REACCESSIBLE MEDICAL NEEDLE SAFETY DEVICES AND METHODS

摘要

A retractable and extendable medical needle protective shield which provides opportunity for accessing and reaccessing a medical needle and associated sharpened needle tip and recovering the needle and tip for safety between accesses. The shield includes a needle guide which assures the needle tip is untouched by any part of the shield as the shield is displaced to cover and uncover the needle. A releasible latch is provided to guard against inadvertent removal of the protective shield between accesses. An unreleasible latch is also provided to secure the shield relative to the latch preparatory to final disposal. In combination with the protective shield, a plurality of adapters are disclosed which provide examples of passively operated, protected access to membrane pierceable fluid sources such as a "Y" connection site of an IV set line, a drug vial, a vacuum sample tube, an umbilical cord holder and a hypodermic site.