Needle Guard Resilient Arm and Elongate Member Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety IV catheters fail to fully contain the needle tip after use, leading to potential exposure risks for healthcare workers due to leakage of blood or bodily fluids, and some needle guards can be easily compromised, losing protective functionality.
Innovation Solution
A needle guard system with a resilient arm and elongate member that slides along the needle shaft, engaging a change in profile to fully retract the needle tip and ensure complete containment within a through passage, using a unitary structure and biasing members to maintain protection against improper forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a needle guard covers only the extreme distal tip of the needle, then the needle tip is protected, but the open lumen in the bevel region remains exposed allowing blood leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard transitions from a single-point protection approach to a multi-dimensional containment structure. The resilient arms extend radially outward to cover the bevel region, while the elongate member provides longitudinal containment, creating a three-dimensional barrier that prevents blood leakage from all exposed surfaces of the needle tip.
2Ease of operation
If forces are applied to the needle guard arms, then the arms can be manipulated, but the distal arm segments may be urged outward away from protecting the distal tip
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard employs resilient arms with inherent elastic properties that allow dynamic response to applied forces. The arms can flex and deform under manipulation forces while automatically returning to their protective position, maintaining continuous coverage of the needle tip while enabling ease of operation.
3Ease of manufacture
If the needle guard is constructed from a single piece of material, then manufacturing is simplified, but the structure may lack the rigidity to restrict longitudinal movement of the needle
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard is divided into functionally distinct segments: resilient arms for radial protection and an elongate member for longitudinal containment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while working together as an integrated system, providing both ease of manufacture and sufficient structural strength.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively prevents leakage and maintains protection of the needle tip, reducing exposure risks and ensuring the needle guard remains functional even under applied forces.
Implementation Method 1
the arm comprising a resilient material
Data Source
AI summary
A needle guard assembly having a resilient arm extending from a base situated to slide along the shaft of a needle. In one implementation the needle guard has an elongate containment member that rides with the resilient arm and is co-operable with the resilient arm to effectuate a covering of the entire distal tip of the needle upon the needle being retracted into the needle guard.