A cannula, such as an IV catheter introducer needle, that has a bi-directionally engageable crimp feature (100) isdescribed herein. The feature comprises a maximum outer diameter (102) that isgreater than an outer diameter (28) of the cannula.Additionally, the feature comprises a proximal side and a distal side. Thelarger outer diameter of the proximal side can act as aproximal engagement that prevents the cannula from being entirely extracted ina proximal direction from a cannula shield. Thedistal side of the feature can comprise a notch (200) that acts a distalengagement, which prevents the cannula from reemergingdistally from the shield, once the cannula has been pulled into the shield.The notch can include an engagement surface that extendslaterally past the cannula's outer diameter. The engagement surface can beconfigured to run substantially perpendicular tothe cannula's longitudinal axis.
