US 6,443,927 B1 · Needle enclosing safety catheter

Abstract

A catheter and needle system includes a solid piercing needle, a catheter, and a needle tip enclosure, as well as a method of utilization. The solid needle reduces the possibility of transmitting infectious agents to a user otherwise resulting from accidental needle punctures. The system has two configurations, a first for inserting the assembly into a patient, and a second for withdrawing and disposing of the piercing needle. The catheter has means for receiving, delivering and viewing fluids at the insertion site. The needle and enclosure operate cooperatively to enable medical procedures to be conducted without hinderance, and to automatically cleanse and enclose the piercing portion of the needle upon withdrawal. The system also provides for the safe withdrawal of the needle without the need to disturb the catheter once it is inserted.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A catheter and needle assembly comprising:

a catheter having a body defining an interior passageway with a distal and a proximal opening,
a solid needle having a shaft and a distal tip,
a needle tip enclosure at the catheter's proximal opening, said enclosure containing a cavity therethrough;
said needle shaft having a length sufficient to extend through the enclosure cavity and the catheter passageway so that said needle tip emerges at the catheter distal opening, said passageway and needle being cooperatively structured to provide a flow channel in the catheter passageway for bodily fluids;
and
said needle being of a size which permits it to be withdrawn from the catheter such that the needle tip enters the enclosure cavity through a distal orifice of the enclosure, said needle tip being shaped to prevent egress of the needle tip from the cavity through a proximal orifice, and said enclosure, upon passage of the needle tip into the cavity through the distal orifice, preventing reemergence of the needle tip from the distal orifice, thereby trapping the needle tip in the needle tip enclosure.

3 more elements

A method of inserting a catheter and needle assembly comprising the steps of:

providing a catheter and needle assembly which includes;
a catheter having a body defining an interior passageway with a distal and a proximal opening,
a solid needle having a shaft and a distal tip,
a needle tip enclosure at said proximal opening, said enclosure containing a cavity therethrough, wherein at least a portion of said enclosure is transparent for viewing into the cavity;
said needle shaft having a length sufficient to extend through the enclosure cavity and the catheter passageway so that said needle tip emerges at said distal opening when in a first configuration;
said passageway and needle being cooperatively structured to provide a flow channel in said passageway for bodily fluids when in said first configuration;
said needle being of a size which permits it to be withdrawn from the catheter such that said needle tip can enter said cavity through a distal orifice of the enclosure, said needle tip being shaped to prevent egress of the needle tip from said cavity through a proximal orifice of the enclosure, and said enclosure, upon passage of said needle tip into the cavity through the distal orifice, prevents reemergence of said needle tip through the distal orifice;
wherein said catheter and needle assembly is in a second configuration when said needle tip is withdrawn from the catheter into said enclosure and is prevented from reemergence;
disposing said catheter and needle assembly in said first configuration and inserting said catheter and needle assembly into a patient;
inspecting said transparent portion of the housing for the presence of blood in the enclosure cavity;
shifting said catheter and needle assembly, after determining blood is present in the enclosure cavity, from said first configuration into said second configuration.

8 more elements

A method of inserting a catheter and needle assembly comprising the steps of:

providing a catheter and needle assembly which includes;
a catheter, a solid needle having a shaft and a needle tip, and a needle tip enclosure;
said catheter forming a hollow conduit with a distal opening, a proximal opening, and an aperture, said openings and aperture in fluid communication with an open volume within said conduit, said aperture in the vicinity of said distal opening, said open volume extending continuously between said openings;
said needle sized to slide within said conduit so that said shaft extends through but does not obstruct said conduit open volume and said needle tip emerges from and forms a seal with said distal opening when said catheter and needle assembly is in a first configuration;
said enclosure containing a cavity and having a distal orifice, a proximal orifice, and a transparent window providing visual inspection of said cavity, said distal orifice sized to allow passage of said needle shaft and said needle tip and said proximal orifice sized to allow passage of said needle shaft but not of said needle tip;
disposing said catheter and needle assembly in said first configuration wherein,
said enclosure distal orifice is joined to said catheter proximal opening so that said catheter open volume and said enclosure cavity are in fluid communication;
and
said needle shaft passes through said catheter open volume and said enclosure cavity without obstruction of continuous fluid communication therethrough;
and then
inserting said catheter and needle assembly sufficiently far into a blood vessel of a patient so that blood enters said catheter open volume through said aperture;
inspecting said cavity for blood entering from said catheter open volume;
and
confirming correct insertion of said catheter by viewing the presence of blood within said cavity.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Needle enclosing safety catheter

Life of this patent

Needle enclosing safety catheter

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32