Patent ID: 7534227

Claim:
A safety catheter comprising: a catheter assembly including a catheter hub with an interior cavity, and a catheter tube extending distally from the catheter hub and in fluid communication with the catheter hub cavity; a needle having a sharp tip at a distal end of a needle shaft; a housing having a proximal end with an opening for the needle and a sidewall extending distally of the proximal end, the housing having a cavity bounded at least in part by the sidewall and through which the needle shaft can pass along a needle path and a pair of resilient arms carried with the housing, the arms extending along the cavity alongside the sidewall and distally along the needle path, each of the arms supporting a member aimed at the needle path, the housing, arms and members being sized so as to extend into the catheter hub cavity, the arms being moveable relative to the sidewall between a first position wherein the members do not block the needle path and a second position wherein the members block the needle path; a first state being defined by the housing and arms extending into the catheter hub cavity and the members situated within the catheter hub cavity, the needle shaft extending through the housing cavity and catheter assembly with the tip exposed distally of the catheter tube, and the arms being held in the first position; a second state being defined by the needle tip in the housing cavity proximal of the members and the arms being in the second position.