GB2240925A

GB2240925A - Injection protective device

Info

Publication number: GB2240925A
Application number: GB9003321A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael John Reynolds
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-02-14
Filing date: 1990-02-14
Publication date: 1991-08-21
Also published as: GB9003321D0

Abstract

A protective device for protecting the user of a surgical needle from self-skin puncture or self injection comprises a pair of open-topped receptacles 2I and 2T which are worn on the tips of the index finger and thumb of the user's free hand to protect them from a needle and which are interconnected by a narrow flexible bridge 3, whose flexibility enables the guards to be opposed to grip the patient's flesh in the area of the injection site. <IMAGE>

Description

INJECTION PROTECTIVE DEVICE The present invention relates to a device for reducing the risk of a person from puncturing his or her own skin in the course of administering an injection and other procedures involving the use of a surgical needle. The expression "surgical needle" as used in this specification including the appended claims is intended to include syringe needles used during injection procedures, canulla needles and needles used for surgical purposes such as biopsy needles.

Inadvertent puncturing of the needle user 5 own skin and self-injection are frequent occurrences. An average hospital nurse, in the course of a year, is likely to accidentally stick herself with a needle as many as one hundred times. This includes exposure during intravenous and intramuscular injections and intravenous infusions and carries with it the risk of contracting AIDS, hepatitis and other diseases.

Various methods have been proposed to protect the nurse from such hazards, an example being heavy duty disposable latex gloves to be worn while using the needle.

The present invention seeks to provide a device for protecting the user of a surgical needle from skin puncture or self injection, which is economic in the use of materials and easily manufactured and used.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for protecting the user of a surgical needle from self skin puncture comprising a) a pair of guards having a base wall for protecting the pads of the index finger and of the thumb, respectively against needle puncture; and b) an elongate bridge interconnecting the two guards; and wherein the bridge is flexible to enable the guards to be opposed by closing the index finger and thumb.

The invention will be further described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view from the front of one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view from the side of the device of figure 1; Figures 3a-3c illustrate the use of the device of figure 1; Figure 4 is a sectional view of a sterile package containing the device of figure 1.

The device 1 shown in figure 1 comprises two finger guards 21 and 2T shaped and dimensioned to fit over the tips of the index finger and thumb, respectively of the nurse's or other user's free hand while using a surgical needle. The two guards are integrally moulded from a suitable plastics material and interconnected by a narrow bridge 3 which is sufficiently flexible to permit the guards to be opposed, as shown in figure 4a, by opposition of the index finger and thumb, while sufficiently resilient to hold the guards in that condition on the index finger and thumb.

It will be seen from figures 1 and 2 that the index finger guard 21 has a rectangular base 41, against which the pad of the index finger presses, in use, and upwardly and outwardly inclined side walls 51 and 61 and end wall 71 which serve to protect the sides and end of the index finger tip. The base 41 and walls 5I-7I thus define a recess, to accommodate the index finger tip which is open in the directions away from the base 41 (ie, upwards in figure 2) and towards the other guard 2T (ie, to the right in figure 3). The significance of this is that in opening the index finger and thumb, these fingers are not constrained by the device, so that if for some reason the nurse needs suddenly to release her grip on the patient (eg, because the patient suddenly moves) she will not be hampered by the device.

The thumb guard 2T is similarly constructed to the index finger guard so that no description is necessary except to note that it is dimensioned somewhat larger so as to fit the typical thumb.

Variations in the size of the user's index finger and thumb are accommodated by the sloping walls 5-7.

It will be noted that the device is bilaterally symmetrical about the lengthwise axis of the bridge 3 so that it is ambidextrous, ie, can be used by both the lefthanded and the right-handed.

The surfaces of the base parts 41 and 4T which face the patient's skin may be roughened (eg, by stippling or knurling) to improve the grip on the patient's skin, as may be the opposite surface of the base parts 41 and 4T and the inner surface of the walls 5-7 of both guards, to make the device itself more easily gripped by the user, and less prone to slip. Other measures to improve grip, for example inserts of rubber (natural or synthetic) or other materials which have a higher coefficient of friction than the natural finish of the device may be used instead.

The most convenient method of fabrication of the device is by injection-moulding a thermoplastics plastics material although any other suitable fabrication technique and material may be used. The material should have sufficient resilience or "memory" of its unbent state as to provide the pressure when bent to maintain the device firmly between the finger and thumb.

Whatever material is used should provide: a) the suppleness necessary to allow bending of the bridge 3 about its central region such that the device may be squeezed somewhat in the manner of a wishbone (see figure 3) when the user places his/her index finger in the guard 21 and thumb in the guard 2T and closes the finger and thumb.

b) sufficient strength (having regard to the thickness of the device to prevent a needle puncture through any of the parts of the guard).

In use, the operator will insert the index finger and thumb of one hand in the guards 21 and 2T respectively.

Closing the index finger towards the thumb has the effect of bowing the bridge 3 and the resilience of the bridge 3 will firmly hold the device in place.

When held in this manner (see figure 3a) the device may be used to pinch and hold the flesh of the patient thereby raising a mound of flesh into which the needle may be inserted all the while protecting the operator from accidental self-puncturing with the needle.

Upon completion of an injection, the device, held in the same manner can be used as a grip to hold the cap into which the used needle is to be inserted thereby protecting the operator from further accidental selfpuncturing with the used syringe. See figure 3b.

In the case where an intravenous injection is required, the operator may insert only the index finger into the guard 21 and hold the device in the palm of that hand.

The square-cut end of the guard 21 is then used to raise the vein while the injection is made (figure 3c). Thus the operator's index finger is protected against accidental puncturing.

As shown in figure 4, the device may be distributed for use in a sterile, tear-open plastics foil package 10. The package may be sterilised by any suitable technique, eg, by gamma ray irradiation.

It will be apparent that the device of the present invention has the advantages of: a) low cost per unit; b) disposable after single use; c) ease of use; d) ease of manufacture from available materials; e) one size fits all; and f) ambidextrous.

The guards need not be of the shape shown in the figures, nor do the end and side walls and base need to be flat, provided that they are such as to protect the pad ends and sides of the index finger and thumb tips and that they are such as to accommodate different finger sizes.

Although in the illustrated embodiment the thumb and index finger guards are of different sizes, they may instead be the same size, thereby making the device totally symmetrical. Where the difference in size is otherwise not very great there can be some visual confusion for the user and having both guards the same size may ease the use of the device - it can be picked up by touch rather than selected by sight then picked up.

Numerous other variations in the construction and fabrication of the device will be apparent to those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for protecting the user of a surgical needle from self skin puncture comprising a) a pair of guards having a base wall for protecting the pads of the index finger and of the thumb, respectively against needle puncture; and b) an elongate bridge interconnecting the two guards; and wherein the bridge is flexible to enable the guards to be opposed by closing the index finger and thumb.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein each guard is a receptacle which is open in the directions (a) towards the other guard and (b) away from the surface of the guard which contacts the pad of the finger.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each guard has a pair of side walls disposed to opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the bridge and extending out of the plane of the base wall and a single end wall, disposed at the end of the guard remote from the bridge and extending out of the plane of the base wall.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein each of the base wall, the side walls and the end wall of each guard is flat.

5. A device according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the side and end walls of each guard are inclined outwardly from the base wall so that the space between them increases in the direction away from the base wall.

6. A device according to any one of the preceding claims made as a one piece injection moulding from thermoplastic material.

7. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein an external surface area of each guard which contacts the patient's skin is roughened or otherwise adapted to improve grip.

8. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein an inner surface area of each guard of each guard which contacts the user's finger tips is roughened or otherwise adapted to improve grip.

9. A device according to any one of the preceding claims and which is bilaterally symmetrical abut the longitudinal axis of the bridge.

10. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the thumb and index finger guards are of different dimensions respectively adapted to typical thumb and index finger sizes.

11. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the thumb and index finger guards are of the same dimensions and the device is end to end syemmetrical about the centre of its bridge.

12. A protective device constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

13. A device according to any one of the preceding claims in a sterile tear-open package.