Medical Needle Removal Device with Thermal Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical needle removal devices leave a portion of the needle in the holder, posing a risk of needle-stick injury and requiring the entire device to be disposed of as medical waste, rather than allowing for recycling.
Innovation Solution
A device with a grasping unit, receiving unit, biasing member, and separating means that selectively grasps the needle, biases the receiving unit to heat and weaken the adhesive or material connecting the needle to the holder, and separates the needle entirely from the holder for safe storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing needle removal devices are used, then the needle can be removed from the holder, but a portion of the needle remains in the holder creating safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful portion (needle) completely from the holder system using a separate removal device. The removal device grasps the needle and pulls it entirely out of the holder, leaving no fragments behind. This extraction principle directly addresses the safety issue by ensuring complete separation of the needle from the holder.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a intermediary removal device as a mediator between the needle and the holder. This intermediary device facilitates the complete separation process by providing a controlled mechanism to grasp and extract the needle, ensuring no portion remains in the holder. The intermediary device acts as a bridge to achieve safe and complete needle removal.
2Reliability
If existing needle removal devices are used, then the needle can be removed, but the entire holder must be disposed of as medical waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the needle portion from the holder using a separate removal device, leaving the holder intact and free of needle fragments. This selective extraction allows the holder to be separated from the needle completely, enabling the holder to be recycled or disposed of separately from the needle, thus reducing medical waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the holder to be recovered and potentially recycled after the needle is completely removed. By ensuring no needle portions remain in the holder, the holder can be discarded as non-hazardous waste or recovered for recycling, whereas previously the entire assembly had to be disposed of as medical waste.
3Ease of operation
If the receiving unit is displaced to activate the separator, then the needle can be separated from the holder, but the grasping unit must maintain grasp throughout the process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the grasping action in advance before the separation process begins. The grasping unit securely grasps the needle initially, and this pre-established grasp is maintained throughout the subsequent displacement and separation actions. This preliminary grasping ensures the needle remains controlled during the entire separation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic system where the grasping unit's hold on the needle is maintained through the displacement process. The system is designed so that the grasp is not static but adapts dynamically during the movement and separation, ensuring continuous secure holding of the needle even as the receiving unit is displaced and the separator activates.
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
Enables complete removal of the needle from the holder, reducing the risk of needle-stick injury and allowing the holder to be recycled, while providing a safe and efficient storage solution for the needle.
Implementation Method 1
heating the needle to melt, soften, or otherwise weaken a material and/or adhesive connecting the needle with the needle holder
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for removing a needle from a needle holder, including a grasping unit for selectively grasping the needle; a receiving unit for receiving the needle holder, displaceably disposed relative to the grasping unit; a biasing member biasing the receiving unit in a first direction; and separating means for separating the entire needle from the needle holder. Preferably, the needle is heated to melt, soften, or otherwise weaken a material and/or adhesive connecting the needle with the needle holder. Preferably the heating is electrical heating, including completing an electrical circuit through the needle and passing current through the needle, and/or passing current through a heating element.