Scalpel blade safety accessory

Abstract

A scalpel blade accessory and cartridge are provided wherein a tubular guard is slideable over the scalpel blade carrier between a retracted position in which the blade carrier is positioned to expose any scalpel blade associated with it for use and an extended position in which the guard covers the blade carrier and any blade thereon. The scalpel blade has a mounting slot for attachment to a lug on a standard scalpel handle for use. The blade carrier has a bridge spanning an alignment face so as to provide space for a scalpel blade between the alignment face and bridge. A blade catch cooperates with a rear end of the mounting slot to hold a relevant scalpel blade captive. The blade catch is disengagable by assembling it onto a standard handle, in use.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to South African Patent Application No. 2011 / 06969 filed on Sep. 23, 2011, and to South African Patent Application No. 2012 / 01376 filed on Feb. 24, 2012, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to an accessory for a scalpel blade (sometimes referred to as a surgical knife) of a generally disposable nature and of the type including a scalpel blade carrier and a guard for covering a scalpel blade that in use is installed on the blade carrier. The guard is movable relative to the blade carrier between an extended position in which it covers a scalpel blade fitted to the blade carrier and scalpel handle during periods of non-use of the scalpel and a retracted position in which the scalpel blade is exposed for use.[0003]More particularly, the invention relates both to a scalpel blade access...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020]Additional features of the invention provide for the rear end region of the blade carrier to be provided with a laterally movable release member for operatively urging the rear end of the blade carrier and thus any blade carried by it out of engagement with a lug of a supporting scalpel handle in order to remove the blade and accessory therefrom; for the release member to be configured such that its rear end in the fully retracted condition of the tubular guard on the blade carrier is in cooperating relationship with a manually operable stop located on one side of the tubular guard wherein the stop can be urged against a resiliency that biases it to its normal relaxed condition, to cooperate with the rear end of the release member and prevent it from moving rearwards relative to the tubular guard; and for the release member at its forward end to cooperate with a reduced size of passage within the tubular guard constituting a change in the cross-sectional shape of the blade carrier and tubular guard to provide a stop limiting relative movement of the tubular guard relative to the blade carrier in a direction corresponding to retraction of the tubular guard relative to the blade carrier.

Problems solved by technology

However, many surgeons find such disposable scalpels too light in weight and prefer to use a scalpel having a heavier re-usable stainless steel handle and a replaceable disposable blade.

Applicant is only aware of two commercially available scalpel blade cartridge systems and both of these use custom made stainless steel handles with the result that the cartridges cannot be used with any other handle.

Neither can be used with a standard scalpel handle a standard scalpel blade cannot be used with those specially made handles.

Apart from the fact that a specially made custom stainless steel handle needs to be manufactured, applicant believes that the blade being supported exclusively by a blade carrier that is a separate part with respect to the handle, and therefore only indirectly by the handle itself, may invite a situation in which the indirect attachment of the blade to the handle results in unwanted play.

The difficulty created by the requirement of custom made stainless steel handles is the fact that they represent what is very often an unacceptable additional cost whereas there are numerous standard stainless steel handles in medical facilities throughout the world that are available for use.

However, carbon steel scalpel blades are not presently available in a cartridge format because of their tendency to rust or corrode unless special protection is afforded the surfaces of such blades.

At the present time such protection is inconsistent with a carbon steel blade being supplied in a cartridge format.

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