Surgery – Instruments – Forceps
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-21
2001-11-27
Reip, David O. (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Forceps
C606S170000, C606S174000, C600S564000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322579
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a sliding shaft surgical instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
A sliding shaft instrument of this type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,519 or corresponding DE 41 15 937 A1. This surgical sliding shaft instrument includes a guide element adapted for receiving a carriage. The sliding shaft instrument further includes a grip element, which is comprised of a stationary grip part, of which one end is provided with an arm pivotably connected with the guide element and releasably connectable to the guide element. Further, a moveable grip part is provided, which is pivotably linked to the arm, and which is in engagement with the carriage via a push part extending through a slit or through-hole in the arm, for operation thereof. Further, a compression spring is provided between the two grip parts, in order to pretension the moveable grip part in a rest position. Via a locking mechanism, the connection between the arm and the guide element can be released. The sliding shaft instrument further exhibits a rotation means for adjustment of the angular position of the work carriage.
In order to operate the carriage via the push part, the proximal end of the carriage is provided with a rod-shaped projection, on the end of which a ball-shaped projection is provided. In order to be able to move the carriage upon movement of the moveable grip part, this ball-shaped projection must be seated in a corresponding receptacle of the push part.
To do this it is however necessary to be able to observe a seating process from the outside. For this reason, the guide element is provided with a through-hole or window. This construction is not only expensive since various construction components must be precisely dimensioned with respect to each other, it also causes the seating process of the individual parts to be difficult and time-consuming.
U.S. 2,113,246 discloses a surgical instrument in which a compression spring is integrated in a carriage, which pretensions a moveable grip part in a starting position. For change-out of the carriage, this is seated upon a saddle, wherein a circular longitudinal section must be positioned with a thereto connecting shoulder and an oppositely lying segment positioned on a rib-shaped projection of the shoulder. Subsequently, a closing part is pivoted over the work carriage and locked with the shoulder. At the same time, the moveable grip part, the upper end of which forms a take-along fork, is introduced in a ring-notch or recess of the moveable part of the carriage, wherein the moveable part must be displaced or slid against the action of the compression spring and temporarily held in a particular position in order to make possible the seating upon the fork of the moveable grip part.
It is considered to be disadvantageous, that the seating of the work carriage is comparatively difficult and inconvenient to accomplish. There is also the danger, that during the attempt of seating the moveable part upon the fork under pretension of the spring, that this escapes upwardly and jumps out of the shoulder, before the locking part pivots back and can be locked closed. =p Further, the instrument is so conceived, that for operation of the moveable mouth part, the two grip parts must be pulled apart. These have grip-eyes at their lower ends, without which the operation of the instrument would not be possible. The movement direction is ergonomically inconvenient and makes difficult a targeted and precise force transmission. For the application of greater forces, it is in certain cases even necessary to use both hands to pull the grip parts apart at the grip eyes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on the task, of providing a surgical sliding shaft instrument of the above-described type, wherein a simplified construction of the instrument is made possible by a technical simplification.
The essential concept of the invention is comprised therein, that the compression spring necessary for the operation of the sliding shaft instrument is integrated in the carriage. This compression spring always tensions the carriage in its starting or—as the case may be—rest position. On the basis of the provision of the compression spring in the carriage, it is no longer necessary to mechanically connect or couple the carriage with the push part of the moveable grip part. The engagement between the carriage and the push part of the moveable grip part is accomplished essentially by a touching contact of the push part against the proximal end of the carriage. Therewith, via the touch contact between the proximal end of the carriage and the push part, the moveable grip part is also simultaneously pretensioned in its starting or—as the case may be—rest position.
The compression spring is herein provided lying against a register or stop collar at the proximal end of the carriage, wherein this stop collar is in touch contact with the push part.
The closure element includes a spring-loaded pretensioned catch-hook, which can be brought into engagement with a locking hook provided correspondingly at the proximal end of the guide element.
Therein, the catch-hook is preferably pretensioned by means of a leaf spring and operable via an outward facing pressure plate provided on the stationary grip part and operable for the locking engagement of the connection between the guide element and the grip trunk.
This type of locking is substantially more secure in comparison to the locking means used in the above-described state of the art since here, as a result of the design, an unintentional release of the engagement of between the guide element and the grip trunk is no longer possible.
The locking element according to the above-described state of the art, in comparison, is comprised essentially of a small locking device provided in the area of the grip trunk, which can be easily released by unintentional contact.
The sliding shaft instrument can advantageously include a re-orientation or rotation means, with which the angular position of the carriage can be adjusted.
Preferably the rotation means is a perforated ring or wheel connected to the carriage fixed against rotation, and in engagement with a pin, which is moveable via a release lever provided outside on the grip trunk.
In contrast to the above-described known state of the art, the rotation means includes no star wheel which, to be re-oriented, requires an operating person to extract an engagement tooth with two fingers of a free hand towards the proximal end of the sliding shaft instrument. Since the operating person must hold the sliding shaft instrument with the other hand, it becomes possible to adjust the angle of rotation only with the aid of an additional person.
With the help of the release lever provided outside on the grip trunk, which is supported upon a pivot or stud in a rocker-like manner, the operating person can operate the release lever with one finger, usually the index finger, of the respective hand with which the operating person is holding the two grip parts of the sliding shaft instrument.
Thereby the angular adjustment is not only significantly simplified, it is also made more reliable.
The stationary grip part can include an outwardly projecting horn or bulge, against which the hand of the operating person can be supported for better handling or manipulation.
In order to make possible a complete disassembly of the sliding shaft instrument for cleaning purposes, the grip trunk can be connected with the guide element via a removable pin.
The same applies for the moveable grip part, which can be linked via a removable pivot pin in the area of the grip trunk.
As the material for the sliding shaft instrument, surgical steel is preferred.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2113246 (1938-04-01), Wappler
patent: 2790437 (1957-04-01), Moore
patent: 4662371 (1987-05-01), Whipple et al.
patent: 5133727 (1992-07-01), Bales et al.
patent: 5159374 (1992-10-01), Groshong
patent: 5273519 (1993-12-01), Koros et al.
patent: 5282800 (1994-02-01), Foshee et al.
patent: 78
Lewis William
Pendorf & Cutliff
Reip David O.
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