Surgery – Endoscope – Having imaging and illumination means
Patent
1995-05-03
1997-09-16
Apley, Richard J.
Surgery
Endoscope
Having imaging and illumination means
600101, 600160, 385117, A61B 1005
Patent
active
056674783
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of tools, medical instruments and especially surgical instruments, and more particularly to an improvement made to conventional instruments that allows the user to have improved visibility of the interaction between the working ends of those tools or instruments and the object or tissue being worked on.
II. Discussion of the prior Art
In a co-pending application of Finn, et al., entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT INCORPORATING FIBER OPTIC VIEWING SYSTEMS, which is being filed concurrently herewith and whose teachings are hereby incorporated by reference, there is described a combination of a tool, such as a surgical instrument, of the type having a handle member at a proximal end thereof, a working element, such as scissors blades, forceps jaws, rongeur blades or a scalpel blade at its distal end, the two being joined together by a rigid shaft and at least one fiber-optic bundle affixed to the exterior of the instrument and extending along substantially the entire length of the handle and shaft. The objective lens of the fiber-optic bundle is accurately positioned relative to the instrument's working element so as to allow viewing of the engagement between the working element and the tissue being manipulated. By coupling the fiber-optic bundle to a suitable viewing device at its proximal end, the surgeon may observe the engagement between the working element of the instrument and the tissue being manipulated, even when that tissue is internal to the body and not directly viewable through an incision.
The invention of the aforereferenced copending application presumes that the fiber-optic bundle or bundles will be secured to the instrument as a factory operation. A need exists, however, for applying the principles of that invention to existing instruments that may already be present in a hospital's inventory. Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a kit, allowing a surgical assistant to append fiber-optic viewing assemblies to existing instruments immediately prior to their use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The viewing optics kit of the present invention comprises at least one fiber-optic bundle of the type including a plurality of elongated, flexible, image fibers having first and second ends with an objective lens attached to said first end and a connector attached to the second end. The connector is adapted to mate with a viewing device. The image fibers are contained within a flexible sheath which may also contain a plurality of illumination fibers. An attachment means is also included in the kit and is adapted to secure the fiber-optic bundle(s) to the exterior surface of a selected one of a variety of instruments with the fiber-optic bundle(s) following and conforming to the profile of that instrument over substantially its entire length and with the objective lens on the fiber-optic bundle(s) positioned so as to include in the field-of-view of the lens the working element of the instrument with which it is used.
The components of this kit, prior to use, are preferably contained within an enclosure of the type including a bottom tray having compartments formed therein for retaining one or more fiber-optic bundles and the attachment means. A top cover, which may be formed from a spun-bonded polyolefin fiber material, completes the enclosure. By using this material, the kit can be sterilized after the fiber-optic bundle and the attachment means are enclosed within the enclosure.
In accordance with the invention, the attachment means may be a coating of a pressure-sensitive adhesive on the sheath of the fiber-optic bundle or strips of double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape having release paper protecting the adhesive layers. The surgeon's assistant, when in the operating room, may unseal the enclosure and use the doubled-sided adhesive tape or coating to adhere the fiber-optic bundle to the exterior surface of the instrument.
As a further feature of the invention, the ki
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Barthel Thomas C.
Finn Miles A.
McFarlin Whitney A.
Apley Richard J.
Clarus Medical Systems, Inc.
Leubecker John P.
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