Safety shield for medical needles

Abstract

A medical needle shield apparatus is provided which includes an extensible shield having a first segment and a second segment extending therefrom. The second segment includes an opening configured for clearance of a medical needle of a medical needle device during attachment of the extensible shield to the medical needle device. The second segment defines a planar surface adjacent a distal portion thereof. The planar surface is configured to engage the needle for disposing the shield in an extended position. In alternate embodiment, the medical needle shield apparatus has a syringe having a needle hub supporting a needle. The first segment articulates from a collar disposed about the needle hub. The collar includes a pair of latches. The opening is configured for travel about the needle to facilitate extension of the shield from a retracted position to an extended position. The second segment further includes a proximal fulcrum that engages the needle to facilitate extension of the shield. The second segment also has a pair of catches. The catches are engageable with the latches to maintain the shield in the retracted position. The second segment has a nose portion defining a planar surface configured to engage the needle to facilitate fixing the shield in the extended position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 09 / 892,593, filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 27, 2001 by Ferguson et al., the entire contents of which being hereby incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND [0002] 1. Technical Field [0003] The present disclosure generally relates to safety shields for medical needles, and more particularly, to safety shields that are extensible to prevent hazardous exposure to a needle. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Problems associated with inadvertent needle sticks are well known in the art of blood sampling, percutaneous medication injection and other medical procedures involving use of medical needles. Significant attention has been focused on needle stick problems due to the contemporary sensitivity of exposure to AIDS, Hepatitis and other serious blood-borne pathogen exposures. [0006] Procedures for removing a nee...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present disclosure addresses the need for a medical needle shield apparatus that effectively and inexpensively protects a medical needle after use. The invention provides a prefilled medical needle shield apparatus that can be easily attached to a prefilled syringe or fluid collection device, and includes a collar for secure attachment. The shield can be locked in the extended position using a catch and lock mechanism, and can be irreversibly locked. The shield includes a catch that engages a latch on the needle device for easy attachment. The shield can be extended and locked in position using a living hinge or manipulating actuator. The invention also provides a method for assembling the medical needle shield with the needle device. The technical effects of the invention include improved safety and protection for medical needles, reduced risk of infection, and easy and secure attachment to syringes or fluid collection devices.

Problems solved by technology

Thus, the difficulty in providing adequate care while following safety procedures is often compounded by the patient's physical condition and mental state, such as in burn units and psychiatric wards.

Under such conditions, proper disposal of a used needle, while caring for a patient, is a technological challenge to the state of the art.

These devices, however, require two handed manipulation from a practitioner.

These devices, however, may disadvantageously misfire or be cumbersome to activate.

Further drawbacks of current devices include high manufacturing cost due to complexity and the number of parts.

Thus, these type prior art devices may not adequately and reliably shield needle infusion and / or fluid collection apparatus to prevent hazardous exposure.

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