Needle hiding shield for a dose metering syringe

摘要

A needle hiding shield to be coupled to a conventional dose metering syringe to hide a hypodermic needle from view of a patient (e.g. a child) to whom an injection is to be administered so as to minimize the anxiety that will be experienced by the patient. According to a first embodiment, the needle hiding shield includes an inner anchoring sleeve that surrounds a medication cartridge housing and an opaque outer sleeve guard that shields a hypodermic needle and is coaxially aligned with and coupled to the inner anchoring sleeve by a pair of springs. An injection is administered when the medication cartridge housing is advanced distally through the outer sleeve guard to cause the springs to be stretched and the needle to be moved outwardly of the outer sleeve guard to penetrate the targeted injection site. According to a second embodiment, the needle hiding shield includes an outer spring sleeve that surrounds the medication cartridge housing in spaced coaxial alignment therewith and is adapted to slide over an opaque inner needle guard that is attached to the outer spring sleeve to shield the hypodermic needle. A coil spring surrounds the medication cartridge housing inside the outer spring sleeve. An injection is administered when the medication cartridge housing is advanced distally into the inner needle guard to cause the outer spring sleeve to slide over the inner needle guard, so that the coil spring is compressed and the needle is moved outwardly from the inner needle guard to penetrate the targeted injection site.