NEEDLE PROTECTIVE ASSEMBLY FOR A BUTTERFLY WING IV BLOOD COLLECTION AND SCALP VEIN SET

Abstract: A needle protective assembly (10) for use with a butterfly wing IV blood collection and scalp vein set is disclosed. In operation, once the needle (12) is removed from a patient, a simple one-handed manipulation of opposing wings (34) on the butterfly wing assembly will permit those wings to engage spring release levers (38) attached to a sliding sheath (32), releasing a spring (44) and allowing the spring to urge the sheath into a forward position where it will cover the end (22) of the contaminated needle.

Description: Needle Protective Assembly for a Butterfly Wing IV Blood Collection and Scalp Vein Set BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of protective devices used in health care, and, more particularly, to a butterfly wing assembly used for drawing blood from, or dispensing medication to, a patient. The assembly includes a protective cover for covering the tip of a needle used with the assembly, after usage, to avoid accidental needlesticks . 2. Description of the Related Art Over the last few years, there has been a widely reported surge in the occurrence of diseases which are communicable by the transmission of bodily fluids. This has caused a growing concern among healthcare professionals about the inadvertent transmission of disease by the accidental sticking of one's self with a contaminated needle, thereby causing the healthcare professional to be at risk when handling contaminated needles . My prior patent, U.S. Patent 5,195,993, disclosed a Needle Protecting Assembly for use with hypodermic syringes. The disclosure of my prior patent is hereby incorporated by reference. Hypodermic syringes, however, are not the only kind of medical devices which carry a risk of accidental needlesticks. There is a particular kind of needle assembly referred to as a "butterfly" which presents special problems. A butterfly wing set is characterized by a very small overall cross section and is intended for use in applications where the needle is inserted into a patient's veins for extended periods. In use, butterfly wing sets are often positioned so that they are substantially parallel to the patient's veins, particularly scalp veins, and are inserted along the length of the vein. The butterfly needles are often maintained in place for extended periods, such as by taping the assembly to the patient, and must therefore have the smallest possible profile ' . In such applications, the needle protective assemblies such as shown in my prior patent, which increase the profile of the needles would not be of optimum value. Other known safety devices for butterfly wing assemblies have been disclosed in other patents, for example, in U.S. Patent 5,088,982 to Ryan. This patent shows a butterfly needle with a protective shield which is slideable to cover the tip of a butterfly needle. This shield is manually slideable along the length of the needle and is mechanically latched in place when in use. This device does not have any means for automatically covering the needle tip, and it requires two hands to operate, which not only makes it cumbersome, but more likely to result in needlesticks during handling. A further protective shield for a butterfly needle is shown in U.S. Patent 5,549,571 to Sak. This patent discloses a further attempt to provide protection for butterfly assemblies. The shield, however, still requires the usage of two hands and removal must be performed by manually sliding the shield over the exposed needle, which carries risks in and of itself. There is thus a • need in the art for a butterfly wing needle protective assembly which includes means for shielding the needle tip automatically after use, without adding risk of accidental needlesticks. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a needle protective assembly for a butterfly wing IV blood collection and scalp vein set which is capable of being operated automatically with one hand, to lessen the possibility of accidental needlesticks, and ease the operation 5 thereof to protect healthcare providers from exposure to contagious, blood-born diseases. The assembly includes a sheath slidable mounted on a housing which holds the needle. The sheath is spring-biassed towards a position in which it will cover the end of the needle, but is restrained from moving into that position by a spring release lever which engages the housing. The spring release lever may be actuated to release the spring, and permit the sheath to slide into position to cover the end of the needle. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawing and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings wherein like reference numerals delineate similar elements throughout the general views: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a needle protective assembly for a butterfly wing IV 5 blood collection and scalp vein set in accordance with the invention; Figs. 2A-2D are cross-sectional views of the assembly of Fig. 1 in operation, moving from a position (Fig. 2A) in which a needle is exposed, to a position (Fig. 2D) in which the needle is covered; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a housing of the inventive assembly of Fig. 1, in 10 which a needle is held; Figs . 4A and 4B illustrate the operation of a sheath used to cover the needle; Fig. 5 is a detail of a spring release lever assembly, which is a part of the sheath of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a detail in cross-section showing the engagement of a spring release lever 15 and the housing, with a phantom spring release lever illustrated to show its position when out of engagement with the housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In accordance with the invention, there is shown, generally at 10 in Fig. 1, a needle protective assembly for a butterfly wing IV blood collection and scalp vein set in accordance with the invention. Assembly 10 includes a hollow needle 12, mounted within a housing 14. Housing 14 is disposed within a sheath 16. Needle 12 defines a longitudinal axis of assembly 10, and housing 14 and sheath 16 are relatively slideable along that axis. As shown more clearly in Figs. 2A-2D, needle 12 includes a first end 18 which in coupled to a conduit, or tube 20. In use, tube 20 is preferably a flexible rubber hose which leads from needle 12 to a reservoir (not shown) of medicine to be dispensed into a patient . Needle 12 has a second, opposed, end 22. Second end 22 is extremely pointed and is the end which is inserted into the patient for dispensing medication with assembly 10. End 22 is also the end which must be covered after usage to avoid accidental needlesticks. First end 18 is connected to end 22 by a hollow lumen 23 extending along the longitudinal axis of assembly 10. Housing 14 is shown most clearly in Fig. 3. As shown, housing 14 has a generally cylindrical body 24, with two circular recesses, rearward recess 26 and forward recess 28. Housing 14 further includes an annular flange 30 near the front end thereof (to the right in Figs 2A-2D) . Turning to Figs 4A-4B, sheath 16 includes a generally cylindrical body 32 and 20 two outwardly extending wings 34. Wings 34 are affixed to body 32 of sheath 16 on one side thereof. Wings 34 extend generally normal to the longitudinal axis of assembly 10, and tangentially to one side of sheath 16. Wings 34 also have spring release bumps 36 disposed thereon. Sheath 16 further includes a pair of opposed spring release levers 38 pivotally mounted within body 32 on opposing side thereof. As shown most clearly in Fig. 5, each spring release lever 38 is pivotally mounted within body 32 of sheath 16 about a pair of pivots 40. Preferably, spring release lever 38 is integrally molded with body 32 of sheath 16 SO that pivots 40 are likewise integrally formed therewith to make sheath 16 a single piece. This procedure simplifies the manufacture of assembly 10. Each spring release lever 38 includes a flange 42 at one end thereof. Flange 42 is disposed within recess 26 when sheath 16 is at rest before assembly 10 has been used (Fig. 2A) . In operation, assembly 10 provides simple and effective protection for health care users after assembly 10 has been used and is withdrawn from a patient's vein. The operation of assembly 10 may be understood in connection with Figs. 2A-2D which show the various steps in the operation of assembly 10. Initially, assembly 10 is attached to conduit 20 at the rear end thereof. This is shown in Fig. 2A. In this position, pointed end 22 of needle 12 extends beyond the end of housing 14 and sheath 16 to remain exposed and available for use. At this time, before use, there is no hazard to allowing needle 12 to be exposed, because it has not yet become contaminated with a patient's blood. Of course, needlesticks are none the less inconvenient and, perhaps, painful, and so to avoid them a cap (not shown) may be provided to cover end 22 in known fashion. Known caps include frangible sections which may be broken off to permit removal of the cap immediately prior to use. As shown in Fig. 2A, sheath 16 is maintained in its open position by virtue of the contact of flange 42 with recess 26. This may also be seen in Fig. 6. A spring 44 surrounds housing 14 and abuts a rear end 46 of sheath 16. Spring 44 is biased to urge sheath 16 away from tubing 20, towards the right in Figs. 2A-2D and into a position where sheath 16 will cover pointed end 22 of needle 12 (as shown in Fig. 2D) . At rest, in the pre-use position in Fig. 2A, sheath 16 is restrained from moving forward because flange 42 of spring release lever 38 abuts rearward recess 26 in housing 14. (see Fig. 6). This position is also shown in Fig. 1. While sheath 16 is in this position, it is possible for a user to insert needle 12 into a patient, in conventional fashion, to accomplish the goal of introducing medicine to a patient through the use of assembly 10. After needle- 12 is inserted into the patient, assembly 10 may be temporarily affixed to the skin, by means of an adhesive bandage placed across assembly 10. Wings 34 serve to prevent needle 12 from coming loose from the patient, and serve to provide stability to assembly 10 while attached to the patient. Once treatment is complete, the user would remove the adhesive bandages which retain assembly 10 in place, and gently remove needle 12 from the patient. Once needle 12 is clear of the patient, the risk of accidental needlesticks arises. Since pointed end 22 of needle 12 is now exposed and contaminated, it is necessary to utilize the safety features of assembly 10, and the ability of assembly 10 to cause sheath 16 to cover pointed end 22 of needle 12 SO as to protect the user against accidental needlesticks. In operation, after removal of needle 12 from the patient, the user would hold assembly 10 in one hand, placing their index finger on the top thereof and the thumb and middle finger underneath wings 34 pointed end 22 of needle 12 points away from them. Pressing downward with the index finger, and upward with their thumb and middle finger on wings 34, the user will cause wings 34 to bend upwards, moving from the position shown in Fig. 4A to that shown in Fig. 4B. To render it easier to bend wings 34, opposing notches 48 are provided in wings 34. When wings 34 are moved into the upright position shown in Fig. 4B, bumps 36 of wings 34 engage forward ends- of spring release levers 38 on opposing sides of sheath 16. This is shown best in Fig. 6. When bumps 34 engage spring release levers 38, they exert a downward pressure (illustrated by arrow 50 in Fig. 6) . The downward pressure of the front end of spring release lever 38 causes it to pivot about pivot point 40 and thereby cause flange 42 to move out of engagement with rear recess 26 of housing 14. This is shown in dashed lines in Fig. 6, and the same position is illustrated in Fig. 2B. Once spring release lever 38 disengages from channel 26, spring 44 is freed to urge sheath 16 into the position shown in Fig. 2C wherein sheath 16 covers pointed end 22 of needle 12. As will be seen, the forward end of spring release lever 38 will slide into abutment with flange 30 of housing 14, thereby stopping further forward movement of sheath 16 along housing 14. The relative position of flange 30, and forward channel 28 of housing 14, is such that when the forward end of spring release lever 38 contacts flange 30, flange 42 of spring release 38 is positioned above forward recess 28 of housing 14. In this fashion, when the user releases their grip on wings 34, bumps 36 disengage spring release levers 38, and spring release levers 38 return to their normal positions (Fig. 2D) . In this position, each flange 42 will now engage forward recess 28 of housing 14 thereby securing sheath 16 in the position shown in Fig. 2D. Thus, pointed end 22 of needle 12 is completely covered by forward end 32 of sheath 16. The engagement of flange 42 of spring release lever 38 and forward recess 28 of housing 14 prevents further forward movement of sheath 16. In this fashion, sheath 16 will prevent accidental needlesticks from the contaminated pointed end 22 of needle 12, without falling off. In a preferred embodiment, relative rotation of housing 14 and sheath 16 may be 10 avoided by use of a tongue-and-groove arrangement therebetween. For example, housing 14 may include a longitudinal channel 48 (Fig. 3) . Sheath 16 may then include a notch or rib 50 (Fig. 2A-213) which engage channel 48, to prevent the relative rotation of housing 14 and sheath 16. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that these two elements could be reversed, without departing from the teachings of this invention. It would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that this relatively simple construction can provide enormous benefits in the health field, by removing the possibility on contamination, infection and contagion resulting from accidental needlesticks with contaminated butterfly needles. Thus, while there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental 20 novel features of the present invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated. It is also to be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale but that they are merely conceptual in nature. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A needle protective assembly comprising: a hollow needle having a lumen extending along a longitudinal axis, from a first end to a second end, said second end being opposite to said first end along said longitudinal axis; said first end of said needle being adapted to couple with a conduit for conducting fluid through said needle; a sheath disposed longitudinally about said needle, and movable between a first position in which said second end of said needle is exposed, and a second position in which said second end of said needle is enclosed by said sheath; means for biasing said needle towards said second position; means for restraining said means for biasing from moving said needle, thereby retaining said needle in said first position; and means for releasing said means for restraining, to permit said sheath to move to said second position. 2. The needle protective assembly of claim 1, wherein said means for biasing comprises a spring. 3. The needle protective assembly of claim 2, wherein said means for releasing comprises at least one spring release lever. 4. The needle protective assembly of claim 3, wherein said sheath comprises at least one laterally extending projection which projects from said sheath in a direction generally normal to said longitudinal axis of said needle. 5. The needle protective assembly of claim 4, wherein said at least one laterally extending projection is capable of movement generally about said longitudinal axis of said needle. 6. The needle protective assembly of claim 5, wherein said at least one laterally extending projection is adapted to engage said at least one spring release lever when said at least one laterally extending projection is moved about said longitudinal axis of said needle; whereby said engagement of said at least one spring release button by said at least one laterally extending projection releases said spring, thereby allowing said needle to move towards said second position. 7. The needle protective assembly of claim 1, further comprising a lock for maintaining said needle in said second position after said needle has moved into said second position. 8. The needle protective assembly of claim 1, further comprising means for substantially preventing relative rotational movement of said sheath and said needle . 9. The needle protective assembly of claim 1, wherein said first end of said needle is disposed outside of said sheath when said needle is in said second position. 10. A needle protective assembly comprising: a hollow needle having a lumen extending along a longitudinal axis, from a first end to a second end, said second end being opposite to said first end along said longitudinal axis, said first end of said needle being adapted to couple with a conduit for conducting fluid through said needle; a sheath disposed longitudinally about said needle, and slideable between a first position in which said second end of said needle is exposed, and a second position in which said second end of said needle is enclosed by said sheath, said sheath further including at least one wing, said at least wing extending from said sheath in a direction generally normal to said longitudinal axis of said needle, and being capable of movement generally about said longitudinal axis of said needle; a spring for biasing said needle towards said second position; means for restraining said spring from moving said needle, thereby retaining said needle in said first position; and at least one spring release lever for disengaging said means for restraining; said at least one wing being adapted to actuate said at least one spring release lever when said at least one wing moves about said longitudinal axis of said needle, and thereby permit said needle to move towards said second position. 11. The needle protective assembly of claim 10, further comprising a lock for maintaining said needle in said second position once said needle moves into said second position. 12. The needle protective assembly of claim 10, further comprising means for substantially preventing rotational movement of said sheath about said needle. 13. The needle protective assembly of claim 10, wherein said first end of said needle is disposed outside of said sheath when said needle is in said second position.

Inventors: GIANAKOS ARTHUR, GIANAKOS, ARTHUR
Applicants: NORTH AMERICAN MEDICAL PRODUCT, NORTH AMERICAN MEDICAL PRODUCTS, INC.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: A61M
IPC codes: A61M5, A61M25