INTRAVENOUS CATHETER ASSEMBLIES INCLUDING CLOSED SYSTEM CATHETER ASSEMBLIES AND NEEDLE INSERTION ASSEMBLIES THEREFOR

A closed system catheter (CSC) assembly has a catheter hub assembly and a needle insertion assembly that includes a needle, a needle housing and a clip guard housed in a distal compartment of the needle housing. The clip guard has a chamber having fixedly enclosed therein a safety clip. The safety clip has two elongated arms with distal grippers and barriers that naturally bias toward each other. When the barriers are biased outwardly away from each other by the needle passing between them, the distal grippers are effected to fixedly hold the proximal end of the catheter hub of the catheter hub assembly. When not biased by the needle, the barriers return to their naturally inward biased state to cause the distal grippers to release their hold of the catheter hub, such that the clip guard and the catheter hub may be separated from each other. The barriers form a distal stop to prevent the needle from re-emerging from the safety clip.