (101b) comprises two facing L-shaped axial projections (169) forming a seat for said first sections (109d).

20. A container as claimed in claim 19, wherein said releasing member for releasing said needle (121) or cannula from said retaining member (109) comprise a projection (151) provided inside said cap (101a) and received within said recess (155), so that, when the cap (101a) is made to slide on the sleeve (101b), said projection (151) forces apart said second sections (109e) of the half-shells (109c) of said retaining member (109) and pushes the inlet branch (121a) of said needle (121) or cannula towards the container base (101c), until the complete placement of the outlet branch (121b) of said needle (121) or cannula through the patient'"'"'s skin.

21. A container as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a second gauze (39), protected by a respective removable adhesive film and joined with said first gauze (5), the second gauze being foldable on the first gauze (5) when the needle (21;

121) or cannula has been inserted and the container (1;

101) has been removed, whereby the first gauze (5) and the inlet branch (21a;

121a) of the needle (21;

121) or cannula can be covered leaving only said second gauze (39) exposed.

22. A container as claimed in claim 20, further comprising a second gauze (39), protected by a respective removable adhesive film and joined with said first gauze (5), the second gauze being foldable on the first gauze (5) when the needle (21;

121) or cannula has been inserted and the container (1;

101) has been removed, whereby the first gauze (5) and the inlet branch (21a;

121a) of the needle (21;

121) or cannula can be covered leaving only said second gauze (39) exposed.