U.S. patent number 3,826,248 [Application Number 05/290,572] was granted by the patent office on 1974-07-30 for laryngoscope.
Invention is credited to Georg Gobels.
United States Patent |
3,826,248 |
Gobels |
July 30, 1974 |
LARYNGOSCOPE
Abstract
The invention relates to a laryngoscope for examining the larynx
or the like comprising a handle element and a spatula detachable
therefrom with a longitudinally extending lateral member serving as
a tongue deflector.
Inventors: |
Gobels; Georg (Rodenkirchen
near Cologne, DT) |
Family
ID: |
5820147 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/290,572 |
Filed: |
September 20, 1972 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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Sep 21, 1971 [DT] |
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2147054 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
600/193; 600/195;
600/199 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B
1/00105 (20130101); A61B 1/267 (20130101); A61B
1/0676 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61B
1/267 (20060101); A61b 001/06 (); A61b 001/24 ();
A61b 001/26 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/10,11,12,15,16,6 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Pace; Channing L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Diller, Brown, Ramik &
Wight
Claims
I claim:
1. A laryngoscope comprising a handle and a spatula, said spatula
having a longitudinally extending main body which in turn has first
and second opposite end portions, the first of said end portions
being contoured to serve as a tongue deflector, said first end
portion including an uppermost curved surface in use, a recess in
said main body adjacent said second end portion, an insert of
elastic material housed within said recess and having an uppermost
surface in use merging with and forming a continuation of said
first end portion uppermost curved surface, a bulb carried by said
main body to illuminate the larynx cavity or the like, said handle
including power means for illuminating said bulb, means for
electrically detachably coupling said power means and bulb, means
for mechanically detachably coupling said handle and spatula, and
said mechanically and electrically detachable coupling means
functioning to permit said spatula and bulb to operate as a
single-use unit whereby upon one use of said laryngoscope said
spatula and bulb may be discarded and replaced by a like though
unused structure.
2. The laryngoscope as defined in claim 1 wherein the elastic
insert is anchored in the spatula by means of undercut grooves.
3. The laryngoscope as defined in claim 1 wherein the bulb is fixed
undismountably in the spatula and is provided with a light
conductor.
4. The laryngoscope as defined in claim 1 wherein the bulb with its
socket is fitted in a foot at the second end portion of the spatula
and a light conductor leads to said first end portion of the
spatula.
5. The laryngoscope as defined in claim 1 wherein the bulb is
fitted in the first end portion of the spatula and is connected via
a conduit with contact point of a spatula foot.
6. The laryngoscope as defined in claim 1 wherein the spatula has a
foot at the second end portion of the spatula and said mechanical
coupling means is a sliding connection between said foot and said
handle.
7. The laryngoscope as defined in claim 6 wherein the spatula foot
has a socket rail engageable in an undercut groove of the handle,
the socket rail and the undercut groove being chamfered, and the
socket rail and the handle groove coact electrically by means of a
contact tongue and a contact pin.
Description
Laryngoscopes serve to keep free the oral cavity and the glottis by
introducing the spatula into the mouth and by advancing the spatula
front end into the throat gap. A tongue deflector or depressor
presses the tongue aside so that the oral and throat cavities are
unobstructed. Generally, the handle is fitted with an illuminating
device permitting it to illuminate the throat cavity by means of a
bulb. Such laryngoscopes are subjected to opposing conditions,
namely, on the one hand are medical requirements relating to
sterilization, life and safety, whereas on the other hand are the
mechanical and electrical requirements relating to efficiency of
performance and the like.
It is customary with conventional laryngoscopes to provide the
handle and the spatula capable of being coupled mechanically and
electrically with respect to each other. In one embodiment of this
kind, it is known to provide a spatula insertable into the handle,
the bulb being also in the handle, and being directed lengthwise
relative to the tongue deflector. Such an arrangement with a
spatula being interchangeable and sterilizable by itself involves
the disadvantage that the light source is too far away from the
spatula front end so that the glottis is illuminated but only
weakly.
Moreover, the handle with the light source is destined for a
plurality of applications, thus increasing the possibility for
deficiencies and interferences concerning the illumination system.
If during the treatment, the light source fails and the
illumination collapses, valuable time may be lost during which
medical help cannot take place, and, in particular in cases of
emergency, e.g., for accidents, the rescue of the patient might be
defeated.
Concerning circumstances resulting due to sterilization, and above
all that of the spatula, solutions have been suggested which
provide a measure of success. For a laryngoscope with the bulb
fitted at the front end of the spatula the laryngoscope spatula is
enwrapped by a sheathing placed longitudinally over the spatula. By
this means only the sheath need be subjected to sterilization.
However, the disadvantage of such an arrangement is that the
thickness of the spatula cross section is relatively unwieldy. The
result may be additional coercions in the mouth and throat cavity.
Moreover, the pressure of the upper incisors becoming effective on
the lateral part of the tongue deflector is considerably increased.
Furthermore, the mechanical and electrical sources of trouble are
not excluded. By contrast, the fixture of the bulb and the control
of its seat is still aggravated by the spatula sheath. It is also
known to design the handle and the spatula as one single piece of
the laryngoscope and to only provide interchangeability of the
illuminating device together with the bulb. The reason for this is
to realize an apparatus of a reasonable price which can be thrown
away after one single use in order to do away with repeated
sterilizations of the apparatus. The disadvantage connected
therewith is that the entire implement, viz. the handle and the
spatula shall be thrown away after one single use, and this is
relatively expensive. In addition thereto, the bulb insertable into
the handle is always intended for multiple uses. Hence, it may
happen that the illumination unexpectedly fails thus resulting in
the disadvantages described above.
What all the known laryngoscopes have in common is that the spatula
at the space where it rests against the upper teeth of the jaw bone
upon introduction of the laryngoscope into the mouth and the larynx
gap is made of hard unelastic material. This is necessary because
with the spatula there must be exerted forces to press back the
inner parts of the mouth and of the throat, the spatula being then
under bending stress. Moreover, there is caused a considerable
pressure by the upper incisors on the lateral part of the spatula
serving as a tongue deflector. It is not uncommon that these
stresses are such as to endanger the teeth and/or to break them
from their seats in the jaw. The pressure exerted by the teeth on
the spatula of the laryngoscope is sometimes as high as to cause
scratches and notches on the metal surface of the rigid spatula,
unless the tooth broke off or became loose in the jaw. Added to the
problems of sterilization, mechanical, as well as electrical
properties, is the problem of avoiding damage to the teeth of the
upper jaw of the patient under treatment.
It is an object of this invention to create a laryngoscope for
larynx inspections or the like which takes into consideration the
aforementioned problems and permitting a troublefree safe operation
from the mechanical as well as from the illumination viewpoint,
with the simultaneous simple solution of the sterilization
problem.
For a laryngoscope with spatula detachable from the handle, the
handle incorporating the illumination system and the spatula a
light, the invention is characterized in that the spatula has at
the rear of its tongue-deflector-side element an insert of elastic
material and a bulb with light or current supply fixed in the
spatula undemountably, the spatula with insert and bulb being
provided as a disposable article.
By such a design of the laryngoscope or the spatula thereof there
is obtained the best possible safety for its operating efficiency
with respect to all the requirements to be demanded from the
laryngoscope. All the sources of trouble which probably might
become effective are in the one-way single use, or disposable part
which consists only of the spatula, so that the expenditure for
obtaining the optimum is held at a minimum. The elastic insert in
the tongue-deflector side part of the spatula permits an impeccable
and safe manipulation of the laryngoscope without the risk of
breaking out teeth of the patient even in case of a rudimentary
operation of the laryngoscope.
This brings about a greater safety during the performance of the
medical work for the patient. The bulb being provided in the one
way part entails the essential advantage that it is used only once.
The risk of a failure of the bulb during the work with the
laryngoscope is practically eliminated. A failure of the
illumination due to a decrepit bulb is excluded. Added thereto is
the direct, firm arrangement of the bulb in the one-way part so
that defective contacts and other interruptions of current are
completely excluded. Hence, avoided is the patient suffering damage
due to a failure of the illumination.
While it is possible to sterilize a spatula with an insert of
sterilizable material, the life of the elastic material is quickly
affected. The provision of the spatula as a one-way piece therefore
only permits the arrangement of the elastic insert as a
counterpressure element for the teeth of the patient. At the same
time, the problem of the safe illumination is solved in that each
time the spatula is being used, an unused new bulb is available,
and, on the other hand, that the electric contact faces at the
coupling space of the spatula with respect to the handle part of
the laryngoscope are always accurately clean and available for
operation. For a sterilization of the spatula in the autoclave
often causes an oxidation of the electric contact faces. As a
result of the design of the laryngoscope according to the
invention, requirements, otherwise incompatible, are complied with
at an optimum in order to insure an operative laryngoscope
efficient in any respect.
The elastic insert in the spatula may be constructed from rubber,
plastic or the like. It should be suitably anchored in the lateral
part of the spatula by means of undercut grooves extending in cross
and longitudinal directions relative to each other. The rejectable
spatula may be of any convenient material. It is advantageous to
use plastic, whereby the rigidity of the spatula is guaranteed. The
spatula must have a mat or dark-colored surface to avoid
reflections resulting from the illumination.
It is advantageous to provide the bulb with its socket in the
spatula foot. To this end, a light conductor, e.g. a glass fiber
line or the like, or a prismatic piece, may lead to the front part
of the spatula. It is also possible to fit the bulb at the front
part of the spatula and to connect it by a current line with the
contact points of the spatula foot.
The spatula itself is preferably fitted with a bent foot member
thus facilitating the provision of the bulb in the spatula.
Coupling of the bent foot member with the handle is accomplished by
a sliding connection in cross direction relative to the spatula
foot. To this effect, the spatula foot with its socket rail may
engage in an undercut groove of the handle. At that occasion, the
socket rail and the groove of the handle cooperate electrically by
means of a contact tongue and contact pin. It is suitable to
provide a taper i.e. a narrowing design of the socket rail and the
undercut groove so that a firm seat is insured when the parts are
pushed together.
With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter
appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood
by reference to the following detailed description, the appended
claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of the first embodiment of the
laryngoscope of this invention, and illustrates an insert of
elastic material carried by spatula.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the laryngoscope spatula and
illustrates an open longitudinal canal for the elastic insert.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross sectional and top plane views,
respectively, and illustrate coupling unit between handle and
spatula.
FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view of a further embodiment of
another laryngoscope according to the invention and illustrates a
bulb directly housed in the spatula foot.
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the spatula of the laryngoscope of
FIG. 5.
The laryngoscope of FIGS. 1 to 4 has a handle 18 and a spatula 6,
the spatula being provided with a longitudinally extending main
body 1 with a first end portion 1a thereof serving as a tongue
deflector. The main body 1 of the spatula 6 contains an insert 3 of
elastic material, e.g. of rubber, plastic or the like. This insert
3 is in the rear part or second end portion 1b of the spatula and
serves for the elastic reception of the patient's teeth when the
spatula 6 with insert 3 rests against the teeth upon use of the
laryngoscope. Insert 3 includes a surface 3b which forms a
continuation of and merges with an uppermost surface 1c of the
first end portion 1a. Anchorage of the elastic insert 3 is
conveniently carried out in a longitudinal canal 4 with undercut
front surfaces 4a and by means of an undercut cross groove 23 in
cheeks 22, 22. In the tongue deflector or main body 1 of the
spatula 6 a bulb 2 is located undemountably near the front end, and
it is preferably soldered in place. Current supply lines 10, 11
extend in the canal 4 and in a bent foot member 7 to a socket rail
9 housing contact pieces 12 and 13. A contact tongue or switch 8 is
provided in the socket rail 9 for making and breaking contact
between the contact piece 12 and a contact pin 16. Spatula 6 with
the elastic insert 3 and the elements of the illuminating system
such as the bulb 2, supply lines 11 and 10 and contact pieces 12
and 13 permanently arranged in the spatula, form one unit which
upon one single use is destined to be thrown away.
A handle 18 receives one or more insertable electric energy cells
("flashlight batteries") 17. At the upper end of the handle 18 is a
spatula holder 14 screwed in place in which is resiliently
supported the contact pin 16 insulated with respect to the
surrounding wall. Contact piece 13 is designed as a contact rail
extending transversely relative to the longitudinal axis of the
main body 1 with free ends of the rail resting firmly against the
guide surfaces 15 of holder 14. Contact piece 13 may be also
constructed as a spring contact supporting itself against the
bottom of groove 21. The lower end of the handle 18 is closed by a
detachable cap 19 which carries the support spring 20 for the cells
17.
The groove 21 is designed to slidably receive the rail 9 when the
latter is progressively slid into the groove 21 from left-to-right
as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4. The guide surfaces 15, 15 converge from
left-to-right in FIG. 4, and, therefore, the rail 9 will reach a
point where its surface configuration matches that of the groove 21
resulting in a binding therebetween. The guide surfaces 15, 15
additionally converge in an upward direction away from the bottom
of the groove 21.
The spatula 6 and the spatula foot 7 with the socket rail 9 consist
advantageously of black-colored plastic or the like with all the
surfaces being mat. Black coloring has proven its quality as a
contrast surface against the red mucosa of mouth and throat for the
illuminating operation. The elastic insert 3 may be fitted
laterally with a slight bulge 3a (FIG. 2) as an additional
protection for a person's lips.
In the embodiment of the laryngoscope of FIGS. 5 and 6 identical
elements are referred to with identical though primed numbers. The
spatula 6' as a one-way piece is also fitted with an insert 3' of
elastic material and anchored in the same way. The bulb 2' is
however in the foot 7' and firmly fitted in a socket 24, e.g.
soldered, which, at the same time serves as a contact for the
counter-contact 16' in handle part 18'. The spatula 6' is capable
of being coupled with the handle 18' by means of thread 25. It is
also possible to combine the elements by means of a bayonet
connection. From light 2' a light conductor 26 leads to the front
part of spatula 6' so that a good illumination of the rear throat
cavity or the like is insured. Also in this embodiment, the spatula
6' with all elements arranged therein, in particular with the
elastic insert 3' and the firmly fitted lamp 2' as well as the
light conductor 26, form a one-way unit insuring high functional
efficiency.
While preferred forms and arrangements of parts have been shown in
illustrating the invention, it is to be clearly understood that
various changes in details and arrangement of parts may be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.
* * * * *