Luther Medical Products, Inc.

Becton Dickinson and Company Limited

Other

B. Braun Medical Inc.

Luther Research Partners, LLC

C. Dickerson Co.

Charles W Dickerson

Ronald B Luther

Richard A Overton

Harold Pearsall

James I Wright

Lane Keith

Bruce Nichols

Ron Roth

Roddy Jh Clarke

A needle point protective device for hypodermic and intravenous needles, catheter introducers, and similar devices protects users from injury and infection. The needle point protective device includes a needle point guard that is slidably mounted within the needle handle. In use, the needle point guard is integral with a cannula guide that is engaged with the needle cannula with enough force to cause the needle cannula to be subject to spring tension when the needle point is retracted proximal to the needle point guard, the needle point springs downward and behind the needle point guard. In one embodiment, the needle point guard is held in position manually as the needle is retracted. In another embodiment, the needle point guard is held in place automatically as the needle is retracted.

Safety needle introducer and universal needle protector for vascular access devices

A soft over-the-needle (OTN) catheter that has been treated at a distal end to provide a higher durometer (i.e., harder) surface to facilitate insertion of the catheter into a patient is provided. The catheter preferably comprises a soft flexible tube made of polyurethane and having a hardness in the range of 50A to 90A where the treated distal end has a hardness of above 90A. The OTN catheter may also include an annular abutment shoulder formed at a distance from the distal end of the catheter. An insertion needle also comprises an abutment means, preferably a collar positioned on the exterior of the insertion needle, to abut the abutment shoulder of the catheter. Where the catheter is to be fed significantly into the vascular system, an optional metal ring may be secured within the catheter, adjacent the internal shoulder. When the needle is removed, the metal ring remains in place, permitting electromagnetic tracking of the catheter as it is fed through the vascular system. In an alternative embodiment, rather than chemically treating the distal end of a soft catheter, a discrete segment of hard tubing is press fit into the interior of the distal end of a soft catheter.

Hard tip over-the-needle intravenous catheter

A catheter and insertion needle assembly comprising a catheter having a catheter hub and an insertion needle for disposition within the catheter and catheter hub. The assembly further comprises a shielding means comprising a generally cylindrical sleeve and means for locking the needle within the shielding means so as to safely enclose the tip of the needle to prevent exposure to clinicians. The shielding means preferably includes a retainer ring externally positioned thereon, wherein the retainer ring is configured to engage a corresponding retainer depression in an internal wall of the catheter hub. The locking means includes a locking ring on the exterior of the needle and a short, generally cylindrical, rigid insert disposed tightly within the interior of the shielding means. The insert has a slight decreasing taper at its proximal end and comprises cantilevered segments that may be biased outward to form a spring to permit movement of the locking ring in one direction, but not the other. The rigid insert is preferably positioned so that, when the insertion needle and locking ring are withdrawn proximally through the insert, the locking ring may be axially restricted between the insert and the proximal end of the shielding means. Further pulling would dislodge the needle and shielding means from the catheter hub, leaving the tip of the needle shielded from inadvertent contact.

Insertion needle and soft catheter system with tip protector

A system for retaining a tip protector on a needle having a curved portion or bend adjacent the tip. A Braun clip tip protector is used in combination with a small sleeve which fits around the needle such that it is free to slide towards the needle tip until stopped by the bend. In that stopped position, the tip protector covers the tip but cannot slide off the end of the needle.

Method of retaining a tip protector on a needle with a curved tip

An apparatus which is useable to blunt the sharpened distal tip of a hypodermic needle, said apparatus comprising an elongate blunting member which is axially disposable within the lumen of the needle, and which is axially advanceable from a 'non-blunting' position within the lumen to a 'blunting' position wherein the blunt distal tip of the blunting apparatus protrudes out of the distal end of the needle. A positioning member may be formed on the proximal end of the blunting apparatus, said positioning member being engageable with the needle to alternately hold the blunting member in either its 'nonblunting' position or its 'blunting' position. One such positioning member comprises a generally cylindrical body having a series of elastomeric engagement fins formed thereon such that, when advanced into the hollow bore of the needle hub, the engagement fins will be proximally deflected and frictionally engaged thereby. Such proximal deflection and frictional engagement of the engagement fins deters proximal extraction of the blunting member, but allows the blunting member to be further advanced in the distal direction.

Unidirectional blunting apparatus for hypodermic needles

A catheter for intravascular use including an inner sleeve defining a hollow lumen and a middle sleeve which is disposed on the inner sleeve and includes a braided metal wire layer. Disposed on the middle sleeve is an outer sleeve which is preferably fabricated from a polyurethane material. The catheter has an outer diameter of 0.010 to 0.035 inches and a wall thickness which does not exceed 0.0035 inches.

Process of making a catheter

An over-the-needle catheter for insertion into an anatomical passage through the use of an introducer. The catheter comprises an elongate, flexible catheter body defining proximal and distal ends, and a lumen extending longitudinally therethrough. Partially inserted into and protruding from the distal end of the catheter body is a rigid, tubular sleeve which defines an abutment shoulder within the lumen of the catheter body. Disposed on and encapsulating the exposed portion of the sleeve is a distal tip member defining a central opening which communicates with the lumen via the sleeve. The abutment shoulder is adapted to abut a portion of the introducer in a manner which inhibits proximal movement of the tip member relative to the introducer to prevent the tip member from being pushed proximally over the introducer and collapsing the catheter body during the insertion of the catheter into the anatomical passage.

Hard tip over-the needle catheter and method of manufacturing the same

Hard tip over-the-needle catheter and method of manufacturing the same

A catheter comprising a flexible proximal portion and a rigid distal portion having a beveled needle tip. The beveled tip overcomes coring of a barrier such as a septum of an implanted percutaneous drug delivery port when the needle tip passes therethrough for ultimate insertion of the catheter within the port. The invention also includes a catheter assembly incorporating the above-defined catheter along with a hand-operable implantation grip having a stylet member extending into the catheter and two opposing parallel finger members adjacent the catheter therebetween for holding the catheter during introduction thereof into an implanted percutaneous drug delivery port. The invention additionally includes methodology for catheterizing a percutaneous drug delivery port implanted in a living being through utilization of the catheter assembly and manually manipulating the grip thereof to insert the catheter tip into the port for long term implantation.

Catheter with beveled needle tip

An apparatus which is useable to blunt the sharpened distal tip of a hypodermic needle, said apparatus comprising an elongate blunting member which is axially disposable within the lumen of the needle, and which is axially advanceable from a 'non-blunting' position within the lumen to a 'blunting' position wherein the blunt distal tip of the blunting apparatus protrudes out of the distal end of the needle. A positioning member may be formed on the proximal end of the blunting apparatus, said positioning member being engageable with the needle to alternately hold the blunting member in either its 'non-blunting' position or its 'blunting' position. One such positioning member comprises a generally cylindrical body having a series of elastomeric engagement fins formed thereon such that, when advanced into the hollow bore of the needle hub, the engagement fins will be proximally deflected and frictionally engaged thereby. Such proximal deflection and frictional engagement of the engagement fins deters proximal extraction of the blunting member, but allows the blunting member to be further advanced in the distal direction.

A catheter has an abutment member formed proximate the distal end thereof. The abutment member abuts a complimentary abutment surface formed upon an introducer so as to prevent collapsing of the catheter body during the insertion process. The abutment member preferably comprises an annular abutment shoulder, which reduces the diameter of the lumen of the catheter. An opening formed in the catheter body proximate the tip of the catheter facilitates fluid flow through the lumen of the catheter in the event that the reduced diameter portion of the lumen becomes obstructed. The tip of the catheter preferably comprises a rigid material, so as to assure positive locking action of the abutment member of the catheter with the abutment surface of the introducer during the insertion process.

Growing community of inventors

Tustin, CA, United States of America

Charles W Dickerson