Sutureless guided skin biopsy system

• US 6,126,615 A
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: E William Rosenberg, Michael E. Allen
• Original Assignee: E William Rosenberg, Michael E. Allen
• Inventors: Rosenberg, E William, Allen, Michael E
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Cary
• Assistant Examiner(s): WINGOOD, PAMELA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US09/113,746
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 606/218, 606/216, 606/220, 606/217, 606/219, 606/221, 606/215, 606/172, 600/562
• US Class Current: 600/562
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/02 Instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; needle locating or guiding means A61B17/3403; samplers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/26; sampling or preparing biological specimens G01N33/48
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/08 Wound clamps or clips, i.e. not or only partly penetrating the tissue suture bridges A61B17/0466; Devices for bringing together the edges of a wound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3211 Surgical scalpels, knives; Accessories therefor

Abstract

A skin biopsy system covers all aspects of the biopsy procedure from initial incision to final closure. The system includes a flexible closure consisting of 4 elongated rigid members interconnected by flexible hinges. The opening within the closure is initially diamond-shaped, approximating an ellipse, which is then deformed or pinched to a narrow linear opening when the wound is closed. Included with the system is a knife which interacts with the closure to yield a guided incision of constant depth. The path of the knife is guided by interference between the blade and the inside faces of the closure while the depth is limited by interference of the handle proximal the blade and the top faces of the closure.

Claims

1. A skin biopsy guide and sutureless closure device which aids in both excising a biopsy specimen of the proper shape and thickness and which further aids in closing the resulting wound with minimal scarring and without the use of sutures, the device comprising:

an articulated parallelogram shaped enclosure comprised of multiple rigid members of equal length and substantially rectangular in cross section, each of said members hinged end-to-end in the plane of the enclosure, said hinges formed as thinned sections molded integral and continuous with said rigid members, the enclosure being collapsible by virtue of said hinges such that once the tissue specimen has been excised, the enclosure surrounding the elliptical shaped wound may deform in the plane of said enclosure from its original parallelogram shape to a collapsed configuration thereby closing said wound and whereby each of two pairs of opposing said rigid members lie parallel and proximal to said closed wound;

a clevis or clip which positively engages said enclosure at receptacles formed at two of said hinges when said enclosure is in its collapsed configuration, thereby retaining said enclosure in a closed state.

2. The enclosure of claim 1, whereby the thickness of said rigid members is sufficient to restrict the excising instrument to an elliptical path by interference with inside surfaces of said rigid members when the enclosure is in its undeformed configuration.

3. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the bottom surfaces of said rigid members are molded with a slight grade rising toward the center of the enclosure.

4. The enclosure of claim 1, having an adhesive layer applied to bottom surfaces of said rigid members, said layer protected by a removable backing.

5. A skin biopsy and sutureless closure device, comprising:

an enclosure formed from four substantially rigid elongated members of equal length and substantially rectangular in cross-section, each of said rigid members connected end-to-end in the plane of the enclosure to another by thinned sections molded integral and continuous with said rigid members, said thinned sections form flexible hinges at each of four comers of said enclosure, the enclosure defining an open center portion extending therethrough;

a clip molded integral with one of said rigid members such that it may be folded over said enclosure, once said enclosure is in its deformed or closed configuration, thereby retaining said enclosure in a closed state.