Handle of a surgical hand instrument, auxiliary tool for attaching a working instrument to a handle part of a surgical hand instrument, and method for attaching a working instrument to a handle part of a surgical hand instrument.

Abstract

The invention provides an auxiliary tool, a handle, and a method for attaching a working instrument to a handle part of a surgical hand instrument, enabling the working instrument to be connected to the handle part of the surgical hand instrument in a secure and reliable manner. This is achieved by an auxiliary tool (25) consisting of a receiving body (26) that has a hole-like receiving volume (28) for receiving the tool (11). It is provided that a surgeon inserts a distal end of a working instrument (19) with the tool (11) into the receiving volume (28) of the receiving body (26) and then joins a shaft (18) of the working instrument (19) with the proximal end and a handle part (16), coupling them, for example, by snapping or twisting.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an auxiliary tool for fastening a working instrument according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a handle of a surgical hand instrument according to the preamble of claim 7. Finally, the invention also relates to a method for fastening a working instrument to a handle part of a surgical hand instrument according to the preamble of claim 11.

[0002] Surgical hand instruments of this type are typically used for laparoscopic procedures in a patient's abdominal cavity. A tool mounted on a shaft is inserted through an opening in the abdominal wall into the patient's abdominal cavity, where it can be controlled for manipulation of tissue and organs by operating a handle mounted proximally on the shaft. Such instruments are often equipped with a clamping function, for example, to temporarily close vessels with a sustained closing force or to hold a needle for suture formation. However, the clamping function can also be used for any other activity related to treatment within a human body.

[0003] The surgical hand instruments described here generally have a handle to which a working instrument can be coupled. The working instrument consists of a shaft with a tool arranged at its distal end. The working instrument or shaft can be detachably attached to the handle at the proximal end. The tool can be operated via the handle. The shaft generally has or consists of actuating means, such as wires or rods. Depending on the embodiment or application, the tool can be forceps, scissors, a gripper, or a clamp. These tools all have at least two elements that can be moved relative to one another. To replace a tool or working instrument, it can be easily detached from the handle or attached to the handle. For this purpose, the working instrument can be coupled to a handle part.The grip part, in turn, can be connected to the handle. For this purpose, coupling devices such as locking elements, a bayonet lock, or similar are provided on the handle and / or the grip part. The handle can also have an electrical contact to apply a definable electrical potential to the tool or an alternating voltage.

[0004] Previous methods require the operator or surgeon to wrap the tool in a cloth to secure it to the handle. This cloth is then rotated along with the shaft around its longitudinal axis, locking the distal end of the shaft within the handle. If necessary, a locking mechanism on the handle must be activated for this purpose. Particularly when wrapping the tool in a cloth and then rotating the tool around its longitudinal axis, fibers, lint, or other contaminants from the cloth or similar can become caught on the tool. These contaminants could have serious consequences for the patient's health.Although the cloth is intended to protect the operator from injury caused by sharp edges of the tool, there is no guarantee that the person will not be injured if, for example, the cloth is not wrapped completely or insufficiently around the tool. In general, contact with the tool should be avoided, either with the hand or with a cloth, to avoid any risk of contamination or injury.

[0005] The present invention is based on the object of creating an auxiliary tool, a handle and a method for fastening a working instrument to a handle part of a surgical hand instrument, by means of which the working instrument can be connected to a handle part of the surgical hand instrument in a safe and reliable manner.

[0006] An auxiliary tool for solving this problem has the features of claim 1. Accordingly, it is provided that the auxiliary tool is designed to fasten a working instrument in a particularly simple and secure manner to a handle part of a handle of a surgical hand instrument.

[0007] The generic working instrument consists of a tool with an elongated shaft. While the tool is arranged, in particular movably, at a distal end of the shaft, the shaft can be coupled to the gripping part or handle at a proximal end. The tool can alternatively be a pair of forceps, scissors, a gripper, or a clamp. The aforementioned tools generally have two elements that can move relative to one another, such as forceps elements or clamp elements, which can be moved via wires or a rod system that form the shaft or are guided within the shaft. This movement can be exerted by a surgeon or operator via the handle. The hand surgical instrument mentioned here can thus be a clamp, forceps, scissors, or the like, wherein the working instruments can be interchangeably attached to the handle.The handle, to which the working instrument can be connected, is used as an additional element of the instrument. The handle, in turn, can be connected to the handle via a locking mechanism or a bayonet lock. The handle can, for example, have two handle elements that can be moved relative to each other by the surgeon to operate the working instrument's tool.

[0008] Embodiments are conceivable in which the handle has a tubular shaft extending distally. To assemble the hand instrument, the working instrument with the shaft is pushed into the tubular shaft of the handle, and the proximal end of the shaft is locked into the handle.

[0009] For simple and safe assembly of the working instrument, the invention provides for the use of an auxiliary tool. This auxiliary tool consists of a receiving body which has a hole-like receiving volume for receiving the tool. The surgeon inserts the distal end of the working instrument with the tool into the receiving volume of the receiving body and then joins the shaft of the working instrument to the proximal end and the handle part and couples it to the latter, for example by locking or twisting. After the working instrument has been coupled to the handle part, the auxiliary tool can be pulled off the tool. The auxiliary tool essentially serves to ensure that the surgeon can apply sufficient force for the coupling without injuring himself on the tool.At the same time, the auxiliary tool leaves no residue or contaminants on the tool that could pose a health risk to the patient. The auxiliary tool can be used for disassembly or uncoupling of the working instrument. The auxiliary tool's capacity is designed to accommodate the tools mentioned above.

[0010] A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the receiving volume has an oval, elliptical, or oblong-hole-like cross-section. The cross-section is designed precisely such that the tool can be inserted into the receiving volume and can only be rotated slightly or not at all about the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The tool can thus be received within the auxiliary tool in a form-fitting manner so that the surgeon can transfer the applied torque relative to the auxiliary tool to the proximal end of the shaft. It is conceivable for a short axis of the cross-section to be 1 mm to 3 mm, preferably 2 mm, and a long axis of the cross-section to be 2 mm to 4 mm, in particular 3 mm.

[0011] Likewise, according to the invention, the receiving volume can have a length or depth that corresponds at least to the length of the tool. This maximizes the contact area between an inner wall of the receiving volume and the tool, thereby maximizing the force transfer from the receiving body to the tool. It is conceivable that the length of the receiving body is 5 cm to 15 cm, preferably 7 cm. However, it is also conceivable that the length is only 1 cm to 4 cm, in particular 2 cm.

[0012] A further advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for the receiving body to be made of a plastic or a hard foam. Firstly, such materials are inexpensive to produce and secondly, easy to clean and reprocess. A reversibly deformable material, such as a foam, has the further advantage that the receiving body and thus also the receiving volume can be deformed by exerting pressure such that it fits around the tool. This targeted deformation can improve the form fit or the force transmission from the auxiliary tool to the tool. This can be particularly advantageous if the tool does not have an oval cross-section or does not correspond to the cross-section of the receiving volume.

[0013] In particular, it can be provided according to the invention that an outer cross-section of the receiving body corresponds to or is slightly larger than an inner cross-section of a receptacle or a bore in the handle of the surgical hand instrument. This allows the receiving body to be temporarily secured in the receptacle of the handle for fastening the working instrument. In this embodiment, the auxiliary tool would not be held by the surgeon, but would be fixed within the receptacle of the handle, so that the surgeon, for example, holds the handle in one hand and the gripping part in the other in order to couple this to the proximal end of the shaft. This embodiment proves to be particularly advantageous for auxiliary tools that are particularly small and therefore difficult to grasp.By combining the auxiliary tool with the handle, the surface area through which the surgeon can exert force on the working instrument is increased.

[0014] A handle for solving the problem mentioned above has the features of claim 7. The claimed handle is used to handle a surgical hand instrument. This hand instrument essentially consists of the handle and a working instrument that can be attached to this handle. The working instrument is composed of a tool, which can be, for example, forceps, scissors, a gripper, or a clamp, and a shaft. While a distal end of the shaft is firmly connected to the tool, the proximal end can be connected to the handle via a handle part. In this case, the working instrument is usually connected to the handle part first. For this purpose, the working instrument is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the shaft and thereby locked or connected within the handle part. To release the working instrument from the handle part, the necessary steps are carried out in the reverse order.As already explained, this twisting poses the risk that the surgeon could injure themselves on the tool or that cloths placed around the tool to avoid injury could leave residue on the tools. To prevent this, the invention provides for a receptacle to hold the tool to be arranged inside the handle. To assemble the working instrument with the handle part, the tool is pushed into this receptacle so that the receptacle fits positively around the tool. The surgeon can now exert a torque on the working instrument via the handle so that the proximal end of the shaft can be locked into the handle part. Because the tool is only loosely mounted in the receptacle, it can be pulled out of this receptacle without any additional effort. The risk of the tool becoming dirty during this assembly can therefore be eliminated.The handle can also be used to detach the working tool from the handle. In particular, the greater leverage provided by the shape of the handle allows the working tool to be connected to the handle with minimal effort.

[0015] According to the invention, it is preferably provided that the receptacle in the handle has a round, oval or elliptical cross-section. This makes it possible to achieve a particularly efficient positive connection between the tool and the receptacle, which improves the transmission of force from the handle to the tool. In particular, the receptacle in the handle is designed such that an auxiliary tool according to claim 1 can be received in the receptacle. However, it is provided that the receptacle only receives a front part of the tool and therefore the length of the receptacle is only a few millimeters up to a maximum of 1 cm to 2 cm. The short axis of the in particular oval receptacle can have a length of 1 mm to 2 mm and the long axis 2 mm to 4 mm.

[0016] Finally, a method for attaching a working instrument to a handle portion of a surgical hand instrument to achieve the above-mentioned object comprises the measures of claim 11. Accordingly, it is provided that, to attach the working instrument to the handle portion, a tool of the working instrument is positively fixed in a receptacle, while an end of a shaft opposite the tool is coupled to the handle portion. The tool and the shaft form the essential elements of the working instrument.

[0017] Preferably, the receptacle is a receiving volume of an auxiliary tool according to claim 1. Alternatively, the invention provides that the receptacle is a bore in a handle of the surgical hand instrument according to claim 7.

[0018] To increase the contact area between the tool and the inner wall of the holder, it may be advantageous to place the tool in an at least slightly open position. By increasing the contact area between the tool and the holder, the force transfer between the holder and the tool can potentially be increased.

[0019] A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 a side view of a surgical hand instrument, Fig. 2 a side view of a working instrument with a handle element, Fig. 3 a side view of a handle, Fig. 4 a side view of the working instrument, Fig. 5 a side view of the handle element, Fig. 6 a perspective view of an auxiliary tool, Fig. 7 a sectional view of the auxiliary tool, Fig. 8 a representation of a process step for assembling the hand instrument, Fig. 9 a representation of a further process step, Fig. 10 a representation of an alternative process step, and Fig. 11 a sectional view of a supporting piece.

[0020] Fig. 1 shows a surgical hand instrument 10 in which a tool 11 is arranged at the distal end of a tube-like shaft 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the tool 11 is designed as a forceps jaw with a fixed jaw part 13 and a jaw part 14 that is movable relative to the fixed jaw part. The jaw parts 13, 14 can also be designed, for example, as shearing jaws and thus form a shearing jaw. Instead of a fixed jaw part 13 and a movable jaw part 14, two movable jaw parts can also be provided to form the tool 11. Numerous variants of tools 11 that can be used with the present instrument 10 are known from the prior art.

[0021] In an embodiment not shown, electrodes can be arranged on the tool 11 which can be connected to an electrical supply device via electrical leads and which can be used in particular for the high-frequency surgical treatment of body tissue, such as for coagulation or ablation.

[0022] The tool 11 forms together with a Fig. 4, a working instrument 19 is located within the shaft 18 shown. The shaft 18 can be a direct actuation means for the tool 11 or a receptacle for the actuation means. In the embodiment shown here, an actuation rod 20 is located within the shaft 18, extending from the tool 11 through the shaft 18 to the handle 15. The tool 11 can be operated by the surgeon via this actuation rod 20. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the tool 11 can be handled via actuation wires.

[0023] For assembly, the working instrument 19 with the shaft 18 is pushed through the tubular shaft 12 and the handle 16 and coupled thereto. The handle 16, in turn, is connected to a support piece 17 of the handle 15. The handle 15 has two handle pieces 21 and 22, which are mounted so as to be movable relative to one another. Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the handle 22 is mounted for rotation about an axis 23. Furthermore, the actuating rod 20 is attached to the handle 22, so that the tool 11 can be actuated by the relative movement of the two handles 21, 22.

[0024] The two handles 21, 22 can be fixed relative to each other via a locking mechanism 24, for example, to maintain a relative position of the two jaw parts 13, 14. Further details of the locking mechanism 24 will not be discussed here, as they are not relevant to understanding the invention described here.

[0025] In the Fig. 2, the working instrument 19 is shown together with the handle part 16, specifically in the decoupled state. The shaft 18 or the actuating rod 20 of the tool 11 is located within the shaft 12 of the handle part 16. Fig. The combination of the working instrument 19 and the handle part 16 shown in Figure 2 is for the final assembly with the Fig. 3 shown handle 15. For this purpose, as already described, the Fig. 2, the actuating rod 20 shown in abbreviated form is guided through the support piece 17 and the same is coupled to the handle part 16.

[0026] In the Fig. 4, the working instrument 19 is shown. Alternatively to this embodiment, it is also conceivable that the working instrument 19 does not have a shaft 18, but the tool 11 only has an actuating rod 20. In the Fig. 4, the actuating rod 20 is shown in abbreviated form for a better understanding. The two jaw parts 14, 13 are in the Fig. 4 shown in a closed position.

[0027] The Fig. 5 shows the handle part 16 together with the shaft 12. The shaft 12 is tubular and is guided over the shaft 18 of the working instrument 19 during assembly of the hand instrument 10 in order to protect the shaft 18 and in particular the actuating rod 20. Accordingly, the length of the shaft 12 is adapted to the length of the working instrument 19. A coupling mechanism is shown within the handle part 16, which can be actuated, for example, relative to actuating elements (not shown) on a circumference of the handle part 16. The coupling mechanism interacts with the proximal end of the working instrument 19 in such a way that the working instrument 19 can be locked and released in the handle part 16.

[0028] In the Fig. 6 shows a possible embodiment of an auxiliary tool 25. This auxiliary tool 25 essentially consists of a cylindrical receiving body 26 and a receiving volume 28 arranged parallel to a longitudinal axis 27 of the receiving body 26. Deviating from this cylindrical shape, it is also conceivable for the receiving body 26 to have a rectangular or polygonal or other type of cross-section. However, it is essential for the invention that a cross-section 29 of the receiving volume 28 is adapted to the shape or cross-section of the tool 11. In the embodiment shown here, the cross-section 29 of the receiving volume 28 is oval or elliptical. This is evident, for example, from the Fig. 7. A short axis of the cross section 29 can be 1 mm to 3 mm or preferably 2 mm. A long axis of the cross section 29 can be, for example, 2 mm to 5 mm, preferably 3 mm to 4 mm. Likewise, the length or depth of the receiving volume 28 is designed such that it can accommodate at least a major part of the tool 11. Likewise, it is also provided that the receiving volume 28, not as in the Fig. 6, is not a blind hole, but rather extends over the entire length of the receiving body 26, so that the latter forms a hollow cylinder. A preferred exemplary embodiment, however, provides that the receiving body 26 has a length of 5 cm to 15 cm, preferably 7 cm to 10 cm, or 1 cm to 4 cm. The wall thickness, i.e. the area between the cross section 29 and a lateral surface 30 of the receiving body 26, can on average be 5 mm to 10 mm or even a few centimeters. Furthermore, it is provided that the receiving body 26 is made of a plastic or a rigid foam, so that the cylindrical shape of the receiving body 26 and in particular of the receiving volume 28 can be reversibly changed.

[0029] For the assembly of the working instrument 19, it is provided that the tool 11 is guided at least partially into the receiving volume 28 of the receiving body 26. At the same time, or before or after this, the shaft 12 of the handle part 16 is guided in the direction of arrow 33 over the shaft 18 of the working instrument 19, namely until a distal end of the shaft 12 abuts the tool 11 ( Fig. 8). In this relative position, the actuating rod 20 projects distally from the handle part 16 ( Fig. 9). In this state, the auxiliary tool 25 or the receiving body 26 is rotated by the surgeon about the longitudinal axis 27 or in the direction of arrow 31, while simultaneously holding the handle part 16. This relative rotation couples the working instrument 19 to the handle part 16. Because the tool 11 is located within the receiving body 26, the surgeon cannot injure himself. It also prevents lint, fluff, or other contaminants from collecting on the tool 11, which could pose a health risk to the patient during treatment. To disassemble the working instrument 19, the auxiliary tool 25 must be rotated in the opposite direction. After disassembling the working instrument 19 or the hand instrument 10, the auxiliary tool 25 can be removed from the tool 11 and is available for reuse.

[0030] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a receptacle 32 for the tool 11 is arranged in the handle 15 or the support piece 17. According to this embodiment, a front region of the tool 11 is inserted into the receptacle 32 and then the handle part 16 together with the shaft 12 is guided in the direction of arrow 34 over the shaft 18 of the working instrument 19. As soon as the shaft 12 is in the correct relative position to the working instrument 19, the handle part 16 is rotated in the direction of arrow 35, exactly as described in the previously described embodiment, in order to couple the working instrument 19 to the handle part 16. The handle 15 serves as a fixing aid and prevents the tool 11 from rotating with the handle part 16 ( Fig. 10). After the working instrument 19 and the handle part 16 are coupled together, the tool 11 can be pulled out of the receptacle 32 and the handle part 16 can be coupled to the support piece 17 or the handle 15 in the known manner.

[0031] In the Fig. 11 shows a cross-section of the handle 15 or the support piece 17. It is clear that the receptacle 32 is designed in the same way as the cross-section 29 of the receiving volume 28. The dimensions and the shape of the receptacle 32 can correspond to those of the cross-section 29. In addition, Fig. 11, a central bore 36 is visible. When the working instrument 19 is mounted, the actuating rod 20 and / or an electrical contact for the tool 11 are guided through this bore 36. Because the receptacle 32 extends around this bore 36, the functionality of the bore 36 is not impaired.

[0032] In addition to the Fig. 11, it is conceivable that other embodiments could be chosen to secure differently shaped tools 11 to the handle 15. A further exemplary embodiment could provide for a receptacle 32 to be designed such that an auxiliary tool according to the embodiment of the auxiliary tool 25 described here can be positioned in this receptacle 32. Because the auxiliary tool is secured within the handle 15, the operator can secure the tool 11 using the handle 15, in particular using the two gripping pieces 21, 22, thereby being able to apply more force due to the leverage effect. The receptacle 32 could be designed such that the auxiliary tool does not move relative to the receptacle 32, at least during assembly. List of reference symbols: 10 Surgical hand instrument 11 Tools 12 shaft 13 Fixed jaw part 14 Movable jaw part 15 Handle 16 Handle part 17 Support piece 18 shaft 19 Working tool 20 operating rod 21 Handle 22 handle 23 Axis 24 locking mechanism 25 auxiliary tools 26 receiving bodies 27 Longitudinal axis 28 recording volume 29 Cross section 30 lateral surface 31 Arrow direction 32 recordings 33 Arrow direction 34 Arrow direction 35 Arrow direction 36 bore

Claims

[1] Auxiliary tool (25) for fastening a working instrument (19) comprising a tool (11), in particular a pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, a gripper or a clamp, and a shaft (18), to a handle part (16) of a handle (15) of a surgical hand instrument (10), characterized by a receiving body (26) which has a hole-like receiving volume (28) for receiving the tool (11). [2] Auxiliary tool (25) according to claim 1, characterized by that the receiving volume (28) has an oval, elliptical or slot-like cross-section (29). [3] Auxiliary tool (25) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the receiving volume (28) has a length of 1 cm to 5 cm, preferably 2 cm to 4 cm, in particular that the length corresponds to the length of the tool (11). [4] Auxiliary tool (25) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat a length of the receiving body (26) is 5 cm to 15 cm, preferably 7 cm to 10 cm. [5] Auxiliary tool (25) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the receiving body (26) consists of a plastic or a hard foam. [6] Auxiliary tool (25) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that an outer cross-section of the receiving body (26) corresponds to or is slightly larger than an inner cross-section of a receptacle (32) of the handle (15) of the surgical hand instrument (10), so that the receiving body (26) can be temporarily fixed in the receptacle (32) of the handle (15) for fastening the working instrument (19). [7] Handle (15) of a surgical hand instrument (10) for handling the hand instrument (10) and for fastening a handle part (16) and / or a working instrument (19), wherein the working instrument (19) has a tool (11), in particular a pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, a gripper or a clamp, and a shaft (18), characterized by a receptacle (32) in the handle (15) in which the tool (11) can be received. [8] Handle (15) according to claim 7, characterized by that the receptacle (32) is designed such that the tool (11) can be received in the receptacle (32) in a form-fitting manner. [9] Handle (15) according to claim 7, characterized by that the receptacle (32) is designed such that an auxiliary tool (25) according to claim 1 can be received in the receptacle (32). [10] Handle (15) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized by that the receptacle (32) has a round, oval or elliptical cross-section. [11] Method for fastening a working instrument (19) comprising a tool (11), in particular a pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, a gripper or a clamp, and a shaft (18), to a handle part (16) of a surgical hand instrument (10), characterized by that the tool (11) is positively fixed in a receptacle (26, 32), while an end of the shaft (18) opposite the tool (11) is coupled to the handle part (16). [12] Method according to claim 11, characterized by that the receptacle is a receiving volume (28) of an auxiliary tool according to claim 1. [13] Method according to claim 11, characterized by that the receptacle is the receptacle (32) in a handle (15) of the surgical hand instrument (10) according to claim 7. [14] Method according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized bythat the tool (11) is brought into an open position in order to maximize a contact area between the tool (11) and the holder (26, 32).

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