Verress needle with enhanced acoustical means

• US 5,139,485 A
• Filed: 05/03/1991
• Issued: 08/18/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Slater, Charles R., Smith, Kevin W., Scarfone, Frank A., Bales, Thomas O. Jr., Murphy, Gregory J., Bacon, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lynch, Michael
• Application Number:
  US07/695,367
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 604/156, 604/157, 604/158, 604/164, 604/26, 604/159, 604/170, 604/117, 604/274, 128/748
• US Class Current: 604/158
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3474 Insufflating needles, e.g. Veress needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3496 Protecting sleeves or inner probes; Retractable tips for protecting body piercing guide needles A61M25/0612
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00115 with audible or visual output with imaging means A61B90/37, A61B34/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/08021 of the patient or his organs
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0811 for the position of a particular part of an instrument with respect to the rest of the instrument, e.g. position of the anvil of a stapling instrument

Abstract

A Verress-type needle which has a sharpened outer needle and allows passage of a blunt inner needle within the outer needle. The Verress needle also contains a position indicator to indicate the position of the inner needle within the outer needle, so that the user knows whether the inner needle is in a protective or non-protective position. Further, a liquid level indicator demonstrates the path of liquid flow within the Verress-type needle. Finally, there is an acoustical enhancement mechanism, which allows the user to know whether the blunt inner needle has sprung forward within the abdominal cavity, to its most forward, protective position.

Claims

1. A Verress-needle comprising:

a handle having proximal and distal ends connected to a hollow outer needle with an end portion for penetrating a body cavity, said hollow outer needle and said handle providing a conduit through which fluid may be passed to or from the body cavity, said hollow outer needle attached to said handle at the distal end of said handle;

a hollow inner needle having proximal and distal ends surrounding an elongated body, which extends through said hollow outer needle and into said conduit in said handle, said inner needle having an opening near its distal end, and an open portion at its proximal end within said handle;

a spring housed within said conduit of said handle at said proximal end of said handle and said inner needle for biasing said inner needle forwardly to a protective position, so that the distal end of said inner needle extends past the end portion of said outer needle absent resistance against said inner needle; and

acoustical means contained on said handle for amplifying the sound of said inner needle being moved by said spring to its protective position.

2. The needle of claim 1 wherein said acoustical means is a cone shaped horn contained on said handle.

3. The needle of claim 1 wherein said acoustical means is a washer within said handle interacting with said inner needle.

4. The needle of claim 3 wherein said acoustical means further comprises a cone-shaped horn contained on said handle.

5. The needle of claim 4 wherein said needle further comprises a lens contained on said horn.

6. The needle of claim 5 wherein said needle further comprises a plurality of magnifying lenses contained on said horn, said horn having a cylindrical shape and said magnifying lenses contained on the periphery of said cylinder.

7. A Verress-needle comprising:

a handle having proximal and distal ends, and connected to a hollow first needle, said first needle having an end portion for penetrating a body cavity, said first needle providing a conduit to pass fluid relative to said body cavity, said first needle attached to said handle at said handle distal end;

a second needle having proximal and distal ends and an elongated body, said second needle placed in concentric engagement with said first needle and into said conduit in said handle;

said second needle having an opening at its distal end and an open portion at its proximal end within said handle;

one of said needles connected to a spring, said spring capable of biasing said needles with respect to each other so that said needles are placed in relative slidable engagement one to the other and said spring causing said second needle to be placed in a protective position covering the end portion of said first needle;

acoustical means contained on said handle for amplifying the sound of said second needle being moved by said spring means into said protective position.

8. The needle of claim 7 wherein said acoustical means is a cone-shaped horn contained on said handle.

9. The needle of claim 7 wherein said acoustical means is a washer within said handle interacting with said second needle.

10. The needle of claim 9 wherein said acoustical means further comprises a cone-shaped horn contained on said handle.

11. The needle of claim 10 wherein said needle further comprises a lens contained on said horn.

12. The needle of claim 11 wherein said needle further comprises a plurality of magnifying lenses contained on said horn, said horn having a cylindrical shape and said magnifying lenses contained on the periphery of said cylinder.

13. A Verress-needle comprising a pair of concentric needles with at least one of said needles having a hollow inner cylinder such that said other needle fits within said hollow inner cylinder, and said needles slidable with respect to one another, each of said needles held within a handle, said handle containing spring means for biasing a first of said needles to a first position with respect to the second of said needles, and said handle further connected to acoustical means for amplifying the sound of said first needle moving into said first position.

14. The needle of claim 13 wherein said acoustical means is a cone-shaped horn contained on said handle.

15. The needle of claim 14 wherein said acoustical means is a washer within said handle interacting with said first needle.

16. The needle of claim 15 wherein said acoustical means further comprises a cone-shaped horn contained on said handle.

17. The needle of claim 16 wherein said needle further comprises a lens contained on said horn.

18. The needle of claim 17 wherein said needle further comprises a plurality of magnifying lenses contained on said horn, said horn having a cylindrical shape and said magnifying lenses contained on the periphery of said cylinder.