An intravenous catheter introducer for medical use having a body, a frontal attachment that is disposed in transverse sliding engagement with a front part of the body, a hub tube assembly that is releasably supported by the frontal attachment, and a retractable catheter insertion needle and needle holder that are biased rearwardly by a spring offset laterally from the needle axis, whereby lateral repositioning of the body relative to the frontal attachment following vascular insertion moves a needle retraction cavity disposed inside the body into substantial coaxial alignment and causes the needle holder to be retracted into the needle retraction cavity.

A regulator for modulation of the flow rate of blood out of a patient's blood vessel during blood collection is disclosed. The regulator includes a housing having a housing inlet, a housing outlet, and a wall defining a housing interior. At least a portion of the wall includes a flexible member. A valve is associated with the flexible member and is in communication with the housing interior. The regulator is designed so that upon an application of a differential pressure within the housing interior, the flexible member and/or valve automatically move with respect to either the housing inlet or housing outlet to modulate a flow of blood moving through the housing. A manual over-ride device can be provided to enable a user to over-ride the automatic regulation and manually regulate the flow of blood through the housing.

A blood collection tube holder having a retractable single needle and a body comprising substantially parallel and laterally spaced apart barrel and needle retraction cavities separated by a partial wall that facilitates lateral movement of the single needle from the barrel cavity into alignment with the needle retraction cavity to initiate needle retraction. The barrel and a frontal attachment to the barrel are cooperatively configured to facilitate relative sliding movement between in a direction that is transverse to the longitudinal axis through the retractable single needle to initiate needle retraction.

A low cost fluid collection set having an integrated package including a needle cannula having a first end and a second end, a hub configured for supporting the needle cannula, and a package at least partially enclosing the needle cannula and the hub is disclosed. The package includes at least one openable region configured for receiving a fluid collection device therein wherein this openable region is in communication with at least one of the first end or the second end of the needle cannula and wherein the package is configured to be used as a holding device to manipulate the needle cannula during fluid collection. The package also functions as a shield for the first end of the needle cannula after use. A method of using the fluid collection set having an integrated package and a method of making the fluid collection set is provided.

A test meter for analyzing a body fluid sample applied to a test strip includes an outer housing having an opening, an actuator, and a cartridge positioned adjacent the outer housing. The cartridge further includes a dispensing member connected to the actuator, a plurality of stacked test strips biased toward the dispensing member, and a cartridge outer housing that is adjacent at least a portion of the dispensing member. Each time the actuator is actuated, the dispensing member is rotated to cause movement of one test strip from the plurality of stacked test strips through the opening, and another test strip is biased toward the dispensing member.

A needle assembly includes a housing having proximal and distal ends, an IV cannula projecting distally from the housing, and an IV shield having an engagement. The housing has a shield seat and the IV cannula has a distal tip. The IV shield has a pre-use position where the IV shield covers the distal tip of the IV cannula and the engagement is disengaged from the shield seat, and a use position where the engagement is engaged with the shield seat and the IV shield is adapted to move between a non-shielded position, in which the distal tip is exposed, and a shielded position, in which the distal tip is shielded by the IV shield.

Embodiments of the present invention provide magnetic lancet devices and methods for driving a lancet. For example, a magnetic lancet device may include a driving mechanism having a plurality of magnets and a lancet coupled to the driving mechanism. A magnetic interaction between the plurality of magnets is configured to drive the lancet from an engaged position to a penetrating position.

A blood sampling device (1) comprising a housing (10) and a lancet (50). The housing has a fixed abutment surface for holdingly engaging the lancet in a rearward primed position. The blood sampling device further comprises a trigger (22) moveable from a rest position to a fire position to release the lancet for forward movement, wherein the trigger deflects the lancet body in a direction generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the housing such that the lancet body may move forwardly past the fixed abutment surface.

A regulator for modulation of the flow rate of blood out of a patients blood vessel during blood collection is disclosed. The regulator includes a housing having a housing inlet, a housing outlet, and a wall defining a housing interior. At least a portion of the wall includes a flexible member. A valve is associated with the flexible member and is in communication with the housing interior. The regulator is designed so that upon an application of a differential pressure within the housing interior, the flexible member and/or valve automatically move with respect to either the housing inlet or housing outlet to modulate a flow of blood moving through the housing. A manual over-ride device can be provided to enable a user to over-ride the automatic regulation and manually regulate the flow of blood through the housing.

A needle assembly is disclosed. The needle assembly includes a housing having a flash chamber, and having a distal end and a proximal end engageable with a specimen collection container. The assembly includes a cannula having a patient end, a non-patient end, and a sidewall extending therebetween defining a cannula interior. The patient end of the cannula projects at least partially from the distal end of the housing, and the cannula interior is in fluid communication with the flash chamber. The assembly further includes a shield restrainably engaged with a portion of the housing and axially transitionable over the patient cannula from a retracted position in which the patient end is exposed, to an extended position in which the patient end is shielded by at least a portion of the shield, wherein at least a portion of the flash chamber is visible in the retracted position.