Patent ID: 8951230
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
1. An indwelling needle comprising: a hollow outer needle possessing an inside; a hub provided at a proximal portion of the outer needle, having a flow path communicatable with the inside of the outer needle and configured to connect a tube body to the flow path; a valve mechanism which closes and opens the flow path, the valve mechanism including: a valve element provided at an intermediate portion of the flow path, the valve element being made of elastic material and having an opening/closing section which can be opened and closed; and an operation member which operates the opening and closing of the opening/closing section, the operation member possessing a tubular shape and having a distal opening and a plurality of side holes arranged circumferentially along the operation member and penetrating a wall of the operation member; the valve mechanism being positionable in a first state in which the opening/closing section is closed and the operation member is located proximally relative to the opening/closing section, and being positionable in a second state in which the operation member penetrates through the opening/closing section such that a protruding part of the operation member protrudes from the opening/closing section; the protruding part including the side holes, the side holes being located distally relative to the opening/closing section, as a result of distal movement of the operation member pressed by the tube body upon connection of the tube body to the flow path starting from the first state; and when a liquid is supplied from the tube body in the second state, the liquid flows out from the inside of the operation member into the flow path through both the distal opening and the plurality of side holes, and a part of the flow path which is surrounded by a wall portion of the outer needle hub and an outer circumferential portion of the protruding part of the operation member protruding from the opening/closing section is filled with the liquid having flowed out through the side hole; wherein the operation member includes an engagement section engageable with the opening/closing section of the valve mechanism such that the valve mechanism can be maintained in the second state and proximal movement of the operation member is prevented, wherein the engagement section includes a distal enlarged diameter section, a proximal enlarged diameter section, and a body section extending therebetween; wherein the distal enlarged diameter section has an inside diameter smaller than an inside diameter of the body section and the distal opening of the operation member has an inside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the distal enlarged diameter section; and wherein the side holes are located on the distal enlarged diameter section.