CA1048767A - Fingerloops and stops for surgical instruments - Google Patents
Fingerloops and stops for surgical instrumentsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1048767A CA1048767A CA75240073A CA240073A CA1048767A CA 1048767 A CA1048767 A CA 1048767A CA 75240073 A CA75240073 A CA 75240073A CA 240073 A CA240073 A CA 240073A CA 1048767 A CA1048767 A CA 1048767A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- instrument
- finger
- ratchet
- pivot axis
- loop
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000000452 restraining effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 210000002832 shoulder Anatomy 0.000 description 13
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002874 hemostatic agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003892 spreading Methods 0.000 description 1
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- Surgical Instruments (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An inexpensive and efficient shear and clamp type surgical instru-ment which is comfortable to use and eliminates excessive pressure at the jaws of the instrument is produced by incorporating a ratchet lock section on each arm, heel and shoulder stops associated with the ratchet lock sections and open finger gripping loops having a return curve portion between the normal finger gripping position and the pivot axis of the instrument's arms. The return curve portion in the finger gripping loops of the instrument prevents the operator's fingers from sliding into the open portion of the fingerloops, thereby eliminating pinching the operator's fingers. The heel and shoulder stops assure that the jaws of the surgical instrument cannot have more force applied thereto than the instrument is designed to handle. As a result, these features of the surgical instrument of this invention cooperate to provide an inexpensive instrument having the rigidity and feel of more expensive surgical instruments.
An inexpensive and efficient shear and clamp type surgical instru-ment which is comfortable to use and eliminates excessive pressure at the jaws of the instrument is produced by incorporating a ratchet lock section on each arm, heel and shoulder stops associated with the ratchet lock sections and open finger gripping loops having a return curve portion between the normal finger gripping position and the pivot axis of the instrument's arms. The return curve portion in the finger gripping loops of the instrument prevents the operator's fingers from sliding into the open portion of the fingerloops, thereby eliminating pinching the operator's fingers. The heel and shoulder stops assure that the jaws of the surgical instrument cannot have more force applied thereto than the instrument is designed to handle. As a result, these features of the surgical instrument of this invention cooperate to provide an inexpensive instrument having the rigidity and feel of more expensive surgical instruments.
Description
1~)48767 This application is a division of Canadian Patent Application 184,576, filed October 30, 1975.
This application relates to surgical instruments and more partic-ularly to shear and clamp type surgical instruments.
In most prior art surgical instruments, a ratchet stop is provided with two or more ratchet teeth which allows the surgical instrument to be easily advanced into a clamping position and maintained therein. Virtually all of the prior art ratchet stops are manufactured by incorporating ratchet teeth near both fingerloops which cooperate when the jaws of the surgical instrument are closed. However, these ratchet teeth are formed using the entire diameter of the rod, or extension portion provided for the ratchet teeth. Since the ratchet construction is made so as to allow easy locking engagement of the teeth, the ratchet teeth are both beveled to be easily advanced over each other.
However, since the entire diameter of the rod or extension portion is used for the ratchet teeth, application of additional force causes the ratchet teeth to continue to be advanced over each other resulting in excessive force being applied at the jaws and the interconnecting pivot point.
According to the present invention there is provided a hand-operated surgical instrument having two cooperating arms pivotally intercon-nected along a single axis, and comprising: A. cooperating jaw members each located on one end of a respective one of said arms, spaced away from said pivot axis in a similar direction; B. a finger-loop portion on each arm spaced away from said pivot axis in an opposite direction from said jaw members; and C. a ratchet lock section mounted on each arm adjacent the finger loop portion thereof, and comprising; a. at least two interlocking ratchet teeth having an effective height less than the cross-sectional height of said ratchet lock section, and b. a substantially flat surface extending from the terminating edge of the last ratchet to the outer peripheral surface of the ratchet lock section so as to prevent further engaged advancement of said ratchet sections when fully interlocked.
-1- `~;' 1~4~'7~7 The instrument may also be provided with finger loops in the form of a double reverse-curved finger restraining section in the portion of the loop nearest the pivot axis. This restrains unwanted advancement of the fingers towards the pivot axis.
A surgical instrument which embodies this invention may be inex-pensively manufactured from fixed lengths of continuous rod -like material which is bent into shape to form the pivotable arms of the instrument.
Thus according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a hand-operable surgical instrument comprising the steps of: A. cutting an elongated substantially cylindrical rod into a desired length; B. bending one end of said rod into a finger-loop portion; C. cutting the opposite end of said rod and simultaneously locating a pivot axis a desired distance from said cut and; D. forming said opposite end into a jaw member; E. forming a substantially straight portion at the terminating end of said finger-loop portion; and F. forming, in said substantially straight portion, at least two ratchet teeth with an effective height less than the cross-sectional height of said cylindrical rod and a substantially flat surface extending from the terminating edge of the last ratchet tooth to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical rod.
The features included in preferred embodiments of this invention all cooperate to form an inexpensive, rigid-feeling easily operable preci-sion instrument. The heel and shoulder stops cooperate with the ratchet stop arrangement to prevent excessive force from being applied to the jaw of the surgical instrument, while the finger slip-preventing portions pre-vent the operator's fingers from being pinched as the final jaw closing force is applied and the stops are brought into action. Also, the finger slip-preventing portions cooperate with the ratchet stop arrangement to prevent finger pinching when the finger holding portions are stopped from further movement.
87f~7 In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a top plan view of a towel clamp embodying this inven-tion shown in the closed position;
Figure 2 is a right side view of the towel clamp of Figure l;
- 2a -1~48767 Figure 3 is an end view of the towel clamp of Figure l;
Figure 3A is a greatly enlarged detail view of the ratchet lock portion shown in Figure 3;
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the towel clamp of Figure 1 shown in the open position;
Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the towel clamp of Figure 1 shown in the open position with the operator's fingers shown in phantom; and Figure 6 is a top plan view of the fingerloop portion of a surgical instrument embodying this invention.
In Figure 1, a surgical instrument represented by towel clamp 20 is shown. The use of a towel clamp is shown for exemplary purposes only, and as anyone skilled in the art would clearly understand, any clamp and shear-type surgical instrument such as a suture, hemostat, clamp or similar device could also be employed with the features of the invention. Towel clamp 20 comprises cooperating arms 22 and 24 which are pivotably interconnected by rivet 26, the central axis of which serves as the pi~ot axis for arms 22 and 24.
Arms 22 and 24 are individually formed from a single piece of rod like material into the desired shape exemplified by the towel clamp of Figure 1. In the preferred manufacturing process, each piece of rod like material is formed in a single operation into identical arm members. In this single operation, one end of the rod like material is bent into the fingerloop configuration of this invention while the opposite end is cut off with the desired location for rivet 26 punched and flat portions 36 and 37, best seen in Figures 4 and 5, formed about this location point. Since the rivet loca-tion point is punched, while or after the end of the rod material is cut off, the manufacturing process assures complete uniformity of products with each rivet location and flat portions 36 and 37 being substantially identical.
The preferred fingerloop configuration shown in Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6, comprises a finger holding portion 32 and a finger slip-preventing 87ti7 portion 34.
In the illustrated embodiment, slip-preventing portion 34 is form-ed by bending the rod like material of arms 22 and 24 into a substantially hook-shape form which initially curves towards the main body of the arm member and then reverses itself and curves away from the main arm body, with a substantially straight portion forming the terminating end thereof. As best seen in Figure 6, finger slip-preventing portion 32 comprises a curved portion 40 having a radius bending toward the main body of the arm member, a reverse curve portion 42, forming the hook of slip-preventing portion 32 and having a radius bending the cord like material away from the main body of the arm member, and a substantially straight terminating end portion 44. As shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5, finger holding portion 32 can substantially conform with the radius of curved portion 40 of slip-preventing portion 34, thereby forming a fingerloop, that is substantially circular in appearance; or the finger holding portion can have a substantially different configuration than the radius of portion 40 of slip-preventing portion 34 as shown by finger holding portion 42 in Figure 6.
By incorporating non-slip portion 34, the user of the surgical instrument is assured of not having his fingers pinched. In Figure 5 towel clamp 20 is shown in the open position with the movement-controlling fingers shown in phantom about finger holding portion 32. As jaws 28 and 30 are closed, as shown in Figure 1, the operator's fingers tend to advance along finger holding portion 32 toward the pivot axis of rivet 26. In prior art configurations, this advancement is not hindered and pinching of the opera-tor's finger may result. However, by incorporating slip-preventing portion 34, comfortable, pinch-free operation of the surgical instrument is assured.
As is obvious to one skilled in the art, slip-preventing portion 34 may have various configurations, other than the specific one herein described, without departing from the scope of this invention.
A$ter arms 22 and 24 have been formed in the manner described above, lf34~37~;7 the desired jaw configuration is formed. In the example shown in the accomany-ing drawings, the jaws of towel clamp 20 are formed by placing arm 22 in a rotary swaging machine which stretches the jaw end of arm 22 into a tapered end, which is then bent into the desired shape, forming towel clamping jaw 28.
Similarly, arm 24 is stretched and bent in an opposite direction into a co-operating t~el clamp jaw 30. Towel clamp 20 is then finally assembled by pivotably interconnecting arms 22 and 24 by rivet 26. In this final configu-ration, jaw members 28 and 30 cooperate to firmly clamp a towel therebetween.
The jaws of other surgical instruments can be formed in the conventional manner well known in the art.
The second feature of the surgical instrument of this invention is the heel and shoulder stops~ best seen by referring to Figures 4 and 5. As described above, flat portion 36 of arm 22 and flat portion 37 of arm 24 are formed when the pivot axis of the arm members is located. As a result, both portions 36 and 37 are substantially identical and are substantially identical symmetrical about the pivot axis formed by rivet 26.
As a result of the flattening operation, portion 36 of arm 22 in-corporates two side or shoulder stops 50 and 52 and two heel or raised portions 54 and 56. Similarly, port,ion 37 of arm 24 incorporates two side or shoulder stops 60 and 62 and two heel or raised portions 64 and 66. When arm members 22 and 24 are pivotably interconnected by rivet 26, shoulder 50 comes into abutting contact with heel 66 when the jaws of towel clamp 20 are closed.
Similarly, shoulder 52 comes into abutting contact with heel 64, shoulder 60 comes into abutting contact with heel 56, and shoulder 62 comes into abutting contact with heel 54 when the jaws of towel clamp 20 are closed.
As a result, a firm and secure heel and shoulder stop is provided which prevents jaws 28 and 30 from coming into greater cooperating overlapping contact than is desired. This prevents any unwantedJ excessive pressure and excessive overlap at the jaws of the surgical instrument, Furthermore, since the heel and shoulder stops are easily manufactured during the formation of the arm members of the surgical instruments without the requirement for expensive measuring or molding operations, the surgical instrument of this invention incorporates these unique features while still providing a sur-gical instrument that is inexpensive to manufacture.
The surgical instrument incorporates an interlocking ratchet con-struction, best seen in Figures 3 and 3A. Substantially straight portions 44 of arms 22 and 24 incorporate ratchet teeth 70 which are beveled to cooperat-ingly slide o er each other into a locked position and be maintained in this locked position until release. The use of ratchet teeth in surgical instru-ments is well known in the art, however, virtually all prior art surgical instruments have the tips of the ratchet teeth substantially coinciding with the outer peripheral surface of portion 44. In the present ratchet construc-tion, the tips of ratc~et teeth 70 do not coincide with outer surface 72 of portion 44, and instead are spaced substantially inward of outer surface 72.
Substantially straight portion 44 also incorporates leading edge 74 which marks the beginning of ratchet teeth 70 and a substantially flat wall 76 at the end of the ratchet teeth construction. Since the tips of the ratehet teeth 70 do not extend to outer surface 72 of portion 44, surface 76 extends from the last required ratchet position to outer surface 72. Surface 76 is substantially flat and substantially perpendicular to outer surface 72.
As a result, when the leading edges 74 of cooperating portions 44 are advanced towards each other, the angled ratchet teeth 70 easily move over one another into the locked position shown in Figures 3 and 3A. If excessive interlocking pressure is applied to arms 22 and 24, the leading edges 74 of portions 44 will abut surface 76, thereby preventing unwanted additional pressure from being applied at the jaws of the surgical instrument. Furthermore, the abut-ting contact between leading edge 74 and surface 76 prevents ratchet teeth 70 from being advanced beyond the desired locking position, which would result in unwanted spreading or bending of portions 44.
Finger slip-preventing portions 34 cooperate with the ratchet stop arrangement to prevent the fingers of the user from being pinched when the ratchet's stop surfaces 76 prevent further advancement of the finger holding portions 32. Also, shoulder stops 50, 52, 60 and 62, and heel stops 54, 56, 7~7 64 and 66 cooperate with the ratchet's stop surfaces 76 to prevent excessive pressure from bein~ applied to jaw members 28 and 30 when in the closed position. Similarly, finger slip-preventing portions 34 cooperate with shoul-der stops 50, 52, 60 and 62 and heel stops 54, 56, 64 and 66 to prevent finger pinching when jaw members 28 and 30 are in the closed position As is obvious to one skilled in the art, the ratchet construction with or without the finger slip-preventing portion, and the heel and shoulder stops described above and exemplified by the towl clamp of the drawings, can be effectively employed in any shear and clamp type surgical instrument includ-ing but not limited to, sutures, hemostats, sponge clamps, etc., as well as in other shear and clamp type instruments not related to the surgical field.
This application relates to surgical instruments and more partic-ularly to shear and clamp type surgical instruments.
In most prior art surgical instruments, a ratchet stop is provided with two or more ratchet teeth which allows the surgical instrument to be easily advanced into a clamping position and maintained therein. Virtually all of the prior art ratchet stops are manufactured by incorporating ratchet teeth near both fingerloops which cooperate when the jaws of the surgical instrument are closed. However, these ratchet teeth are formed using the entire diameter of the rod, or extension portion provided for the ratchet teeth. Since the ratchet construction is made so as to allow easy locking engagement of the teeth, the ratchet teeth are both beveled to be easily advanced over each other.
However, since the entire diameter of the rod or extension portion is used for the ratchet teeth, application of additional force causes the ratchet teeth to continue to be advanced over each other resulting in excessive force being applied at the jaws and the interconnecting pivot point.
According to the present invention there is provided a hand-operated surgical instrument having two cooperating arms pivotally intercon-nected along a single axis, and comprising: A. cooperating jaw members each located on one end of a respective one of said arms, spaced away from said pivot axis in a similar direction; B. a finger-loop portion on each arm spaced away from said pivot axis in an opposite direction from said jaw members; and C. a ratchet lock section mounted on each arm adjacent the finger loop portion thereof, and comprising; a. at least two interlocking ratchet teeth having an effective height less than the cross-sectional height of said ratchet lock section, and b. a substantially flat surface extending from the terminating edge of the last ratchet to the outer peripheral surface of the ratchet lock section so as to prevent further engaged advancement of said ratchet sections when fully interlocked.
-1- `~;' 1~4~'7~7 The instrument may also be provided with finger loops in the form of a double reverse-curved finger restraining section in the portion of the loop nearest the pivot axis. This restrains unwanted advancement of the fingers towards the pivot axis.
A surgical instrument which embodies this invention may be inex-pensively manufactured from fixed lengths of continuous rod -like material which is bent into shape to form the pivotable arms of the instrument.
Thus according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a hand-operable surgical instrument comprising the steps of: A. cutting an elongated substantially cylindrical rod into a desired length; B. bending one end of said rod into a finger-loop portion; C. cutting the opposite end of said rod and simultaneously locating a pivot axis a desired distance from said cut and; D. forming said opposite end into a jaw member; E. forming a substantially straight portion at the terminating end of said finger-loop portion; and F. forming, in said substantially straight portion, at least two ratchet teeth with an effective height less than the cross-sectional height of said cylindrical rod and a substantially flat surface extending from the terminating edge of the last ratchet tooth to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical rod.
The features included in preferred embodiments of this invention all cooperate to form an inexpensive, rigid-feeling easily operable preci-sion instrument. The heel and shoulder stops cooperate with the ratchet stop arrangement to prevent excessive force from being applied to the jaw of the surgical instrument, while the finger slip-preventing portions pre-vent the operator's fingers from being pinched as the final jaw closing force is applied and the stops are brought into action. Also, the finger slip-preventing portions cooperate with the ratchet stop arrangement to prevent finger pinching when the finger holding portions are stopped from further movement.
87f~7 In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a top plan view of a towel clamp embodying this inven-tion shown in the closed position;
Figure 2 is a right side view of the towel clamp of Figure l;
- 2a -1~48767 Figure 3 is an end view of the towel clamp of Figure l;
Figure 3A is a greatly enlarged detail view of the ratchet lock portion shown in Figure 3;
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the towel clamp of Figure 1 shown in the open position;
Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the towel clamp of Figure 1 shown in the open position with the operator's fingers shown in phantom; and Figure 6 is a top plan view of the fingerloop portion of a surgical instrument embodying this invention.
In Figure 1, a surgical instrument represented by towel clamp 20 is shown. The use of a towel clamp is shown for exemplary purposes only, and as anyone skilled in the art would clearly understand, any clamp and shear-type surgical instrument such as a suture, hemostat, clamp or similar device could also be employed with the features of the invention. Towel clamp 20 comprises cooperating arms 22 and 24 which are pivotably interconnected by rivet 26, the central axis of which serves as the pi~ot axis for arms 22 and 24.
Arms 22 and 24 are individually formed from a single piece of rod like material into the desired shape exemplified by the towel clamp of Figure 1. In the preferred manufacturing process, each piece of rod like material is formed in a single operation into identical arm members. In this single operation, one end of the rod like material is bent into the fingerloop configuration of this invention while the opposite end is cut off with the desired location for rivet 26 punched and flat portions 36 and 37, best seen in Figures 4 and 5, formed about this location point. Since the rivet loca-tion point is punched, while or after the end of the rod material is cut off, the manufacturing process assures complete uniformity of products with each rivet location and flat portions 36 and 37 being substantially identical.
The preferred fingerloop configuration shown in Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6, comprises a finger holding portion 32 and a finger slip-preventing 87ti7 portion 34.
In the illustrated embodiment, slip-preventing portion 34 is form-ed by bending the rod like material of arms 22 and 24 into a substantially hook-shape form which initially curves towards the main body of the arm member and then reverses itself and curves away from the main arm body, with a substantially straight portion forming the terminating end thereof. As best seen in Figure 6, finger slip-preventing portion 32 comprises a curved portion 40 having a radius bending toward the main body of the arm member, a reverse curve portion 42, forming the hook of slip-preventing portion 32 and having a radius bending the cord like material away from the main body of the arm member, and a substantially straight terminating end portion 44. As shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5, finger holding portion 32 can substantially conform with the radius of curved portion 40 of slip-preventing portion 34, thereby forming a fingerloop, that is substantially circular in appearance; or the finger holding portion can have a substantially different configuration than the radius of portion 40 of slip-preventing portion 34 as shown by finger holding portion 42 in Figure 6.
By incorporating non-slip portion 34, the user of the surgical instrument is assured of not having his fingers pinched. In Figure 5 towel clamp 20 is shown in the open position with the movement-controlling fingers shown in phantom about finger holding portion 32. As jaws 28 and 30 are closed, as shown in Figure 1, the operator's fingers tend to advance along finger holding portion 32 toward the pivot axis of rivet 26. In prior art configurations, this advancement is not hindered and pinching of the opera-tor's finger may result. However, by incorporating slip-preventing portion 34, comfortable, pinch-free operation of the surgical instrument is assured.
As is obvious to one skilled in the art, slip-preventing portion 34 may have various configurations, other than the specific one herein described, without departing from the scope of this invention.
A$ter arms 22 and 24 have been formed in the manner described above, lf34~37~;7 the desired jaw configuration is formed. In the example shown in the accomany-ing drawings, the jaws of towel clamp 20 are formed by placing arm 22 in a rotary swaging machine which stretches the jaw end of arm 22 into a tapered end, which is then bent into the desired shape, forming towel clamping jaw 28.
Similarly, arm 24 is stretched and bent in an opposite direction into a co-operating t~el clamp jaw 30. Towel clamp 20 is then finally assembled by pivotably interconnecting arms 22 and 24 by rivet 26. In this final configu-ration, jaw members 28 and 30 cooperate to firmly clamp a towel therebetween.
The jaws of other surgical instruments can be formed in the conventional manner well known in the art.
The second feature of the surgical instrument of this invention is the heel and shoulder stops~ best seen by referring to Figures 4 and 5. As described above, flat portion 36 of arm 22 and flat portion 37 of arm 24 are formed when the pivot axis of the arm members is located. As a result, both portions 36 and 37 are substantially identical and are substantially identical symmetrical about the pivot axis formed by rivet 26.
As a result of the flattening operation, portion 36 of arm 22 in-corporates two side or shoulder stops 50 and 52 and two heel or raised portions 54 and 56. Similarly, port,ion 37 of arm 24 incorporates two side or shoulder stops 60 and 62 and two heel or raised portions 64 and 66. When arm members 22 and 24 are pivotably interconnected by rivet 26, shoulder 50 comes into abutting contact with heel 66 when the jaws of towel clamp 20 are closed.
Similarly, shoulder 52 comes into abutting contact with heel 64, shoulder 60 comes into abutting contact with heel 56, and shoulder 62 comes into abutting contact with heel 54 when the jaws of towel clamp 20 are closed.
As a result, a firm and secure heel and shoulder stop is provided which prevents jaws 28 and 30 from coming into greater cooperating overlapping contact than is desired. This prevents any unwantedJ excessive pressure and excessive overlap at the jaws of the surgical instrument, Furthermore, since the heel and shoulder stops are easily manufactured during the formation of the arm members of the surgical instruments without the requirement for expensive measuring or molding operations, the surgical instrument of this invention incorporates these unique features while still providing a sur-gical instrument that is inexpensive to manufacture.
The surgical instrument incorporates an interlocking ratchet con-struction, best seen in Figures 3 and 3A. Substantially straight portions 44 of arms 22 and 24 incorporate ratchet teeth 70 which are beveled to cooperat-ingly slide o er each other into a locked position and be maintained in this locked position until release. The use of ratchet teeth in surgical instru-ments is well known in the art, however, virtually all prior art surgical instruments have the tips of the ratchet teeth substantially coinciding with the outer peripheral surface of portion 44. In the present ratchet construc-tion, the tips of ratc~et teeth 70 do not coincide with outer surface 72 of portion 44, and instead are spaced substantially inward of outer surface 72.
Substantially straight portion 44 also incorporates leading edge 74 which marks the beginning of ratchet teeth 70 and a substantially flat wall 76 at the end of the ratchet teeth construction. Since the tips of the ratehet teeth 70 do not extend to outer surface 72 of portion 44, surface 76 extends from the last required ratchet position to outer surface 72. Surface 76 is substantially flat and substantially perpendicular to outer surface 72.
As a result, when the leading edges 74 of cooperating portions 44 are advanced towards each other, the angled ratchet teeth 70 easily move over one another into the locked position shown in Figures 3 and 3A. If excessive interlocking pressure is applied to arms 22 and 24, the leading edges 74 of portions 44 will abut surface 76, thereby preventing unwanted additional pressure from being applied at the jaws of the surgical instrument. Furthermore, the abut-ting contact between leading edge 74 and surface 76 prevents ratchet teeth 70 from being advanced beyond the desired locking position, which would result in unwanted spreading or bending of portions 44.
Finger slip-preventing portions 34 cooperate with the ratchet stop arrangement to prevent the fingers of the user from being pinched when the ratchet's stop surfaces 76 prevent further advancement of the finger holding portions 32. Also, shoulder stops 50, 52, 60 and 62, and heel stops 54, 56, 7~7 64 and 66 cooperate with the ratchet's stop surfaces 76 to prevent excessive pressure from bein~ applied to jaw members 28 and 30 when in the closed position. Similarly, finger slip-preventing portions 34 cooperate with shoul-der stops 50, 52, 60 and 62 and heel stops 54, 56, 64 and 66 to prevent finger pinching when jaw members 28 and 30 are in the closed position As is obvious to one skilled in the art, the ratchet construction with or without the finger slip-preventing portion, and the heel and shoulder stops described above and exemplified by the towl clamp of the drawings, can be effectively employed in any shear and clamp type surgical instrument includ-ing but not limited to, sutures, hemostats, sponge clamps, etc., as well as in other shear and clamp type instruments not related to the surgical field.
Claims (8)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A hand-operated surgical instrument having two cooperating arms pivotally interconnected along a single axis, and comprising: A. cooperating jaw members each located on one end of a respective one of said arms, spaced away from said pivot axis in a similar direction; B. a finger-loop portion on each arm spaced away from said pivot axis in an opposite direction from said jaw members; and C. a ratchet lock section mounted on each arm adjacent the finger-loop portion thereof, and comprising; a. at least two ratchet teeth having an effective height less than the cross-sectional height of said ratchet lock section, and b. a substantially flat surface attached to the ratchet lock section and extending from the terminating edge of the last ratchet tooth to the outer peripheral surface of the ratchet lock section so as to provide an abutting surface engageable with a corresponding surface on the other ratchet lock section to prevent further engaged advance-ment of said ratchet sections when fully interlocked.
2. An instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said arms is further defined as comprising a substantially flat zone peripherally dis-posed about said pivot axis and incorporating: a. a heel stop, and b. a shoulder stop cooperating with the heel stop of the other arm to prevent additional closing force from being applied to said jaw members when said jaw members are closed.
3. An instrument as defined in claim 1 or 2 wherein said finger loops are further defined as incorporating means for preventing unwanted advance-ment of the finger towards said pivot axis comprising a double reverse-curved finger-restraining section in the portion of the loop nearest said pivot axis.
4. An instrument as defined in claim 1 or 2 wherein said shoulder stop is further defined as comprising one of the sides of said arm adjacent to said flat zone.
5. An instrument as defined in claim 1 or 2 wherein said heel stop comprises the intermediate raised portion between said substantially flat zone and the outer peripheral surface of said arm.
6. A method of manufacturing a hand-operable surgical instrument comprising the steps of: A. cutting an elongated substantially cylindrical rod into a desired length; B. bending one end of said rod into a finger-loop portion; C. cutting the opposite end of said rod and simultaneously locating a pivot axis a desired distance from said cut and; D. forming said opposite end into a jaw member; E. forming a substantially straight portion at the terminating end of said finger-loop portion; and F. forming, in said sub-stantially straight portion, at least two ratchet teeth with an effective height less than the cross-sectional height of said cylindrical rod and a substantially flat surface extending from the terminating edge of the last ratchet tooth to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical rod.
7. The method of manufacturing defined in claim 6, comprising the additional step of; G. flattening a portion of said rod about said pivot axis location point, forming heel and shoulder stops.
8. The method of manufacturing defined in claim 6 comprising the additional step of: bending said finger-loop into one incorporating a finger restraining section in the portion of the loop nearest the pivot axis loca-tion, said section defined by a curved portion extending towards the loop and a reverse-curved portion extending away from the loop.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US00306321A US3823719A (en) | 1972-11-14 | 1972-11-14 | Finger operated forceps type surgical instrument |
| CA184,576A CA1017134A (en) | 1972-11-14 | 1973-10-30 | Fingerloops and stops for surgical instruments |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1048767A true CA1048767A (en) | 1979-02-20 |
Family
ID=25667398
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA75240073A Expired CA1048767A (en) | 1972-11-14 | 1975-11-20 | Fingerloops and stops for surgical instruments |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1048767A (en) |
-
1975
- 1975-11-20 CA CA75240073A patent/CA1048767A/en not_active Expired
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