Patent attributes
An access needle suitable for use in percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy procedures. In one embodiment, the access needle includes a stylet assembly, a safety sheath assembly and a cannula assembly. The stylet assembly includes a stylet and a stylet hub. The stylet has a proximal end and a sharpened distal end, the proximal end of the stylet being mounted within the stylet hub. The safety shield assembly includes a sheath and a shuttle. The sheath, which has a blunt distal end, coaxially surrounds the stylet. The proximal end of the sheath is fixed to the shuttle, the shuttle being movable between a first position in which the sharpened distal end of the stylet is exposed and a second position in which the sharpened distal end of the stylet is shielded by the blunt distal end of the sheath. The cannula assembly includes a cannula and a cannula hub, the cannula hub being fixed to the proximal end of the cannula. The cannula hub is detachably engageable with the shuttle to move the shuttle between its first and second positions.
