Spring-Loaded Needle Stop Plate Prevents Reinsertion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical needles, such as Huber safety needles, lack effective mechanisms to prevent inadvertent needle stick injuries during removal, posing a risk of microbial contamination and infectious disease transmission.
Innovation Solution
A medical needle with a protective device featuring a needle protection assembly that includes a spiral coil cover member and a base sub-assembly with a spring-loaded stop plate, which transitions from a retracted to an extended condition to cover the needle tip, preventing reinsertion and providing safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate sheath member is provided to cover the needle, then needle stick injury risk is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sheath member and base member into a single integrated needle protection assembly. The sheath member forms an openable cover that encloses the needle, while the base member provides structural support and includes a stop member to prevent needle reinsertion. This integration reduces the number of separate components while maintaining the protective function, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving needle stick injury prevention capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle protection assembly employs a nested structure where the stop member is positioned within the base member, and the sheath member covers both the needle and the base member. The stop member is specifically designed to be received by the base member, creating a nested arrangement that simplifies the overall device structure while maintaining functional effectiveness in preventing needle stick injuries.
2Reliability
If a collapsible sheath structure is used to cover the needle, then safety is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sheath member is designed as a dynamic component that can be opened and closed. During the procedure, the sheath member is opened to allow needle insertion and manipulation. After use, it can be closed to cover and protect the needle. This dynamic capability allows the device to adapt to different operational phases, maintaining both safety and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle protection assembly incorporates a stop member that automatically prevents needle reinsertion into the base member. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual intervention to ensure needle safety, as the stop member inherently blocks any attempt to reinsert the needle, thereby maintaining ease of operation while improving safety.
3Ease of operation
If the needle tip remains exposed for easy access, then ease of operation is improved, but risk of microbial contamination and infectious disease transmission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle protection assembly segments the protective function into distinct components: the sheath member that covers the needle shaft and tip, and the stop member that prevents reinsertion. This segmentation allows the needle to be easily accessed during the procedure while providing comprehensive protection against microbial contamination and infectious disease transmission through the coordinated action of these segmented protective elements.
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 solution effectively prevents needle stick injuries by ensuring the needle is securely covered after use, reducing the risk of microbial transmission and enhancing user safety.
Implementation Method 1
a needle stop member comprising an integrally formed spring portion and stop plate. Both the spring portion and the stop plate lie on a planar side of the base plate, and the spring portion biases the stop plate in linear movement to cover the hole in response to movement of the needle protection assembly to the extended condition
Implementation Method 2
The cover member may comprise a spiral coil, and the spiral coil may include a reduced coil diameter at the first end of the cover member attached to the needle support and an enlarged coil diameter at the second end of the cover member attached to the base member
Data Source
AI summary
A safety needle assembly including a medical needle and a needle protection assembly. The needle protection assembly includes a cover member surrounding a portion of the medical needle and is movable between a retracted position and an extended position. A base sub-assembly of the needle protection assembly is attached to an end of the cover member and includes a base plate defining a through hole receiving the medical needle therethrough in the retracted condition of the needle protection assembly. A needle stop member, including an integrally formed spring portion and stop plate, is positioned on a planar side of the base plate, and the spring portion biases the stop plate in linear movement to cover the hole in response to movement of the needle protection assembly to the extended condition.