JP2016083275A - Needle assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in which it was difficult to store a needle inside easily and safely with one hand.SOLUTION: A needle assembly comprises: a barrel in which at least a part is exposed to the outside to enable grip by fingers; a jacket which is fitted into the barrel slidably in an axial direction, has a cavity extending in the axial direction, and comprises a structure for removably supporting a catheter forward in the axial direction, and a plunger for moving the catheter forward in the axial direction by being extended rearward in the axial direction and pushing the catheter; a carrier which is fitted to the jacket so as to be slidable in the cavity in the axial direction, and is coupled with the barrel so as to move with the barrel; and a needle for guiding the catheter, which is fixedly supported on the carrier, extends forward in the axial direction, and projects from the jacket. The jacket is dimensioned to protect the entire needle when moving forward in the axial direction with respect to the barrel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a needle assembly for introducing a catheter into a blood vessel or body cavity.

  A catheter may be introduced into the patient's body for purposes of infusion or dialysis, but needle assemblies are often used to introduce the catheter. After its use, the patient's blood or body fluid is attached to the needle of the needle assembly, which is rarely contaminated with viruses such as HIV and hepatitis. In order to prevent medical personnel from accidentally touching a contaminated needle, various needle assemblies have been proposed that are configured to quickly accommodate the needle after use. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose related techniques.

JP 2004-24622 A JP2007-296022

  According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, by pulling the cover after use, the telescopic pipe can be extended and the needle can be safely stored therein. However, both hands must be used for the pulling operation, and during that time, the hands cannot be used for patient care or operation of other instruments. According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the needle is housed inside by a spring mechanism that is activated by a button operation. The button operation can be performed with one hand, and the other hand can be used for patient care or operation of other instruments. However, there is a risk that the needle assembly is removed due to a spring-loaded reaction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a needle assembly that can easily and safely accommodate a needle with one hand.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a needle assembly for introducing a catheter into a blood vessel or body cavity includes a barrel that is at least partially exposed to the outside so as to be graspable by a finger, and is slidable in an axial direction. A jacket having a cavity fitted in a barrel and extending in the axial direction, and having a structure for detachably supporting the catheter forward in the axial direction, and extending and pushing backward in the axial direction to push the catheter A jacket having a plunger that moves forward in the axial direction; a carrier that is slidably fitted in the axial direction in the cavity and coupled to the barrel to move with the barrel; and the catheter A needle that is fixedly supported by the carrier and extends forward in the axial direction and protrudes from the jacket. The jacket, are dimensioned so as to shield the whole of the needle to be moved forward in the axial direction with respect to the barrel.

  The catheter can be advanced only by pushing the plunger, and the needle can be housed inside. The operation of pushing the plunger can be easily performed with one hand, and such operation is very safe for the medical staff because it is the same as the operation of the syringe that is routinely used.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a catheter and needle assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view in which the catheter and needle assembly are partially disassembled. FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view of the needle assembly for explaining the process of using the needle assembly, where (a) shows a state before and during puncturing, and (b) shows a state where a catheter is fed. (C) shows a state where the catheter is separated from the needle assembly, and (d) shows a state where the needle is housed inside.

  Several exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 and 2, the needle assembly 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used for the purpose of introducing a catheter 13 into a blood vessel or body cavity. The needle assembly 1 generally includes a barrel 3, a jacket 5 recessed in the barrel 3, a plunger 7 extending rearward from the jacket 5 and exposed to the outside, and a carrier 9 fitted in a cavity in the jacket 5. The needle 11 is supported by the carrier 9 and exposed forward. Usually, the catheter 13 is provided so as to cover the needle 11 and a resin cap covering the needle 11 is attached, but the cap is not shown.

  These components generally couple or fit together along axis X and coaxially with axis X as shown representatively in FIG. Throughout the specification and claims, “in the axial direction” means “in the direction along the axis X”.

  Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the barrel 3 is exposed to the outside so that the medical staff can hold it with their fingers. Alternatively, only a part of it may be exposed to the outside. The barrel 3 has a cylindrical shape, and the inside thereof is a cavity extending in the axial direction and is open at the front end and the rear end.

  The barrel 3 includes a flange 3a that protrudes in the radial direction from the rear end, for example. The flange 3a is a structure for the convenience of medical personnel's operation. For example, the flange 3a is used for the purpose of pushing the plunger 7 forward with the thumb with the index finger and the middle finger between them.

  The jacket 5 is recessed into the cavity of the barrel 3 and has an appropriate gap fit so as to be slidable in the axial direction. An appropriate lubricant may be used for the convenience of sliding.

  The jacket 5 is also generally cylindrical and has a cavity 5h extending in the axial direction. The cavity 5h opens rearward, but the front end may be closed except for a small hole through which the needle 11 passes. Further, the front end of the jacket 5 has a structure 5f for detachably supporting the catheter 13. The structure 5f may be a short simple cylindrical shape for fitting, or may include a claw-like structure for locking.

  The plunger 7 is coupled to the jacket 5 and extends rearward, and is pulled out from the rear end of the barrel 3. This coupling may be, for example, an interference fit, or an appropriate adhesive or ultrasonic bonding means may be used. The jacket 5 is dimensioned to shield the entire needle 11 when moved forward in the axial direction relative to the barrel 3 in combination with the plunger 7.

  The carrier 9 is accommodated in the cavity 5h of the jacket 5 and is slidable in the axial direction. Further, the carrier 9 is coupled with the barrel 3 and moves together with the barrel 3. For this connection, the carrier 9 or the barrel 3 can have, for example, one or more spokes 15 extending in the radial direction and are secured to each other via this. Plunger 7 may include one or more slits 17 extending in the axial direction to allow passage of spokes 15.

  Preferably, the plunger 7 and the barrel 3 have a structure that limits mutual movement. For example, when the rear end of the slit 17 abuts against the spoke 15, the plunger 7 can be prevented from moving further forward. Instead of abutting, the movement may be limited by engaging each other, and another engaging structure may be used instead of the combination of the slit 17 and the spoke 15. Such a structure is referred to as a safety mechanism throughout the specification and the appended claims. Preferably, the safety mechanism is arranged so that the movement of the plunger 7 is restricted as soon as the needle 11 is immersed in the jacket 5.

  A needle 11 is fixedly coupled to the carrier 9 and protrudes forward from the jacket 5 through a small hole in the jacket 5. A hollow injection needle can be applied to the needle 11, and its rear end communicates with the cavity 19 of the carrier 9. The cavity 19 temporarily holds blood or body fluid B that flashes back through the needle 11, as will be described in more detail later. The rear end of the cavity 19 may be opened rearward, or may be blocked by a breathable filter.

  At least the barrel 3, the jacket 5, the plunger 7 and the carrier 9 can be manufactured from a transparent or translucent resin so that the inside of the cavity 19 can be viewed from the outside. Blood or body fluid B flashing back through the needle 11 can be visually recognized from the outside through such a resin. Alternatively, either or both of the plunger 7 and the carrier 9 may be made of an opaque (for example, white) resin, and in that case, a window for viewing is provided on either or both of the plunger 7 and the carrier 9. It may be provided.

  A gasket 21 may be interposed between the barrel 3 and the jacket 5 in order to guide the sliding of the jacket 5. For example, silicon rubber can be applied to the gasket 21, but other appropriate elastic materials may be used.

  Further, a closing portion 23 that covers the front end of the jacket 5 may be provided separately from or integrally with the gasket 21. The needle 11 passes through the closing portion 23, and when the needle 11 is accommodated in the jacket 5, the closing portion 23 elastically closes the through hole, thereby closing the front end of the jacket 5.

  The use procedure of the needle assembly 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 3A, the plunger 7 is pulled out to the maximum in the state before use, and the tip of the needle 11 protrudes forward from the front end of the catheter 13. In this state, the medical worker removes the cap, holds the barrel 3 with a finger, and punctures the patient.

  When the tip of the needle 11 catches the target blood vessel or body cavity, the blood or body fluid B flashes back into the cavity 19 through the needle 11. That is, by visually recognizing the flashed blood or body fluid B in the cavity 19, it can be confirmed that the tip of the needle 11 is guided to the correct position.

  For example, the medical staff puts the index finger and the middle finger on the flange 3a, puts the thumb on the rear end of the plunger 7, and pushes it slightly to advance the catheter 13 as shown in FIG. 3B. Since the catheter 13 is made of a sufficiently flexible material, the catheter 13 is placed in the blood vessel or body cavity with a sufficient depth without damaging the blood vessel or body cavity.

  The needle assembly 1 is separated from the catheter 13 as shown in FIG. 3C by pulling the flange 3a with the index finger and the middle finger while maintaining the position of the plunger 7. Next, the needle 11 is accommodated in the jacket 5 by pushing the plunger 7 forward with the thumb. Alternatively, the needle assembly 1 may be separated from the catheter 13 after the needle 11 is accommodated in the jacket 5 as shown in FIG. In any case, when the safety mechanism operates, it can be confirmed that the needle 11 is submerged in the jacket 5 without visual inspection. The jacket 5 shields the entire needle 11 in combination with the plunger 7.

  The closing part 23 elastically closes the front end of the jacket 5. Therefore, no blood or body fluid B leaks out.

  Therefore, a medical worker, a patient, or a third party is prevented from accidentally touching the needle 11, blood or body fluid B, and the needle 11 can be safely discarded.

  As is clear from the above, the operation of advancing the catheter and the operation of shielding the needle can be performed only by operating the plunger, and this can be performed with only one hand. The other hand can be used for patient care or other instrument operations.

  Such an operation is very similar to handling a syringe. Since the medical staff should be accustomed to handling the syringe on a daily basis, such an operation is particularly simple for the medical staff and contributes to an improvement in safety.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Based on the above disclosure, a person having ordinary skill in the art can implement the present invention by modifying or modifying the embodiment.

  Provided is a needle assembly capable of easily and safely storing a needle therein.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Needle assembly 3 Barrel 3a Flange 5 Jacket 5f Front end structure 5h Cavity 7 Plunger 9 Carrier 11 Needle 13 Catheter 15 Spoke 17 Slit 19 Cavity 21 Gasket 23 Blocking part B Blood or body fluid X axis

Claims (5)

A needle assembly for introducing a catheter into a blood vessel or body cavity,
A barrel that is at least partially exposed to the outside to allow gripping with a finger;
A jacket having a cavity that is slidable in the axial direction and that extends in the axial direction, and has a structure that detachably supports the catheter forward in the axial direction, and extends rearward in the axial direction A plunger having a plunger that is pushed to move the catheter forward in the axial direction;
A carrier coupled to the jacket slidably in the axial direction within the cavity and coupled to the barrel for movement with the barrel;
A needle for guiding the catheter, the needle being fixedly supported by the carrier, extending forward in the axial direction and protruding from the jacket,
The needle assembly is sized to shield the needle as a whole when the jacket moves forward in the axial direction relative to the barrel.   2. The needle assembly of claim 1, wherein the barrel or the carrier comprises one or more spokes for coupling to each other, and the plunger has one or more slits extending in the axial direction for passing the spokes. Needle assembly provided.   3. The needle assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the carrier comprises a cavity for temporarily holding blood or body fluid that flashes back through the needle.   The needle assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a closing portion made of an elastic material and closing the front end of the jacket, and the needle penetrates the closing portion and protrudes from the jacket. Needle assembly.   5. The needle assembly according to claim 4, further comprising a gasket interposed between the barrel and the jacket, wherein the closing portion is integral with the gasket.

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