Patent ID: 6997913

Claim:
A medical device comprising: a piercing element having a piercing end; a safety shield releasably held in a proximal position on said medical device where said piercing end of said piercing element is exposed and being movable to a distal position where said piercing end of said piercing element is shielded; a release actuator movably disposed in said medical device and configured for passively releasing said safety shield from said proximal position in response to use of said medical device; a lock for locking said safety shield in said distal position; a slide back actuator for moving said safety shield from an intermediate position between said proximal and distal positions toward said proximal position; a spring for propelling said safety shield from said proximal position toward said distal position; and a holder configured for slidably receiving a fluid collection tube, said piercing element having a proximal end projecting into said holder for communicating with said fluid collection tube.