Surgery – Instruments – Means for inserting or removing conduit within body
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-21
2001-06-12
Smith, Jeffrey A. (Department: 3732)
Surgery
Instruments
Means for inserting or removing conduit within body
Reexamination Certificate
active
06245077
ABSTRACT:
The Universal Aural Grommet Inserter is utilised to insert transtympanic aural grommets in an ear to ventilate the middle ear and relieve pain and infection.
There are a multitude of varying designs of aural ventilation tube and this new Universal Aural Grommet Inserter is designed to enable a competent medical practitioner to insert most types of aural ventilation tube within an ear.
The device is similar in appearance to a commonly utilised instrument with which all Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons are familiar, namely a suction tube hand-piece. The device is intended to be single use and is operated by a slide control on the hand-piece of the Universal Aural Grommet Inserter. The slide control is intended to advance and retract a 0.5 mm curved stainless steel wire to grasp and release the aural grommets. The use of this device will obviate the need for conventional forceps and ensure optimum grasping angle for presentation of the aural grommet to the ear drum.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
An aural ventilation tube can take many forms but it is intended to be inserted into the human ear drum for the purpose of ventilating the middle ear cleft. In short, it maintains an airway between the middle ear and the external ear canal. It may be called a ‘drain’, which is a misnomer; a ‘vent tube’; a ‘p.e. (pressure equalization) tube’ or a ‘grommet’.
Aural ventilation tubes/grommets are normally inserted with surgical alligator forceps (see FIG.
1
). Especially designed inserters have been used, which transport the ventilation tube/grommet by means of a metal pin (see FIG.
2
), having an interference fit with the lumen or bore, i.e. the internal diameter of the tube. Once in situ, the pin is withdrawn from the lumen into a tube, the distal end of which, pressing against the outer flange of the grommet, thereby prevents its dislodgement from the incision in the ear drum, so leaving the ventilation tube/grommet in situ.
The ear drum closes the external ear canal, forming a beveled end to the canal. Existing inserters, which fit the internal diameter of the vent tube, are rarely used because they present the leading or inner flange of the ventilation tube/grommet to the ear drum at the wrong angle, which means that it is difficult or, for some clinicians, impossible to locate the device across the ear drum, owing to the length of the narrow, external ear canal, which severely limits the surgeon's ability to manipulate the grommet into the incision in the ear drum.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a convenient and economic method by which to insert an aural ventilation tube/grommet. The invention constitutes a more secure, stable and hygienic means of transporting and inserting an aural grommet, whilst improving the ergonomics of the procedure.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2243305 (1941-05-01), Adler
patent: 4268955 (1981-05-01), Daniels
patent: 5383886 (1995-01-01), Kensey et al.
patent: 5437682 (1995-08-01), Grice et al.
patent: 99281 (1898-09-01), None
patent: 3007994 (1980-09-01), None
patent: 3812165 (1989-10-01), None
East Matthew Scott
Pennington-Ridge Edward
Exmoor Plastics Ltd.
Smith Jeffrey A.
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