The subject of the invention is a lancet, in particular for a patient's skin puncturing device for collecting a blood sample for diagnostic purposes.
From the U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,689 (HIGGINS, John L.) is known a lancet comprised of a plastic body, in which a needle is fixed. The needle has a tip extending away from an abutment surface of the body. The needle tip is sealably encapsulated in a unitary sheath, which is formed integrally and sealably with the body and joined therewith by a frangible connection. Twisting or pulling of the sheath and its rotating about a longitudinal axis of the lancet body enables a fracture of the frangible connection and a removal of the sheath from the needle tip. The needle with the tip are protected against a loss of a sterility until the sheath is removed from the needle tip.
From the international publication WO 2003/015603 is known a plastic lancet comprising a body, in which a needle is arranged. The body has at least one hole exposing the crooked needle. The needle tip extends away from the body and is covered by a sheath moulded together with the body during manufacturing process, whereas a connection between the sheath and the body is fragile. Twisting or pulling of the sheath relative the body enables a break of the sheath away the body and uncovering the needle tip for puncturing the patient's skin. The needle tip is provided with the sterility until the sheath is removed from the needle tip.
In the cited known lancets the tip of the needle, in particular of the needle of a small diameter, is not protected against a bend or damage during the removal of the sheath from the needle tip. The lancet with the damaged tip is not suitable to be used. This is because such a damage of the tip prior to use of the lancet for a puncture of the skin precludes from performing a blood sample drawing correctly and possibly with little painful for the patient. The more, an incidental use of such a damaged lancet could be unpleasant and even dangerous for the patient.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,630 (NITZSCHE, Raymond P. et al.) teaches a lancet for applying in a lancet firing device. The lancet comprises a body with an extending outwardly needle and a removable sheath, which protects the cleanliness and sharp edges of the needle tip from contamination and damage before use of the lancet. The sheath is removed before the lancet use and the lancet is inserted into sled of the firing device. After the lancet use, the sheath may be reinstalled onto the needle tip to protest the patient and subsequent lancet users from inadvertent skin puncture.
In this known lancet the needle tip is poorly protected against contamination and does not provide the sterility required for medical applications. This is due to the lack of the moulded during the manufacturing process integral connection between the sheath of the needle tip and the body, in which the needle is fixed.
The known lancets do not insure the required sterility and, simultaneously, the correctness of setting of the designed needle tip during puncturing the patient's skin and blood sample drawing. The initial step of the lancet preparation to being used, which consists in the sheath removal from the tip by the user, produces a menace to the patient. The known lancets provide the users with a functional discomfort connected with the lack of certainty that the sheath has been correctly removed and the tip is free from damage and sterile.
The object of the present invention to provide a cheap lancet of a simple structure, which guarantees the sterility required for the needle tip and, simultaneously, precludes the needle tip from being bent or damaged, particularly the needle of the small diameter, during removal of the sheath from the needle tip.
The essence of the lancet according to the present invention, in particular for a patient's skin puncturing device for collecting a blood sample for diagnostic purposes, comprised of a plastic body, in which a needle is coaxially fixed, whereas a tip of the needle is covered by a sheath moulded together with the body and breakably connected therewith, is that it has additional and coaxial with said body and said sheath a guiding member, which is slidably mounted on a guiding segment of said body and fixed to said sheath.
Preferably, said guiding member constitutes a cap having detention means on an inner surface, and said sheath has on a circumferential outer surface protrusions engaging with said cap and said sheath has a detention edge mating with said detention means of said cap.
Preferably, said detention means constitute a circumferential catch.
Preferably, said cap has on a circumferential outer surface projections to facilitate gripping.
Preferably, said sheath has on a circumferential outer surface additional projections to facilitate gripping.
The guiding member, which during the removal of the sheath and uncovering of the needle tip moves together with the sheath axially lengthwise the body, precludes from deflecting of the sheath and thereby secures the needle tip against bend and damage.
The advantage of the lancet according to the present invention is that its structure insures the required sterility of the needle tip and, simultaneously, the protection, in particular, in case of the needle of small diameter, from damage during the removal of the sheath from the needle tip.
The next advantage of the present lancet is that it ensures for the user and the patient a high functional comfort during use.
Moreover, the simple structure of the present lancet provides a cheap end product, what is highly beneficial in case of devices intended for being used in a wide variety of medical applications, in particular, in view of the need of the mass production of such devices and their availability for a wide circle of professional and individual consumers.
The subject of the invention is presented in examplary embodiments in the drawings, where
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On the basis of the above examplary embodiments of the invention, it is possible to provide its different variants changed, modified and improved, while such changes, modifications and improvements are obvious in the light of the idea of the invention and the accompanying patent claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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P.379 324 | Mar 2006 | PL | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/PL2006/000090 | 12/13/2006 | WO | 00 | 9/23/2008 |