Guide-wire steered variable incision width safety scalpel
First Claim
1. A planar, split scalpel blade element for producing an incision having a predetermined width and a predetermined, substantially constant, predetermined depth, said blade element comprising:
- two juxtaposed elongated components aligned in a first plane with each component split away from the other component along a medial second plane which is orthogonal to the first plane, when medially aligned, said components jointly forming a distally disposed piercing end and comprising a common hinged joint aligned with the second plane at a proximal end;
a first component of the two components comprising a first knife blade at the piercing end, which is sharpened to be effective as a piercing and transverse cutting tool, and an inwardly disposed elongated first edge which is angularly displaced relative to the second plane to thereby provide a guide by which the piercing end of the component is skewed away from the second plane as a part of an actuator is displaced there along in a direction substantially parallel to the second plane toward the piercing end;
a second component of the two components comprising a second knife blade at the piercing end, which is sharpened to be effective as a piercing and transverse cutting tool, and an inwardly disposed elongated second edge which is angularly displaced relative to the second plane to thereby provide a guide by which the piercing end of the component is skewed away from the second plane as a part of an actuator is displaced there along in a direction substantially parallel to the second plane toward the piercing end;
the first and second component each comprising a third and fourth edge, respectively, each third and fourth edge being respectively disposed transversely outward from said first edge and second edge, each third and fourth edge comprising an elongated substantially straight length which is substantially parallel to the second plane when the components are juxtaposed and aligned with the second plane to thereby provide a pair of guides which interact with associated side stops which are fixed relative to blade movement and which obstruct sideways displacement of the first and second components thereby causing each actuator part and blade component to move distally as a unit without outward skewing of the first and second components until the blade element is distally displaced to the predetermined depth;
said first component further comprising a first wing defined by a first distal edge outwardly disposed between a proximal segment of said first knife blade and the distal end of the straight length of the third edge, said first wing further comprising a first arcuate, concave edge which is joined to a proximal end of the third edge, the first distal edge providing an interface against an associated distal stop which limits forward displacement of the first component whereat the first concave edge is disposed to provide relief from the associated side stop of the third edge to thereby permit outward skewing of the first component as the actuator part continues to be distally displaced and thereby skew the first knife blade outward, away from the second plane, to widen the incision to the portion of the predetermined width formed by the first component of the blade; and
said second component further comprising a second wing defined by a second distal edge outwardly disposed between a proximal segment of said second knife blade and the distal end of the straight length of the fourth edge, said second wing further comprising a second arcuate, concave edge which is joined to a proximal end of the fourth edge, the second distal edge providing an interface against an associated distal stop which limits forward displacement of the second component whereat the second concave edge is disposed to provide relief from the associated side stop of the fourth edge to thereby permit outward skewing of the second component as the actuator part continues to be distally displaced and thereby skew the second knife blade outwardly away from the first knife blade to widen the incision to the portion of the predetermined width formed by the second component of the blade.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A variety of embodiments of a variable incision width guide-wire steered scalpel are disclosed. Each embodiment employs a split blade which is proximally hinged, thereby facilitating making a variable width incision of a predetermined, substantially constant depth. Methods of preselecting an incision width are disclosed. Also, a plurality of embodiments of such a scalpel which may be used to provide an incision of preselected depth, as well, are disclosed. Notably, once a depth has been predetermined, that depth is kept substantially constant over the width of a resulting incision. While a wire may be threaded through the scalpel as a guide, the scalpel may be used for other incision applications without a guide-wire. The scalpel has safety features which generally follow the steps of piercing to make an incision of predetermined depth, transversely opening the split blade to widen the incision to a predetermined width, closing split blade and retracting the blade into a protective housing. In some embodiments, the retracting step precedes the closing step.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A planar, split scalpel blade element for producing an incision having a predetermined width and a predetermined, substantially constant, predetermined depth, said blade element comprising:
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two juxtaposed elongated components aligned in a first plane with each component split away from the other component along a medial second plane which is orthogonal to the first plane, when medially aligned, said components jointly forming a distally disposed piercing end and comprising a common hinged joint aligned with the second plane at a proximal end;
a first component of the two components comprising a first knife blade at the piercing end, which is sharpened to be effective as a piercing and transverse cutting tool, and an inwardly disposed elongated first edge which is angularly displaced relative to the second plane to thereby provide a guide by which the piercing end of the component is skewed away from the second plane as a part of an actuator is displaced there along in a direction substantially parallel to the second plane toward the piercing end;
a second component of the two components comprising a second knife blade at the piercing end, which is sharpened to be effective as a piercing and transverse cutting tool, and an inwardly disposed elongated second edge which is angularly displaced relative to the second plane to thereby provide a guide by which the piercing end of the component is skewed away from the second plane as a part of an actuator is displaced there along in a direction substantially parallel to the second plane toward the piercing end;
the first and second component each comprising a third and fourth edge, respectively, each third and fourth edge being respectively disposed transversely outward from said first edge and second edge, each third and fourth edge comprising an elongated substantially straight length which is substantially parallel to the second plane when the components are juxtaposed and aligned with the second plane to thereby provide a pair of guides which interact with associated side stops which are fixed relative to blade movement and which obstruct sideways displacement of the first and second components thereby causing each actuator part and blade component to move distally as a unit without outward skewing of the first and second components until the blade element is distally displaced to the predetermined depth;
said first component further comprising a first wing defined by a first distal edge outwardly disposed between a proximal segment of said first knife blade and the distal end of the straight length of the third edge, said first wing further comprising a first arcuate, concave edge which is joined to a proximal end of the third edge, the first distal edge providing an interface against an associated distal stop which limits forward displacement of the first component whereat the first concave edge is disposed to provide relief from the associated side stop of the third edge to thereby permit outward skewing of the first component as the actuator part continues to be distally displaced and thereby skew the first knife blade outward, away from the second plane, to widen the incision to the portion of the predetermined width formed by the first component of the blade; and
said second component further comprising a second wing defined by a second distal edge outwardly disposed between a proximal segment of said second knife blade and the distal end of the straight length of the fourth edge, said second wing further comprising a second arcuate, concave edge which is joined to a proximal end of the fourth edge, the second distal edge providing an interface against an associated distal stop which limits forward displacement of the second component whereat the second concave edge is disposed to provide relief from the associated side stop of the fourth edge to thereby permit outward skewing of the second component as the actuator part continues to be distally displaced and thereby skew the second knife blade outwardly away from the first knife blade to widen the incision to the portion of the predetermined width formed by the second component of the blade. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A wire steered scalpel for enlarging catheter entry sites wherein a guide wire has been inserted preparatory to introducing a catheter, said scalpel comprising:
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a housing comprising a pathway having an entry portal and an exit portal through which the guide wire is threadably disposed to facilitate steering the housing to the entry site, the entry portal being proximal to the entry site when the scalpel is used;
a split scalpel blade having a pair of sharpened points, said blade being within the housing and aligned with the pathway to lance, at the entry site, to be extended from the housing and thereby produce an incision having a predetermined width and depth; and
an actuator comprising a plurality of blade interfacing parts by which the scalpel blade is manually displaced relative to the housing and pathway to cause the blade to lance. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for making a carefully controlled incision at an entry site comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a guide-wire steered scalpel, said scalpel comprising;
a housing comprising a pathway having an entry portal and an exit portal through which a guide-wire is threadably disposed to facilitate steering the housing to the entry site, the entry portal adjoining the entry site when the scalpel is used;
a split scalpel blade, having two sharpened blades and associated points, which is disposed within the housing and aligned with the pathway to lance at the entry site, said blade being extended from the housing to thereby produce an incision having a predetermined width and depth; and
an actuator comprising at least one blade interfacing part by which the scalpel blade is manually displaced relative to the housing and pathway to cause the blade to lance;
(b) displacing a guide-wire which has been previously inserted into an entry site through the entry and exit portals, respectively;
(c) displacing the housing along the guide-wire to the entry site; and
(d) actuating the scalpel blade to pierce the entry site to a predetermined depth and to a predetermined width. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification