GB2033819A - Removing and storing scalpel blades - Google Patents

Abstract

An appliance suitable for removing the exchangeable blade of a scalpel of the conventional exchangeable- bladed kind, the appliance comprising a box, a member for abutting the exchangeable blade and a stop 7 for retaining the exchangeable blade, all mutually arranged in such a way as to allow a user to insert the scalpel blade mounted on the scalpel handle and then to flex the blade on the abutment member so that its end engages against the stop and can be released and retained in the box when the handle is pulled away. Preferably stop 7 is a lip formed on a projecting end 6 of a lid 2 that is attached to the rest of box 1 only at the end remote from end 6 and the abutment member is the edge 14, Figure 6 not shown of end wall 5 that faces lid 2. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Appliance for manipulating scalpel blades This invention relates to an appliance for manipulating scalpel blades, and in particular for the removal of blades from the blade-carrying handles of cutting knives with removable blades, e.g. surgical scalpels with exchangeable blades.

A standard surgical scalpel of the conventional exchangeable-bladed kind comprises a handle which has a blade-carrying end including an elongate blade-engaging lug, and a removable blade which has a slot which engages with the lug. Often the slot is of similar length to the lug: it normally has a narrow portion, of which the opposed edges engage firmly and slidably with a pair of grooves which are disposed one in each side of the lug, and which extend along part of the lug from one end thereof, e.g. corresponding in length to the length of the narrow portion of the slot in the blade; the slot also has a wide portion wide enough to fit over the corresponding portion of the lug.

The blade is fitted to the handle by introducing the edges of the narrow portion of the slot, where they open out towards the wide portion, into the ends of the grooves at one end of the lug. It is necessary to have the blade slightly flexed while pushing the narrow part of the slot home into the grooves, since the end of the blade adjacent the wide end of the slot has to pass over the top of the lug, while the grooves are being engaged. When the blade is home, the blade end next to the wide end of the slot snaps in, the adjacent end of the lug passing through the wide end of the slot.

In orderto remove the blade, this sequence of operations has to be reversed: the end of the blade adjacent the wide end of the slot has to be raised by flexing until it is raised clear of the lug, before the narrow part of the slot can be released from the grooves in the lug by pulling the blade away.

In use, surgical scalpels often become wet and contaminated with blood and biological tissue, and consquently it is difficult for an operator to change the blade with the fingers without injury and risk of consequent infection.

According to this invention we provide an appliance suitable for removing the exchangeable blade of a scalpel of the conventional exchangeablebladed kind, the appliance comprising a box, a member for abutting the exchangeable blade and a stop for retaining the exchangeable blade, all mutually arranged in such a way as to allow a user to insert the scalpel blade mounted on the scalpel handle and then to flex the blade on the abutment member so that its end engages against the stop and can be released and retained in the box when the handle is pulled away. This appliance enables the work of removing the blade to be done with the blade shielded from the user's hands by the box, and the box can be made large enough to offer a convenient and clean temporary receptacle for a plurality of used blades.

The stop of this appliance can take the form of a lip on a lid or flap of the box, which may for example be attached at one end only, but it can alternatively be of other forms, e.g. an internal ledge, rim or bracket.

The abutment member can comprise the edge of a wall of the box having a notch or slot therein to receive part of the scalpel handle when the blade is flexed against said edge, e.g. that part of the handle end which carries the blade-engaging lug, in the conventional exchangeable-bladed scalpel.

It can assist positive engagement of the blade end with the stop when a lid or flap of the box, e.g. one carrying a lip as mentioned above, or an alternative form of stop, closely abuts the abutment member (and blade-abutting edge thereof) and can be forced slightly away from the abutment member to allow the scalpel blade and portion of the handle to be inserted therebetween. In its normal position the lid or flap can either here abut the edge in actual contact, or be very slightly spaced therefrom, to require forcing apart by the scalpel.

In this connection the appliance can be made of metal, plastics or other substantially rigid material.

This can also allow slight deformation of the lid by manual pressure during blade extraction in an inward direction to assist positive engagement between blade, stop and abutment.

It can be seen that the invention also provides an operative combination of a scalpel of the conventional exchangeable-bladed kind with an appliance for removing the exchangeable blade, in which tHe appliance has: a box for retaining a removed blade; a siotted or notched edge with the scalpel so disposed thereagainst that a part of the handle is disposed with the slot or notch and the blade is abutted by the edge and thereby flexed away from the handle and positoned for release therefrom; and the box has a lid carrying a stop, the lid being forced away from the notched edge by the scapel to such an extent as to allow insertion of the scalpel and blade therebetween, and the stop abutting an end of the blade in such a sense as to retain the blade against pulling-away of the scalpel handle.

The invention is described in further detail with reference to the accompany diagrammatic drawings.

Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a scalpel of the conventional exchangeable-bladed kind (not to scale).

Figures 2 to 7 show an appliance according to an embodiment of the invention, in perspective view, underneath plan, side elevation, end elevation, and two cross-sections, on lines VI to VI and VII to VII in Figure 4 respectively.

Referring to the drawings, the appliance comprises a plastics box 1 about 7 cm long x 3 cm wide, and about 1 cm thick. A lid 2 forms one face of the box: it is attached at end 3 oniy, but abuts the edge 4 of the wall 5 forming the opposite end. Its other end 6 projects about a centimetre beyond wall 5 and has a lip 7 at its edge, to form a stop for a blade projecting out of the box between lid iand edge 4. Lid 2 is either in contact with edge 4 or insufficiently far away to allow introduction of a scalpel and blade therebetween, but the slightly flexible though substantially rigid nature of the plastics forming the box allows lid 2-and edge 4 to be forced apart to allow insertion of a scalpel and blade.It also allows manual deformation of the lid during blade extrac tion by inward pressure to assist positive engage ment between blade, stop and abutment. A notch or slot 8 (about 4 x 4 mm in rectangular shape) in wall 5 receives part of the scalpel handle under these conditions.

In operation, a scalpel is introduced between end wall 5 and lid 2, forcing them apart, (so that the lug holding the blade on abuts against wall 2, usually) and part of the handle is received in notch 8. The blade abuts on edges 4 adjacent the wider part of the slot in the blade, and manual pressure moves the handle further into notch 4 to flex this part of the blade up and over the retaining lug on the scalpel handle. In this position the end of the blade can be engaged and retained by the stop formed by lip 7 on lid 2, and when this is done, the handle can be withdrawn leaving the blade reained in the ap pliance. It can then be shaken down into the body of the box if need be.

Claims (10)

1. An appliance suitable for removing the ex changeable blade of a scalpel of the conventional exchangeable-bladed kind, the appliance comprising a box, a member for abutting the exchangeable blade and a stop for retaining the exchangeable blade, all mutually arranged in such a way as to allow a user to insert the scalpel blade mounted on the scalpel handle and then to flex the blade on the abutment member so that its end engages against the stop and can be released and retained in the box when the handle is pulled away.

2. An appliance according to claim 1 in which the stop comprises a lip on a lid of the box.

3. An appliance according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the abutment member comprises the edge of a wall of the box having a notch or slot therein to receive part of the scalpel handle when the blade is flexed against said edge.

4. An appliance according to claim 1,2 or 3 in which a lid of the box, for example one carrying a lip as specified in claim 2, or other stop, closely abuts the abutment member and can be forced away from the abutment member to allow the scalpel blade and a portion of the handle to be inserted therebetween.

5. An appliance according to claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the box has a notched edge forming the abutment memberand a lid or flap carrying the stop and the lid or flap is attached at one end only and so disposed that it can be forced slightly apart from the abutment member to allow introduction of the scalpel end with blade attached.

6. An operative combination of a scalpel of the conventional exchangeable-bladed kind with an ap pliance for removing the exchangeable blade, in -which the appliance has: a box for retaining a removed blade; a slotted or notched edge with the scalpel so disposed thereagainstthat a part of the handle is disposed within the slot or notch and the blade is abutted by the edge and thereby flexed away from the handle and positioned for release therefrom; and the box has a lid carrying stop, the lid being forced away from the notched edge by the scalpel to such an extent as to allow insertion of the scalpel and blade therebetween, and the stop abutting an end of the blade in such a sense as to retain the blade against pulling-away of the scalpel handle.

7. A combination as claimed in claim 6, wherein the distance between the stop and the notched edge is about a centimetre.

8. A combination as claimed in claim 6 or 7 in which the appliance is of metal, plastics or other substantially rigid material.

9. An appliance according to claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. An operative combination according to claim 6, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.