Surgical wire inserter apparatus

• US 4,091,880 A
• Filed: 05/21/1976
• Issued: 05/30/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Concept, Inc. (Bristol-Myers Squibb Company)
• Original Assignee: Concept, Inc. (Bristol-Myers Squibb Company)
• Inventors: Trott, Arthur F., Foltz, Carl L., Troutner, Vernon H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Purser, Ernest R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pate, III, William F.
• Application Number:
  US05/688,574
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 128/92 EC, 128/92 EB, 32/27, 279/51, 279/53, 173/163, 173/169, 173/170, 310/50
• US Class Current: 173/217
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1628 Motors; Power supplies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1697 specially adapted for wire insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 279/17529 Fixed cam and moving jaws

Abstract

A portable surgical wire inserting instrument comprising a housing defining a handle and a head casing. The housing handle holds a removable power pack in which is mounted a motor and a source of power electrically connected to the motor. A miter gear extends from the power pack and is connected by a drive shaft to the motor. A collet is mounted in the housing and is selectively adjusted to grip a plurality of different diameter surgical wires through the action of a knob and cam mechanism located on top of the instrument head.

Rotation of the knob to one of a number of different positions establishes a number of different positions for the pivot points of thrust bars which act upon pins to draw the collet into an internally coned tube. Each position corresponds to a location of the thrust bar pivots suitable for gripping wires of different sizes. Gripping of the wire is accomplished by rotating a cam which moves the thrust bars rearward against pins which move a draw tube rearward and further draws the collet into the internally coned tube causing the jaws of the collet to squeeze in and grip the surgical wire. A miter gear on the coned tube connects with the miter gear extending from the power pack with the gears being adapted to rotate the coned tube upon energization of the motor.

Claims

1. A portable surgical wire inserting apparatus comprising a housing comprising a handle and a head assembly mounted to said handle;

powering means completely enclosed yet removably mounted in said handle so that said powering means is not exposed to contamination from the outside environment during a surgical operation, said powering means comprising a body, motor means mounted in said body, a source of electrical power mounted in said body and electrically connected to said motor means;

a wire holding tube means mounted in said head assembly, said wire holding tube means comprising a coned tube, a draw tube slidably mounted in said coned tube, a split collet member adjustably mounted in said draw tube and adapted to engage said coned tube so that the split sections of the split collet member are forced together to hold a wire placed therein, and draw tube moving means adapted to move said draw tube within said coned tube, said draw tube moving means comprising a first cam means mounted to said housing, said first cam means comprising a turning member, a cam member mounted to said turning member and adapted to be rotated by the movement of said turning member, a drive bar mounted in said head assembly, said drive bar defining a plurality of pivot points and an aperture into which said cam member is positioned,, said cam member being positioned adjacent an aperture defining wall of the drive bar, said cam member being provided with a plurality of camming sides adapted to engage the aperture defining wall and drive the drive bar to one of a plurality of predetermined positions, the number of predetermined positions being equal in number to the number of camming sides, at least one thrust bar having one end pivotally mounted adjacent one of said drive bar pivot points and adapted to be moved by said drive bar, a thrust means mounted to said draw tube and positioned adjacent each said thrust bar to drive said draw tube when said drive bar is cammed by said cam member;

gear means connecting said motor means to said wire holding tube means for rotating said wire holding tube means; and

external switch means moveably mounted on said housing, said external switch means being adapted to energize said motor causing said gear means to rotate.

2. A portable surgical wire inserting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said split collet member is threaded and the interior of said draw tube is threaded so that said split collet member is screwed into said draw tube in a predetermined position.

3. A portable surgical wire inserting apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including a lock screw means adjustably mounted in said draw tube adapted to abut said split collet member when said collet member is screwed into said draw tube, said lock screw means being adapted to be positioned in said draw tube in a manner to lock said split collet in position.

4. A portable surgical wire inserting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including second cam means mounted to said head assembly constructed to engage the other end of each said thrust bar, pivoting said thrust bar around one of said pivot points to engage said draw tube driving means to drive said draw tube a predetermined distance.

5. A portable surgical wire inserting instrument comprising a housing, said housing defining a handle portion and a drive portion, a removable power pack slidably mounted and completely enclosed within said handle portion, a motor means mounted in said removable power pack, a removable battery pack electrically connected to said motor means and mounted in said power pack, said removable battery pack including guard means mounted thereto assuring installation of said battery pack in said power pack in only one direction, a wire holding assembly mounted in said drive portion, said wire holding assembly comprising a tube having a coned end, a draw tube slidably mounted adjacent said coned tube, a split collet adjustably mounted to said draw tube and adapted to engage the coned end of said coned tube, a first cam means slidably mounted in said drive portion defining a pivot point, thrust bar means pivotally connected to said pivot point, said first cam means being adapted to drive said draw tube rearward a predetermined distance, a second cam means having a plurality of camming sides rotatably mounted in said housing so that one of said sides engages said thrust bar means to engage and drive the thrust bar means around the pivot point against drive means connected to said draw tube so that said draw tube is slidably moved an additional distance beyond said predetermined distance, each camming side having a different configuration from the adjacent side so that said draw tube is moved to other predetermined distances beyond said predetermined distance as the second cam means is rotated depending upon which cam side engages the thrust bar means.

6. A portable surgical wire inserting instrument comprising a housing defining a handle, a head assembly and a nose piece removably mounted in the head assembly, a removable power pack mounted in said handle, a motor and a source of power electrically connected to the motor and mounted in said power pack, gear means extending from the power pack and connected by a drive shaft to the motor, a wire handling assembly mounted in said head assembly, said wire handling assembly comprising a split collet adjustably secured to a draw tube and positioned within a coned tube, said wire handling assembly being positioned within said head assembly and adapted to grip a plurality of different diameter surgical wires through cam means comprising a knob and cam mechanism located on the head assembly, rotation of the knob to one of a number of different predetermined positions cams a thrust bar means pivotally connected to said cam mechanism rearward against means extending from said draw tube moving the draw tube rearward pulling the split collet into a coned tube causing the jaws of the split collet to close, additional rearward movement of the draw tube being obtained by a second cam mechanism mounted to said handle causing the jaws of the split collet to close further and grip a surgical wire, a second gear means connected to the wire handling assembly engaging the first gear means with both gear means being adapted to rotate the coned tube upon energization of the motor.

7. A portable surgical wire inserting apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said cam mechanism comprises a cam member moveably mounted adjacent a wall of a drive bar, said drive bar defining at least one pivot point on which said thrust bar means rotates.

8. A portable surgical wire inserting apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said second cam mechanism is rotatably mounted to said handle, said second cam mechanism when rotated engaging said thrust bar means and pivoting said thrust bar means.

9. A portable surgical wire inserting apparatus as claimed in claim 6 including a thrust bearing assembly mounted to said nose piece to absorb thrust load.

10. A portable surgical wire inserting apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said thrust bearing assembly comprises a thrust bearing, a retaining ring positioned adjacent the front race of the thrust bearing and support means bearing against the fixed rear race of the thrust bearing.

11. A portable surgical wire inserting apparatus as claimed in claim 6 including a disposable cap mounted onto the head assembly, said cap being formed with a thin membrane at one end which when pucntured by a surgical wire inserted into the head assembly forms a seal on the wire to keep foreign material from entering the head.