A safety catheter includes a catheter hub, a catheter tube, a needle hub, a needle cannula having a tip, and a tip protector. The apparatus comprises a mandrel containing a radial shoulder, a sub member concentrically disposed about the mandrel, and an upper slip, concentrically disposed about the mandrel, for engaging the well. Each support element consists of a piece of a cable-like band and a cylindrical support body with an axial lumen of the support body in the head.