NEEDLE GUARD MECHANISM WITH NEEDLE SUPPORT
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.
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 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 with a portion adapted to bear against the shaft in the first state and being adapted to confront a tip of the needle in the second state, and a strut connecting the first and second walls;
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, 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;
a spring member biasing the clip toward the second state; and
a needle support fixedly positioned adjacent a plane transverse to a cylinder defined by the needle shaft in the first position of the needle whereby to limit deflection of the needle in at least the second position of the needle.
2 . The safety catheter device of claim 1 , the needle support including a seat sized to slidably receive a portion of the needle shaft thereon.
3 . The safety catheter device of claim 1 , the needle support and clip second wall being disposed to opposite sides of the needle shaft in the clip first state.
4 . The safety catheter device of claim 1 , the needle support being disposed between the first and second walls in the clip second state.
5 . The safety catheter device of claim 1 , further comprising a flex limit rib associated with the needle support.
6 . 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.
7 . The safety catheter device of claim 6 , the housing being removably coupled to the catheter hub.
8 . The safety catheter device of claim 7 , further comprising a duckbill extending from the housing for removably coupling the housing to the catheter hub.
9 . The safety catheter device of claim 6 further comprising a needle hub fixedly coupled with the needle, the needle support 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.
10 . The safety catheter device of claim 6 , the needle support being defined on a projection affixed to the housing.
11 . The safety catheter device of claim 10 , the needle support including a seat sized to slidably receive a portion of the needle shaft thereon.
12 . The safety catheter device of claim 10 , the needle support and clip second wall being disposed to opposite sides of the needle shaft in the clip first state.
13 . The safety catheter device of claim 10 , further comprising a flex limit rib adapted to limit flex of the projection.
14 . The safety catheter device of claim 13 , the flex limit rib being associated with the projection.
15 . The safety catheter device of claim 13 , the flex limit rib being associated with the housing.
16 . The safety catheter device of claim 6 , further comprising a needle hub fixedly coupled with the needle, the needle support 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.
17 . The safety catheter device of claim 1 , further comprising a needle hub fixedly coupled to 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.
18 . The safety catheter device of claim 1 , the clip second wall portion defining a stylus.
19 . The safety catheter device of claim 1 , the clip second wall having a lip adapted to confine the needle tip in the second state of the clip.
20 . The safety catheter device of claim 1 , the spring member being a leaf spring.
21 . 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.
22 . The safety catheter device of claim 21 , further comprising a housing adapted to slidably receive the needle therethrough, the clip, the spring, and the ledge being contained within the housing.
23 . A needle protector comprising:
a housing including an entry aperture and an exit aperture with a plane intersecting respective edges of the entry and exit apertures;
a clip positioned within the housing and having a first wall with an aperture adapted to slidably receive a 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 with a portion adapted to bear against the shaft in the first state and being adapted to confront a tip of the needle in the second state, and a strut connecting the first and second walls; and
a needle support within the housing and confronting the plane.
24 . The needle protector of claim 23 , the needle support including a seat sized to slidably receive a portion of a needle shaft thereon.
25 . The needle protector of claim 23 , the needle support and clip second wall being disposed to opposite sides of the plane in the clip first state.
26 . The needle protector of claim 23 , the needle support being disposed between the first and second walls in the clip second state.
27 . The needle protector of claim 23 , further comprising a flex limit rib associated with the needle support.
28 . The needle protector of claim 23 , further comprising a flex limit rib associated with the housing.
29 . The needle protector of claim 23 , further comprising a spring member in the housing and biasing the clip toward the second state.
30 . The needle protector of claim 29 , the spring member being a leaf spring.
31 . The needle protector of claim 23 , 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.
32 . The needle protector of claim 31 , 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.
33 . The needle protector of claim 31 , 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.
34 . The needle protector of claim 23 , the needle support being defined on a projection affixed to the housing.
35 . The needle protector of claim 34 , the needle support including a seat sized to slidably receive a portion of the needle shaft thereon.
36 . The needle protector of claim 34 , the needle support and clip second wall being disposed to opposite sides of the needle shaft in the clip first state.
37 . The needle protector of claim 34 , further comprising a flex limit rib adapted to limit flex of the projection.
38 . The needle protector of claim 37 , the flex limit rib being associated with the projection.
39 . The needle protector of claim 37 , the flex limit rib being associated with the housing.
40 . The needle protector of claim 23 , the clip second wall portion defining a stylus.
41 . The needle protector of claim 23 , the clip second wall having a lip adapted to confine the needle tip in the second state of the clip.
42 . The needle protector of claim 23 , further comprising a ledge within the housing 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.