Patent ID: 11918410
Assignee: SMITHS MEDICAL ASD, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A needle, comprising:
a shaft for use in at least peripheral block (PNB) and epidural procedures extending along a longitudinal axis having an outer circumferential wall, a proximal end and a distal end including a sharp tip, the shaft adapted to be viewed under ultrasound imaging where ultrasound waves are emitted by an ultrasound transducer toward the shaft;
one continuous groove spirally wound about the outer circumferential wall of the shaft from at least adjacent the sharp tip to a predetermined distance away from the sharp tip, the one groove having two walls orthogonal to each other formed onto the outer circumferential wall along the predetermined distance of the shaft such that the orthogonal walls each are formed at an angle (α) tilted toward the proximal end of the shaft, the wall closer to the outer circumferential wall formed at an angle (β) relative to the longitudinal axis, the angle (β) resulting from subtraction of the angle (α) from a would be neutral position of the walls wherein the walls each are angled at approximately 45° from the longitudinal axis, the needle adapted to be inserted into a subject at an insertion angle (Δ) offset from the emitted ultrasound waves by the angle (β) such that the ultrasound waves directed toward the needle are reflected in a reverse direction by at least one of the walls back to the transducer.