Abstract:
The preferred embodiment of this invention will allow a medical practitioner to more easily, quickly, and specifically remove unwanted tissue from a patient. The curved blade with a specialized surface for cutting and scraping is better suited than current options for performing this task.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This non-provisional application claims priority based upon prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/804946 filed Jun. 16, 2006 in the name of Kelly Tjelmeland, entitled “Debridement Device,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Technical Field  
         [0003]     The present invention relates generally to a device for removing unwanted tissue, and more particularly to a device specialized to cut and scrape dead tissue from wounds underneath a layer of skin.  
         [0004]     2. Background  
         [0005]     Wounds and surgery areas often contain dead, weakened, contaminated or otherwise unwanted tissue. Such tissue may also be difficult to directly access depending on where the tissue is located relative to a wound or surgery area and relative to healthy tissue. Current options for removing unwanted tissue involve using standard medical devices, such as a standard scalpel, to cut away the unwanted tissue. These options, however, often involve the use of a tool that is not designed specifically for removing unwanted tissue. Consequently, the current options yield less than optimal results and can be more time consuming than necessary. These and other problems are generally solved or circumvented, and technical advantages are generally achieved, by embodiments of the present invention.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In one embodiment of the present invention, the distal end of a blade is curved in a manner such that one face of the blade forms the inner curve of the blade and the other face of the blade forms the outer curve of the blade. At least a portion of one edge of the blade is sharpened. An advantage of the present invention is the specialized shape of the device. The proximal end of a blade may also be connected to an elongated handle. The device of the present invention can be used to remove dead tissue from a wound with less chance for live tissue to be removed.  
         [0007]     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures or processes for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended clams. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the device of the present invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a view of one embodiment of the device of the present invention with the face of the blade that forms the inner curve of the blade facing to the side of the page;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a view of one embodiment of the device of the present invention with face of the blade that forms the inner curve of the blade facing forward; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a view of a flat pattern of one embodiment of the blade portion of the device of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a view of a flat pattern of another embodiment of the blade portion of the device of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a multi-perspective view of another embodiment of the blade portion of the device of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a multi-perspective view of another embodiment of the handle portion of the device of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is a multi-perspective view of another embodiment of the device of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0017]     The making and using of the presently preferred embodiments are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention, and do not limit the scope of the invention. The present invention will be described with respect to preferred embodiments in a specific context, namely as a device for the debridement of wounds. The invention may also be applied, however, to other situations where removing tissue is desirable.  
         [0018]     With reference now to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of the device of the present invention is shown. The device includes a handle  101  and a blade  106  that tapers and curves. The device may also include a guard  103 . In one embodiment, the blade  106  is made from a material, typically a metal such as stainless steel, strong enough to be rigid under the conditions of use. The handle  101  and guard  103  are shown using a different material than the blade  106 , typically a plastic constructed with an appropriate grip  102 . The handle  101 , the guard  103 , and the blade  106  can be a one piece construction or they can include two or more materials to improve the grip and manipulation of the instrument. From this view, the device has a blade  106  located at the distal end of the device  108  and a handle  101  located at the proximal end of the device  109 . A guard  103  is located at the distal end of the handle  110  and the proximal portion of the blade  105 .  
         [0019]     The blade  106  is configured so that the proximal portion of the blade  105  adjoins, or is integrated into, the guard  103  and the distal end of the handle  110 . For example, the handle can be insert molded onto the proximal portion of the blade  105 . The proximal portion of the blade  105  serves to affix the blade  106  to the guard  103  and handle  101  and separates the distal portion of the blade  111  from the guard  103  and handle  101 . The distal portion of the blade  111  is curved in a manner such that one face of the blade forms the inner curve  112  of the distal portion of the blade  111  and the other face of the blade forms the outer curve  113  of the distal portion of the blade  111 . In this embodiment, a junction  114  is located between the curved distal portion of the blade  111  and the straight proximal end of the blade  105 . The junction  114  curves in a direction that is opposite of the direction of curvature of the curved distal portion of the blade  111 . For instance, the face of the blade that forms the outer curve  113  of distal portion of the blade  111  forms the inner curve of the junction  114 . Similarly, the face of the blade that forms the inner curve  112  of distal portion of the blade  111  forms the outer curve of the junction  114 . The guard  103  at the distal end of the handle  110  prevents a hand gripping the handle  101  from slipping onto the blade  106  if the hand loses its firm grip on the handle  101 . The guard  103  also reduces the risk that a hand gripping the handle  101  will be exposed to tissue or fluids located on or in the area of the blade  106 . In one embodiment, the distal portion of the blade  111  is curved into a shape approximating three-fourths of a circle. At least, one edge of the blade  107  is sharpened sufficiently to cut tissue. The sharpened edge  107  can start at the distal end of the blade  108  and continue to the point at which the proximal end of the blade  105  abuts the distal end of the guard  104 . Alternatively, only the edge of the curved portion of the blade  111  may be sharpened.  
         [0020]     With reference now to  FIG. 2 , a view of one embodiment of the device of the present invention with the inner curve of the blade  214  facing to the side is shown. From this view the curvature of the distal portion of the blade  201  can be seen. In this embodiment the curvature has a radius of 25 millimeters  202 . The junction  216  between the curved distal portion of the blade  201  and the straight proximal portion of the blade  203  curves with a radius of 2.5 millimeters. Blades with different curvatures at the distal portion and the junction can be used in order to optimize the device for specific procedures. The straight proximal portion of the blade  203  abuts the guard  204  at the distal end of the handle  205  and extends into the guard and handle a distance of 65 millimeters  206 . The straight proximal portion of the blade  207  also extends above the guard a length of 20 millimeters before the blade begins to curve. The guard  204  at the distal end of the handle  205  is shown to extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handle  208 . The widest point of the guard is located 9.2 millimeters from the distal end of the handle  205  and 20.8 millimeters from the proximal end of the handle  208 . The width of the guard at its widest point  209  is approximately three times the width of the handle. Concave surfaces  210  extend from the widest point of the guard  209  to both the proximal end  211  and the distal end  212  of the guard. The width of the handle  213  is 9.75 millimeters at the proximal end of the handle  208 .  
         [0021]     With reference now to  FIG. 3 , a view of an embodiment of the device of the present invention with the inner curve of the blade facing forward is shown. From this view, the sharpened edge of the tool  301  that is used for cutting and scraping is also shown. The length and sharpness of the sharpened edge can also vary. The proximal portion of the blade  302  is also shown extending into the handle.  
         [0022]     With reference now to  FIG. 4 , a view of a flat pattern of one embodiment of the blade portion of the device of the present invention. More specifically, this view illustrates one embodiment of the length and the taper of the blade without showing the curvature of the blade. In this embodiment, the blade is sharpened  401  and begins to taper at a distance that is 81.13 millimeters  403  from the distal end of the blade  402 . In this embodiment, the taper is shown to be a constant 93.63 degrees from an axis that is perpendicular to the length of the blade. The proximal end of the blade  405  is 10 millimeters in width  406  and contains holes  407  for use in securing the blade to a handle. The length, width, amount of taper, sharpness, and thickness of the blade can vary.  
         [0023]     With reference now to  FIG. 5 , a view of a flat pattern of another embodiment of the blade portion of the device of the present invention. This view illustrates one embodiment of the length and the taper of the blade without showing the curvature of the blade.  
         [0024]     With reference now to  FIG. 6 , a multi-perspective view of another embodiment of the blade portion of the device of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the proximal portion of the blade that is enclosed by the handle  602  contains two oval-shaped holes  601  for the purpose of fixing the handle to the blade. This embodiment also contains a transition portion  603  that is located between the junction  604  and the curved distal portion of the blade  605 . In this embodiment, the junction  604  is shown to have a radius of 5.08 millimeters such that the inner angle of the junction as measured between the proximal portion of the blade  606  and the transition portion  603  is one hundred forty degrees (140°). The transition portion  603  is shown to be straight in this embodiment and 11.43 millimeters in length. The curved distal portion of the blade  605  is shown to have a radius of 12.7 millimeters. This embodiment also shows that blade thickness  607  to be 1.78 millimeters.  
         [0025]     With reference now to  FIG. 7 , a multi-perspective view of another embodiment of the handle portion of the device of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the handle does not include a guard but the shape of the handle improves the user&#39;s ability to grip and manipulate the device. In particlar, three surfaces of the distal portion of the handle are rounded. One surface of the distal portion of the handle is rounded inward  701 . In addition, two surfaces of the distal portion of the handle are rounded outward. First, the surface that is on the opposite side of the handle from the rounded-inward surface  701  is rounded outward  702 . Second, one of the two remaining surfaces that are adjacent to the rounded-inward surface  701  is rounded outward  703 .  
         [0026]     With reference now to  FIG. 8 , a multi-perspective view of another embodiment of the device of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the blade is connected to the handle such that the side of the handle that is rounded inward  802  is located on the same side of the device as the end of the distal portion of the blade  801 .  
         [0027]     Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.