Needle Tip Guard Segmentation for Safety Catheter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing needle tip protectors are not adequately cost-effective, easy to use, and provide insufficient protection against accidental needle stick injuries, which poses a risk of blood-borne pathogen transmission to clinicians.
Innovation Solution
A needle tip guard with first and second clamp members and a finger tab that automatically closes over the needle tip when retracted, using indentations on the needle to receive protrusions from the clamp members, ensuring secure enclosure and preventing re-emergence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing needle tip protectors are used, then some protection is provided, but they are not cost-effective and insufficient protection is provided
Solution Approach 1:
The needle tip guard is divided into separate clamp members (first clamp member and second clamp member) that can independently engage with the needle shaft through protrusions and indentations. This segmentation allows for simpler manufacturing of individual components while achieving reliable protection when assembled, resolving the contradiction between protection effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle tip guard structure nests around the needle shaft, with the clamp members enclosing the needle tip within an internal cavity. The protrusions on clamp members fit into indentations on the needle shaft, creating a nested configuration that provides secure protection without requiring complex external mechanisms, thereby maintaining cost-effectiveness while improving reliability.
2Reliability
If needle tip protectors are added, then protection is improved, but ease of use is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The needle tip guard is designed to be self-activating through the retraction mechanism. When the needle is retracted into the catheter, the protrusions on the clamp members automatically engage with the indentations on the needle shaft, causing the clamp arms to close and secure the needle tip without requiring additional manual activation steps. This self-service mechanism maintains ease of use while providing reliable protection.
3Reliability
If complex needle tip protectors are used, then protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protection mechanism is segmented into simple, discrete components: clamp members with clamp arms, protrusions, and indentations. Each component has a single, clear function, avoiding complex integrated mechanisms. This segmentation achieves effective protection through simple structural elements, resolving the contradiction between protection effectiveness and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The essential protection function is extracted from complex protective mechanisms and implemented through simple clamp members that merely enclose the needle tip. By taking out only the necessary elements (clamp arms, protrusions, indentations) and eliminating unnecessary complexity, the design achieves reliable protection with minimal structural complexity.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If needle tip protectors are added, then safety is improved, but ease of use is reduced due to activation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The needle tip guard automatically activates through the natural retraction motion of the needle into the catheter. The protrusions on the clamp members engage with indentations on the needle shaft during retraction, causing the clamp arms to close and secure the needle tip without requiring separate activation actions. This self-service design reduces needle stick injury risk while maintaining ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp members are pre-configured with protrusions and clamp arms positioned to automatically engage with the needle shaft during retraction. This preliminary configuration ensures that protection is activated as a natural consequence of the retraction action itself, eliminating the need for additional user steps and maintaining ease of use while improving safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A needle assembly including a needle tip guard and needle is provided. The needle tip guard includes a proximal base defining an opening that is dimensioned for passage of the needle therethrough, first and second clamp members extending from the proximal base and defining an internal cavity, and a finger tab extending from the proximal base. Each of the first and second clamp members define an inner surface including a protrusion extending into the internal cavity. A distal end of each of the clamp members includes a clamp arm, the clamp arms being supported for movement between an open position and a closed position. The finger tab includes a contacting portion for engagement by a user.