Surgical instruments

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments, and more particularly to surgical forceps configured for treating and / or cutting tissue. The surgical forceps of the present invention are based on the so-called "mosquito forceps" and provide a new end clamping configuration, making them particularly suitable for neuropathic skin surgery, such as in the case of diabetes or other skin irregularities such as calluses.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments, and more particularly to surgical forceps configured for treating and / or cutting tissue. The surgical forceps of the present invention are based on the so-called "mosquito forceps" and provide a new end clamping configuration, making them particularly suitable for neuropathic skin surgery, such as in the case of diabetes or other skin irregularities such as calluses. Background Art

[0002] Surgical forceps are a tweezer-like device that relies on mechanical action between its jaws to grasp, clamp and retract tissue. Such surgical forceps are conventionally used as removal tools, where the therapist uses the forceps to grasp, lock and manipulate neuropathic skin at irregular or diseased locations and treat, remove or cut it with another specific tool (such as a scalpel) without affecting or damaging healthy skin segments. The therapist operates the forceps with one hand while the other hand manipulates another treatment tool.

[0003] In the case of treatment of neuropathic skin, it is very important to: i) have a sufficiently large grip level or total clamping force; ii) be able to grasp relatively large sections or bulbs of neuropathic skin and to have an equal force distribution over the grasped skin section; iii) experience a high degree of stability of the clamping forceps so that the treatment tool can be operated with high precision.

[0004] Mosquito forceps are currently being used for this treatment. Such mosquito forceps have small, sharp-ended jaws that can be straight or curved, with a locking retention portion with 3-5 teeth that allows ratchet clamping at various pressures. Mosquito forceps are generally used to retract within a small range, grasp delicate tissue, compress bleeding blood vessels, etc. However, when used to treat (remove) skin neuropathies, they do not meet the above requirements. In these conventional mosquito forceps, the grasping function is sharp and pointed, and is mainly located at the end of its jaw head. Therefore, only a small section of the neuropathic skin can be grasped and pinched. The total clamping force is limited and the risk of losing the grip is significantly increased. The total grasping force is mainly applied to one point, rather than distributed over the entire area, which greatly increases the risk of unnecessary additional damage to healthy skin. In addition, since the clamping function of the forceps is pointed and only located at its end, it can move with too high a degree of freedom. Therefore, stability is poor. As a result, the operation control of other treatment tools is poor and the treatment is negatively affected.

[0005] Depending on the specific application, surgical operating forceps will have different jaws. This is evident, for example, from the atraumatic hemostatic clamp described in US patent application US2008 / 0300622, in which the jaws are specifically designed to provide a secure grip without causing damage to body vessels. Such surgical operating forceps are therefore not suitable for the treatment of cutaneous neuropathies, which require a firm grip on an extended skin surface. The same is true for the forceps described in Chinese patent application CN204520873, and are specifically designed as percutaneous tracheal puncture separation forceps, for keeping the trachea open at a controlled maximum value by means of a restriction body (40) present between the handles. Such forceps therefore have a completely different function and are therefore not suitable as a gripping tool for the treatment of cutaneous neuropathies. This is not the case with the operating forceps described in U.S. patent application US2018 / 078271, which is actually designed as a grasping tool, but simply includes multiple forceps for holding multiple objects, and even includes optional offset portions (50A, 50B) to adjust the space between the forceps, but is also not suitable as a grasping tool for treating cutaneous neuropathies that requires a firm grasp on an extended skin surface.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a forceps that solves these problems and makes it suitable for neuropathic skin surgery, for example in cases of diabetes or other skin irregularities such as calluses, etc. In the latter, especially in the case of wound treatment, there is currently a lack of suitable tools for debridement. Debridement is fundamental to the proper management of wounds and is required for callus removal, culling and excision purposes. An object of the present invention is to provide such a tool, which helps to remove dead, damaged or infected tissue in skin neuropathies to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue and avoid accidental or unnecessary incisions of healthy tissue surrounding the affected skin. Summary of the invention

[0007] In providing a solution to current problems associated with debridement of cutaneous neuropathies, the forceps according to the present invention add a callus removal function to existing tools, such as the mosquito forceps currently in use. An opening is provided in the curved section of the closed jaw head, which is able to close a sufficiently large amount (gulp) of neuropathic skin to greatly facilitate the callus removal process. In a specific embodiment, the tips (7) of the jaws are sharp like mosquito forceps. With these sharp tips, dirt or detached dead tissue particles can be picked up from the wound area. In a further embodiment, the jaw head also includes a cutting area (9), preferably with a straight cutting edge (10) similar to nail scissors, to cut loose material from the affected skin.

[0008] The pliers according to the present invention can be summarized into the following numbered embodiments accordingly;

[0009] 1. A surgical forceps constructed for use in neuropathic skin surgery, comprising a pair of operating rings (1) located at one end of a pair of handle bars (2), wherein the handle bars (2) are pivotally connected to a pair of jaws via a pivot connection (4), wherein the jaws constitute a jaw head (6), wherein the jaw head (6) terminates at a curved end (7), and wherein the jaw head comprises a curved recess (5) located in the curved section of the jaw head; that is, an opening in the curved section of the closed jaw head.

[0010] 2. The surgical forceps according to embodiment 1, wherein the jaw includes an outward bend in the curved section of the jaw head, thereby creating an opening with an outwardly curved jaw head in the curved section of the closed jaw head. As explained above, the forceps of the present invention having an opening in the curved section of the jaw head, more specifically, the jaw having an outward bend, have an opening for closing a sufficiently large amount of neuropathic skin. Skin neuropathies such as calluses are not limited to the upper surface of the skin, but penetrate deep into the skin tissue. By creating the possibility of closing a skin area, accessibility to potential skin defects is enhanced, so that skin neuropathies at deeper levels, such as calluses, can be better treated.

[0011] 3. The surgical forceps according to embodiment 2, wherein the curved recess, ie, the opening in the curved section of the closed jaw head, is an elliptical recess.

[0012] 4. A surgical forceps according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the curved concave portion is bent at a certain angle, the certain angle being between 90° and 130°, in particular between 110° and 120°; more specifically, approximately 120°, for example 116°, 117°, 118°, 119°, 120°, 121°, 122°, 123° and 124°; in particular, the curvature of the claw head is between 90° and 130°.

[0013] 5. The surgical forceps according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the curved recess is configured as a V-shaped groove. Positioning in a bend, particularly having an angle between 90° and 130°, even more particularly in a V-shape, allows the forceps to be pushed when positioned around neuropathic skin and to apply downward pressure to the surrounding tissue, which is compensated by the upward movement of the tissue enclosed by the forceps jaws. Thus, it facilitates accessibility to potential skin defects, allowing better treatment of deeper cutaneous neuropathies, such as calluses.

[0014] 6. The surgical forceps according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the curved recess includes tapered jaws (11) located inside the curved recess. Such tapered jaws enhance the aforementioned upward push of the enclosed specific amount of neuropathic skin, making it easier to access for callus removal. As mentioned below, these tapered jaws may optionally include a series of gripping teeth (8) to further enhance the grip of the enclosed specific amount of neuropathic skin.

[0015] 7. In one embodiment, the surgical forceps according to the present invention are further characterized in that the forceps are thickened and slightly rounded when compared to the forceps typically seen in mosquito forceps, or when compared to the ends of the jaw heads.

[0016] 8. As explained below, for wound treatment purposes it may be beneficial for the non-bent portion of the jaw to be lengthened. Therefore, in one embodiment of the surgical forceps according to the invention, the non-bent portion of the jaw is lengthened.

[0017] 9. As mentioned above, in one embodiment of the surgical forceps according to the present invention, the jaw head, including the curved concave portion, is provided with a series of clamping teeth (8); in particular, the clamping teeth are closely arranged on the inner side of the jaw.

[0018] 10. As further detailed below, in wound healing applications, certain adaptations to the handle bar (2) may also be beneficial to improve the ergonomics for the user and the strength of the device. These include the handle bar including one or more of the following features, namely: the handle bar is slightly curved; the handle bar is elongated; and the handle bar is thickened, wherein the thickening is greatest at the pivot point (4) and tapers towards the handle. In particular, all of the above features.

[0019] 11. In another embodiment, the surgical forceps according to the invention are characterized in that the pivot point is thickened compared to the rest of the forceps.

[0020] 12. In another embodiment, the surgical forceps according to the present invention are characterized by comprising a locking and holding portion (3); in particular a locking and holding portion having 3-5 teeth. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] With specific reference now to the drawings, it is emphasized that the details shown are exemplary and are only for the purpose of illustrative discussion of different embodiments of the present invention. They are presented in order to provide what is considered to be the most useful and easiest description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show the structural details of the present invention in more detail, except as necessary for a basic understanding of the present invention. The description in conjunction with the drawings will make it clear to those skilled in the art how several forms of the present invention can be implemented in practice.

[0022] Figure 1 : Technical drawing of the original mosquito pliers: closed and open positions - showing a pair of handle rings (1); handle bar (2); locking retaining part (tongue / lock) (3); pivot connection (4); jaws forming the jaw head (6). In this example, the jaws are curved and terminate in a sharp tip (7) and are provided with a series of clamping teeth (8) on the inside.

[0023] Figure 2 : Technical drawing of pliers according to the invention: closed and open positions - showing the common features of mosquito pliers; namely a pair of handle rings (1); handle bar (2); locking retaining part (tongue / lock) (3); pivot connection (4); the jaws forming the jaw head (6); but the difference is that the jaws include an outward bend of the curved part of the jaw. Together they form a curved recess (5) in the jaw head.

[0024] Figure 3 : An enlarged view of the head of the jaw of the pliers according to the invention. In this illustrated embodiment, the outwardly curved portion of the curved portion of the jaw also comprises the clamping teeth (8) inside the jaw.

[0025] Figure 4 : An enlarged view of the jaw head of the pliers according to the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the outwardly curved portion of the jaw curve comprises a tapered jaw (11) located inside the jaw, and the jaw head also comprises a cutting area (10). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] As mentioned before, the gripping function of current mosquito forceps is limited. This results in poor tool stability and therefore poor operator control.

[0027] In order to solve this "problem", an additional curved recess (5) on the head of the jaws of the forceps is added to the mosquito forceps of the prior art. More specifically, the curved recess is located in the curved section of the head of the jaws. The idea is to use the curved recess, i.e. the opening in the closed jaw head, as an alternative to the neuropathic skin grasping function. Grasping neuropathic skin with the curved recess solves this "problem", namely: i) since the grasping surface is significantly larger, the bulb of the skin can be grasped, which can significantly increase the total force and grasping level; ii) the force distribution is evenly distributed over the larger contact surface of the skin, thus significantly reducing the risk of causing additional skin damage; iii) the new position for grasping the object (hereinafter), plus the ability to grasp the bulb of the skin, reduces the freedom of the forceps, thus significantly improving the operational stability.

[0028] according to Figure 1 and Figure 2, most of the design and technical specifications are the same as the original tool. The pliers have a pair of handle rings (1), one on each side member. It is connected to a pair of extended handle bars (2) that pivot together (4) and manipulate the jaw head (6). In a preferred embodiment, the bars are slightly curved to provide improved operating ergonomics. The pivot point (4) connects the handle bars to the jaw head. The jaw head is provided with a newly invented curved recess (5) which provides the primary neuropathic skin grasping function. In one embodiment, it is an elliptically spaced recess that allows for effective grasping, locking and manipulation of the bulb of the skin. The jaws still terminate in a sharp jaw head end (7) similar to the end in prior art mosquito pliers and still provide the original grasping and pinching function. It is sharp and pointed so as to be able to provide adequate pinching force, and it is primarily curved for ergonomic performance. In one embodiment, the jaw head and the newly invented curved recess (5) are provided with a series of clamping teeth (8) to provide an adequate level of grip. In Figure 3 In the example shown, the clamping teeth are closely spaced. In order to secure / lock the handle bars together, a locking tongue or catch is provided, also referred to herein as a lock retainer (3). In one embodiment, the lock retainer has 3-5 teeth to allow ratcheting clamping at various pressures.

[0029] Reference Figure 3 , when the curved recess (5) is positioned in the jaw head, it is found that it is best arranged in the jaw head at a position where the jaw is bent, and is characterized in that the jaw is bent outward at said position (hereinafter). The angle of the curved recess is generally between 90° and 130°; in particular between 110° and 120°; more particularly about 120°, such as 116°, 117°, 118°, 119°, 120°, 121°, 122°, 123° and 124°. In a particular embodiment, the curved recess is configured as a V-shaped groove, more particularly a V-shaped groove, wherein the angle of the V-shaped groove is between 90° and 130°; in particular between 110° and 120°; more particularly about 120°, such as 116°, 117°, 118°, 119°, 120°, 121°, 122°, 123° and 124°. Compared with the mosquito forceps of the prior art, the non-curved part of the claw can be lengthened to provide more space for the curved recess, but the extension of the claw rod not only provides more space for the curved recess, but also improves the ergonomic performance of the tool and generates greater momentum on the grasped material. This enables the therapist to better control and apply greater force to manipulate the grasped material. Compared with the mosquito forceps of the prior art, the above effect can be further enhanced by lengthening the handle rod (2).

[0030] The curvature of the jaw in the jaw head is typically between 90° and 150°; in particular between 110° and 130°; more particularly about 130°. In one embodiment, the jaw head is thickened and slightly rounded when compared to prior art mosquito pliers. Such thickened jaw head reduces internal stresses on the jaw beam when force is applied. This is particularly applicable to the embodiment in which the non-bent portion of the jaw is elongated and / or the handle bar is elongated. In the embodiment in which the handle bar is elongated and the non-bent portion of the jaw is elongated, higher operating forces can be applied. In order to accommodate the increased torque on such an elongated handle bar, the handle bar can be thickened without affecting the internal stresses. Following the concept of logical design and reduced use of raw materials, in one such embodiment, the thickening is greatest at the pivot point and gradually decreases towards the handle. Alternatively, only the pivot point can be thickened to accommodate the increased torque on the handle bar.

[0031] exist Figure 4 In FIG. 1 , another embodiment is shown which adds a cutting area (9) to the tool. In this embodiment, all actions required for skin wound debridement can be performed with a single tool. Dirt or small detached dead tissue particles are picked up by the sharp tip (7), callus removal is performed to close neuropathic skin by the curved recess (5), and loose or loose material is excised or clamped from the wound by the cutting area (9).

[0032] These and other embodiments will be apparent to the skilled person from the following claims.

[0033] The parts list for the pliers includes the following:

[0034] 1) A pair of handle rings 2) Handle bar

[0035] 3) Lock tongue / lock buckle 4) Pivot connection

[0036] 5) Curved concave portion (the present invention) 6) Claw head

[0037] 7) Bend the end 10) Cut the edge

[0038] 8) Series clamping teeth 11) Conical jaw parts

[0039] 9) Cutting area

Claims

1. A surgical forceps configured to grasp the bulb of skin for debridement of a neuropathic wound, the surgical forceps comprising: a pair of operating rings, each of the pair of operating rings being located at a corresponding first end of the pair of handle bars; as well as a pair of jaws, each of the pair of jaws being located at a respective second end of the pair of handle bars opposite to the first end, the pair of jaws constituting a jaw head, in: The jaw head has an open position and a closed position; The pair of jaws are pivotally connected to the pair of operating rings through the pivotal connection of the pair of handle bars so as to pivot the pair of jaws between an open position and a closed position by opening and closing the pair of operating rings in a direction generally perpendicular to the pair of handle bars, Each jaw includes: a non-bending section connected to a corresponding operating ring through a corresponding one of the pair of handle bars; and a curved section connected to the non-curved section such that the curved section forms a curved tip; The curved section and the non-curved section of each jaw define a curved recess on the inner side of each jaw, so that an opening is defined by the jaw head when the jaw head is in the closed position; The inside of the jaws includes a series of gripping teeth; The curved section of the jaws includes an outward curvature located on the outside of each jaw; When viewed from a direction generally parallel to the pair of handle bars, the outwardly curved portion extends outwardly; During debridement of a neuropathic wound, the pair of jaws increases the overall force and grip level on the bulb of the skin by clamping the bulb of the skin between the clamping teeth when the jaw heads are in a closed position; and The curved recess includes a tapered jaw located inside the curved recess.

2. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The opening is an oval opening, and wherein the tapered jaw includes the series of clamping teeth.

3. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The curved concave portion is bent at an angle between 90° and 130°.

4. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The curved concave portion is configured as a V-shaped groove.

5. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The curvature in the jaw head is between 90° and 130°.

6. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The jaws are thickened and slightly rounded.

7. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The non-bent section of the jaw is elongated from the bent section of the jaw in the longitudinal direction.

8. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The handle bar is slightly curved.

9. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The handle bar is elongated along the longitudinal direction of the surgical forceps.

10. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The handle bar is thickened, wherein the thickening is greatest at the pivot point and tapers toward the handle.

11. The surgical forceps according to claim 1, wherein: The pivot point is thickened when compared to the rest of the surgical forceps.

12. The surgical forceps of claim 1, further comprising a locking retainer.

13. The surgical forceps according to claim 12, wherein: The lock holding portion has 3-5 teeth.

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