U.S. patent number 3,888,004 [Application Number 05/507,978] was granted by the patent office on 1975-06-10 for ultrasonsically vibrated surgical cutting instrument.
Invention is credited to Donald Jackson Coleman.
United States Patent |
3,888,004 |
Coleman |
June 10, 1975 |
Ultrasonsically vibrated surgical cutting instrument
Abstract
An improved ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting instrument
for cutting soft tissues without stretching the same during the
cutting hereof having an ultrasonic frequency generator, a
transducer connected to said ultrasonic frequency generator for
creating a vibratory motion and having a vibrator in communication
with the transducer, and a double blade knife with one of the
blades adapted to move in a longitudinal direction along the motion
of the vibrator and the other blade fixed to prevent deflection of
the cutting blade during the cutting operation and retaining the
tissue against the cutting edge such that when the sharp edge of
the knife blades touch soft tissues the knife blades will cut the
soft tissues without stretching the membrane.
Inventors: |
Coleman; Donald Jackson
(Haworth, NJ) |
Family
ID: |
27011634 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/507,978 |
Filed: |
September 20, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
386867 |
Aug 9, 1973 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
30/277.4;
606/169; D24/146 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B26B
7/005 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B26B
7/00 (20060101); B26b 007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;30/272A,272R
;128/305 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Smith; Al Lawrence
Assistant Examiner: Zatarga; J. T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kirschstein, Kirschstein, Ottinger
& Frank
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation in part application to my
copending application Ser. No. 386,867 for a Surgical Instrument
filed Aug. 9, 1973, now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. An improved ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting instrument
having an ultrasonic frequency generator, a transducer in
communication with said ultrasonic frequency generator for
converting ultrasonic energy to vibratory energy and a vibrating
anvil in communication with said transducer for providing
vibrations wherein the improvement comprises a fixed knife blade, a
moveable knife blade in communication with said fixed knife blade
and said vibrating anvil and means for preventing said moveable
knife blade from separating from said fixed knife blade during the
cutting operation so that said fixed knife blade prevents said
moveable knife blade from deflecting during the cutting
operation.
2. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said preventive
means comprises a keyway in said moveable knife blade, a projection
on said fixed knife blade in communication with said keyway, and a
projection on said moveable knife blade in communication with said
fixed knife blade to bias said moveable knife blade against said
fixed knife blade.
3. The device in accordance with claim 2 wherein said moveable
knife blade has a serrated cutting edge.
4. The device in accordance with claim 3 wherein said fixed knife
blade has a serrated cutting edge.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Search.
This invention relates to an ultrasonically vibrated surgical
cutting instrument for cutting soft tissues and more particularly
to an ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting instrument having
two knife blades.
2. Prior Art.
Heretofore, it has been known that in an effort to cut soft
tissues, for example, in the eye, the weight of a surgical knife
cutting soft tissues tends to stretch the tissues such that after
it has been severed the tissue does not return to its normal
pre-severed size until a substantial time has elapsed, or may be
permanently torn from adjacent tissues. It has been found that the
reason for the stretching was due to the necessary weight which had
to be placed on the soft tissue in order for the sharp surgical
edge of the knife to engage the tissue to permit the commencement
of the cutting. The weight of the knife coupled with the pressure
applied by the surgeon was sufficient to depress the tissue and
thereby stretch the same providing a somewhat deformed tissue after
the severance had been made. Varying types of extremely sharp
blades of very thin material have been used but none to the
satisfaction of the surgical profession and particularly those
concerned with intro-ocular surgery in ophthamology.
The ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting instrument was
developed to solve this problem. The blade vibrates as a result of
longitudinal vibrations injected therein from the driving element.
Because of the rapid oscillations of the blade much less pressure
is applied in the cutting operation than with the ordinary
knife.
While less pressure was needed to make the incision using the
ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting instrument, the prior art
devices are limited to a single bladed knife. A problem developes
when the single knife blade encounters increased resistance to
cutting. There is a tendency for very thin blades to deflect or
stray from the line along which the surgeon wishes to cut. Single
blades lack the ability to stabilize the tissue being cut as well
as the method using a second adjacent blade. In the case of
delicate operations, it is imperative that the knife blade be
prevented from deflecting to prevent damaging tissue adjacent to
the incision, and that the tissue be cut smoothly without
stretching.
OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
It is the general object of the present invention to avoid and
overcome the foregoing and other difficulties which will become
apparent as the description proceeds by providing an ultrasonically
vibrated surgical cutting instrument which has two knife blades,
one of which is fixed and the other of which is free to
vibrate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an
ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting instrument having two
knife blades, in which the fixed blade prevents the moveable blade
from deflecting from desired cutting line.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an
ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting instrument which is of a
simplified construction and can be economically produced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the present invention have been achieved by
providing a surgical cutting instrument for use in cutting soft
tissues without stretching the tissues during the cutting operation
being provided with ultrasonic frequency generator, a transducer in
communication with said ultrasonic frequency generator, a vibrating
anvil in communication with said transducer and adopted to vibrate
along the longitudinal axis thereof, and a double blade knife, one
of the knife blades being in communication with said vibrating
anvil so that said knife blade will move along the longitudinal
axis thereof, while the other blade remains fixed and prevents said
moveable blade from deflecting from a desired cutting line.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present invention reference
should be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like numerals of
reference indicate similar parts throughout the respective views
and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a profile view of the improved ultrasonically vibrated
surgical cutting instrument in accordance with the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view at an enlarged scale along line
2--2 in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view at an enlarged scale along line 3--3 in
FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an alternative knife blade
construction.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the relationship of the two knife
blades at a greatly enlarged scale.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view along line 6--6 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view along line 7--7 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 8 is a partial view, at an enlarged scale, of an alternative
knife blade construction.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting
instrument is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. The
basic concept of an ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting
instrument is old in the art and will not be discussed in detail
herein. Basically, the frequencies developed by an ultrasonic
generator are connected to vibratory mount by a transducer. A
vibrating anvil in communication with the transducer transmits the
vibratory motion to the knife blade of the cutting instrument. The
surgical cutting instrument 10, has two knife blades 11 and 12
which will be described hereinafter in further detail.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting
instrument 10 has a housing within which the abovementioned
ultrasonic generator, transducer and vibratory anvil are located.
Because the present invention is adapted to be used on a
conventional ultrasonically vibrated cutting instrument, the
details of the ultrasonic generator, transducer, and vibrating
anvil are not shown. Only a portion of the vibrating anvil is shown
and is identified with the reference numeral 14.
As the open end of housing 13 is a retaining collar 15, the
retaining collar 15 is mounted to the housing 13 so that it is free
to rotate thereon. The projection 16 at the end 17 of the retaining
collar 15 cooperates with a channel 18 in the end of the housing 13
and is retained therein by the retaining projection 19.
The end portion 20 of the ultrasonically vibrated surgical cutting
instrument 10 is releasably secured to the housing 13 by means of
the retaining collar 15. Threads 21 on the end 22 of the end
portion 20 cooperate with threads 23 on the retaining collar 15.
For reasons which will become apparent hereinafter, the end portion
20 will be drawn towards the housing 13 and become secured thereto.
When the retaining collar 15 is rotated in the opposite direction,
the end portion 20 is drawn away from the housing 13 and can be
removed from the retaining collar 15.
The end portion 20 has a passageway 24 therethrough within which
the connecting bar 25 is free to pass. The connecting bar 25 is
releasably secured at its one end to the vibrating anvil 14. On the
other end of the connecting bar 25 is mounted one of the knife
blades 11. Releasably mounted to the end of the end portion 20 is a
second blade 12. Blade 11 is the moveable knife blade and blade 12
is the fixed knife blade.
It is imperative that during the cutting operation the two blades
do not separate. In delicate surgical operations, the surgeon must
be sure that he is making the incision along the exact line that he
intends to avoid damaging surrounding tissue.
The two knife blades 11 and 12 are designed to prevent them from
separating during the actual cutting operation. As shown in FIG. 3,
the moveable knife blade 11 has a keyway 26 cut therein. The fixed
knife blade 12 has a projection 27 which cooperates with the keyway
26 to keep the two knife blades in a close operating relationship.
To further prevent separation of the knife blades, the moveable
knife blade 11 has a downward extension 28 which extends over the
top of the fixed knife blade 12. This downward extension 28 of
knife blade 11 biases knife blade 11 against knife blade 12 so that
the inside surface 29 of the knife blade 11 and the inside surface
30 of the knife blade 12 meet only at the tip 31 where the cutting
edge 32 is formed. This biasing action also has the effect of
limiting the friction effects between the blades.
An alternative construction for the knife blades is shown in FIG.
4. The downward extension 33 of the knife blade 11 has an upward
projection 34 which cooperates with the downward projection 35 on
the knife blade 12 to further prevent the knife blades 11 and 12
from separating during the cutting action.
In addition to the structure of the knife blades, the passageway 24
and the connecting bar 25 are also designed to prevent the knife
blades from separating. As shown in FIG. 6, the clearance 36
between the connecting bar 25 and the walls of the passageway 24 is
at a minimum to prevent the separation. In addition, as shown in
FIG. 7, a projection 37 from the wall 38 of the passageway 24
cooperates with a groove 39 in the connecting bar 25 to limit the
excessive movement of the connecting bar 25 and thus preventing
separation of the knife blades.
In FIG. 8, an alternative knife blade construction is shown. Either
or both of the knife blades may be serrated, to enhance the cutting
operation, along the cutting edge.
In view of the need to change knife blades after each operation, to
maintain sterile conditions, the knife blades 11 and 12 are
removeable from the vibrating anvil 14 and end portion 20
respectively. To facilitate removal of the moveable knife blade 11
and connection bar 25, the end portion 20 of the surgical cutting
instrument 10 is releasably secured to the housing 13 by means of
the retaining collar 15 as hereinabove described. The end 40 of the
connecting bar 25 may releasably engage the vibrating anvil 14 by
an conventional means such as a close tolerance press fit or by
means of screw threads. As noted hereinabove, the fixed knife blade
12 is releasably secured to the end portion 20 and can be removed
therefrom while the end portion is removed from the housing.
In summary, I have provided a surgical instrument for the cutting
of very delicate soft tissues using an ultrasonically controlled
surgical cutting blade which will permit the cutting of the soft
tissues without the stretching of the tissues per se, having a
moveable knife blade and a fixed knife blade which maintains the
moveable blade along the desired cutting line.
While in accordance with the patent statutes a preferred and
alternative embodiment are shown in detail, it should be
particularly understood that the invention is not limited thereto
or thereby.
* * * * *