Hammer-Plane, Inc.’s blood-gas hypodermic sharps containment device (dubbed “NeedleTrap”) was a technical and user success that essentially eliminated the potential for accidental hypodermic needle sticks – a billion dollar problem for the healthcare industry – not to mention those whose lives are forever affected by the needle stick. This device did not reach the market in numbers sufficient enough to make a difference largely because the entrenched brands did not wish to increase their Blood-Gas kit costs by a paltry $0.05, and hospitals did not want to buy it separately. Proving once again that having a better mousetrap and not the connections (distribution) to sell it, tends to be a moot exercise – even if the “trap” does have the potential to save lives!
