DESIGN NAME: Safe-T-Clip™ + Secure-Lok®
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Safety Mechanism for Hypodermic Needle
INSPIRATION: Métier Medical Ltd as a new Company in the discipline of Safety Engineered Medical Devices and supported by a team of highly experienced professionals, is dedicated to providing a range of innovative, high quality safety injection devices designed to protect the healthcare worker from the daily risk of needlestick injury.
As healthcare sectors globally, identify the human and financial costs of needlestick injury, so it is
that a rapid transition to Safety Engineered Injection Devices is occurring worldwide.
With a range of safety injection devices now being offered to the market including both safety engineered syringes and safety needles, the mounting trend is tilting strongly towards the simple and more cost effective Safety Needle option.
As a result of extensive research of safety needles existing in the market, a number
of common flaws both in product quality, functionality and ultimate safety were pinpointed.
Typically, a safety needle comprises a hypodermic needle with a built in protective cover designed to lock over the needle after injection by one or two clips contained inside the cover and or a side clip at the base of the cover.
Testing identified with most available product that the cover was bulky and locking mechanisms were weak and inadequate meaning that the cover could actually be pulled back, once again exposing the needle.
Market demand is for a high quality product with solid safety mechanisms, easy to use and
cost effective.
With is in mind, the team at Métier Medical set out to design a Safety Hypodermic Needle with unique characteristics of design that would provide enhanced protection not only from
needlestick injury but Reuse. This design would differentiate from any other Safety needle in the market.
The result, Métier Medical Safe-T-Clip ™ safety needle with Secure-Lok ™ locking mechanism.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Safe-T-Clip ™ Safety Hypodermic Needle incorporates a safety cover containing two internal locking clips which, when activated lock over the used hypodermic needle.
Safe-T-Clip is distinguished by an additional locking mechanism comprising unique mushroom shaped locking heads located at the base of the cover which lock through apertures that prevent any possibility of the locking heads being pulled back. The Secure-Lok ™ provides a solid locking capability designed to permanently secure the safety cover over the needle not only protecting from
sharps injury but needle reuse.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The Safe-T-Clip™ safety needle attaches to any conventional syringe for
injection. After injection, the built-in safety cover on the needle is activated
by either pushing the cover over the needle or by activating
on a hard surface. During activation the internal clips of the cover connect with the needle and
an audible click is heard as the clips lock over it. Simultaneously, the unique
Secure-Lok™ mechanism engages, forcing the 2 mushroom shaped
heads through the apertures at the base of the needle cover.
The result is a needle tightly locked inside a cover which cannot be pulled back.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The original design concept was conceived by Métier Medical’s US based Director Larry Minix .
and Métier Medical’s Australian headquarters approved further development of the concept in early 2014. Concept drawings were presented to a design engineer based in China who
provided technical specifications. A China based manufacturing partner was appointed in April 2014 to produce the prototype and further develop the product
under Métier Medical’s direction. The Project was completed in July 2015 and exhibited at Medica, Germany November 2015.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Medical Devices and Medical Equipment Design
|
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The idea of the Safe-T-Clip ™ Secure-Lok ™ locking mechanism was based around the principals of a zip tie that could be pushed forward but not be pulled back. The locking design needed to be adapted into the base of the safety cover and be of the same polypropylene material. It had to be non- obtrusive to the end user and operate in conjunction with the internal clips of the safety cover. Of two design options presented for development, clearly after prototype testing, the option using mushroom shaped apertures and locking heads performed more efficiently than the rectangular shaped option.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Product dimensions:
Safe-T-Clip needle cover for needle lengths 12.7 mm to 25.4 mm:-
4 cm Height x 1.5 cm Width x 1.5 cm Depth (at widest point)
Safe-T-Clip needle cover for needle length 38.1 mm:-
5 cm Height x 1.5 cm Width x 1.5 cm Depth (at widest point)
TAGS: Safe-T-Clip safety needle, Secure-Lok, Safety Needle, Safe-T-Clip with Secure-Lok, Safety Hypodermic Needle with Secure-Lok, Safety Needle with enhanced locking mechanism, Métier Medical Safe-T-Clip, Locking mechanism for safety needle; sharps injury prevention
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Three Product Research focus groups – 30 healthcare workers..
Objective: Evaluate design, functionality, ease of use, efficiency of Secure-Lok™, comparison to competitive product.
Methodology: Participants were provided with a questionnaire, Safe-T-Clip ™ samples and competitor product. Questions were based on design features, practical application by simulating injection technique and activating the safety mechanisms. Comparison was made with competitive product followed by suggestions and comments.
Result: Preference for Safe-T-Clip with some design enhancements.
CHALLENGE: Due to the structure of the Secure-Lok and its positioning on the hub of the needle, maintaining
a low dead space to comply with ISO standards was an initial challenge. This was rectified to meet better than expected ISO standards. The sequence and efficiency of activation of the internal
locking clips and Secure-Lok presented challenges in the testing phase and ultimately delayed the original launch date. Additional design modifications and extensive testing resolved any
functionality concerns.
ADDED DATE: 2015-06-30 08:26:05
TEAM MEMBERS (1) : Designer: Larry Minix
IMAGE CREDITS: Photographer: David Wayland
PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Patent Pending:
Safe-T-Clip with Secure-Lok, Owner: Métier Medical Limited, Designer: Larry Minix,
Filing date: December 5 2013, Priority Date: December 2013
Jurisdiction: Australia, Application number: AU-2013 904 740, PCT International Application:
PCT/AU2014/001090 Filing Date: December 5 2014
Trademark Applications:
Secure-Lok - Application number: 170354, (Word) Jurisdiction Australia, Filing date July 15 2015, Status Accepted, Overseas filing date: January 15, 2016
Métier Medical Safe-T-Clip – Application number: 1718449 (Word) Jurisdiction: Australia,
Filing date: September 1, 2015, Status: Accepted
|