Needle Tip Shield with Cantilever Clip for Vascular Access Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vascular access systems face challenges in preventing accidental needle sticks and blood exposure during the withdrawal of introducer needles from patients, as the needle tip is not adequately secured, leading to potential hazards for clinicians and equipment contamination.
Innovation Solution
A vascular access system featuring a tip shield with a housing and a needle guard that includes a clip with a proximal canting wall and distal blocking wall, connected by longitudinally extending struts, which securely encases the needle tip within a chamber upon withdrawal, preventing proximal and distal exit and minimizing blood exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the needle is withdrawn from the patient without adequate securing mechanisms, then the withdrawal process is simple and quick, but the risk of accidental needle sticks and blood exposure increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The tip shield is pre-positioned at the distal end of the needle assembly before needle withdrawal. The housing is initially open to allow needle insertion but automatically closes to encase the needle tip during withdrawal, eliminating the need for separate securing actions by the clinician.
Solution Approach 2:
The tip shield mechanism is self-actuating through the needle's own movement. As the needle is withdrawn from the patient, its distal end automatically triggers the housing to close and secure the needle tip within the chamber, using the withdrawal motion itself to activate the safety mechanism without requiring external intervention.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the needle tip is not adequately enclosed during withdrawal, then the device structure remains simple, but blood can drip from the needle tip or contact other surfaces exposing clinicians to blood
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is nested within the tip shield housing structure. The housing contains a chamber that fully encloses the needle tip, with the needle shaft passing through the housing body. This nested configuration ensures the needle tip is always contained within the protective housing during withdrawal and separation from the catheter.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing incorporates a flexible lip that can deform during needle insertion to remain open, then flexes closed during withdrawal to seal the needle tip within the chamber. This flexible element allows the housing to transition between open and closed states without requiring complex mechanical actuators.
3Reliability
If the needle guard uses a simple clip structure, then manufacturing is easier, but the needle tip may not be securely trapped preventing proximal and distal exit
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard is segmented into multiple functional walls: a proximal canting wall that guides the needle, a distal blocking wall that prevents distal exit, and longitudinally extending struts that provide structural support. This segmentation allows each wall to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall manufacturability through standard forming processes.
Data Source
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AI summary
A vascular access system for preventing needle sticks includes a needle, a tip shield, and a housing. The needle may be a hypodermic needle or other conventional needle having a needle shaft terminating at a needle tip. The tip shield provides an enclosure defining a chamber. The enclosure includes a closed distal end and a proximal end that slidably engages the needle shaft. The enclosure further includes at least one side wall configured to slidably engage the needle shaft. The housing defines a passageway with respective proximal and distal openings through which the needle extends. The tip shield is also disposed in the passageway and is releasably retained therein. The needle and/or the tip shield is adapted to prevent the needle shaft from being completely withdrawn from the tip shield. The tip shield further secures the needle tip in the chamber upon withdrawal of the needle tip into the chamber.