Removable guide needle

Claim 1

A removable guide needle for use with a flexible catheter in withdrawing or introducing fluids relative to a body, said needle comprising a one-piece, elongated, hollow element into which said catheter is inserted, said hollow element having a longitudinal separation along the length thereof and being formed to permit opening of said hollow element along said longitudinal separation, one end of said hollow element being configured for introduction into said body and the other end of said hollow element having handle means, said handle means including a pair of integral wing sections located on opposite sides of the longitudinal separation which are initially juxtaposed relative to one another with each of said wing sections having a generally trapezoidal shape, corresponding portions of each wing section overlapping one another and forming a generally rectangular shaped handle means, the remaining portions of said wing sections being longitudinally offset from one another at opposite ends by an amount sufficient to permit initial manual engagement with the offset portion to facilitate separation of said wing sections and consequent opening of said hollow element along said longitudinal separation for lateral removal and detachment from said catheter, each said wing section further including a reinforcing protuberance means extending substantially normal in a direction toward the opposite wing section at noninterfitting angles relative to the opposite protuberance whereby said protuberance means space said wing sections from each other to prevent circumferential collapse of said needle means at the position where the handle means are attached to the needle.