A catheter assembly comprising a catheter carried by a catheter adapter, a needle having a sharp distal tip and disposed in the catheter such that in a first needle position, the needle extends beyond the catheter, a damping mechanism fixed adjacent to a proximal end of the needle, and a barrel assembly configured to surround the damping mechanism, the barrel assembly including first and second inner diameters, wherein when the needle is retracted into the barrel assembly away from the first needle position, the needle moves in accordance with a needle retraction speed profile, and the needle retraction speed profile is based on the interaction between the first and second inner diameters of the barrel assembly and the damping mechanism.
