Provided herein are devices, systems, and methods for disposal of needles. In particular, provided herein are devices, systems, and methods for safe and efficient disposal of medical and research needles.

A system and related methods of preventing wrong-site surgeries and blade-related injuries to OR personnel, which includes a computer software system (for use on computers or hand-held devices in the medical environment) in combination with a surgical supply carrier (such as a safety blade-dispenser or other surgical sharps dispenser). The surgical supply carrier comprises at least one component, such as a label, which prevents or impedes a surgeon from accessing one or more surgical instruments stored within until after a “time-out” is performed by the surgeon or authorized OR personnel to confirm various details including but not limited to correct patient, correct procedure, correct equipment, etc, before starting the intended surgical procedure. Data can be captured throughout the medical environment (from “decision-to-incision” and beyond) to assess wrong-site surgery data (including “near miss” data) and enable a host of analytics on wrong-site surgery prevention.

Methods of disposing of liquid radioactive medical waste are disclosed. The methods relate to depositing liquid radioactive medical waste into or onto a substrate that includes (a)(i) fibers, or (ii) both fibers and foam, and (b) activated carbon. The substrate adsorbs liquid radioactive medical waste to facilitate safe disposal of liquid radioactive medical waste.

Waste disposal substrates are also disclosed. The waste disposal substrates include (a) at least one layer of fibers, (b) at least one layer containing activated carbon; and (c) at least one layer containing superabsorbent particles. Methods of using waste disposal substrates are also disclosed. Methods of using a waste disposal substrate may include contacting a waste disposal substrate with a liquid fluid, the waste disposal substrate containing: (a) at least one layer of fibers, (b) at least one layer containing activated carbon; and (c) at least one layer containing superabsorbent particles. The liquid fluid, or a component of the liquid fluid, is collected, dissolved, adsorbed, inactivated, destroyed, and/or disposed of within the waste disposal substrate.

Injection monitoring circuitry is provided for coupling to part of an injection device having a syringe and a plunger rod. The injection monitoring circuitry has an input to receive force measurement data from a force sensor, the force measurement data includes a plurality of timestamped force measurements of force applied by a user to the injection device when an injection is administered to an injection site. Processing circuitry is provided to determine from the force measurement data when an end of injection has been reached, the end of injection corresponding to the plunger rod having reached an end position in a distal portion of the barrel of the syringe during administration of the injection by the user. Machine readable instructions and an injection monitoring method are also provided.

A needle shield remover for a medicament delivery device is presented that has a metal tubular body, a proximal part, a distal part, and a substantially circular cross-section, where the tubular body is arranged with a slot extending from a distal end of the body, at least half the length of the body, towards a proximal end, such that at least the distal part of the body may flex radially outwards to exert a radially inwardly directed clamping force on a needle shield accommodated by the body.

A container holds at least one surgical implement, has a lock mechanism, and has a signature label that impedes access to the surgical implement until the correct surgical site is confirmed. A method of using the container includes the steps of confirming the correct surgical site, signing the label and removing it from the container, placing the label in the medical record, unlocking the container, removing the implement, and beginning the surgery, wherein the surgical team is forced to pause to confirm the correct surgical site before starting the surgery. The system and method may also include a wrong site surgery profile used by individuals within the surgical procedure environment and third parties for tracking and determining if, and where, a wrong site surgical procedure occurred. The profile can be updated, tacked and monitored while a patient is interacting within the medical environment.

A device configured to receive and safely store a plurality of used needle-containing medical apparatus such as syringes, IV catheter introducers, bodily fluid collection devices and blood collection tube holders and to dispense a sterile medical apparatus having the same or a similar shape, size and configuration as that deposited into the device.

A storage device (30) for storing a pen needle assembly (10) includes a housing (30) having first wells (44) with a dimension for receiving the pen needle assembly and second wells (46) for receiving an inner shield (24) of the pen needle assembly. The second wells (46) have a diameter less than a diameter of the first wells (44). An ejector (40) in the housing (34) can be actuated to eject the used needle hub (16) and outer covers (22) from the first well (44) and the inner shield (24) from the second well (46) for disposal. A method of coupling a pen needle delivery device to a needle hub positions a needle hub assembly (18) in the first well (44) and inserts the coupling end of the delivery device (10) into the first well (44) and is coupled to the needle hub. The needle hub is pulled from the outer cover (22). The inner shield (24) is inserted into the second well (46) to remove the inner shield from the needle hub.

The injection needle removal device has: a cylindrical outer cylinder on an upper opening of an injection needle case; a helical track on an inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder in a helical shape from an upper locking point to a lower locking point; a syringe holding cylinder helically advances in the outer cylinder along the helical track; an injection needle tightening ring on a lower end portion of the syringe holding cylinder, the injection needle tightening ring holds an injection needle base portion of a syringe in the syringe holding cylinder to clamp the injection needle base portion; and a locking mechanism that stops the syringe holding cylinder where the injection needle tightening ring is exposed from a lower side of the outer cylinder at the lower locking point. The injection needle tightening ring turns to remove the syringe needle base portion from the syringe body and to expand in a distal-end divided manner by a turning generated by a descending movement of the syringe holding cylinder proximate the lower locking point to discard the injection needle base portion into the injection needle accommodation case with the injection needle.

Induction heating from an induction coil (108) is used to separate a metal medical sharp (144) from its holder (142) by applying a high-frequency oscillating magnetic field that excites eddy currents and resistance heating in the sharp. The heated metal sharp melts the adhesive or plastic securing the sharp to its holder. The use of induction heating is advantageous in that it does not require direct contact between the electrical circuit and the sharp or its holder. The heating can also act to sterilize the sharp and thereby render it less hazardous at the same time that it separates the sharp from its holder. The induction coil can have a stepped or conical shape to concentrate the RF energy at the interface between the metal sharp and its holder.