An adjustable thoracic surgery thoracic cavity distraction device

Abstract

This invention discloses an adjustable thoracic surgery chest cavity opening device, relating to the field of surgical instrument technology. It includes an opening mechanism, a pair of support arms driven to open and close by the opening mechanism, and grippers disposed at the ends of the support arms. It also includes a connecting mechanism and a locking unit. The connecting mechanism includes an upper slider and a lower slider slidably connected to the bottom of the support arms and the top of the grippers, respectively. The upper and lower sliders are aligned vertically and rotatably connected. The connecting mechanism also includes a fixing component for locking the upper and lower sliders. By fixing airbags to both ends of the inner wall of the grippers, this application can reduce the impact force when the grippers contact the ribs, improving safety and increasing the speed limit during opening, thus facilitating rapid chest cavity opening and saving surgical time. Furthermore, by observing the position of the sliding plug inside the transparent tube, the force on the ribs can be indirectly determined, allowing for adjustment of the direction of the supporting force applied to the ribs by the grippers, thus assisting the grippers to achieve better results.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of surgical instrument technology, and in particular to an adjustable thoracic surgery chest expansion device. Background Technology

[0002] Thoracic surgery is an important branch of surgery in the medical field. It mainly diagnoses and treats diseases of organs and tissues in the thoracic cavity, such as the esophagus, lungs, mediastinum, and chest wall. Because the thoracic cavity is covered and protected by ribs, surgeons usually need to use thoracic retraction devices to open the adjacent ribs to create sufficient surgical space in order to expose the surgical area during thoracic surgery.

[0003] Currently available chest expansion devices consist of a pair of parallel, symmetrical grippers, a support arm connecting the grippers, and an expansion mechanism that drives the support arm. Common gripper designs feature U-shaped or similar jaws, which stably engage the ribs and prevent slippage during surgery. However, human ribs are naturally curved, and adjacent ribs are not parallel. Existing devices with fixed grippers to the support arm cannot adjust their position to accommodate the tilted ribs, limiting the contact area between the grippers and the ribs. This concentrates the support force on a localized area of ​​the ribs, leading to excessive local pressure. For high-risk groups such as elderly patients, patients with osteoporosis, or children, this can easily cause rib damage, resulting in postoperative complications such as persistent chest pain and limited chest wall movement. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problem that when using traditional chest expansion devices, the expansion claws cannot be adjusted according to the direction of the ribs, which can easily lead to excessive local pressure on the ribs and damage. Therefore, an adjustable chest expansion device for thoracic surgery is proposed.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention employs the following technology: an adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device, comprising an expansion mechanism, a pair of support arms driven to open and close by the expansion mechanism, and grippers disposed at the ends of the support arms, and further comprising: A connecting mechanism and a locking unit, wherein the connecting mechanism includes an upper slider and a lower slider that are slidably connected to the bottom of the support arm and the top of the gripper, respectively, the upper slider and the lower slider are vertically aligned and rotatably connected, and the connecting mechanism also includes a fixing component for locking the upper slider and the lower slider; When the opening mechanism drives the gripper to open the ribs via the support arm, the gripper deflects and fits against the ribs; by adjusting the relative positions of the support arm, gripper, and connecting mechanism, the force position of the gripper is adjusted so that the ribs are evenly stressed.

[0006] As a further description of the adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device described above: the fixing component includes a push block fixed to the top of the upper slider, the top of the push block is threadedly connected to a threaded post, the bottom end of the threaded post is fixed to a compression rod, and the interiors of the upper slider and the lower slider are slidably connected to a locking pin, the locking pin being provided with a spring.

[0007] As a further description of the adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device described above: the opposite sides of the two grippers are respectively flush with the opposite sides of the two support arms.

[0008] As a further description of the adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device described above: the locking unit includes a threaded post two threadedly connected to the top of the support arm, and a pressure plate is fixed to the bottom end of the threaded post two.

[0009] As a further description of the adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device described above, it also includes a protective structure comprising an air bladder fixed to the inner wall of the grippers.

[0010] As a further description of the adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device described above: two air bladders are symmetrically arranged on the inner wall of the gripper, with the two air bladders respectively close to both ends of the gripper.

[0011] As a further description of the adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device described above: the inner wall of the gripper is also fixed with a protective pad located between the two air bladders.

[0012] As a further description of the adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device described above: the protective structure includes a monitoring unit, the monitoring unit comprising a transparent tube fixed inside the gripper and connecting the two airbags, the transparent tube having a sliding plug slidably connected inside.

[0013] In summary, due to the adoption of the above-mentioned technology in this adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device, the beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. In the process of opening the ribs with grippers, the grippers can automatically deflect according to the angle of the ribs, increasing the contact area with the ribs. Compared with existing devices, this effectively avoids local pressure on the ribs, thereby reducing damage to the ribs when opening them. Moreover, by pushing the push block to drive the upper and lower sliders to slide between the support arm and the grippers, the position of the rotation connection point between the grippers and the support arm can be adjusted, actively adjusting the direction of the supporting force applied to the ribs by the grippers, making the pressure distribution on the supported part of the ribs more even, further reducing rib damage and facilitating the smooth progress of the operation.

[0014] 2. By fixing airbags at both ends of the inner wall of the clamp, this application can reduce the impact force when the clamp contacts the rib, improve safety, and increase the speed limit when the clamp opens, which helps to quickly open the chest cavity and save surgical time. Furthermore, the two airbags are connected by a transparent tube. By observing the position of the sliding plug inside the transparent tube, the pressure of the two airbags can be determined, thereby indirectly determining the uniformity of the force on the rib. This allows the direction of the supporting force applied to the rib by the clamp to be adjusted through the connecting mechanism, thus helping the clamp to achieve better results.

[0015] 3. Because the patient's breathing causes the ribs to expand and contract at a certain frequency, the pressure between the ribs and the air bladder and protective pad changes periodically. Therefore, the displacement of the sliding plug can also determine whether the patient's breathing is stable, providing the surgeon with real-time feedback on the patient's breathing, circulatory status and potential complications, so that the surgeon can respond to emergencies during the operation in a timely manner. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 An overall schematic diagram according to the present invention is shown; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the gripper according to the present invention is shown; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the connection mechanism according to the present invention is shown; Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the connection mechanism according to the present invention is shown; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the protective pad according to the present invention is shown; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the airbag according to the present invention is shown; Figure 7 The present invention is shown Figure 6 Enlarged view of point A in the middle; Figure 8 The present invention is shown Figure 6 Enlarged view of section B in the middle.

[0017] Legend: 10. Spreading mechanism; 11. Support arm; 12. Gripper; 20. Connecting mechanism; 21. Upper slider; 22. Lower slider; 23. Fixing assembly; 231. Pressing rod; 232. Threaded post one; 233. Push block; 234. Locking pin; 235. Spring; 30. Locking unit; 31. Threaded post two; 32. Pressure plate; 40. Protective structure; 41. Protective pad; 42. Airbag; 43. Monitoring unit; 431. Transparent tube; 432. Sliding plug. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] like Figures 1-8 As shown, the present invention provides an adjustable thoracic surgery chest cavity opening device, including an opening mechanism 10, a pair of support arms 11 driven to open and close by the opening mechanism 10, and grippers 12 disposed at the ends of the support arms 11, the two grippers 12 being symmetrically arranged. The spreading mechanism 10 consists of a rack, a gear, and a sliding frame. The sliding frame is slidably fitted onto the rack, and the gear is rotatably connected inside the sliding frame and meshes with the rack. Two support arms 11 are fixed to the end of the rack and one side of the sliding frame, respectively. In use, the two grippers 12 are placed between the patient's adjacent ribs. Rotating the gear causes the sliding frame to slide on the rack, and the sliding frame causes the support arms 11 fixed to it to move, so that the two support arms 11 move away from each other, and then cause the two grippers 12 to move away from each other, so that the two grippers 12 spread the ribs apart for surgery. The sliding frame is also equipped with a self-locking structure to lock after the ribs are spread apart, so as to maintain stable support.

[0020] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 In order to enable the gripper 12 to adapt to the inclined ribs, improve the pressure distribution on the ribs, and avoid damage to the ribs due to excessive local pressure, a connecting mechanism 20 is provided between the support arm 11 and the gripper 12. The connecting mechanism 20 includes an upper slider 21 and a lower slider 22 that are slidably connected to the bottom of the support arm 11 and the top of the gripper 12, respectively. The upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22 are aligned vertically and rotatably connected. The connecting mechanism 20 also includes a fixing component 23 for locking the upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22. When the fixing component 23 locks the support arm 11 to the upper slider 21 and the gripper 12 to the lower slider 22, the opening mechanism 10 drives the two support arms 11 to open. The upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22 drive the two grippers 12 to open and open the ribs. Since the grippers 12 are not parallel to the ribs, one end of the grippers 12 will contact the ribs first. Then, under the obstruction of the ribs, the grippers 12 and the lower slider 22 rotate horizontally around the center point of the lower slider 22. The other end of the grippers 12 deflects towards the ribs until the grippers 12 are in contact with the ribs. After that, when the grippers 12 continue to open the ribs, the supporting force applied to the ribs can be distributed on the increased contact surface between the grippers 12 and the ribs. This design can ensure that the grippers 12 have a large contact area with the ribs when they open the ribs, thereby avoiding damage caused by local pressure on the ribs.

[0021] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 The fixing component 23 includes a push block 233 fixed to the top of the upper slider 21. The top of the push block 233 is threadedly connected to a threaded post 232. The bottom end of the threaded post 232 is fixed with a pressing rod 231 that passes through the upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22. The pressing rod 231 is composed of two inverted conical parts. The upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22 are slidably connected with a locking pin 234. One end of the locking pin 234 is inclined and fits against the surface of the conical part of the pressing rod 231, and the other end passes through the upper slider 21 or the lower slider 22. A spring 235 is provided on the locking pin 234. When the threaded column 232 is turned to move the pressing rod 231 downward, the two conical parts of the pressing rod 231 move downward and press the inclined surfaces of the locking pins 234 inside the upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22 respectively. This causes the locking pins 234 to move away from the pressing rod 231 and abut against the inner wall of the groove of the support arm 11 or the gripper 12, thus locking the upper slider 21 with the support arm 11 and the lower slider 22 with the gripper 12. Similarly, when the threaded column 232 is turned to move the pressing rod 231 upward, the locking pins 234 lose the pressing force of the pressing rod 231 and reset under the elastic force of the spring 235, thus releasing the locking of the upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22.

[0022] After the gripper 12 opens the ribs, the locking between the support arm 11 and the upper slider 21, and between the gripper 12 and the lower slider 22 is released by the fixing component 23. At this time, the upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22 can be moved to slide between the support arm 11 and the gripper 12 by pushing the push block 233, so as to adjust the position of the rotation connection point between the gripper 12 and the support arm 11. Because of the curvature of the ribs, the force exerted by the gripper 12 on different positions of the ribs will vary when supporting them. Therefore, by adjusting the position of the rotational connection point between the gripper 12 and the support arm 11, the position and direction of the supporting force applied by the support arm 11 to the gripper 12 can be adjusted. This allows for precise adjustment of the force applied by the gripper 12 to the ribs, ensuring that the supporting force on different positions of the ribs is as consistent as possible when the ribs are opened, and further reducing the damage to the ribs when the device opens the chest cavity.

[0023] Furthermore, under the action of the fixing component 23, the positions between the support arm 11 and the upper slider 21, and between the gripper 12 and the lower slider 22 can be flexibly adjusted to suit actual clinical situations and improve the applicability of the device.

[0024] By turning the threaded post 232, the upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22 can be locked and unlocked simultaneously. This design simplifies the operation of the device and helps to speed up the surgical process.

[0025] To facilitate the angle reset of the grippers 12, the opposite sides of the two grippers 12 are flush with the opposite sides of the two support arms 11. When the two support arms 11 approach each other until their opposite sides are in contact, the two grippers 12 return to a parallel state through mutual support. At this time, the opposite sides of the two grippers 12 are in contact and close together, and their rotation is restricted, making it easier to place the two grippers 12 between the ribs.

[0026] Reference Figure 3 Considering that when the pusher 233 drives the upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22 to slide, the friction between the lower slider 22 and the gripper 12 may cause the gripper 12 to slide against the rib, resulting in rib damage, a locking unit 30 for directly locking the gripper 12 is provided on the support arm 11. The locking unit 30 includes a threaded post 31 threaded to the top of the support arm 11. A pressure plate 32 is fixed at the bottom end of the threaded post 31. The bottom surface of the pressure plate 32 contacts the top surface of the gripper 12. Twisting the threaded post 31 causes the pressure plate 32 to move downward, so that the pressure plate 32 presses against the gripper 12, and the gripper 12 is locked by the friction between the pressure plate 32 and the gripper 12.

[0027] Reference Figure 5 The gripper 12 is provided with a protective structure 40, which includes a protective pad 41 and an airbag 42 fixed to the inner wall of the gripper 12. The protective pad 41 is made of elastic material and will increase the contact area with the rib by indentation and deformation when subjected to rib pressure. The airbag 42 can be detached from the gripper 12 to facilitate the disinfection of the airbag 42 and the gripper 12 and the replacement of the airbag 42. Two airbags 42 are symmetrically arranged on the inner wall of the clamp 12. The two airbags 42 are close to the two ends of the clamp 12 respectively. The protective pad 41 is located between the two airbags 42. When the ribs are not parallel to the clamp 12, the end of the clamp 12 will contact the ribs first during the process of opening the ribs. At this time, the airbag 42 located at the end of the clamp 12 can play a buffering role to prevent the clamp 12 from colliding with the ribs due to the excessive opening speed. On this basis, the device can speed up the opening speed of the clamp 12 when in use, thereby saving the time required to open the chest cavity and reducing the operation time.

[0028] Reference Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 In order to facilitate the determination of the force on the ribs when the gripper 12 opens the ribs, so as to make the force on the ribs uniform by adjusting the connection point of the gripper 12 and the support arm 11, a monitoring unit 43 is provided on the gripper 12. The monitoring unit 43 includes a transparent tube 431 fixed inside the gripper 12 and connecting the two airbags 42. A sliding plug 432 is slidably connected inside the transparent tube 431. When the gripper 12 opens the ribs, both the protective pad 41 and the airbag 42 come into contact with the ribs and undergo concave deformation. The internal pressure of the airbag 42 increases due to the pressure deformation. When the pressure on the two airbags 42 is different, the deformation amplitude of the two airbags 42 is different, and the internal pressure will also be different. Since the transparent tube 431 connects the two airbags 42, the internal pressure of the two airbags 42 will act on both sides of the sliding plug 432 through the transparent tube 431. Therefore, the pressure of the two airbags 42 can be judged by the displacement of the sliding plug 432, so as to adjust the position of the connection point between the gripper 12 and the support arm 11, control the pressure between the two ends of the gripper 12 and the ribs, and make the ribs bear force evenly. The gripper 12 has a scale near the transparent tube 431 to facilitate the determination of the offset distance of the sliding plug 432. Since the two airbags 42 are connected through the transparent tube 431, the two airbags 42 are inflated in sequence. The air pressure in the two airbags 42 can be determined by whether the sliding plug 432 is centered.

[0029] It is worth mentioning that the patient's breathing causes the ribs to expand and contract at a certain frequency, resulting in periodic changes in the pressure between the ribs and the air bladder 42 and the protective pad 41. Therefore, the displacement of the sliding plug 432 can be used to determine whether the patient's breathing is stable, providing the surgeon with real-time feedback on the patient's breathing, circulatory status, and potential complications, which helps the surgery to proceed smoothly.

[0030] Working principle: The two support arms 11 are driven to close together by the spreading mechanism 10. The support arms 11 drive the two grippers 12 to close together and place the two grippers 12 into the gap between the patient's ribs. Then, the two support arms 11 are driven to open by the spreading mechanism 10. The support arms 11 drive the grippers 12 to move through the upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22, thereby opening the two grippers 12 to spread the ribs, so as to facilitate thoracic surgery. When the ribs are not parallel to the clamp 12, during the opening process of the clamp 12, one end of it will contact the ribs first. At this time, under the buffer of the airbag 42, the ribs will not be damaged. Furthermore, due to the obstruction of the ribs, the clamp 12 will deflect in the direction of the ribs until the entire inner wall contacts the ribs. After that, the clamp 12 continues to open and spread the ribs apart. As the contact area between the clamp 12 and the ribs increases, local pressure damage to the ribs is avoided. When the gripper 12 pulls the protective pad 41 and airbag 42 to open the ribs, the protective pad 41 and airbag 42 deform under the pressure of the ribs, which plays a buffering role and reduces the collision between the gripper 12 and the ribs. Since the ribs have a curvature, the degree of deformation of the two airbags 42 under pressure may be different. When there is a difference in the internal pressure of the two airbags 42, the sliding plug 432 will slide inside the transparent tube 431. Therefore, whether the sliding plug 432 slides or not can be used to determine whether the two airbags 42 are subjected to uneven force. When the two airbags 42 are subjected to uneven force, the threaded column 2 31 is turned to move the pressure plate 32 downward to squeeze the clamp 12, so that the clamp 12 is fixed with the support arm 11. Then, the threaded column 1 232 is turned to move the compression rod 231 upward. The compression of the compression rod 231 is lost, and the locking pin 234 is reset under the elastic force of the spring 235, no longer locking the upper slider 21 with the support arm 11 and the lower slider 22 with the clamp 12. Then, the push block 233 is pushed to move the upper slider 21 and the lower slider 22 to slide between the support arm 11 and the clamp 12, adjusting the connection point position of the support arm 11 and the clamp 12, thereby changing the direction of the support force applied to the rib by the clamp 12. Referring to the position of the sliding plug 432, by adjusting the connection point position of the support arm 11 and the clamp 12, the force on the two airbags 42 tends to be consistent, thereby improving the uniformity of the support force applied to the rib by the clamp 12 and further reducing the damage to the rib during the process of opening the rib. Finally, the reverse rotation of the threaded column 232 causes the pressing rod 231 to move downward. The pressing rod 231 presses the locking pin 234 outward, so that the outer end of the locking pin 234 abuts against the inner wall of the support arm 11 and the gripper 12. The support arm 11 and the upper slider 21, and the gripper 12 and the lower slider 22 are locked, ensuring the stability of the device after the ribs are opened.

[0031] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technology of the adjustable thoracic surgery chest expansion device and its inventive concept, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device, comprising an expansion mechanism (10), a pair of support arms (11) driven to open and close by the expansion mechanism (10), and grippers (12) disposed at the ends of the support arms (11), characterized in that, Also includes: The connecting mechanism (20) and the locking unit (30) include an upper slider (21) and a lower slider (22) that are slidably connected to the bottom of the support arm (11) and the top of the gripper (12), respectively. The upper slider (21) and the lower slider (22) are aligned vertically and rotatably connected. The connecting mechanism (20) also includes a fixing component (23) for locking the upper slider (21) and the lower slider (22). When the spreading mechanism (10) drives the gripper (12) to spread the ribs through the support arm (11), the gripper (12) deflects and fits against the ribs; by adjusting the relative positions of the support arm (11), the gripper (12) and the connecting mechanism (20), the force position of the gripper (12) is adjusted so that the ribs are evenly stressed.

2. The adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixing component (23) includes a push block (233) fixed to the top of the upper slider (21). The top of the push block (233) is threadedly connected to a threaded post (232). The bottom end of the threaded post (232) is fixed with a pressing rod (231). The upper slider (21) and the lower slider (22) are both slidably connected with a locking pin (234). The locking pin (234) is provided with a spring (235).

3. The adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The opposite sides of the two grippers (12) are flush with the opposite sides of the two support arms (11).

4. The adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locking unit (30) includes a threaded post 2 (31) threaded to the top of the support arm (11), and a pressure plate (32) is fixed at the bottom end of the threaded post 2 (31).

5. An adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a protective structure (40), which includes an airbag (42) fixed to the inner wall of the gripper (12).

6. An adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device according to claim 5, characterized in that, Two airbags (42) are symmetrically arranged on the inner wall of the gripper (12), and the two airbags (42) are respectively close to the two ends of the gripper (12).

7. An adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The inner wall of the gripper (12) is also fixed with a protective pad (41) located between the two airbags (42).

8. An adjustable thoracic surgical chest expansion device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The protective structure (40) includes a monitoring unit (43), which includes a transparent tube (431) fixed inside the gripper (12) and connecting the two airbags (42). A sliding plug (432) is slidably connected inside the transparent tube (431).

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