Blood collection device

Abstract

The medical blood collection device includes a body having a longitudinal flow channel and a needle storage chamber, a slide assembly slidably engaging the body in a plane transverse to the flow channel through the body, a device stabilizing member having a forwardly projecting nose and a plurality of flexible wings projecting in opposite directions from a cylindrical hub attached to the nose, a rearwardly biased venipuncture needle projecting forwardly from the nose, and a tubular needle cap having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the tubular needle cap being insertable between and removably retained by the nose and the cylindrical hub. A set of cooperating ramps and a set of stop surfaces limit lateral sliding movement of the body relative to the slide assembly.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention is a medical blood collection device having a safety mechanism including a rearwardly biased venipuncture needle that is selectively retractable within a needle storage chamber to reduce the possibility of an accidental needle stick after use. A salient feature of one embodiment of the invention is a tubular needle cap that is open at both ends and releasably engages an inner wall of a hub portion of a flexible wing. Another salient feature of one or more embodiments of the invention is an injection molded boss that projects outwardly from the nose of the slide member. The boss is cooperatively configured and engageable with a window located in the hub of the flexible wing to seat the wing on the nose of the slide member during assembly of the device prior to packaging and use. Another prominent feature of one or more embodiments of the present invention are improvements to the cooperatively configured structure of the slide assembly and body that facilitate lateral sliding movement of the body relative to the slide assembly during repositioning prior to needle retraction while preventing the slide member and body from accidentally disengaging before or after use. [Background technology]

[0002] Blood collection sets have been previously constructed in which a closed-ended needle cap releasably engages a ridge, rim, or seating surface on the nose of the barrel, and desirably remains in place until use of the device. Some devices have been constructed with a needle cap further having a protruding locking member insertable into a recess or needle retraction cavity to restrict relative sliding movement between the front mounting portion and the body, thereby preventing premature retraction of the needle, which may render the device inoperable for its intended purpose prior to use. A prior art device having an integral tubular seal disposed between the body and a laterally movable sliding member is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,064,6148.

[0003] Notwithstanding the benefits and advantages achievable through the use of the above disclosed devices, there remains a need for a blood collection set that desirably embodies a flexible wing assembly that provides a stable blood collection platform without excessive needle movement during blood collection that would cause discomfort to a patient (especially a child); a needle cap that is preferably secured in place by engaging an inwardly facing, preferably elastomeric, surface of the hub of the flexible wing; and a slide member that supports the needle cap, the flexible wing, and a rearwardly biased needle, the slide member being in lateral sliding engagement with a body having a needle storage chamber parallel to a rearwardly extending fluid path, the biased needle being retracted into the needle storage chamber after use by releasing the body by sliding laterally relative to the slide member. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Disclosed is a blood collection device which desirably embodies the following: a flexible wing assembly which provides a stable platform for blood collection without excessive needle movement which would cause discomfort to a patient (especially a child) during blood collection, a needle cap which is preferably held in place by engagement with an inwardly facing, preferably elastomeric, surface on a hub portion of said flexible wings, and a slide assembly which supports the needle cap, flexible wings and a rearwardly biased needle in lateral sliding engagement with a body having a rearwardly extending fluid flow passage and parallel spaced apart needle storage chambers, wherein after use the needle is stored in the needle storage chamber by sliding the body laterally relative to the slide member to release the rearwardly biased needle.

[0005] The present invention is a medical blood collection device having a rearwardly biased venipuncture needle that is selectively retractable within a needle storage chamber to reduce the possibility of an accidental needle stick after use. A salient feature of the present invention is a tubular needle cap that is open at both ends and releasably engageable with an inner wall of a hub portion of a flexible wing. Another salient feature of the present invention is an injection molded boss that projects outwardly from the nose of the slide member that is cooperatively configured and engageable with a window located in the hub of the flexible wing to position and attach the wing to the nose of the slide member during assembly of the device prior to packaging and use. Another salient feature of the present invention is an improved cooperatively configured ramp and stop surface on the slide member and body that facilitates lateral sliding movement of the body relative to the slide member during repositioning prior to needle storage after blood collection, but prevents premature disengagement of the slide member and the body and reversal of direction of movement during repositioning.

[0006] Although the device of the present invention is intended primarily for use in performing vascular blood sampling, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that the device is also adaptable for use in sampling other bodily fluids. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] The syringe of the present invention will be further described and illustrated in relation to the following drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of a blood collection set of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top front perspective view of the assembled device of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a top front perspective view similar to FIG. 1, with the two needle caps removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a top view of the device of FIG. 2 with a portion of the blood collection tube cut away for illustration. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a left side view of the device of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a right side view of the device of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of the device of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 with the two needle caps removed. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows the needle in the position shown in FIG. 4 with the needle cap removed, the body repositioned laterally relative to the slide and the needle retracted. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows the device in FIG. 5 with the body repositioned laterally relative to the slide and the needle retracted. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows the state of FIG. 7 with the needle cap removed and the needle retracted. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 shows the configuration of FIG. 9 with the body repositioned laterally relative to the slide and the needle retracted. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 shows the device in the position shown in FIG. 10 with the body repositioned laterally relative to the slide and the needle retracted. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is an enlarged bottom perspective view of the front of the device with parts cut away and with the needle cap in place and prior to repositioning the body relative to the slide to initiate needle retraction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] 1-7, blood collection device 10 includes a body 12, a slide assembly 14, a device stabilizing member 16, a fluid flow tube 28 having an end connector fitting 18, and a tubular needle cap 36. Body 12 is substantially comprised of a longitudinally extending fluid flow channel 22 having proximal and distal ends, and a parallel, laterally spaced apart needle storage chamber 24 having a proximal closed end and a distal open end. An annular fluid seal 20 having a longitudinal flow passage coaxially aligned with fluid flow channel 22 is preferably made from a compressible elastomeric material and is disposed within a recess at the distal open end of fluid flow channel 22 (as shown in FIGS. 8-9). Body 12 further includes upwardly and downwardly protruding structures 42 configured to cooperate with slidably engaging structures 40 of slide assembly 14 (as shown in FIGS. 10-15). A textured touch surface 26 is preferably provided to facilitate selective lateral repositioning of body 12 relative to slide assembly 14 in a plane intersecting fluid flow channel 22 during use of blood collection device 10, as described in more detail below. Body 12 of blood collection device 10 is preferably injection molded from a medical grade polymeric material that is transparent or sufficiently translucent to allow blood flowing therethrough to be viewed by a user.

[0009] The slide assembly 14 desirably comprises a unitary molded plastic body with protruding structures 40 configured to slidably engage structures 42 of the body 12 to facilitate sliding lateral engagement between the slide assembly 14 and the body 12, as described further below. The slide assembly 14 further comprises a forwardly projecting nose 38, a slotted collar 46, and a touch surface 44. The touch surface 44 is preferably textured similarly to the opposing touch surfaces 26 of the body 12 to facilitate selective repositioning of the body 12 relative to the slide assembly 14 during needle retraction following blood collection, as described further below. As shown in FIG. 1, the slide assembly 14 further comprises a compression coil spring 32 located within the forwardly projecting nose 38 and having an inner diameter sufficient to permit insertion of the distal shaft portion of the needle holder 30 prior to attachment of the slide assembly 14 to the body 12 during assembly of the blood collection device 10. 1 shows a forwardly projecting needle (or cannula) 34 behind the nose 38, assembly of the device 10 is preferably accomplished by inserting the proximal end of the blunt needle 34 into the nose 38 and needle holder 30 after the slide assembly 14 is attached to the body 12 in order to hold the spring 32 in compression during attachment of the needle 34. Attachment of the needle 34 to the needle holder 30 facilitates the formation of a continuous, coaxially aligned fluid flow path from the needle 34 and needle holder 30, through the annular fluid seal 20, through the fluid flow channel 22 and into the fluid flow tube 28.

[0010] The device stabilizing member 16 of the blood collection device 10 is believed to be structurally different from and have no common function with "wings" of the type previously disclosed and used in other commercially available or prior art medical devices. With particular reference to Figures 1 and 16, and more broadly with reference to Figures 2-7, the device stabilizing member 16 is desirably made from a flexible polymeric material, preferably an elastomeric material suitable for its intended medical application. The device stabilizing member 16 is preferably integrally formed, but may also be fabricated as a composite structure including molded plastic and elastomeric or rubber portions that are molded, coextruded, laminated, bonded, welded, or otherwise connected to form the desired overall structure. The main elements of the device stabilizing member 16 include a cylindrical hub 48 having an inner wall 50 and two oppositely projecting flexible wings 52, 54 that are configured to rest or be taped to a body surface after the needle 34, projecting forward through the nose 38, is inserted into a blood vessel. When so used and secured, the flexible wings 52, 54 help to prevent the tip of the needle 34 from migrating inside the vein or otherwise beneath the skin of the patient in whom the blood collection device 10 is being used. The downwardly facing surfaces of the wings 52, 54 are desirably approximately flush with the downwardly facing portion of the cylindrical hub 48 and may be textured as shown in FIG. 16 if desired to help reduce the likelihood of slippage between the downwardly facing surfaces and the underlying skin when the blood collection device 10 is being used.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the slide assembly 14 and device stabilizing member 16, an integrally molded boss 66 (shown in FIG. 16) projects outwardly from the nose 38 through the slotted collar 46 and is received through a preformed window 68 (shown in FIG. 16) in the cylindrical hub 48 to attach the cylindrical hub 48 to the slide assembly 14, further stabilizing the slide assembly 14 and body 12 relative to the forwardly projecting needle 34 and the patient with whom the device 10 is being used. The boss 66 prevents the cylindrical hub 48 from rotating relative to the slide member 14 and body 12, whereby the cylindrical hub 48 cooperates with flexible wings projecting laterally from the cylindrical hub 48.

[0012] Referring again to FIG. 1, an end connector fitting 18 is shown as one example of many commercially available fittings of the type used with medical products. The end connector fitting 18 is used to attach a flexible fluid flow tube 28 to a polymeric bag or other container intended to receive blood or other bodily fluids to be drawn from a patient via the device 10. A distal end of the fluid flow tube 28 may be inserted or otherwise attached to frictionally engage the fluid flow channel 22 of the body 12, and a proximal end of the fluid flow tube 28, in fluid communication with a proximally facing luer connector 56, is inserted or otherwise connected to a distally facing cylindrical opening 58 of the end connector fitting 18 to complete a continuous fluid flow path through the blood collection device 10. Two opposing laterally extending wings 60, 62 are desirably provided to facilitate maintaining a desired rotational orientation of the end connector fitting 18 relative to the body 12 and device stabilizing member 16. A continuous and substantially linear fluid flow path passes through the needle 34, the needle holder 30 of the slide assembly 14, the annular fluid seal 20, the fluid flow channel 22 in the body 12, the flexible fluid flow tube 28, and the end connector fitting 18, and desirably remains open from the time of insertion of the needle 34 into a blood vessel until the body 12 is repositioned laterally relative to the slide assembly 14 to initiate needle retraction, as described in more detail below.

[0013] 1-3, 8 and 9, the tubular needle cap 36 is preferably cylindrical and has a substantially constant diameter, and unlike many conventional needle caps for medical devices, is open at both the proximal and distal ends. The primary purpose of the tubular needle cap 36 is to prevent accidental needle sticks and to prevent the forwardly projecting tip of the needle 34 from bending or becoming blunt prior to use of the device. Because the blood collection device 10 is preferably individually packaged during manufacture, there is no need to close the distal end to prevent atmospheric contamination prior to use. The length of the tubular needle cap 36 is sufficient such that the distal end extends sufficiently beyond the distal tip of the needle 34 such that the tip is not accessible, allowing medical personnel to open and handle the blood collection device 10 prior to use without causing an accidental needle stick. The polymeric material and wall thickness of the tubular needle cap 36 is desirably selected and determined to be sufficiently inflexible so that the needle cap does not inadvertently bend or bend into contact with the needle 34 during normal handling and storage before being removed immediately prior to use of the device 10.

[0014] Unlike conventional needle caps used with similar medical devices, the tubular needle cap 36 is not molded with one or more structural elements disposed at or near its proximal end that are specifically designed and shaped to frictionally engage and retain a portion of the nose or body of the medical device. Instead, the tubular needle cap 36 may be molded or extruded to have smooth, cylindrical inner and outer walls, provided, however, that the inner and outer diameters of the tubular needle cap 36 allow the proximal end of the tubular needle cap 36 to be seated around the forwardly projecting nose 38 and inside the outwardly extending distal end of the cylindrical hub 48 and held in place by the contractile retaining force exerted radially inward against the outer surface of the tubular needle cap 36 by the resilient inner surface of the cylindrical hub 48 of the device stabilizing member 16. During assembly of the blood collection device 10, it is desirable for the cylindrical hub 48 to be stretched or expanded outwardly for two purposes. The first purpose is to allow a window 68 (FIG. 16) through the cylindrical hub 48 to receive and be seated over and around the protruding boss 66 of the forwardly projecting nose 38 of the slide assembly 14, and the second purpose is to allow the proximal end of the tubular needle cap 36 to be inserted between the nose 38 and the inside of the distal end of the cylindrical hub 48. After the cylindrical hub 48 and the proximal end of the tubular needle cap 36 are properly positioned against the forwardly projecting nose 38, the cylindrical hub 48 is allowed to relax and contract, desirably exerting sufficient retaining force against the outer surface of the proximal end of the tubular needle cap 36 to maintain the desired positional relationship therebetween until such time as the tubular needle cap 36 is manually removed from the front of the slide assembly 14 prior to use of the blood collection device 10.

[0015] 8 shows blood collection device 10 in a fully assembled, pre-use configuration, with slide assembly 14 disposed in lateral sliding engagement with body 12, the proximal end of needle 34 inserted inside needle holder 30, compression spring 32 mounted inside forwardly projecting nose 38 biasing needle holder 30 rearwardly into abutment with the forward-facing distal face of annular fluid seal 20, the distal end of flexible fluid flow tube 28 inserted inside fluid flow channel 22 of body 12, and the proximal end of fluid flow tube 28 inserted inside end connector fitting 18. As best shown in Figure 8, whenever the tubular needle cap 36 is inserted and engaged over the needle 34 and between the forwardly projecting tubular nose 38 and the forwardly extending portion of the cylindrical hub 48 of the device stabilizing member 16, a resilient retaining force exerted on the outwardly facing surface of the tubular needle cap 36 desirably holds the tubular needle cap 36 in place relative to the slide assembly 14 and body 12 until such time as the tubular needle cap 36 is intentionally removed prior to use of the blood collection device 10. When the blood collection device 10 is configured as shown in Figure 8, a continuous, substantially linear, coaxially aligned fluid flow path is established from the needle 34 through the end connector fitting 18, which becomes accessible by removing the tubular needle cap 36, as shown in Figure 9. The uncontaminated tubular needle cap 36 can be disposed of in a trash can without special protective measures once the tubular needle cap 36 is removed from the front of the blood collection device 10 prior to insertion of the needle 34 into a blood vessel.

[0016] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Figure 4, illustrating the lateral sliding engagement of the body 12 with the slide assembly 14 when the body 12 is disposed in a pre-use position with the tubular needle cap 36 still attached and aligned with the annular fluid seal 20 in the forward-facing recess of the fluid flow channel 22. A leading first set of inclined upper and lower ramps 42 on the body 12 are desirably configured to slide over the upper and lower ramps 40 on the slide assembly 14 during assembly of the blood collection device 10, with opposing shoulders on the ramps 40 desirably preventing the body 12 from moving backwards relative to the slide assembly 14 and accidentally disengaging the blood collection device 10 prior to use. Figures 4-10 and 16 all disclose a blood collection device 10 having a coaxially aligned fluid flow path between the needle 34, the annular fluid seal 20, the fluid flow tube 28 and the end connector fitting 18. With the blood collection device 10 positioned in this position, the needle 34 is inserted into the patient following selective removal of the tubular needle cap 36, and, if desired, the wings 52, 54 are taped down to hold the device 10 steady as blood is collected through the fluid flow tube 28. The body 12 and fluid flow tube 28 are preferably transparent or translucent so that a user can observe the blood flowing through the body 12 to ascertain whether or not insertion of the needle 34 into the patient's vein is appropriate.

[0017] Following blood collection, the body 12 is desirably repositioned transversely to the direction of fluid flow and transversely relative to the slide assembly 14, as shown in Figures 11-15, by applying manual pressure against the touch surfaces 26, 44 of the slide assembly 14. The second set of upper and lower ramps 42 of the body 12 thereby slide laterally over the upper and lower ramps 40 of the slide assembly 14, whereupon they are prevented from inverting after repositioning by the opposing, contacting shoulders. As the touch surfaces 26, 44 are pressed toward one another by the user, the proximal end of the needle holder 30 moves laterally out of abutment with the distal end of the annular fluid seal 20, which expands into face-to-face contact with the rearwardly facing surface of the slide assembly 14. This contact helps prevent collected bodily fluid from leaking forward out of the fluid flow path 22. At the same time, the larger diameter opening into the needle storage chamber 24 is aligned with the smaller diameter head of the needle holder 30 to allow the compression spring 32 to drive the needle holder 30 and needle 34 rearwardly into the needle storage chamber 24. The tubular nose 38 of the slide assembly 14, the needle 34, the needle holder 30, the expanded compression spring 32, and the needle storage chamber 24 are desirably sized and cooperatively configured such that after the needle holder 30 is driven rearwardly into the needle storage chamber 24, the distal tip of the needle 34 does not extend forward of the tubular nose 28, thereby protecting the distal end of the needle 34 inside the forwardly projecting nose 38 following needle retraction in the blood collection device 10 from causing an accidental needle stick. Further use of the device is also prevented by the lateral slide surfaces being bridged by the stretched spring 32 and the irreversible engagement of the shoulder surfaces of the ramps 40, 42 between the opposing portions of the slidably engaged slide assembly 14 and body 12.

[0018] Various other modifications and variations to the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and the scope of the present invention is limited only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims to which the inventors are legally entitled.

Claims

1. In a medical blood collection device, The main body and a slide assembly disposed in transversely slidable engagement with the body, the slide assembly including a forwardly projecting nose; a device stabilizing member formed from a flexible polymeric material, the device stabilizing member having a central cylindrical hub connected to the nose and two wings projecting in opposite directions from the cylindrical hub; a rearwardly biased venipuncture needle projecting forwardly through the nose; a tubular needle cap having a proximal end and a distal end; It is equipped with a proximal end of the tubular needle cap insertable into the cylindrical hub and adapted to cover at least a portion of the nose; the proximal end has a smooth cylindrical inner wall that frictionally engages the nose; A blood collection device, wherein the proximal end includes a smooth outer cylindrical wall that is frictionally and releasably retained by a contractive retaining force exerted radially inward by the cylindrical hub.

2. 2. The blood collection device of claim 1, wherein the tubular needle cap is supported by the nose and frictionally releasably retained by a contractive retention force exerted radially inward by an inwardly facing surface of the cylindrical hub.

3. 3. The blood collection device of claim 2, wherein the flexible polymeric material comprises an elastomeric material that can stretch, relax, and contract to exert the contractile retention force around the smooth outer cylindrical wall of the proximal end of the tubular needle cap.

4. 2. The blood collection device of claim 1, wherein the nose includes an outwardly protruding boss, and the cylindrical hub includes a window configured to receive the boss to position and attach the cylindrical hub to the slide assembly.

5. The blood collection device of claim 2 , wherein the tubular needle cap is removably retained by sliding frictional engagement with both the nose and the cylindrical hub.

6. 2. The blood collection device of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a longitudinally extending cylindrical flow channel having a proximal end and a distal end, and a needle storage chamber parallel to and laterally spaced from the cylindrical flow channel.

7. The blood collection device of claim 6 , wherein the needle storage chamber has a distal open end and a proximal closed end.

8. The blood collection device of claim 6 , further comprising a compressible annular fluid seal disposed inside the distal end of the cylindrical flow channel in abutting engagement with a rearward-facing surface portion of the slide assembly.

9. The blood collection device of claim 1 , wherein the slide assembly includes a needle retraction assembly.

10. 10. The blood collection device of claim 9, wherein the needle retraction assembly comprises a tubular needle holder and a compressed needle retraction spring surrounding a forwardly extending portion of the tubular needle holder, the compressed needle retraction spring having a distal end disposed inside the nose and a proximal end abutting a forward-facing annular shoulder of the needle holder.

11. The blood collection device of claim 10 , wherein the tubular needle holder has a proximal end coaxially aligned with and abutting an annular fluid seal disposed within the fluid flow channel of the body.

12. 7. The blood collection device of claim 6, further comprising a flexible tubular portion projecting rearward from the proximal end of the cylindrical flow channel, the flexible tubular portion providing fluid communication with an end fitting connectable to a container for collected blood.

13. 2. The blood collection device of claim 1, wherein the slide assembly includes a first set of upper and lower ramps, and the body includes a second set of opposingly configured upper and lower ramps, the first set of upper and lower ramps and the second set of opposingly configured upper and lower ramps slidably engaged to enable relative sliding movement of the body toward the slide assembly to initiate needle retraction.

14. 14. The blood collection device of claim 13, wherein the slide assembly includes a first set of upper and lower stop surfaces adjacent to the first set of upper and lower ramps, and the body includes a second set of opposing upper and lower stop surfaces adjacent to the second set of opposing upper and lower ramps, and the first set of upper and lower stop surfaces and the second set of opposing upper and lower stop surfaces are positioned to abut against each other to prevent disengagement of the body from the slide assembly before needle retraction and relative sliding movement of the body away from the slide assembly after needle retraction.

15. 10. The blood collection device of claim 1, wherein the body of the device is molded from a medical grade polymeric material that is clear or sufficiently translucent to allow blood flowing through the body to be viewed by a user.

16. In a medical blood collection device, a body including a longitudinally extending channel and laterally spaced needle storage chambers; a slide assembly configured to slidably engage the body, the slide assembly including a forwardly projecting nose; a rearwardly biased needle holder assembly having a needle projecting forwardly through the nose; a device stabilizing member formed from a flexible polymeric material and coupled to the nose, the device stabilizing member having a central cylindrical hub and two wings projecting in opposite directions from the cylindrical hub; a tubular needle cap slidably insertable into said cylindrical hub, wherein a smooth cylindrical inner wall of said tubular needle cap is retained by frictional engagement with said nose and a smooth cylindrical outer wall of said tubular needle cap is retained by a clamping retaining force exerted radially inward by said cylindrical hub; A blood collection device comprising:

17. A blood collection device as described in claim 16, wherein the needle assembly comprises a tubular needle holder and a compression spring including a proximal end positioned around the forward extending portion of the tubular needle holder and a distal end positioned within the nose of the slide assembly to urge the needle assembly rearward.

18. A blood collection device as described in claim 16, wherein the cylindrical hub of the device stabilizing member is positioned around a slotted collar of the nose.

19. 20. The blood collection device of claim 18, wherein the nose includes an outwardly protruding boss, and the cylindrical hub includes a window configured to receive the boss to couple the device stabilizing member to the slide assembly.

20. A blood collection device as described in claim 16, wherein when the needle assembly is aligned longitudinally with the needle storage chamber, the slide assembly slides laterally relative to the main body, thereby inserting the needle assembly into the needle storage chamber.

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