Filtering Needle Cap

A filtered needle for use in administering a liquid payload, the filtered needle comprising:

• a needle and connector portion comprising:
• a hollow needle with a distal end of the hollow needle having an opening to a lumen running through the hollow needle;
• and
• a hub comprising:
• an open proximal end adapted to reversibly engage a fluid fitting and;
• a distal end of the hub engaged with a proximal end of the hollow needle;
• and
• a filtering needle cap comprising:
• a distal open end in fluid communication via an internal channel with a proximal open end of the filtering needle cap;
• the proximal end sized to receive the distal end of the hub within the proximal end of the filtering needle cap to reversibly engage the hub when distal end of the hollow needle is inserted into the internal channel,
• a filter element adapted for removing debris from the liquid payload as the liquid payload is drawn through the filtering needle cap into the lumen within the hollow needle as liquid payload is drawn into the fluid fitting;
• and
• a seal to seal around an outside diameter of the hollow needle so that liquid payload is drawn into the lumen in the hollow needle as liquid payload is drawn into the fluid fitting wherein a distal end of the seal is closer to the distal end of the hollow needle than to the proximal end of the hollow needle.

A method for loading a quantity of filtered liquid payload into a syringe and connected hollow needle, the method comprising:

• obtaining a reservoir of liquid payload;
• obtaining a syringe attached to a filtered needle, the filtered needle comprising:
• a needle and connector portion comprising:
• a hollow needle with a distal end of the hollow needle with an opening to a lumen running through the hollow needle;
• and
• a hub comprising:
• an open proximal end adapted to reversibly engage a distal end of the syringe and;
• a distal end of the hub engaged with a proximal end of the hollow needle;
• and
• a filtering needle cap with an intake path including a filter element to filter out debris which may be in the reservoir of liquid payload, the filtering needle cap having a seal around at least a portion of an outer surface of the needle;
• wherein a distal end of the seal is closer to the distal end of the hollow needle than to the proximal end of the hollow needle and the distal end of the hollow needle is close to a proximal end of the filter element so as to limit a dead volume of liquid payload drawn into the filtering needle cap but not entering into the distal end of the hollow needle;
• using the syringe to draw in liquid payload from the reservoir of liquid payload, the liquid payload passing through the filter element before entering the opening in the distal end of the hollow needle;
• and
• removing the filtering needle cap from the filtered needle to expose the distal end of the hollow needle.