Dermal punch device

Abstract

A dermal punch for extracting skin or tissue samples. The dermal punch has a blade having a pair of walls. Each wall is convex and opens towards each other. The walls are connected to each other at a pair of mating edges. Each wall has a cutting edge. In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of the minor axis to the major axis of the opening created by the walls is between 1 to 3 and 1 to 4, wherein the major axis extends through the mating edges. The cutting edge is formed of a plurality of teeth and the teeth have a sawtooth shape. The cutting edge has a projecting edge for each wall, and the projecting edge is concave. The cutting length is greater than twice the length of the projecting edge.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 503,351, filed Sep. 16, 2003. The entire contents of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Thousands of people are tested annually for melanoma, basal cell, squamous cell, and carcinogens, other abnormal skin growths (“moles”) and cancers, as well as bacterial or fungal skin infections. One of the most common tests of a skin lesion for diagnostic purposes is a dermal punch biopsy. This procedure entails the insertion of an instrument with a circular blade into the patient's skin and then subsequently rotating the instrument to cut out and remove the skin patch of interest. This provides tissue for microscopic analysis by a pathologist to obtain the correct diagnosis. This technique is nearly 100% effective, and accurate and is consequently widely used. [0003] Although effective, this traditional punch...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a dermal punch and a method for extracting tissue samples. The dermal punch has a blade with a pair of walls that have an external convex surface connected at a pair of mating edges. The walls have a distal cutting edge surrounding a cavity that defines the area of removal. The ratio of the minor axis to the major axis of the opening or cavity is at least 1 to 2 and preferably between 1 to 3 and 1 to 4. The cutting edge is formed of a plurality of teeth that have a sawtooth shape. The dermal punch can be used to remove skin lesions and the wound formed by it has clean edges and minimal or no pocking on the skin. The dermal punch can be used with a single handle or individually mounted punches. A mechanism for closing the wound can be included in the dermal punch.

Problems solved by technology

Although effective, this traditional punch biopsy usually leaves the wound open resulting in delayed healing and unsightly scars.

The wound can result in scars that resemble “pock-marks” or “divets.” If the skin excision is large, the resultant wound can be closed by stitching but because of the circular shape of the wound, it can leave an uneven skin edge.

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