Supports – Brackets – Adjustable
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-19
2002-10-29
Braun, Leslie A. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Adjustable
C248S125700, C600S228000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06471172
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fixing device for at least one operating element or fixing element suitable for application in sterile areas in surgical operations, which is largely freely positioned in three dimensions and supported for fixing, while the sterile area is separated from A non-sterile area substantially by a sheet-like covering means,
2. Description of the Prior Art
The performance of endoscopic operations, preferably on the human body, requires the physicians involved in the surgical operation to handle the endoscopic surgical cases precisely which are introduced into intracorporeal cavities through openings in the body. Particularly when surgical measures are taken through the abdominal wall several endoscopic instruments are required which must be operated independently of each other and which are to be handled each by different physicians involved in the operation. A viewing endoscope, which is normally connected to a video camera, is introduced into the body cavity for optically monitoring the operation; depending on the area of the operation this viewing endoscope is aligned with this area and appropriately positioned. Such optical monitoring of the surgical operations to be performed inside the body requires, however, a permanent tracking of the distal end of the video recording system having an endoscopic configuration, so that these instruments must be controlled and guided throughout the entire surgical operation. The surgical operations, which take a very long time, inevitably result in fatiguing of the physicians involved in the operation, particularly those who are merely dealing with the positioning and tracking of the respective instruments, specifically as these operations are monotonous activities which equally require, however, a maximum degree of concentration.
For relief of the operating staff from this strain, stand- or support-like arrangements have become known which permit the positioning of endoscopic instruments relative to a surgery area. These include support-like systems standing on the floor or provided for fastening on the operation table, which are equipped with a plurality of support arms whereof each is connected to joints, with the individual support joints being fixed by means of regulating screws or fixing mechanisms provided for rotational operation. Apart from the support systems suitable for manual operation, other support systems have become known, too, which are driven by an electric motor and which are positioned in three dimensions via an appropriate controller. All these known support systems are based on the common functional objective to position a surgical instrument, which is required for performing or monitoring an operation, near the intracorporeal operating area where the physician performs the surgical operation. To this end, the respective surgical operation is mounted on the distal terminal region of the support system, which must, on the one hand, be positioned with a minimum of obstacles in three dimensions, if possible, and, on the other hand, must be locked in a predetermined three-dimensional position whilst the locking must be easy to unlock again.
Apart from the different known support arrangements, which, are distinguished from each other by different structural mechanisms for fastening or locking, respectively, all known support arrangements are complex and expensive structures. Specifically, the purchasing costs play an important role in the selection of a handling system.
Another very important aspect in the structural design of the aforedescribed support or fixing devices is the possibility of sterilizing them, since they are envisaged for the application in the sterile section of operation rooms. Clamping or jointed connectors are tedious or complicated to sterilize due to their multi-part structure as a result of a great number of gaps and interstices. The support or fixing components are frequently surrounded by so-called sterile disposable sheathings which, however, render the operability of the individual support components substantially more difficult. Moreover, the necessity to use the sterile sheathings accounts for an additional cost factor, which is not small, particularly as at least one sheath is consumed for each operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention improves a fixing device for at least one operating or fixing element suitable for application in a sterile area during operations, which is largely freely positioned in three dimensions and supported for fixing, in such a way that the expenditure for the fixing device to be used in the sterile area, which is incurred by sterilization in terms of operating technique and investment, is reduced to a minimum. Very expensive disposable materials such as those required in the known support or fixing devices should be entirely avoided. Apart therefrom, the fixing device permits an easy operability for the operating surgeon, in particular the complexity, which is required for the structure so that the fixing device with its support-like structure will be free three-dimensional positioning, and is as small and simple as possible. One essential aspect of the invention furthermore relates to the provision of a solution at the lowest costs possible, which mainly do not entail any operating and maintenance costs, or only slight costs, in everyday application.
The present invention takes the surgical operating towel or drape into consideration, which is used in all surgical operations and which separates the non-sterile area from the sterile area.
The surgical towels or drapes, which are mostly made of tissue (the explanation set forth hereinbelow applies on principle also to towels made of other materials or combinations of materials such as coated paper, synthetic towels, etc.), are mostly made of cotton or textile material dyed in green, and as such they are suitable for sterilization by appropriate washing processes and for repeated use. In surgical operations, sheet-like coverings of this kind are placed on the patient to be treated while an appropriate cut-out is left only on the body area where the surgical operation is to be performed. All the instruments and objects present above the sheet-like covering means are turned towards the operating surgeon and must be sterile whereas objects located underneath the sheet-like covering are required to satisfy only substantially lower demands in terms of sterility or no sterility requirements at all. The present invention makes use of this aspect.
In accordance with the present invention a fixing device for at least one operating element or fixing element suitable for application in the sterile area in surgical operations, which is largely free positioning in three dimensions and supported for being fixed, with the sterile area being separated from the non-sterile area substantially by means of a sheet-like covering, is improved by the provisions that a holding device is provided which is located in the non-sterile area and which comes into operative connection with the operating or fixing element via an effective area, while being at least separated by the covering, with the operative connection being based on magnetic forces.
The inventive fixing device is thus fundamentally composed of two component assemblies, i.e. those located in non-sterile condition underneath the covering and those located in the sterile area above the covering. The non-sterile components of the fixing means preferably comprise a fastening base which is configured either as a floor-mounted post or as clamping device for the releasable fixation on a fastening rail peripherally surrounding the operating table.
The holding device, which is preferably infinitely variably vertically adjustable about a vertical axis, is connected to the post or the clamping device, co-operating with the latter for forming a single unit. The holding device is configured as a permanent magnet in a simplest design, which comprises a plane, pan-shaped or concave-spherical effective a
Lemke Norbert
Lemke Rosemarie
Braun Leslie A.
Weinhold Ingrid
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