Coupling device between the drive shaft of a surgical instrument and a tool

Abstract

Coupling device between a drive shaft (26) of a surgical instrument (28) and a tool (34; 106), characterized in that the coupling device (20) includes a fluid feed element fed from outside the coupling device (20) and communicating with a channel (78; 110) arranged in the tool (34; 106) and which emerges at a location along the length of the tool (34; 106).

Description

[0001]This application claims priority from European Patent Application No. 09174374.0 filed Oct. 28, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention concerns a coupling device between the drive shaft of a surgical instrument and a tool. More specifically, the present invention concerns a coupling device between a motorised surgical instrument and a rhinoplasty tool.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Rhinoplasty is a branch of cosmetic surgery that aims to redesign the profile of a patient's nose. One particular case is correction by bone ablation of the bump on the ridge of the nose that is more pronounced in some people than in others. In order to perform this ablation, the surgeon uses motorised handpieces that impart specific back and forth movements to saw, file or plane type tools. An example of this type of handpiece is illustrated in FIG. 1 annexed to this Patent Application. Designated as a whole by th...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]It is an object of the present invention to overcome this problem by providing both a tool and a device for coupling the tool to a motorised handpiece allowing the operating field to be irrigated precisely and in sufficient quantity.

[0008]Owing to these features, the present invention provides a surgical tool and a device for coupling a tool of this type onto the drive shaft of a surgical instrument, which allow a fluid, such as a physiological saline solution, to be brought as close as possible to the working area of the tool. Indeed, instead of feeding the fluid to the working area by means of an external pipe whose fluid outlet end cannot extend beyond the coupling point between the tool and the handpiece drive shaft, the present invention teaches how to convey the fluid inside the tool and cause it to emerge as close as possible to the active area of said tool. Consequently, it is ensured that the operating field is irrigated precisely and in sufficient quantities to guarantee optimum operating conditions, which is very important, in particular for tools of a certain length.

[0009]According to a complementary feature of the invention, the coupling device comprises a support part, which assures the actual connection between the tool shank and the motorised shaft of the surgical instrument, a sleeve on which a bushing is rigidly coupled being arranged concentrically around the support part to define an inlet chamber for the physiological saline solution. The present invention thus provides a coupling device that comprises only three parts, and which is thus both simple to make and extremely compact, this latter aspect greatly facilitating handling of the surgical instrument by the practitioner. Moreover, the set of parts forming the coupling device according to the invention has general rotational symmetry, which removes asperities and other sharp corners which could cause injuries to patients.

[0010]According to another feature of the invention, the coupling device allows rigid axial locking between the tool shank and the drive shaft of the surgical instrument owing to a spring loaded ball lock system. As regards rotational locking, this is ensured by a flat portion provided on the tool shank and on which a corresponding flat portion provided on the coupling device abuts. Consequently, the tool is locked both axially and radially during working phases, yet can still be very easily mounted / removed owing to the spring ball lock system. This latter aspect is very important, since it considerably facilitates the task of the practitioner who is required to use several tools during the course of one operation.

Problems solved by technology

However, the end 18 through which the jet of fluid emerges from pipe 10 cannot be arranged past coupling bushing 4, since this would prevent tool 6 from being easily mounted / removed.

Irrigation of the working area is thus not precise and does not always occur in sufficient quantities.

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