Safety needle system assuring hazard-free handling after needle contamination

Abstract

A safety needle and blood collection and sampling system precluding needlstick injury by contaminated needles wherein a used needle is captured immediately within its carrier upon retraction of the needle flush with the carrier. Blood sampling is effected without reverse flow through the system and without reuse or exposure of a contaminated needle. Simplified means of assembling the needle are also set forth to minimize cost with maximum reliability notwithstanding withstanding a minimum of components.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAt high-volume medical facilities as blood bank centers. hospitals, and the like, blood is drawn from human donors in large quantities for processing and storage. In connection therewith, small volume specimens of the blood are withdrawn from the blood collection apparatus for necessary analysis. Blood withdrawal from humans exposes the medical worker to the risk of accidental needlestick injuries preparatory to connection of blood collection equipment to the donor in the unavoidable handling of used, unshielded, blood-contaminated needles.In current practice, blood banking services, such as the American Red Cross among others, obtain, process, and store whole blood and blood components for a variety of medical uses such as transfusions and the like. Before any such blood can be used, however, all collected blood is analyzed to characterize its immune properties or so-called "blood type". Equally or more importantly, all blood must also be pre-tested for t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

To this end, there is provided a new and improved system which (1) shields the blood-contaminated needle simultaneously with its withdrawal from the donor, and (2) uses a separate shielded needle in a blood sample tube holder for the safe drawing of blood samples, whereby the probability of an exposed contaminated point being in any injury-causing proximity to a medical worker is virtually nil, whereby the threat to or even the fear of HIV or other disease by the worker is eliminated.

Problems solved by technology

Blood withdrawal from humans exposes the medical worker to the risk of accidental needlestick injuries preparatory to connection of blood collection equipment to the donor in the unavoidable handling of used, unshielded, blood-contaminated needles.

The open manipulation of the contaminated needle between withdrawal and sample securement presents unwanted hazards to personnel in the possibility of accidental needlestick injury.

Thus, the physical movement of the contaminated needle with one hand toward and in close proximity to the other hand holding the sample collector, there is a significant probability of self-inflicted injury.

In effecting the sampling, the needle point may misalign with the rubber seal and puncture the worker's hand.

Attempts to improve the present practice by using a guard mechanism to reduce the chances of accidentally puncturing the healthcare worker's fingers, especially those grasping the sample tube, have reduced but failed to eliminate the rates of such injuries.

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