IV Catheter Lateral Opening for Early Venipuncture Confirmation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intravenous (IV) catheter apparatuses face challenges in reliably confirming venipuncture, leading to potential health risks due to delayed blood flashback, which can result in incorrect needle placement and increased pain for patients.
Innovation Solution
The IV catheter apparatus features a needle shaft with a lateral opening that allows blood to exit and become visible within the tubular catheter, providing early confirmation of venipuncture, combined with a needle guard mechanism that prevents accidental needle exposure and ensures secure needle retraction, enhancing safety and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional needle design without lateral opening is used, then the needle structure is simple, but blood flashback is delayed and venipuncture confirmation is unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The needle shaft is segmented by introducing a lateral opening that divides the single lumen into multiple flow paths. This allows blood to exit through multiple routes (central lumen and lateral opening), enabling early and reliable venipuncture confirmation while maintaining a relatively simple needle structure.
2Ease of operation
If the needle guard is made loose to allow easy movement, then ease of operation is improved, but the needle guard may slide off the needle tip
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to slide freely along the needle shaft during insertion and manipulation. The engagement means provides a stopping feature that activates only when the needle guard reaches its proper position or when force is applied to prevent it from sliding off the needle tip, thus balancing ease of operation with retention reliability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If blood flashback is delayed, then the needle insertion process is simpler, but the risk of incorrect needle placement and patient harm increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral opening is positioned to allow blood to exit and become visible within the tubular catheter before the needle is fully inserted into the blood vessel. This preliminary blood flashback provides early confirmation of venipuncture, reducing the risk of incorrect needle placement and patient harm while minimizing the time loss for confirmation.
Data Source
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AI summary
An intravenous (IV) catheter apparatus comprising: a tubular catheter (10) having a proximal end (50) and a distal end (16) mounted to a catheter hub (40); a needle (12) defining an axial direction (A) having a needle shaft (22) with a needle tip (14) at a distal end (16) and a needle hub mounted to the proximal end (50) of the needle shaft (22); a needle guard (30) arranged movably on the needle shaft (22), wherein said needle shaft (22) extends through said tubular catheter (10) such that said needle tip (14) of said needle (12) protrudes from said distal end (16) of said tubular catheter (10); and wherein said needle shaft (22) is provided with: an engagement means (26) adapted to engage with the said needle guard (30) in order to prevent said needle guard (30) from sliding off said needle tip (14); and one or more lateral openings (28) covered by said tubular catheter (10).