Surgery – Instruments – Cutting – puncturing or piercing
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-14
2003-11-11
Reip, David O. (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Cutting, puncturing or piercing
C030S162000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06645216
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Surgical scalpels are used by medical personnel in connection with surgical procedures ranging from simple out-patient procedures to extraordinarily complex procedures carried out under general anesthesia. When working with such a sharp instrument, there is always a danger to medical personnel of inadvertent puncture of the skin. Aside from the injury itself, the more important concern for the punctured individual relates to the potential spread of disease from a non-sterile instrument.
The use of surgical scalpels having a retractable blade has been suggested as a means for reducing the number of such puncture wounds. Indeed, a number of patents have been issued which are directed toward surgical scalpels having retractable blades. These include, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,531,754, 6,254,621, 6,041,505, 6,022,364, 6,015,419, 5,908,432, and 5,779,724. Absent from the disclosure of these referenced U.S. Patents, and any other publication of which Applicant is aware, is a means for determining whether the retractable blade of the surgical scalpel has ever been advanced. In the absence of such an indicator, it may be possible for a previously used scalpel to be mistaken for a new and sterile scalpel. It is certainly less likely that such a mistake could be made if a surgical scalpel equipped with a retractable blade were also designed to incorporate a single-use indicator which would provide a clear indication if the blade of the device were ever extended post-manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a single-use surgical scalpel offering a variety of advantages relative to prior art devices. In preferred embodiments, the surgical scalpel of the present invention consists of three elements: a housing, a blade carrier, and a blade.
The scalpel housing is preferably molded from plastic in an injection molding procedure. As will be seen by reference to the attached drawings, the housing consists of two halves which are either ultrasonically welded together, or held closed by means of snap together features in the assembled device with the blade carrier and blade in place. While the two halves can be molded independently, in preferred embodiments the two halves are molded as a single unit with the two halves being joined by a live hinge.
When assembled, with the two halves ultrasonically welded together, the molded plastic housing has an upper and a lower radiused edge, and interior and exterior wall surfaces. In preferred embodiments, the interior walls of the molded plastic housing are ribbed, with the innermost surfaces of the ribs defining a channel for the slidable engagement of a blade carrier. The use of molded ribs, rather than simply employing an unribbed inner wall surface, offers well known advantages in the injection molding process. In addition, the ribbed bearing surface provides decreased friction in blade carrier movement when compared to the frictional forces encountered with a non-ribbed bearing surface. Other features of the channel include, an open end through which a surgical blade is extended during use, a slot through the lower radiused edge for slidable engagement of an actuator/locking fin, a single-use indicator window, and a retaining element for engaging a distal end of a leaf spring.
The molded plastic blade carrier, which is slidably engaged by the channel defined by the ribbed interior wall surface of the housing, includes a first end adapted for engaging the surgical blade, and a second end comprising a leaf spring to assist in blade retraction, the leaf spring having a proximal and a distal end. The blade carrier also includes a central portion which includes the actuator/locking fin and a single-use indicator.
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Masury David H.
Thompson Edward P.
Farrell Kevin M.
Nguyen Victor X
Pierce Atwood
Reip David O.
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