Needle Guard Mechanism for Fluid Administration Hub Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fluid administration medical apparatuses lack effective safety features to prevent needle stick injuries, experience significant drag force issues during needle withdrawal, and have complex designs with high manufacturing costs, leading to increased risk of blood exposure and patient discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A fluid administration medical apparatus with a needle guard slidably arranged on the needle, which is retained in the hub during use and automatically covers the needle tip upon withdrawal, reducing withdrawal force and friction, and featuring a compact design with improved blood control and antimicrobial coatings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a needle guard is added to prevent needle stick injuries, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard is integrated with the catheter hub housing, combining the protective function with the existing structural components. The guard merges with the hub to form a unified assembly, reducing the number of separate parts while maintaining safety functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle guard is received within the housing of the catheter hub, with the guard nested inside the hub structure. The distal end of the guard is received in a distal end section of the hub, creating a nested configuration that saves space and reduces overall device complexity.
2Reliability
If a needle guard is added to cover the needle tip, then protection against infectious diseases is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard and catheter hub are designed as integrated components that can be manufactured together or pre-assembled as a single unit. The guard merges with the hub housing to form a unified structure, reducing the number of separate manufacturing processes and assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure serves multiple functions: it houses the needle guard, provides structural support for the catheter connection, and enables blood control valve functionality. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, lowering manufacturing costs.
3Device complexity
If traditional needle withdrawal is performed without a specialized guard mechanism, then device complexity is reduced, but drag force during withdrawal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard is designed with movable arms that can deflect during needle withdrawal. The arms are positioned to clear the needle shaft during insertion and withdrawal, dynamically adjusting to minimize friction and drag force while maintaining safety coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle guard is divided into separate arms that can move independently. This segmentation allows the arms to deflect and clear the needle during withdrawal, reducing contact and friction, while still providing effective coverage when the needle is stationary.
4Ease of operation
If a needle guard with movable arms is used, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable arms of the needle guard are designed to deflect automatically under the influence of the needle during insertion and withdrawal, without requiring manual operation. The arms self-adjust to clear the needle path, reducing the operational steps required by the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The arms are designed with inherent flexibility to deflect during needle movement. This dynamic behavior allows the arms to automatically clear the needle during insertion and withdrawal, improving ease of operation while the arms remain contained within the hub housing to limit complexity increases.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A fluid administration medical apparatus (110) comprising: a catheter tube (114); a hub (212) having a distal section (234) and a proximal section (36), wherein the distal section (234) is joined to the catheter tube (114) and the proximal section (136) defines a housing (124); one or more ports (158) connected to the hub (212) by a fluid passage (262) through a passageway (272); a needle (220) extending through the hub (212) and the catheter tube (114) and defining an axial direction (X), wherein the needle (220) has opposite proximal and distal ends (22, 24), the distal end (122) forming a needle tip (130); a needle hub (116) attached to the proximal end (124) of the needle (220); a needle guard (226) slidably arranged on the needle (20), wherein the needle guard (226) is movably retained in the housing (248) of the hub (212) when the needle (220) extends through the hub (212) and the catheter tube (114), wherein the needle guard (226) is removable from the hub (212) once the needle tip (130) is received in the needle guard (226) upon withdrawal of the needle (220) from the catheter tube (114); and wherein the hub (212) is made of two parts i.e. first part (212b) and second part (212a) each of the parts (212a, 212b) having a distal end section (150) and a proximal end section (152).