GB2209944A

GB2209944A - Adjustable laryngoscope

Info

Publication number: GB2209944A
Application number: GB8722059A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sasanka Sekhar Dhara
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-09-18
Filing date: 1987-09-18
Publication date: 1989-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 2007-09-18
Also published as: GB2209944B; GB8722059D0

Abstract

A laryngoscope has a blade (2) which is pivotally mounted upon a handle (1) so as to be adjustable and lockable in any selected one of a plurality of angular positions (A B C D E) relative to the handle (1). Locking of the blade is preferably accomplished by a pin (7) which is insertable into any of a plurality of holes in a blade support block (3) by action of a spring (8). The pin (7) is retractable from engagement with a said hole by application of endwise pressure upon a knob (5A) to move a slidable rod (5) from which the pin is mounted so as to compress the spring (8). The blade is also movable to a storage position (F) alongside the handle (1) and when so moved switches off a lamp (9) located in the blade (2). <IMAGE>

Description

"AN ADJUSTABLE LARYNGOSCOPE This invention relates to an adjustable laryngoscope.

The Macintosh laryngoscope is a standard medical instrument which is used in anaesthesia and resuscitation throughout the world. The angle between the handle and the blade of the instrument is fixed at 900, but in certain clinical situations, which are not uncommon, more obtuse angles are useful for introduction of the laryngoscope into the mouth, though subsequent laryngoscopy may not be very easy to perform at the same angle.

There are special laryngoscopes which have fixed handle to blade angles e.g. the obstetric laryngoscope at 1000 and the polio laryngoscope at about 1500. These laryngoscopes are however not readily available in most hospitals.

A laryngoscope which is adjustable serves various purposes: (a) A single laryngoscope is adequate to cope with a whole range of clinical situations in or outside the hospital. The merit of the concept lies in the fact that introduction of the laryngoscope and laryngo scopy could be done at a different and more conven ient angle suitable for the particular patient; (b) Being able to serve the functions of a normal laryn goscope as well as those of special ones, the need to indent for and hold several laryngoscopes in store is reduced.

One particular and at present preferred embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described by reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a laryngoscope; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the adjustment parts of the laryngoscope; Fig. 3 is a side view of the adjustable blade support; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the handle bracket.

The laryngoscope illustrated in the drawings is a modified version of a standard Macintosh laryngoscope and comprises a handle 1 surmounted by a U-shaped bracket 4. Pivotally supported upon a push rod 5 which passes through the cheeks of the bracket in an angularly adjustable support block 3 which carries the blade 2 which houses a lamp 9. The rod 5 has a screw thread at one end by which it is attached to a plate 6 which carries a lateral pin 7. The other end of the rod 5 has a knurled knob 5A and between this knob and a projection 4A of the bracket 4 there is mounted on the rod 5 a coiled compression spring 8.

Spaced along an arc centred upon the pivot axis of the blade support 3 one face of the latter has a series of six angularly separated holes 3A.

The pin 7 on the plate 6 is engageable with any one of the holes 3A and is retained therein by action of the spring 8 thus fixing the angle of the blade support 3 and that of the laryngoscope blade 2 attached to it. Movement of the rod 5 caused by pressing on the knob 5A disengages the pin 7 from the blade support 3 and allows the operator to vary its angle relative to the handle 1. In this manner the laryngoscope blade 2 which is attached to the top of the blade support when in use can as shown in Fig. 1, be fixed at several angUlar positions A (900), B (1120), C (1320), D (1570) and E (1800) relative to the laryngoscope handle 1. The lamp 9 is illuminated when the blade is at the 900 position A and remains so throughout the range of movements.Folding the blade support 3 down to position F alongside the handle 1 switches off the lamp 9.

USING THE LARYNGOSCOPE The blade support 3 is locked in its resting position (F).

When the laryngoscope is held in the usual manner, the left hypothenar eminence would rest on the knob 5A, the rod 5.

Slight pressure from the hypothenar area is sufficient to release the mechanism. This is followed by opening of the blade 2 to a desired angle, locking being achieved by release of pressure on the knob 5A. The blade 2 can be released or locked in this manner in either way even when the blade is inside the patient's mouth.

Originally the modification was done on an older laryngoscope with a "hinge-pin" type of blade attachment. The bladesupport was then built into the laryngoscope blade itself. This laryngoscope does not feel any different from a standard one.

However for the sake of easy cleaning, rapid interchangeability of blades, and economy (i.e. being able to use regular production blades), the mechanism has been incorporated in a laryngo scope with a "hook-on" type of blade attachment. In this version, there is a small degree of lateral shift of the base of the blade at wider angles which may need some familiarisation. A lefthanded version can easily be produced by switching the components on the handle bracket 4 from one side to the other.

Claims

1. A laryngoscope having a blade which is pivotally connected to a handle by a swivel joint and a manually operable means for locking the joint in any selected one of a plurality of predetermined positions to enable the blade to assume different pre-determined operative angular positions relative to the handle.

2. A laryngoscope as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the joint locking means comprises a spring biased member which is mounted on one member of the swivel joint and is lockingly engageable with any of various angularly spaced parts of the other swivel member of the swivel joint.

3. A laryngoscope as claimed in Claim 2 in which the spring biased member is a pin which is lockingly engageable with any of various angularly spaced holes in the other swivel member.

4. A laryngoscope as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the spring biased member or pin is mounted on a slidable rod which extends laterally relative to the handle and is movable endwise against spring action to move the spring biased member from out of a locking position.

5. A laryngoscope as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the swivel joint comprises a U-shaped bracket at the end of the handle and a swivel block on which the blade is detachably supported.

6. A laryngoscope as claimed in any of Claims 1 to S wherein said predetermined angular positions of the blade are in the range from 900 to 1800 relative to the handle.

7. A laryngoscope as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the blade is angularly movable to a storage position alongside the handle.

8. A laryngoscope as claimed in Claim 7 wherein a switch-controlled lamp located in the blade is switched off when the blade is moved towards the said storage position.

9. A laryngoscope constructed and adapted for operation substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.