Needle Sheath Lockout Mechanism for Needlestick Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Needlestick injuries pose a significant risk for healthcare workers, particularly in non-hospital settings, as safety devices may not adequately prevent re-exposure to contaminated needles after use.
Innovation Solution
A tamper-evident needle safety system featuring a sleeve with guide tracks and a torqueable compression spring mechanism that automatically sheaths the needle after use, ensuring the needle remains covered and preventing re-exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety device with automatic sheath deployment is used, then the frequency of needlestick injuries is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety device is divided into distinct functional segments: a cap for initial coverage, a sleeve for sheath deployment, a collar with guide pin for actuation, and a spring for automatic advancement. Each component performs a specific function, allowing the complex safety mechanism to be built from simpler, modular parts that can be manufactured and assembled independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is pre-loaded in the collapsed position during assembly, storing potential energy before use. The guide pin is pre-positioned in the retracted state within the sleeve. When the cap is removed, these pre-positioned components automatically advance to their functional positions, eliminating the need for manual activation and ensuring the sheath is deployed before the needle can be exposed.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the sheath is deployed automatically after needle withdrawal, then needle exposure time is minimized, but the risk of re-exposure after cap removal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide pin serves as a mechanical feedback mechanism that tracks the state of the cap. When the cap is removed, the guide pin advances along the guide track, providing tactile feedback to the user. The lockout portion of the guide track ensures the guide pin cannot return to its original position, providing visual and tactile confirmation that the sheath is deployed and the needle is covered, preventing accidental re-exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring manual activation to deploy the sheath, the system inverts the logic: the sheath remains deployed by default (guide pin advanced), and removing the cap triggers the deployment action. This inversion ensures that the protective state is maintained unless the user intentionally removes the cap, at which point the automatic mechanism ensures immediate re-protection.
3Loss of information
If a tamper-evident mechanism with guide track and guide pin is implemented, then indication of cap removal is provided, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide pin automatically advances along the guide track when the cap is removed, without requiring any additional user action or external power source. The spring provides the driving force, and the guide track geometry itself provides the indication mechanism through its locked and unlocked positions. This self-service approach provides reliable status indication while minimizing the complexity of additional components.
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 reduces the risk of needlestick injuries by ensuring the needle is always covered after use, providing a secure mechanism for healthcare workers and minimizing the risk of blood-borne pathogen transmission.
Implementation Method 1
a spring may couple to the collar and the sleeve. In some embodiments, the spring may be a torqueable compression spring
Implementation Method 2
The outer collar may also have an accordion portion configured to flex under rotational stress. The accordion portions may relieve stresses imparted to the outer collar by the spring, which may be a torsional spring.
Data Source
AI summary
A syringe safety system may include a sleeve. The sleeve may include a guide track formed in the sleeve. The guide track may have a guide pin retention portion, a travel portion, and a lockout portion. The syringe safety system may include a collar having a guide pin extending radially from an exterior surface of the collar. A spring may extend between and be coupled to the collar and the sleeve. A cap may engage the sleeve. The cap may be configured to retain the guide pin in the guide pin retention portion of the guide tack. When the cap is removed, the spring advances the guide pin into the travel portion of the guide track.