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Sharps container

Hospitals and the health care industry in general use great quantities of disposable implements such as needles, syringes, blades, and the like, commonly referred to as "sharps." Through use sharps may become contaminated by body fluids and the like creating a hazard for anyone that intentionally or inadvertently handles them following their use. Because of their potentially dangerous nature, used sharps should be disposed within a rigid container having a closure device which inhibits or prevents the intentional or inadvertent handling of the used sharps. There are generally two types of sharps container available. The first type of sharps container has a disposable inner container with a reusable top cover and outer housing. The second type of sharps container is a completely disposable container which is intended to be disposed of once it is full. Many diabetics routinely administer medication to themselves several times a day by injection of a pre-selected quantity of insulin in liquid form; the correct amount of medication can be determined from prior professional medical instruction or by use of convenient portable blood analysis kits which are small, compact and provide rapid indicators of the user's blood sugar level. The several daily injections are often done away from the diabetic's home or residence which has made the use of the portable, convenient medical delivery pens widespread. Medical delivery pens have become widely used in place of, or in addition to, medical syringes, e.g., by diabetics, who frequently inject themselves several times a day with accurately measured, adjustable, pre-selected amounts of insulin or other medication. Medical delivery pens include a reservoir of medication and a distal end adapted to be attached (usually by thread means) to a pen needle assembly (PNA).

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