Simple holder for medical instruments

Abstract

To provide a simple, easy-to-operate, low-cost holder for holding medical instruments of various thicknesses, such as a digestive endoscope, in a position and direction desired by a user on behalf of the user or his / her assistant. [Solution] The holding part 1 is a clip-type holder 5 that is plastically deformable and has a C-shape or U-shape with one side open, and is provided with a fixed wall 1c that clamps the instrument to be held within the opening 1b. The holder has a mechanism for adjusting the distance between the opposing walls that form the inside of the opening 1b, and by adjusting this distance, instruments of various thicknesses can be held with various holding forces. A user 6 simply pushes the instrument into the opening, causing the instrument to be clamped between the fixed walls inside the opening, and the instrument is fixed and held by the holder. Conversely, to remove the held instrument from the holding part, the instrument can be removed by simply pulling it in the direction of the opening.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a holder that holds the insertion portion of a gastrointestinal endoscope (scope) (the flexible portion that has a camera at the tip and is inserted into the patient's body) in place of the endoscopist or his / her assistant during examination or treatment using the scope. [Background technology]

[0002] During examinations and treatments using a scope, there are times when the endoscopist must let go of the insertion part of the scope. If letting go could cause problems such as the tip of the scope becoming misaligned with the affected area or the scope falling out of the body, the endoscopist must have an assistant hold the scope before letting go.

[0003] However, when there is a shortage of medical staff and no assistants are available, there is nothing that can be done. Also, in examinations and treatments that use X-ray fluoroscopy, the assistant is exposed to radiation (occupational radiation) just by holding the scope, and at a time when there is a demand for reducing manpower as an infection control measure within the hospital, there is a problem that the risk of infection increases when the assistant has to stand near the patient just to hold the scope.

[0004] Therefore, the present inventor has devised and commercialized a holder for holding a scope in a position and orientation desired by an endoscopist or a caregiver during an examination or treatment using a scope, such as "a holder having a main body and a holding part having a flexible tubular body that has flexibility and shape retention and holds a scope by changing its shape to match the scope to be held or by wrapping it around the scope (Patent Document 1)" and "a holder having a clip-type structure such as a C-shape and a holding part that inserts and pushes the scope to be held into an opening through the opening and sandwiches it between the opposing walls that form the inside of the opening (Patent Document 2)". These holders are actually useful in medical settings as they are effective in resolving staff shortages, reducing radiation exposure of caregivers, and preventing infectious diseases, and their usefulness has also been shown academically (Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent application 2020-199886 [Patent Document 2] Utility model registration No. 3237199 [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] Tsuchiya T,et al. ”Impact of using scope holder on Interventional Endoscopy” J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Sci. 2021 Aug 19 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The holder according to the above (Patent Document 1) holds the scope in a predetermined position by wrapping and tightening three flexible tubular bodies provided in the holder around the outer circumference of the scope. Although it is highly versatile because it can hold scopes of various thicknesses with various tightening conditions, there is an issue that attaching and detaching the scope requires manipulating the three flexible tubular bodies, which is time-consuming and complicated.

[0008] To solve this problem, the above-mentioned (Patent Document 2) was devised, but the size of the opening (the distance between the opposing walls that form the opening) of the holding part that holds the scope by clamping it must be different for each thickness of the scope to be held, and the manufacturing and storage costs were issues.In addition, there were issues on the user's side, such as the need to replace the holding part every time a scope of a different thickness is used during a case, and the inability to adjust the holding force according to the situation while using a holding part that matches the thickness of the scope.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention aims to overcome the problems associated with the prior art by devising a holding part that can hold endoscopes of various thicknesses with various holding forces using just one type of holding part, thereby improving convenience and reducing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The holding part of the scope according to the present invention has a clip-type structure that is capable of plastic deformation and has a C-shape or U-shape with one side open. The holding part has a mechanism for adjusting the distance between the opposing walls that form the inside of the opening, and the distance can be adjusted according to the thickness of the scope to be held and the desired holding force. After the adjustment, the scope can be clamped inside the opening, thereby fixing and holding the scope within the opening of the holding part. Effect of the Invention

[0011] By using the clip-type holder of the present invention, which allows the spacing between the opposing walls forming the inside of the opening to be adjusted, it becomes possible to hold scopes of various thicknesses with one type of holder. Alternatively, the surgeon can adjust the size of the opening even during treatment or examination, so the holding force of the scope during surgery can be adjusted. This makes it unnecessary to replace the holder itself even if a different scope of a different thickness is to be used during treatment or examination. This makes examinations and treatments smoother, and reduces the number of items, which leads to reduced medical costs. Furthermore, nurses who prepare surgical tools before surgery no longer need to check the type (thickness) of the scope to be used by the surgeon in advance, and then select and prepare a holder of the appropriate size for that scope, and inventory management becomes easier.

[0012] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to hold various types of scopes with one type of holding part. The holding part is preferably made of a low-cost material that can be plastically deformed, and resins such as ABS and PP are also suitable. In such cases, it is generally manufactured by injection molding using a mold, but with conventional holding parts where the size of the opening of the holding part cannot be adjusted, it was necessary to prepare a mold for each size variation. With the holding part according to the present invention, only one type of mold is required for its manufacture, and since it is a single item, the manufacturing management and inventory management can be easily and significantly reduced in cost. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a holding portion according to one embodiment of the present invention and a configuration of a holder for a scope using this holding portion; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state when a scope is held (attached) to the holder in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state when the scope is removed from the holder of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the holding portion of FIG. 1 holding a scope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The holding part according to the present invention, which is in the shape of a C-shaped clip and has adjustable spacing between opposing walls forming the inside of the opening, is used in combination with the body of the holding tool as a part of the holding tool that fixes and holds the scope in the position and orientation desired by the surgeon during examination or treatment using a scope. Alternatively, in addition to these, a spacer may be provided between the holding part and the body. If spacers of different heights are prepared, the endoscopist can select a spacer of the optimal height according to the scope holding height desired for each case (each patient) or use multiple spacers in combination, which increases convenience. In addition, by making the holding part detachable from the body, the holding part that comes into contact with the scope inside the patient's body can be made disposable (disposable medical device) and tasks such as cleaning and disinfecting the holding part can be made easier. EXAMPLES

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 shows a scope holder 5 according to the present invention, which is composed of a holder 1, a spacer 2, a main body 3, and a main body connecting bolt 4. The holder 5 is assembled by fastening the female threaded portion 1a at the bottom of the holder 1 to the male threaded portion 2a at the top of the spacer 2, and by fastening the main body connecting bolt 4 through the main body 3 and to the female threaded portion 2b at the bottom of the spacer 2.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, when an endoscopist 6 wishes to have the scope 7 he or she is operating held by the holding device 5, he or she can hold the scope 7 by simply inserting the scope 7 into the opening of the holding part 1 through the opening 1b of the holding part 1 and pushing the scope 7 in until it is sandwiched and fixed between the two fixed walls 1c that constitute the opening.

[0017] It is desirable to provide a guide portion 1d on the holding portion 1 as shown in Fig. 2. By providing the guide portion 1d, the endoscopist 6 can tactilely grasp the positions of the holding portion 1 and the opening 1b without taking his eyes off the endoscopic screen by bringing the scope 7 into contact with the guide portion 1d. Furthermore, after bringing the scope 7 into contact with the guide portion 1d, by moving the scope 7 along the guide portion 1d in the direction of the opening 1b (downward in this case), the endoscopist 6 can easily move the scope 7 to the opening 1a or inside it and fix it to the holding portion 1 without taking his eyes off the endoscopic screen.

[0018] Conversely, to remove the scope 7 fixed to the holding part 1 from the holder 5, it is only necessary to pull the scope 7 fixed inside the opening in the direction of the opening 1b. At this time, a release button 1e may be provided on the holder 1 so that the scope 7 can be easily removed with a smaller pulling force. As shown in FIG. 3, the endoscopist 6 can push the release button 1e downward with his / her finger to bend and deform the fixed wall 1c that holds the scope 7, thereby widening the space between the scope 7 and the fixing liquid 1c and the opening width of the opening 1b. As a result, the scope 7 can be easily removed from the holder 1.

[0019] The holding part 1 has a gap adjustment screw 1f for adjusting the gap between the opposing fixed walls 1c. As shown in Fig. 4, the gap adjustment screw 1f is fastened to a female threaded part 1g for the gap adjustment screw provided on the side of the opposing fixed wall 1c, and when the gap adjustment screw 1f is tightened, the opposing fixed walls 1c approach each other to narrow the gap, so that the scope 7 can be held more firmly or a thinner scope can be held.

[0020] The material of the holding part 1 according to the present invention is preferably a material capable of plastic deformation, such as resins such as ABS, PP, etc. The thickness of the fixed wall 1c is preferably about 1 to 4 mm in order to withstand deformation caused by fastening the interval adjustment screw, and to achieve both ease of bending deformation when attaching and detaching the scope (ease of attachment and detachment) and a fixing force (clamping force) when holding the scope.

[0021] A gastrointestinal endoscope (scope) has been used as an example of an instrument that can be fixed or held by the holding part of this invention, but the instrument can also be other instruments, such as medical or nursing equipment, instruments, tubes, or power cables and communication cables used for general purposes, and is not limited to this example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0022] 1 Holding part 1a Female thread at the bottom of the holder 1b opening 1c fixed wall 1d Guide section 1e Release button 1f Spacing adjustment screw 1g Female thread for gap adjustment screw 2 Spacers 2a Male thread on top of spacer 2b Female thread at bottom of spacer 3. Main unit 4 Body connecting bolt 5 Holder 6 User (endoscopist) 7. Digestive Endoscope (Scope)

Claims

1. A holder for a holder that holds a medical instrument or the like on behalf of a user, It is detachable from the body of the holder, It has a clip-type structure with a cross-sectional shape of the letter C or U, A mechanism for adjusting the distance between opposing walls that define the interior of the opening is provided; Inserting and forcing the instrument to be held through the opening into the opening, sandwiching the instrument between the opposing walls forming the interior of the opening, and securing the instrument; A holding part for a holder, characterized by

2. Regarding the holding portion, A plate or rod-like structure that leads to an opening, It has a plate or rod-like structure that makes it easy to guide the instrument to be held into the opening or the opening beyond it, The holder for the holder according to claim 1,

3. Regarding the holding portion, When attaching or detaching an instrument, a deformation load is applied to widen the gap between the two walls that form the opening and the interior of the opening that holds the instrument, in order to make it easier to attach or detach the instrument. The device is provided with a plate or rod-like structure that allows the user to hang the device on a part or the whole of the holding portion; The holder for the holder according to claim 1,

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