Patent ID: 7951115

Claim:
A safety featured dialysis needle/catheter system for preventing an inadvertent needle stick comprising: a housing; a catheter portion fixedly attached to the distal end of said housing and capable of securely transmitting fluids, wherein said catheter comprises a shape memory material having a first configuration for penetration and a second configuration acquired after penetration due to exposure to a tissue environment, wherein said second configuration comprises at least one loop, wherein each loop has a multitude of openings positioned such that they face inwardly toward the inside surface of the loop; a needle disposed within and manually deployable from the catheter; a spring positioned within the housing, having a first end connected to said housing and a second end connected to the proximal end of the needle; and a button for manually controlling the position of the needle relative to the catheter, comprising: a lock within the housing; and a stop positioned and moveable within the lock and further affixed to the needle, such that positioning of the stop distally within the lock deploys the needle outside the housing, thus biasing the spring towards the proximal end of the housing, so that when the needle is moved proximally with the stop, the spring bias will cause the needle to be retracted into and held within the catheter; wherein the safety feature comprises the spring, button, lock, and stop that controls the position and movement of the needle and the catheter which forms a needle guard when the needle is retracted therein.