SURGICAL INSTRUMENT

• US 3,835,859 A
• Filed: 02/22/1973
• Issued: 09/17/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Leo J. Digioia, Robert R. Roberts
• Original Assignee: Leo J. Digioia, Robert R. Roberts
• Inventors: Roberts, Robert R., DiGioia, Leo J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laudenslager, Lucie H.
• Application Number:
  US05/334,726
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 128/305,309,2B,307,311 30/272R,289,293,294
• US Class Current: 606/79
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/149 Chain, wire or band saws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32056 Surgical snare instruments for removing or smashing calculi A61B2017/2212; tonsillotomes A61B17/26

Abstract

A surgical instrument including a flexible track operatively connected to a handle and adapted to be extended therefrom into a knee cavity to conform to the interior configuration of the knee cavity, and a blade slidably mounted on the track and constrained to move thereon for cutting damaged or broken cartilage from the knee cavity.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument for cutting cartilage from a cavity, comprising, a housing, wire means mounted on said housing, means operatively connected between said housing and said wire means for extending said wire means from said housing into said cavity, said wire means being adapted to conform to the interior of the cavity into which it is inserted, knife means slidably mounted on said wire means, and means operatively connected between said housing and said knife means for sliding said knife means on said wire means.

2. A surgical instrument according to claim 1 wherein the wire means comprises a pair of parallel, vertically spaced, flexible wires.

3. A surgical instrument according to claim 1 wherein the means for extending the track means comprises, a member slidably mounted on said housing, one end of said wire means being connected to said slide member.

4. A surgical instrument according to claim 1 wherein the means for sliding the knife means on the wire means comprises, a slide member slidably mounted on said housing, and a band member having one end connected to said slide member and the opposite end connected to said knife means.

5. A surgical instrument according to claim 1 wherein the knife means comprises a holder slidably mounted on said wire means, and a cutting blade mounted on said holder.

6. A surgical instrument according to claim 1 wherein extension means are connected to one end of said housing, said wire means having one end connected to said extension means, said wire means being bent back upon itself, the reversely bent portion thereof extending through said extension means and into said housing to thereby form a looped track.

7. A surgical instrument according to claim 6 wherein said extension means comprises a rod extending longitudinally of the housing and connected to one end wall thereof, and a pair of laterally spaced post members connected to the free end of said rod, said one end of said wire means being connected to one of said post members, the reversely bent portion of said wire means slidably mounted through the other post member.

8. A surgical instrument according to claim 3, wherein a longitudinally extending channeled recess is formed in the housing, said member being slidably mounted in said recess, and a handle connected to said member to facilitate the manual sliding of said member in said recess.

9. A surgical instrument according to claim 4, wherein a longitudinally extending channeled recess is formed in the housing, said slide member being mounted in said recess, and a handle connected to said slide member to facilitate the manual sliding of said slide member in said recess.