Patent attributes
The present invention provides a needle guard comprising a base having a needle well to guide the point of a needle into the patient and, at the same time, for confining the pointed end of a needle within the walls of the needle well until the needle is inserted into a patient. The base is connected by at least a connector to a handle. The connector is constructed to allow the needle to be pushed beyond the needle well thereby exposing the needle. The connector also limits the extent to which the needle can be retracted. This prevents the needle from being pulled past the needle well as the needle is extracted from the patient. As a consequence of the construction, the point of the needle is substantially maintained within the needle well, except when the needle is inserted into the patient. The present invention also provides a method and an assembly for safely handling a medical needle by keeping the needle point confined within the needle well prior to insertion into a patient, and after retraction from the patient.
