IV Catheter Insertion Device and Method of Using It
OwnerWilliam L. Spearmaninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An IV catheter insertion device includes a flash chamber into which blood (or other fluid) flows to confirm the proper placement of the catheter. Within the device is a movable member which is controlled from outside, as by a health care worker moving a plunger to move the movable member and expel blood from the flash chamber through the needle for testing or other analysis. The plunger may have a locking and unlocking mechanism to present the movement of the plunger from occurring when it is not desired.
Claims21
A catheter insertion device comprising a housing carrying a needle, a flash chamber connected to the needle, the flash chamber providing a visual indicator of fluid when the needle of the catheter has been inserted into a fluid supply, and further including a movable member mounted to the housing and coupled to the flash chamber, said movable member moving from a first position to a second position within the flash chamber to expel fluid from the flash chamber, said movable member being moved after fluid is within the flash chamber to expel fluid.
A method of using a catheter insertion device including a needle and a flash chamber connected to the needle to provide a show of blood within the flash chamber as an indication that the intravenous catheter has been inserted within a vein, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- Securing a moveable member to the catheter insertion device and adjacent the flash chamber behind the show of blood;
- and
- Moving the movable member forward toward the needle to urge the blood out of the flash chamber to controllably release blood from the flash chamber through the needle.
A method of using a catheter insertion device to provide a sample of fluid from a patient, the catheter insertion device having a housing with a needle, a flash chamber coupled to the needle to receive fluid during the insertion of the catheter and a flash plug to allow gas to escape from the flash chamber which retaining the fluid within the flash chamber, the steps of the method comprising:
- Integrating a movable member within the housing and positioning the movable member adjacent to the flash chamber and cooperating with the flash plug;
- and
- After the catheter has been inserted in the patient and the flash chamber contains fluid from the patient, moving the movable member and flash plug to expel fluid from the flash chamber through the needle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.