GB2280397A

GB2280397A - Pivoted hand instrument

Info

Publication number: GB2280397A
Application number: GB9314762A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edward Hampshire
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-07-16
Filing date: 1993-07-16
Publication date: 1995-02-01
Also published as: GB9314762D0

Abstract

A hard instrument 10 comprises first and second limbs 11 and 12 which are readily separable by moving the limbs to an open configuration (fig 3). The limbs are pivotally connected by pivot peg 13 on limb 11 which passes through a hole 14 (Fig 5) in limb 12. The two limbs 11 and 12 are able to move pivotally relative to each other to close jaws 11a and 12a of the respective limbs. The peg 13 purely serves as a pivotal bearing for limb 12 and in no way retains limb 12 in contact with limb 11, this being achieved by integrally formed retaining lugs 15 and 16 on limb 11 which in use extend over a flat portion 17 of limb 12. The lugs 15 and 16 therefore maintain the limb 12 in pivotal connection with the limb 11. The hand instrument may be forceps. <IMAGE>

Description

PINCER INSTRUMENT The present invention relates to a pincer instrument and is concerned particularly, although not exclusively, with a pincer instrument for use in surgery.

Instruments which operate in a pincer movement, ie, having two limbs pivotally connected together which open and close to grip, or in the case of scissors, cut an object, are commonly used in surgery. In particular, needle holders, forceps and clips of various kinds are used, all of which use a pincer or scissor movement. A typical pair of forceps comprises two limbs pivotally joined at a box joint in which one limb passes through a widened hollow portion of the other limb. Other instruments are simply held together at their pivotal connection by a screw or rivet arrangement.

A disadvantage with all of the above prior pincer type instruments lies in the difficulty in effectively cleaning the instruments. At the pivotal connection the two pivoting limbs comprise sliding contact surfaces which are in intimate contact with each other. These surfaces around the joint become made up with blood and other matter during surgery and are difficult to clean thoroughly due to the difficulty in completely exposing the surfaces to sterilising fluid. It is, of course, essential that all instruments are thoroughly cleansed prior to use in surgery and so a relatively time consuming process must be undertaken in which the instrument is immersed in cleaning fluid in a first position and then re-immersed in the fluid in a second position to expose as much of the surfaces to the cleaning fluid as is possible.

Even then, there is no guarantee that the whole of the surfaces of the instrument has been sterilised.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hand instrument, comprising first and second limbs which are pivotally moveable with respect to each other, the limbs being moveable relative to each other between a first position in which the limbs are held together in pivotal connection and a second position in which the limbs are not held together, such that in the second position the limbs may be separated.

In a preferred arrangement, the limbs are pivotally moveable between their first and second positions.

Preferably, in the first position the second limb is held in pivotal connection with the first limb by at least one retaining member on the first limb. The or each retaining member may be integral with the first limb.

Preferably, there are two retaining members, one disposed either side of the pivotal connection.

In a preferred arrangement, the or each retaining member holds the second limb in pivotal connection with the first limb over a range of angles between the pivoting limbs.

In the second position, the limbs may be arranged such that a release angle is formed between the limbs, which release angle is beyond the range of angles in which the limbs are held in pivotal connection.

Preferably, the release angle comprises substantially a right angle.

In a preferred arrangement, there is provided a resilient biasing means arranged in use to bias the first and second limbs so that respective first and second jaw members of the limbs are pivotally spaced apart. The resilient biasing means may comprise a sprung member which may be secured to one of the limbs and arranged in use to bear against the other of the limbs.

Preferably, there is provided a limiting means arranged in use to limit the extent of pivotal movement between the limbs.

The limiting means may comprise an elongate member which is secured to one of the limbs and which co-operates with a stop portion on the other of the limbs to limit pivotal movement of the limbs.

The limiting means may be disengageable.

Preferably the limiting means comprises the resilient biasing means.

The instrument may be made of steel. Preferably, the instrument comprises a surgical instrument, such as a needle holder, forceps or a clip.

The invention also provides a method of separating pivotally moveable limbs of a hand instrument, the method comprising moving the limbs from a first position in which the limbs are held together in a pivotal connection to a second position in which the limbs are not so held together.

The method preferably includes pivotally moving the limbs from the first to the second position.

In a preferred arrangement, the method comprises a method of separating the limbs of a surgical instrument for cleaning the instrument.

The invention also includes an instrument substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The invention also includes any combination of the features or limitations referred to herein.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a pair of forceps in a normally biased configuration according to an embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 shows the forceps of Figure 1 in a closed configuration, Figure 3 shows the forceps of Figures 1 and 2 in an opened configuration Figure 4 shows in front and edge views a first limb of the forceps of Figures 1 to 3, and Figure 5 shows in front and edge views a second limb of the forceps of Figures 1 to 3.

Referring in particular to Figure 1, this shows generally at 10 a pair of stainless steel surgical forceps according to an embodiment of the invention.

The forceps 10 comprise first and second limbs 11 and 12 which are pivotally connected by a pivot peg 13 on limb 11 which passes through a hole 14 (shown in Figure 5) in limb 12. The two limbs 11 and 12 are able to move pivotally relative to each other to open and close jaws 11a and 12a of the respective limbs. The peg 13 purely serves as a pivotal bearing for limb 12 and in no way retains limb 12 in contact with limb 11. This is achieved by integrally formed retaining lugs 15 and 16 on limb 11 which in use extend over a flat portion 17 of limb 12.

Thus the lugs 15 and 16 maintain the limb 12 in pivotal connection with limb 11.

A sprung steel biasing arm 18 is mounted on limb 12 which arm 18 bears against limb 11 to maintain the jaws lla, 12a slightly apart. To limit the extent to which the limbs 11 and 12 may pivotally move apart, a limiting peg 19 is provided on limb 11 which peg 19 engages a slot (not shown) in an end of the biasing arm 18.

A user is therefore able to close the jaws lla, 12a, by squeezing the limbs 11, 12 together as shown in figure 2, whereupon the biasing arm 18 is made to bend. Upon releasing the squeezing pressure on the limbs 11 and 12 the limbs, and therefore also jaws lla and 12a, spring apart under the action of the biasing arm 18. The limiting peg 19 limits the extent to which the limbs 11 and 12 can move apart.

By gently squeezing the limbs together and disengaging the biasing arm 18 from the limiting peg 19, the forceps may be opened wider as shown in Figure 3.

When the limbs 11 and 12 have been opened to the extent shown the retaining lugs 15 and 16 no longer bear against the flat portion 17 of the limb 12 and the limb 12 may then be removed from its pivotal connection with the limb 11. This permits the two limbs 11 and 12 to be immersed independently in cleaning fluid (not shown) to ensure that no surface avoids contact with the fluid and thereby escapes cleaning.

Figures 4 and 5 show respectively limbs 11 and 12 in both front and side views. The limiting peg 19 is not shown on Figure 4 and the biasing arm 18 is not shown on Figure 5 for clarity.

The forceps shown retain the strength and ease of operation of conventional forceps and also provide the advantage of being much easier to clean thoroughly, since the two limbs can be separated easily without use of a special tool or special knowledge. This solves the problem of enabling cleaning fluid to contact the complete exposed surface area of the forceps to ensure hygiene.

An additional advantage of the invention lies in the relative simplicity of manufacture of instruments according to the invention. Previously, a box joint was employed in most cases, in which a hole was machined out of a solid limb, which limb was then heated and the hole is made to expand, whereupon the other limb was inserted in the hole to form the pivotal connection. The instrument then had to be filed and finished to enable it to pivot freely. Alternatively, the two pivoting limbs were held together using a nut and bolt. Both of these prior arrangements involved production steps which are avoided by use of the present invention.

Whilst an embodiment of the invention has been described above in relation to surgical forceps, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is equally applicable to other instruments both surgical and non-surgical which employ a pivotal connection, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A hand instrument, comprising first and second limbs which are pivotally moveable with respect to each other, the limbs being moveable relative to each other between a first position in which the limbs are held together in pivotal connection and a second position in which the limbs are not held together, such that in the second position the limbs may be separated.

2. An instrument according to claim 1 wherein the limbs are pivotally moveable between their first and second positions.

3. An instrument according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein in the first position the second limb is held in pivotal connection with the first limb by at least one retaining member on the first limb.

4. An instrument according to claim 3 wherein the or each retaining member is integral with the first limb.

5. An instrument according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein there are two retaining members, one disposed either side of the pivotal connection.

6. An instrument according to any of claims 3 to 5 wherein the or each retaining member holds the second limb in pivotal connection with the first limb over a range of angles between the pivoting limbs.

7. An instrument according to claim 6 wherein in the second position the limbs may be arranged such that a release angle is formed between the limbs, which release angle is beyond the range of angles in which the limbs are held in pivotal connection.

8. An instrument according to claim 7 wherein the release angle comprises substantially a right angle.

9. An instrument according to any of claims 1 to 8 wherein there is provided resilient biasing means arranged in use to bias the first and second limbs so that respective first and second jaw members of the limbs are pivotally spaced apart.

10. An instrument according to claim 9 wherein the resilient biasing means comprises a sprung member which is secured to one of the limbs and arranged in use to bear against the other of the limbs.

11. An instrument according to any of claims 1 to 10 wherein there is provided a limiting means arranged in use to limit the extent of pivotal movement between limbs.

12. An instrument according to claim 11 wherein the limiting means comprises an elongate member which is secured to one of the limbs and which co-operates with a stop portion on the other of the limbs to limit pivotal movement of the limbs.

13. An instrument according to claims 11 or claim 12 wherein the limiting means is disengageable.

14. An instrument according to any of claims 11 to 13 when dependent on claim 9 wherein the limiting means comprises the resilient biasing means.

15. An instrument according to any of claims 1 to 14 wherein the instrument is made of steel.

16. An instrument according to any of claims 1 to 15 wherein the instrument comprises a surgical instrument such as a needleholder, forceps or a clip.

17. An instrument substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A method of separating pivotally moveable limbs of a hand instrument, the method comprising moving the limbs from a first position in which the limbs are held together in a pivotal connection to a second position to which the limbs are not so held together.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the method includes pivotally moving the limbs from the first to the second position.

20. A method according to claim 18 or claim 19 wherein the method comprises a method of separating the limbs of a surgical instrument for cleaning the instrument.

21. A method substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.