US-20260124433-A1 - INTRAVENOUS CANNULA

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses an intravenous cannula that includes a catheter hub and tubular valve member adapted to allow a needle member to pass through. The valve member is defined with slits that allow the needle to pass through. Further, a valve closure member and needle guard assembly are provided, both adapted to close passage for fluid flow and prevent blood flow from the punctured vein of a subject. The needle guard assembly includes a body portion. A safety clip locks onto a flange defined in the body, and in a biased condition allows a needle to extend through the body and hub. Upon withdrawal of the needle from a proximal end of the hub, a safety pin disengages from the flange and arrests the tip portion of the needle within the device, thereby preventing needle prick injury upon withdrawal of the needle member from the hub.

Inventors

• Neeraj Gupta

Assignees

• MEDSOURCE LABS, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20260105

Priority Date

20210210

Claims (1)

1. 1 . An intravenous cannula, comprising: a catheter hub having a proximal end, a distal end and a first chamber; an actuator member disposed within the first chamber and having an axial bore, the actuator member configured to be axially displaced towards the distal end of the catheter hub to form a passage for fluid flow from the proximal end of the catheter hub to the distal end of the catheter hub, when a luer lock member removably connected to the proximal end of the catheter hub displaces the actuator member; a tubular valve member disposed within the first chamber and adapted to allow a needle member to pass through, the tubular valve member defined with a flat portion at a first end, the flat portion configured with one or more slits defining a plurality of prongs, the slits configured to allow the needle member to pass through for puncturing a vein of a subject, wherein the prongs are displaced by the actuator member for fluid flow from the proximal end of the catheter hub to the distal end of the catheter hub, when the luer lock member displaces the actuator member; a valve closure member comprising a first surface at a proximal end, a second surface at a distal end and a through-hole, the valve closure member disposed in the catheter hub such that the first surface abuts an undercut portion defined in the catheter hub and the second surface abuts the flat portion of the tubular valve member, wherein the valve closure member is adapted to displace the prongs to close the passage for fluid flow and preventing blood flow from the punctured vein of the subject from the distal end of the catheter hub to the proximal end of the catheter hub, when the luer lock member abutting the actuator member is removed; and a needle guard assembly, comprising: a body portion connected to the proximal end of the catheter hub, a safety clip biasing outwardly to lock onto at least one interlocking flange defined in the body portion, the safety clip in a biased position allowing the needle member to extend through the body portion and the catheter hub, wherein upon withdrawal of the needle member from the proximal end of the catheter hub, the safety pin disengages from the at least one interlocking flange and arrests a tip portion of the needle member within the safety clip, thereby preventing needle prick injury during withdrawal of the needle member from the catheter hub.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/551,278, filed Dec. 15, 2021 entitled “INTRAVENOUS CANNULA,” which in turn claims the priority of Indian Patent Application number 202111005687, filed Feb. 10, 2021 entitled “Intravenous Cannula,” the disclosure content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to medical devices. More particularly, the disclosure relates to intravenous cannulas configured to prevent backflow of blood and needle prick injuries. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Intravenous (IV) cannulas have been in existence for many years. Intravenous cannulas are venous devices used to infuse medication or fluids directly into a vein or draw blood samples for testing. Intravenous cannulas are introduced into a vein using a needle and fixed to the patient's skin with an adhesive tape. One drawback associated with the use of over-needle intravenous cannulas is that once the needle is withdrawn from the cannula, there is an open channel for the blood to flow through the cannula and spill out of a catheter hub. The blood may be contaminated and this may lead to risk of infection for the healthcare worker. Additionally, spillage of blood leads to unhygienic conditions for the patient as well as in the healthcare space where the catheter is applied. Blood spillage is currently a major problem during administration of IV catheters. Additionally, over-needle cannulas that provide protection to a user from a “needle stick” or “needle prick” injuries is not yet prevalent. The risks associated with such “needle prick” injuries are high because of the high prevalence of communicable diseases among patients in hospitals and especially in emergency rooms where cannulation treatment must be initiated immediately. Also, the costs associated with any complication or adverse effects associated with such “needle prick” injuries are very high. There are known methods to avoid blood spillage, however these methods are associated with certain risks and drawbacks. One such method is to apply a manual pressure to the vein before withdrawal of the needle to stop the flow of blood, but this method requires either a two-hand technique achieved by operators of considerable skill, or two operators may even be required. In either case, the flow of blood still cannot be stopped. In another known device, a closed system intravenous cannula is used in which the flow of blood is stopped by having a dead stopper in the path of the blood flow, and a side port is provided at an angle to the catheter to allow air escape for flashback visualization and to allow infusion of fluid. However, these products are bulky, complicated to use, and more expensive. In yet another known method, the catheter space may be blocked by a mandrel or obturator which requires proper skill and training and that further makes the product complicated in structure and to operate, and is expensive. Similarly, there are known methods for avoiding “needle prick” injuries, wherein conventional catheter introducer devices are employed. However, these catheter introducer devices require additional training for the user to operate. Also, the needle catheter assembly is not robust, as the user remains in contact with the needle tip cover and in case the needle cover tip is manipulated by the user during application, the user may get exposed to the needle tip and thus the risk of injuries to the user while operating the catheter introducer assembly is high. Also, manufacturing of such needle catheter assemblies is complex and not cost effective. Indian Patent application number 3031/DEL/2014, (hereafter referred to as Pat '3031) provides a catheter device. One of the problems associated with the device disclosed in Pat '3031 is that when the needle is retracted from the needle cover, the needle cover does not disengage from the catheter hub, and more force is required to disengage the needle cover from the catheter hub. Another problem associated with the needle disclosed in Pat '3031 is that the needle does not engage the needle cover with the catheter hub, which affects the functionality of the catheter. This may lead to manipulation of the catheter device by the operator to extract the needle cover from the hub, which in turn may disturb and damage the vein, thereby causing pain to the patient. In addition to the above limitations and associated problems, the existing devices having leaf springs, for example as disclosed in Pat '3031, face problems related to improper guiding of the needle tip inside the catheter hub when the needle is inserted through the leaf spring. This may lead to blunting of needle tip when the needle tip contacts the other parts of the safety pin or the catheter hub when operated to move into the catheter hub. In light of the foregoing discussion, there is a need for an intravenous cannula that can overcome the limitations sta