Surgery – Specula – Retractor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-25
2001-10-16
Smith, Jeffrey A. (Department: 3732)
Surgery
Specula
Retractor
C600S231000, C600S234000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302843
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a central platform for supporting retractor blades and the like in a given position with respect to a patient during liver transplants and other similar surgical procedures and is more particularly directed to such a central platform for attachment to a horizontal bar suspended over the patient.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
It is known in the surgical arts to provide access to certain body parts during surgery by providing devices to hold certain other body parts out of the way. For example, during a liver transplant, it is often necessary to hold the rib cage up and the stomach out of the way; retaining devices having retaining blades at their ends can be attached to the above-mentioned horizontal bar to perform those functions. A well known example of that technology is the Stieber Rib Grip, sold by the assignee of the present application.
The Stieber Rib Grip
101
is shown in use in FIG.
1
and includes, inter alia, a horizontal bar
103
suspended over the patient P. Various clamping devices
105
are clamped to the horizontal bar
103
for holding retracting blades
107
that hold the patient P's stomach, rib cage, and the like out of the way.
Another example of known clamping devices used in surgical procedures and referred to as an Iron Intern® by the assignee herein is shown in
FIGS. 2A-2C
.
FIG. 2A
shows an assembly
201
assembled for use,
FIG. 2B
shows the assembly
201
in use on a patient P, and
FIG. 2C
shows various components of the assembly
201
disassembled for sterilization. The assembly
201
includes a swinger clamp
203
for attachment to a horizontal rail
205
. The clamp
203
supports a rod
207
that includes a bend to define a vertical portion and a horizontal portion. On the top of the rod
207
is a securing mechanism
209
that engages with a multi-armed device
211
, called a “hydra,” by engagement with a hole
213
in a yoke
215
in the hydra
211
. The yoke
215
supports jointed arms
217
having at their ends attachment portions
219
for holding retractor blades
221
.
FIG. 2B
shows the hydra
211
used alongside a single-armed device
223
.
Further details of the use of such devices and other related devices can be found in A. C. Stieber, “Hepatic Transplantation with the Aid of the Iron Intern Retractor,”
The American Journal of Surgery
, Vol. 160, pp. 300-01, Sep., 1990; R. J. Greenstein, “Mechanical Retraction in Obesity and Esophagogastric Surgery,”
Obesity Surgery
, Vol. 1, pp. 431-33, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 56,224,680, issued to Greenstein et al on Jul. 6, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,435, issued to Meier on Jan. 1, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,652, issued to Meier et al on Mar. 13, 1979; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,846, issued to Meier et al on Jan. 10, 1989, whose disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties into the present disclosure.
Heretofore, no satisfactory way has been found to incorporate the hydra
211
into the assembly
101
of FIG.
1
. The conventional technique used by the assignee herein is to attach a C-clamp to the horizontal bar
103
and to attach the hydra
211
to the C-clamp. However, since the horizontal bar
103
normally used has a consistently circular cross-section, flattened portions are formed in the horizontal bar
103
to support the C-clamp to prevent unwanted rotation of the C-clamp and the attached hydra. Providing such flattened portions increases the cost of manufacture of the horizontal bar
103
and limits the angular orientations of the C-clamp to the angular orientations of the flattened portions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It will be readily apparent from the above that a need exists in the art for a device for attachment to a horizontal bar having a circular cross-section for supporting a hydra or the like. Therefore, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a central platform having a portion for clamping onto such a horizontal bar and another portion for having a hydra or other similar equipment attached thereto.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a central platform that can be secured to such a horizontal bar without slipping and that can hold a hydra in a proper angular orientation.
It is still another object of the invention to provide such a central platform that can easily be sterilized.
To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention is directed to a central platform having a main body with a clamping portion and an attaching portion. The clamping portion has a cylindrical bore for receiving the horizontal bar and a slot extending from the bore to a surface of the clamping portion. The clamping portion can be formed from stainless steel and still have sufficient flexibility for clamping. The attaching portion has a post for receiving the hydra and projections for retaining the hydra in a desired angular orientation.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3339913 (1967-09-01), Anderson
patent: 4099521 (1978-07-01), Nestor et al.
patent: 4143652 (1979-03-01), Meier et al.
patent: 4254763 (1981-03-01), McCready et al.
patent: 4461284 (1984-07-01), Fackler
patent: 4491435 (1985-01-01), Meier
patent: 4718151 (1988-01-01), LeVahn et al.
patent: 4796846 (1989-01-01), Meier et al.
patent: 4945897 (1990-08-01), Greenstein et al.
patent: 5025780 (1991-06-01), Farley
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patent: 5224680 (1993-07-01), Greenstein et al.
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patent: 6033363 (2000-03-01), Farley et al.
patent: 1235135 (1960-05-01), None
patent: WO 97/40752 (1997-11-01), None
A.C. Stieber,Hepatic Transplantation With the Aid of the Iron Intern Retractor, The American Journal of Surgery, vol. 160, pp. 300-01, Sep. 1990.
R.J. Greenstein,Mechanical Retraction in Obesity and Esophagogastric Surgery, vol. 1, pp. 431-33, 1991.
Lees John
Warden Charles
Automated Medical Products Corporation
Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP
Smith Jeffrey A.
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