A method of creating a feature on a needle. The method comprising the steps of providing a needle having a sharpened distal end for insertion into an insertion site on a subject, a proximal end, and a tubular wall defining an inner diameter and an outer diameter; gripping a distal portion of the needle about the outer diameter; gripping a proximal portion of the needle about an outer diameter; and applying a compressive force between the distal portion and the proximal portion sufficient to effect an outward buckling of the tubular wall, thereby increasing an outer diameter of the tubular wall between the distal portion and the proximal portion.

A catheter may include a catheter body, which may include a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen formed by an inner wall of the catheter body that extends between the proximal end and the distal end along a longitudinal axis. The distal end of the catheter body may include a distal lumen opening disposed on the longitudinal axis. The distal end may also include a leading edge. The leading edge may form the distal lumen opening and may include an upper and a lower portion. The lower portion of the leading edge may be disposed distally to the upper portion of the leading edge.

Introducer needles can be used with rapidly insertable central catheters (“RICCs”) or even other central venous catheters (“CVCs”). An introducer needle can include a needle shaft, a sheath, and a needle hub. The needle shaft can include a needle slot extending from a proximal portion of the needle shaft through a distal needle tip. The sheath can be disposed over the needle shaft and fixed in location thereon. The sheath can seal the needle slot under the sheath but for a sheath opening in a proximal portion of the sheath. The needle hub can be around at least the proximal portion of the needle shaft. The introducer needle can be made by creating the needle slot in the needle shaft such as by cutting or grinding the needle slot therein, disposing the sheath over the needle shaft, and fixing the sheath on the needle shaft.

An integrated catheter assembly includes a housing member, an outer lumen member extending from the housing member, and a needle member having a needle slidably or movably coupled to the housing member, wherein the needle can be extended beyond the outer lumen. Once a flash of blood is confirmed the needle member is uncoupled from the housing member and removed from within the patent's vein or artery. An inner lumen member having an elongated member housing an inner lumen is then connected to the housing member. A thump slide supported within the elongated member and coupled to the inner lumen is advanced moving the inner lumen through the housing member and the outer lumen into the patient's vein or artery beyond the end of the outer lumen The end of the thump slide/elongated member is connected to tubing extending to a dialysis machine and this tubing is used to transfer clean or detoxed blood from the machine back into the patent. The outer lumen is connected to separate tubing to transfer blood out of the patent to the dialysis machine. The integrated catheter assembly therefore receives and delivers blood through a single injection site. Alternatively, another embodiment is shown where the needle remains within the patient during dialysis.

Valves are described for intravenous (IV) catheter assemblies for controlling fluidic flow. The valve can prevent blood leakage in multiple access use situations. A thinner area of the valve around a slit is provided. The thicker area of the valve is to provide rigidity to the valve so that it is able to return to a closed configuration when a Luer connector is removed.

A medical safety needle includes a needle body having a needlepoint, a covering body having a detent portion slidable on the needle body to catch the needlepoint so as to cover the needlepoint, and a resilient cantilever supporting the detent portion, a collar portion slidably fitting on the covering body, which is configured to get in contact with the cantilever to press the cantilever radially inwardly, and a housing being formed in a unitary body with the collar portion or having an end face on which the collar portion is capable of being seated, the housing being configured to carry the covering body from a first position to have the needlepoint exposed to a second position to have the needlepoint covered by the covering body.

According to a teaching of the present invention, having a flexible catheter attached to a housing. A needle having an exterior surface having a first roughness, the needle being within the flexible catheter and the housing. The needle has and interface surface angled with respect to a needle centerline. A portion of the interface surface having a second roughness which is more than the first roughness.

A retractable needle catheter insertion device is provided with a cannula and a needle positioned within the cannula to assist with insertion of the cannula. After insertion of the cannula into a patient, the needle can retract into a protective sleeve that contains the needle in order to reduce the chance that a medical practitioner will be inadvertently stuck by a used needle. The needle is carried by a needle support that is slidably disposed within the sleeve. A spring biases the needle support and needle toward a retracted position, and the device also includes an activation hub that works in conjunction with the needle support to control retraction of the needle. The retraction may be activated manually by the medical practitioner or may be activated automatically. A modular system and method of manufacturing is also provided in which catheters having either manually or automatic retraction can be manufactured using common parts.

An introducer catheter for obtaining access to a blood vessel includes a hollow needle with a beveled tip extending from a needle hub as well as a flexible sheath slidingly positioned over the needle. The needle hub includes an actuator configured to rotate the needle tip by about ½ of a turn upon reaching the target vessel. Rotation of the needle tip allows a more confident motion of advancing the sheath further into the vessel to secure the sheath therein. The introducer catheter of the invention is designed to increase success rate of vessel access using minimal number of needle punctures and to decrease the rate of vascular complications, especially in vulnerable patients such as children.

In various embodiments, an improved catheter insertion device is described that provides an improved flashback response and use for deep vein access. In various embodiments, the improved flashback response comprises two separate and distinct flash events, the first indicating insertion of a cannula in a blood vessel, and a second indicating insertion of a catheter in the blood vessel. The two flash responses are made possible by a combination of features provided on the cannula, such as including a view window in the cannula and a flat relief portion on the outer surface of the cannula at the distal opening.