Patent ID: 7914501
Filing Date: 2011-03-29
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
1. An indwelling needle switchable between a use state and a housed state and defining a longitudinal axis, the indwelling needle comprising: a needle having a proximal end and a sharp edge formed at the distal end thereof, a cylindrical hub that retains the needle, the cylindrical hub having an outer portion with an aperture therein, the cylindrical hub also having a hub interior, a cylindrical protective cover which surrounds and is slidable along the needle, the protective cover having a proximal and a distal end, and a radially outwardly extending projection adjacent the proximal end, a cylindrical body portion having an attachment member capable of fixing the body portion to a patient and having a body portion interior, the cylindrical body portion retaining the hub and the protective cover such that the hub and the protective cover are axially slidably movable relative to the body portion, the body portion comprising an engagement member shaped to be in sliding engagement with the projection of the protective cover, the engagement member having a proximal end, a spring that is elastically installed between the hub and the protective cover, and an actuating lever, attached to and extending at least partially outwardly from the cylindrical body portion, that compresses the spring to move the hub and protective cover closer to each other to maintain the use state, the actuating lever comprising an arm portion and an actuating engaging portion extending inwardly from the arm portion; the housed state involving relative movement of the protective cover to a distal end of the needle and housing of the sharp edge of the needle in the protective cover and the proximal end of the engagement member engaging the projection of the protective cover to hold the protective cover in the housed state, the use state involving relative movement of the protective cover to a proximal end of the needle and projection of the sharp edge of the needle from the protective cover and from a distal end of the body portion by a predefined axial distance and a substantial portion of the protective cover being retained in the hub interior and the body portion interior, and operation of the actuating lever in the use state causing relative movement of the hub and protective cover away isolatedly from each other with respect to the body portion under the elastic force of the spring thereby housing the sharp edge of the needle in the protective cover and establishing the housed state, and operation of the actuating lever in the use state causing the protective cover to move distally relative to the body portion and the hub and the needle to move proximally relative to the body portion, by the spring, to position the sharp edge of the needle at an axial distance from the distal end of the body portion which is less than the predefined axial distance in the use state, wherein, to establish the use state, the actuating engaging portion of the actuating lever extends through the cylindrical hub aperture and engages the projection of the cylindrical protective cover and the engaging portion of the actuating lever in the use state is located closer to the proximal end of the needle than the distal end of the needle.