Patent ID: 6234980
Filing Date: 2001-05-22
Classification: A61B,A61M

Abstract:
An apparatus for generating a negative pressure for expressing bodily fluid from a site of a sharp's injury, the apparatus comprising:a substantially hollow body being closed at one end except for actuating rod aperture, and being open at the opposite end thereof, the open opposite end communicating with an orifice;a piston being housed within the body, the piston being actuated by a knob located outside of the body, the knob being coupled to the piston via an actuating rod extending through the actuating rod aperture, the actuator rod having a passageway extending axially therealong, and one end of the passageway communicating with an end face of the piston facing the open end and an opposite end of the passageway communicating with an vent located adjacent the knob;a hollow tip defining an intermediate chamber therein, the hollow tip having one end being coupled to the orifice, and the opposite end of the tip defining an inlet which is sufficiently large to encompass the site of the sharp's injury; anda perimeter portion of the inlet of the tip being provided with a flexible annular sealing member to facilitate sealing against skin adjacent the site of the sharp's injury and expressing bodily fluid from the site of the sharp's injury in and through the intermediate reservoir during utilization of the apparatus the inlet of the tip being sufficiently large to at least partially receive an end portion of a digit of an individual, and the flexible sealing member extends radially inwardly from a perimeter of the inlet to seal against a circumference of the end portion of the received digit.