Habley Medical Technology Corporation

Other

Sterling Winthrop Inc.

John A Lewis

Terry M Haber

Clark B Foster

William H Smedley

A bulkhead member for assembling a bulkhead is disclosed, comprising a body having two opposed faces and first and second substantially parallel edges. The first edge includes an integral split socket and the second edge includes an integral connecting bead. At least one of the opposed faces includes a planar surface, and one of the socket and bead is mounted adjacent the planar surface. The connecting bead is angled with respect to the planar surface, and the gap in the split socket is correlatively angled, such that when the bead of the first bulkhead member is lockingly received in the socket of another like bulkhead member, the planar surfaces of the two bulkhead members may be substantially coplanar, and the connecting bead and socket of the two bulkhead members are offset from the common plane of the planar surfaces of the two bulkhead members.

Interlocking bulkhead

The present invention is directed to a syringe assembly (48), particularly useful for use with conventional prefilled pharmaceutical cartridge-needle units (46), including a hollow body (4) housing the cartridge-needle unit or other syringe structure. The substantially hollow body and the syringe structure include mating slits (28, 29, 30) and a ring (26) so that the needle (60) can be exposed for I.M. injection use and then withdrawn into the body for safety. The body is configured so that when the user diametrically squeezes the body adjacent the slit(s), the ring disengages the slit(s) due to the deformation of the body which permits the needle tip (62) to be positioned inside, for safety, or outside, for use, of the body. The internal position is also useful for safely injecting a pharmaceutical into an IV port (88). When the invention is used with a conventional pharmaceutical cartridge-needle unit as the syringe structure, the body can be part of an enclosure unit (2) which acts as the packaging for the pharmaceutical cartridge-needle unit, as the body of the syringe for administration of I.V. and I.M. injections, and as individual integral sharps containment for safe antineedle-stick disposal of the used cartridge-needle unit.

Safety syringe assembly with radially deformable body

A resuable safety module-activator reshielding tool having a barrel within which to receive a single use, disposable, needle/medication cartridge from which a pre-filled supply of fluid medication is injected. The cartridge includes a needle cannula that is advanced outwardly of the barrel to administer an injection and retracted inwardly of the barrel at the conclusion of the injection. The cannula is crushed, shielded and discarded all within the cartridge so as to permit a safe handling thereof after use and avoid an accidental needle stick. The activator tool cannot be reused until the injection has been completed, the cannula destroyed and shielded, and the cartridge removed from the barrel for disposal.

Safety module-activator reshielding tool

A piston stem insert to be received within a hollow receptacle that is molded at the interior of a carpule based piston, so that a piston stem may be easily attached to and detached from the piston by way of the insert. In a first embodiment of the invention, a set of flexible, anti-displacement wings extend radially from the insert to releasable and frictionally engage the inside walls of a carpule, so as to prevent an inadvertent and premature displacement of the piston through the carpule. In a second embodiment, a set of anti-rotation wings extend radially from the piston stem insert to be received within respective cavities of the receptacle that are shaped so that the wings may be rotated in a single (e.g. clockwise) direction but blocked from rotation in an opposite direction. In a third embodiment, the receptacle of the piston is sized and shaped relative to the anti-rotation wings, such that said wings will be automatically aligned for receipt within the cavities of the receptable during the installation of the insert.

Piston stem insert for a carpule based piston

A safety enhancing, relatively low-cost, needle cover which is integrally bonded to a disposable needle cannula of a hypodermic syringe and adapted to eliminate the handling and/or destruction of the needle after use. The needle cover comprises distally and proximally oriented pairs of needle cover segments which are hingedly interconnected and pivotable relative to one another. The needle cover is collapsible from an open, expanded configuration, with the cannula biased in an armed state for administering an injection of the fluid contents of the syringe, to a closed, generally planar configuration, with the cannula biased in a shielded state completely surrounded, shielded and isolated after use. By virtue of the present invention, the needle cannula can be safely discarded within its collapsible cover while avoiding an accidental needle strike and the spread of a contagious, and possible life threatening disease.

Collapsible needle cover

A combination needle sheath and sterility package comprising a lower needle cover to surround and protect the distal end of a sterile, double ended hypodermic needle cannula and an upper sleeve to surround and protect the proximal end of the cannula. The upper sleeve can be opened to permit the bore of a conventional hypodermic syringe to be received therewithin, so that the proximal end of the needle cannula can communicate fluidically with the syringe cylinder. By virtue of the needle sheath/sterility package as disclosed herein, the sterility of the needle cannula may be reliably preserved during handling and prior to use, while the possibility of an accidental needle stick during attachment of the cannula to the syringe may be advantageously minimized.

Combination needle sheath and sterility package

A low-cost, disposable blood collector which may be collapsed into a low volume disposal package, whereby to maximize both safety and efficiency when discarding the blood collector after use. The blood collector comprises a hollow, collapsible blood collection tube holder for receiving an evacuated blood collection tube, a double-ended hypodermic needle cannula for making a veni puncture and drawing a sample of a patient's blood to a blood collection tube at the interior of the blood collection tube holder, and a collapsible needle cover which surrounds the distal end of the needle cannula. The blood collection tube holder is collapsible from an open, cylindrical configuration, at which to receive a blood collection tube therewithin, to a closed, generally planar configuration, with the blood collection tube removed therefrom. The needle cover is collapsible from an open, expanded configuration, at which the distal end of the needle cannula is exposed for making a veni puncture through the patient's skin, to a closed, generally planar configuration, at which to surround and shield the distal end of the cannula and thereby avoid an accidental needle strike.

Collapsible blood collector

A dental syringe of the type having a pre-filled cartridge of fluid medication and a double ended hypodermic needle communicating with the cartridge for injecting the contents thereof into a targeted tissue area of a patient. The cartridge is carried within an inner syringe cylinder, and the inner cylinder is slideable through an outer syringe cylinder. The inner cylinder has a pair of axially spaced locking grooves which extend around the periphery thereof. The outer cylinder includes a finger ring having an integral, inwardly projecting tab. The finger ring is hingedly connected to the outer cylinder so that the integral tab may be rotated into or out of engagement with either one of the pair of locking grooves of the inner cylinder. With the tab engaging a first of the locking grooves, the inner cylinder is retained at a relatively proximal position within the outer cylinder so that the needle is located inwardly of and completely shielded thereby to prevent an accidental needle strike. With the tab engaging a second of the locking grooves, the inner cylinder is retained at a relatively distal position within the outer cylinder so that the needle is extended outwardly thereof for administering an injection. A coil spring surrounds the inner cylinder for automatically biasing the inner cylinder and hypodermic needle towards the shielded proximal position within the outer cylinder.

Retractable needle syringe with integral spring

A shielded safety syringe comprising a cylindrical, outer protective sleeve, an inner needle carrier movable axially through the sleeve, and a double-ended hypodermic needle supported by the needle carrier and aligned coaxially with respect to the outer sleeve and needle carrier. The needle communicates with an evacuated blood collection tube at the interior of the outer sleeve. A position control button is connected to the needle carrier and slidable through an axial guide channel formed in the outer sleeve for moving the needle carrier between proximal and distal positions within the sleeve. Accordingly, the needle is also moved through the outer sleeve to be relocated from an axially extended position, at which to make a veni puncture through a targeted tissue area, to a retracted position, at which the needle is completely surrounded and shielded by the outer sleeve to permit a safe handling and disposal of the syringe while avoiding an accidental needle strike. Locking detents are formed at opposite ends of the guide channel to receive the position control button, so that the needle maybe reliably retained in either the axially extended or retracted position.

Shielded safety syringe having a retractable needle

An improved urinary catheter having a unique, low volume device by which to retain the catheter within the bladder, so that urine can be removed therefrom. The retaining device consumes less volume in the bladder than that which would ordinarily be consumed by a conventional Foley-style balloon, whereby both the frequency and severity of urinary bladder spasms, which are induced by pressure against the trigonal area of the bladder, can be reduced. What is more, the retaining device is advantageously adapted to provide little resistance, and thereby minimize any damage to the urinary tract, in the event that a patient should suddenly and forceably attempt to remove the catheter from his bladder.

Urinary catheter

A low cost, easy to use, snap-on, linear-to-vernier syringe by which a volume of material may be controllably and accurately delivered to a recipient. By virtue of the present invention, a piston supporting collar member may be securely snapped into releaseable engagement with a conventional, disposable syringe cylinder to complete the syringe assembly. Moreover, the conventional syringe cylinder is thereby converted into a precisely accurate pipetting cylinder to control the infusion of highly potent, dosage sensitive, radioactive, or expensive drugs, and the like, without requiring any modification to the cylinder. The syringe assembly is particularly adapted to permit rapid switching between freely rotated and incrementally rotated modes of operation, whereby a predetermined volume of material may be selectively imparted from the syringe cylinder, either continuously or in discrete and precisely calibrated increments.

Growing community of inventors

Costa Mesa, CA, United States of America

John A Lewis