Patent ID: 7422572

Claim:
A compact catheter insertion apparatus, said apparatus comprising: a needle unit having a needle with a needle distal sharp point and a needle proximal end, a needle hub attached to said needle proximal end, and a flash chamber located inside said needle hub and having a porous membrane permeable to air and non-permeable to blood; a catheter unit having a catheter tube and a catheter hub affixed to a catheter tube proximal end; a handle serving as a guide and a receptacle for said needle and catheter units; a security zone located at said handle distal end, wherein said needle distal sharp point is protected from contact with persons when the needle distal sharp point is in said security zone; said needle unit, catheter unit, and handle are operable to be disposed in a transport position, a duty ready position, and a protection position, wherein: in said transport position said needle and said catheter unit are disposed within the axial limits of said handle, said needle is disposed inside said catheter tube so that said needle distal sharp point protrudes distally of the distal end of said catheter tube, said catheter unit is disposed in an extreme proximal position with respect to said handle, said needle hub is disposed near said handle proximal end, and said needle distal sharp point is disposed in said security zone; in said duty ready position said needle unit is releasably affixed to said handle adjacent to said handle distal end, said catheter hub at least partly protrudes out of said handle in a distal direction thereby providing the user's immediate access and the immediate control of said catheter hub by user's hand; in said protection position said needle distal sharp point is positioned in said security zone; a transposing member attached to said needle unit, extending outside of said handle, to be effected by user's finger for manual transposition of said catheter unit and needle unit from said transport position into said duty ready position; a duty fixation means for releasable affixing said needle unit adjacent to said handle distal end in said duty ready position; a resilient retracting means for the retraction of said needle unit from said duty ready position into said protection position including a resilient member installed beyond a blood flow and having maximum stressed state in said duty ready position; a trigger member for actuating said retracting means, wherein in said duty ready position said trigger member is disposed at the distal part of said handle, wherein a single hand of an associated user may control said trigger member and also holds the apparatus.