Nxstage Medical, Inc.

Christopher D Pierson

James M Brugger

Steven C Alford

A method of making a needle guard includes providing a mold having a portion defining a volume, the volume being a hollow cylinder with non-uniform walls with a pair of slots therein, the slots being open at one end and closed at the other end, the pair of slots having a major portion of constant width. The walls are thicker at the other end than at the one end. The method includes filling the volume with polymer and releasing a molded part from said mold and cooling a molded part resulting from the filling and releasing such that temperature that the widths of the pair of slots is non-uniform after cooling. The needle guard has upper and lower jaws defining a channel and coming together at a hinge. A winged needle can be inserted between the jaws, with the wings of the winged needle passing through slots between the jaws.

Needle guard

A needle set includes a needle guard and a winged needle. The needle guard has upper and lower jaws, each of the upper and lower jaws defining a channel and coming together at a hinge. The upper and lower jaws are separated by slots in sides of the needle guard, which slots divide the sides into upper and lower side walls, respectively. The winged needle can be inserted between the upper and lower jaws, with wings of the winged needle passing through the slots. The hinge has an opening and a tube connected to the winged needle passes through the opening.

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Southborough, MA, United States of America

Christopher D Pierson