| 摘要 |
A protective sheath for a winged needle, such as a fistula needle or the needle used in an IV infusion set includes a length of tube with a hollow needle at one end, and a pair of outwardly projecting flexible wings adjacent the end of the tubing where the needle is disposed on the tube and a protective sheath assembly is provided which includes a sheath adapted to be slid over the needle to cover the needle after use. The sheath includes a hollow generally tubular body having a forward end oriented toward the needle and a rearward end oriented away from the needle. The body has at least two longitudinally extending fingers separated by slots extending from the forward end of the body toward the rearward end. Each of the slots is dimensioned to receive only one of the wings to allow at least part of sheath to be slid past the wings to cover the needle after use. According to the invention, the slots are provided with a z-bend which causes an audible click as the wings pass through it. Moreover, the z-bend has a shallow entry and a steep exit which permits the wings to pass through in one direction for locking and inhibits the wings from exiting in the opposite direction. According to another aspect of the invention, the sheath is provided with a hilt which facilitates the sliding of the sheath and/or wings into a locked position and helps the end user to hold and use the invention safely and properly.
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