Improvements relating to the insertion of a medical needle

1. A device for at least partially inserting a needle into a body of a patient, the device comprising a connector adapted for attachment to a needle such that a projecting portion of the needle extends outwardly from the connector to a needle tip, and a plurality of guard members, each of the guard members including a lower edge and an upper edge, at least one guard member being situated to each side of the needle and extending upward from the lower edge such that the entire upper edge of each guard member is above the projecting portion of the needle, wherein the lower edges are arranged such that the lower edges define spaced portions of a guide surface adapted to rest against a surface of the skin, the connector being adapted to set an attached needle with a fixed position relative to the guard members, wherein both the needle and the guard members extend forwardly of the connector and are arranged such that the guard members are able to block penetration into the body by more than a given amount of the needle attached to the connector, whereby movement of the guide surface along the surface of the skin partially inserts the needle into the body.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the needle is permanently connected to the device, so that the needle forms an integral part of the device.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the device is a single use device for delivering a substance to a patient.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the device is arranged so that the guide surface maintains contact with the surface of the skin of the patient at all times during insertion of the needle.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the device is arranged to enable a user to grip the device and slide the guide surface along the surface of the skin.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the device is arranged so that the entire extent of the guide surface maintains contact with the surface of the skin during insertion of the needle, and hence the angle of the needle relative to the surface of the skin is constant.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connector is adapted to set the attached needle at an angle, other than perpendicular, relative to the guide surface of the guard members, such that movement of the guide surface along the surface of the skin in the direction in which the needle is inclined at least partially inserts the needle into the body.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the device is arranged such that the guide surface may be located against a surface of the skin of the patient, without the tip of the needle being inserted into the skin.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the needle projects beyond the plane of the guide surface, but does not puncture the skin when the guide surface is located against the surface of the skin.

10. A device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the tip of the needle is substantially aligned with the plane of the guide surface, or slightly withdrawn relative to the plane of the guide surface, and the needle projects beyond an end surface of the guard members.

11. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connector is arranged to set an attached needle at a prescribed angle to the guide surface of the guard members.

12. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the device is adapted so that only that portion of the needle that projects beyond the guide surface or an end surface of the guard members is able to be inserted into the body.

13. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the guard members are able to block penetration of more than 1-2mm.

14. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the guide surface is adapted such that whilst the guide surface is located against a surface of the skin, in use, the orientation of the device relative to that surface is constant.

15. A device as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the guide surface is substantially flat, or comprises two or more edges that are arranged in the same plane.

16. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the device is a syringe for delivering substances to a patient.

17. A device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the device is a syringe adapted for caffying out intradermal injections.

18. A device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the device comprises a barrel connected to the connector.

19. A device as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the at least one guard member extends from the barrel of the syringe and extends in substantially the same direction as the needle.

20. A device as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the barrel and the connector are arranged such that a longitudinal axis of the barrel and a longitudinal axis of the needle are at an angle to one another.

21. A device as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the angle between the longitudinal axis of the barrel and the longitudinal axis of the needle is in the range of approximately 450 to approximately 165°.

22. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the device is a holder adapted for inserting a hypodermic needle into the body of a patient in order to take liquid samples from that patient.

23. A device as claimed in claim 22 , wherein the device is adapted for inserting a hypodermic needle into a vein in order to take a sample of blood from a patient.

24. A method of at least partially inserting a needle into a body, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a device as claimed in claim 1 ;

(b) locating the guide surface against a surface of the skin; and

(c) moving the guide surface along the surface of the skin, such that the needle is at least partially inserted into the body.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24 , wherein the guide surface maintains contact with the surface of the skin at all times during insertion of the needle.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25 , wherein the user grips the device and slides the guide surface along the surface of the skin.

27. A method as claimed in claim 25 , wherein the entire extent of the guide surface maintains contact with the surface of the skin during insertion, such that the angle of the needle relative to the surface of the skin is constant.

28. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the guard members partially enclose a portion of the needle.

29. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the guard members comprise triangular projections.