Improved epidural needle.
The standard Weiss epidural needls is well known to many obstetricians. Its principal advantage is easy manipulation, especially with the "hanging drop" sign. Among its disadvantages are the sharp Huber point, the difficulty of keeping the point in the midline using the conventional technic, and the possibility of dural puncture when the needle must be rotated. The modified needle overcomes these objections because the point is blunt and the elliptical flange soldered to the hub is rotated 90 degrees about the shaft. The resulting instrument is easier to use and is associated with a very low incidence of accidental dural puncture.
D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000773:Anesthesia, Obstetrical / Q000295:instrumentation