Patent ID: 7527607

Claim:
A safety medical device, comprising: a hollow barrel having an interior and terminating at a tip that defines a plurality of grooves radially spaced from each other; a needle having a sharpened tip operable between an extended position in which the needle is exposed for use and a retracted position in which the needle is shielded against inadvertent contact; a needle fitting connected with the needle, having a forward end and a rearward end, wherein the rearward end is closed; a spring biasing the needle toward the retracted position; a needle retainer releasably engaging the needle fitting via a plurality of retainer fingers to maintain the needle in the extended position; a fluid area having at least a portion between the forward and rearward ends of the needle fitting and the interior of the barrel, wherein the fluid area is in fluid communication with the needle, wherein the fluid area is positioned radially between the needle fitting and the interior of the barrel; wherein the needle retainer and the tip of the barrel are in contact with each other and form a fluid-tight seal; wherein the needle retainer and the needle fitting are separate components and form a fluid tight seal; and an actuator slidable within the barrel; wherein after use of the device, the actuator automatically engages the needle retainer to displace the plurality of retainer fingers into the plurality of grooves of the barrel tip and actuate retraction of the needle into the retracted position, and wherein the engagement of the actuator and the needle retainer permits the closed, rearward end of the needle fitting to be contacted without causing a structure to enter the needle fitting for fluid displacement.