Winged Needle Guard With Anchor Strip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing winged needle sets with large diameter needles face difficulties in using slotless tubular needle guards, particularly in folding the wings to enclose the needle, especially when the needle is flipped during hemodialysis, leading to potential damage and leakage.
Innovation Solution
A tubular, open-ended needle guard with self-supporting walls and a reduced wing width of 20-30 mm, allowing easy insertion and sealing without bending the wings, along with an anchor strip for rotational movement to close the guard, providing a secure and leak-proof solution for both normal and flipped needle positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a slotless tubular needle guard with wide mouth is used to enclose the winged needle, then the needle can be protected from accidental sticks, but the wings cannot be properly folded and captured when the needle is flipped
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard is divided into distinct functional zones: a wide mouth opening for easy needle insertion, a main body for enclosing the needle shaft, and a narrowed distal end with a pocket for capturing the needle tip. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of trying to fold the wings inward as in traditional guards, this design allows the wings to remain extended and be captured by the forward pocket at the distal end, effectively reversing the traditional wing folding approach.
2Shape
If the wings are made wide (34 mm or more) for aesthetic purposes, then the needle set appears more professional, but the hub becomes harder to grasp and the guard design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The wing width parameter is optimized to a specific range (20-30 mm outer tip spacing) that balances aesthetic appearance with functional requirements for hub graspability and guard compatibility.
3Device complexity
If a tubular needle guard with fixed cross-section is used, then the guard structure is simpler and more rigid, but the needle cannot be easily inserted without bending the wings
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guard incorporates flexibility at the distal end, allowing the tube to bend and deform as the winged needle is inserted. This dynamic behavior enables easy needle insertion while maintaining overall structural integrity and simplicity.
4Reliability
If the needle guard has a small forward pocket for capturing the needle tip, then the sealed set can be safely disposed of, but the pocket cannot capture the needle when it is in the flipped position
Solution Approach 1:
The forward pocket is designed with three-dimensional space and sufficient volume to accommodate the needle tip regardless of its orientation. The pocket's dimensional design allows it to capture the needle tip in both normal and flipped positions.
Data Source
AI summary
A winged needle comprises a hollow medical needle which typically is no smaller than 18 gauge carried by a hub. The hub has wings projecting laterally outwardly, the wings having outer tips that are spaced from each other by essentially 20 to 30 mm. A guard for a winged needle tube set is also disclosed, in which the guard comprises a needle guard tube free of wing-receiving slots and defining a forward, open end to receive a winged needle having outwardly extending, substantially unbent wings as positioned within the guard. In some embodiments, the guard comprises a substantially fixed, open mouth having a width of at least 20 mm and a height of at least 5 mm. A novel anchor strip having two flex lines is also provided to the guard.