Abstract:
The present invention relates to an adapter sleeve that provides a contoured handle surface that is used to hold a scalpel blade during a surgical procedure. The adapter sleeve in a preferred embodiment can include a cavity in which the scalpel blade can be removably inserted for a single procedure. Alternatively, the adapter can be manufactured as a sterilizable unit with the scalpel blade capable of being rigidly mounted to a distal end of a handle.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/609,430, filed Sep. 13, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     N/A  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Surgeons have traditionally used scalpels for a variety of surgical procedures to cut or excise tissue. Surgical precision requires, in certain types of procedures, the angle of orientation of the scalpel blade to be of particular importance.  
         [0004]     For example, each year many people have skin growths, such as moles, removed. In order to excise the mole the surgeon must use a scalpel to make two mirror image incisions in the skin around the mole. Depending on the “handedness” of the surgeon one incision is more difficult to make than the other. This is due to the traditional flat handle design used for most scalpels, which makes it much harder to hold the blade in the proper fashion. The flat handle requires the surgeon&#39;s wrist to roll more for one incision versus the other, thus increasing the chance of a minor hand tremor or misalignment of the blade relative to the surgical site while cutting. This in turn, reduces the precision with which mirror image symmetry can be created.  
         [0005]     Thus, there is an ongoing need for improvements in scalpel design to facilitate greater ease in surgical applications.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     This present invention relates to an adapter sleeve that can be attached to a scalpel blade. The adapter sleeve provides a handle that is easier to hold, thereby giving the surgeon greater control and ability to make more precise incisions. The adapter sleeve of the present invention includes a cavity extending through a portion of the sleeve that receives the proximal end or handle of the scalpel such that the blade extends from the distal end of the adapter. An outer surface region of the adapter sleeve includes a handle portion that is gripped manually by the hand of the user during a surgical procedure. The sleeve handle has a contoured surface to provide for proper orientation of the blade of the scalpel relative to the surgical site. The contoured surface of the handle can include a proximal section with a thicker diameter that tapers to a smaller diameter section at the distal end. The distal section can have a recess for the thumb of the user. The blade can be rigidly oriented relative to the surface features to improve manual manipulation. The sleeve handle can be left or right handed.  
         [0007]     In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the method for using the adapter sleeve of the present invention involves selecting a blade, inserting it into the adapter, performing the selected procedure, removing the scalpel for cleaning, sterilization, and reuse, and either sterilizing or disposing of the adapter sleeve.  
         [0008]     In another preferred embodiment, the scalpel blade is assembled with the adapter sleeve during manufacture. The adapter sleeve in this embodiment is made of a plastic material suitable for sterilization after use. The sleeve can be molded as a unitary body with selected portions of the surface having a hatched, abraided or dimpled surface to provide frictional surface regions unlikely to slip when grasped by the user. The sleeve can also be molded in two pieces that snap together about the blade using a connector.  
         [0009]     A preferred embodiment can also include a rotational mechanism to provide for adjustment of the angular orientation of the blade relative to the adapter handle. In one example, the cavity is sized to provide for two different angular orientation of the blade edge relative to the adapter handle, thus allowing the user to select the proper orientation for a given procedure. In a second example, the adapter handle can have inner and outer sections or sleeves that rotate relative to each other. The user can turn the blade relative to the handle which “clicks” between selectable rotational positions to find that most suitable.  
         [0010]     The foregoing and other features and advantages of the system and method for a scalpel adapter sleeve will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the system and method as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a front side perspective view of the adapter sleeve with a scalpel blade inserted therein in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the proximal end of the device seen in  FIG. 1  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the adapter sleeve with a scalpel blade positioned for insertion at the proximal end of the adapter in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the proximal end of the adapter and scalpel in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a rear side view of the adapter and scalpel in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a lateral side view of the adapter sleeve and scalpel in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is a cross-section view illustrating an internal cavity that receives a scalpel blade in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
       [0018]     The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     This invention describes an adapter sleeve that can be attached to existing flat handled scalpels. The adapter sleeve can be elliptical in shape at least along a portion thereof and crosshatched or beveled to make the handle a more natural feel thereby making it easier to hold to provide superior scalpel manipulations. In addition, the design can also be manufactured as a knife handle unit.  
         [0020]     The adapter sleeve can be a sterilizable or disposable, elliptical-shaped, beveled plastic handle that can be used on existing scalpel handles. In addition to making the handle of the scalpel easier to hold, the design of the adapter also has the advantage of making the handle less slippery than the traditional steel handle. Through use of the adapter sleeve the scalpel will be easier to manipulate thereby allowing the precision of the incision to be increased.  
         [0021]     A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in connection with  FIG. 1 . The adapter sleeve scalpel device  10  of this embodiment has a contoured handle  12  and a distally mounted blade  14  that is rigidly attached to the handle. A front side of the handle  12  is shown with a recess  16  sized to receive the thumb of a user. The recess can be a hatched, abraded, or provided with some other frictionally enhanced surface region  18  to improve gripping and manual manipulation of the blade.  
         [0022]     A rear perspective view of an adapter sleeve and scalpel is shown in  FIG. 2 . The adapter handle has a distal portion  20 , a proximal portion  22 , and a lateral side  26  which has a flattened portion in this embodiment. A proximal end  24  of the scalpel blade can extend from proximal portion  22 .  
         [0023]     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the distal end  14  of scalpel  30  is inserted in direction  38  into a proximal cavity opening  36  of the adapter sleeve  32 . The scalpel blade slides through the cavity until the blade extends through the distal cavity or channel opening  34  of the adapter. The inner cavity surface is shaped to conform to the shape of the scalpel blade to securely grip the blade during use. The inner surface of the cavity can also be scalloped or dimpled to engage the frictional surface features  35  of the scalpel handle. Alternatively, the adapter handle can be fitted with a “snap” feature that locks the scalpel handle in place upon insertion.  FIG. 4  shows a rear perspective view of the embodiment in  FIG. 3  with the scalpel inserted into proximal opening  36 .  
         [0024]     A preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in  FIG. 5  shows a side view in which the proximal portion  48  of adapter  40  has a circular or elliptical cross-sectional shape. The front and rear sides of adapter  40  have recesses  42  and  44 , respectively, that can be gripped by the thumb and fingers of the user. Additionally, one or both lateral sides can have smaller recesses  46 .  
         [0025]     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the adapter has front and rear recesses  52  and  54 , respectively, however, the lateral sides have flattened regions  56 . The features illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6  give the user a positive feel for how the blade of the scalpel is oriented relative to the surgical sites.  
         [0026]     A cross-sectional view of an adapter handle  60  is shown in  FIG. 7 . In a preferred embodiment, the adapter  60  is made of a solid unitary element  64 , in which a cavity  66  extends along a longitudinal axis  62 . The cavity  66  can be shaped to conform to a handle of a scalpel blade such as that shown at  30  in  FIG. 3 . The user, as described previously herein, inserts the distal end  14  of the blade through the proximal opening  70  until the blade  14  extends through the distal opening  68 . The interior surface of the cavity can have a fractional surface such as ridges  65  that engage surface features  35  ( FIG. 3 ) of the blade handle. In an embodiment in which the adapter handle has two sections, connector  72  can be used to connect the two portions together.  
         [0027]     In another preferred embodiment, the scalpel blade has a blade section and a proximal section that mates with the internal cavity  74  shown in outline in  FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, the cavity does not extend through the length of the handle  64 . Rather, The proximal section of the blade fits snugly within distal cavity  74  and the proximal section of the handle can be a solid material.  
         [0028]     A preferred embodiment of the invention can employ the option of providing different angular orientations of the blade relative to the adapter handle. The different positions can be over a continuous range of angular position  84  between 0-180 degrees, or they can be discrete. In one embodiment, the cavity can be sized in a manner allowing for two discrete angular positions in which the blade can be inserted. In another embodiment, the adapter  60  can include an outer sleeve adapter section that fits at cylindrical surface  80  relative to an inner sleeve or section that nests at cylindrical surface  82  with the outer section. The two sections rotate  84  relative to each other such that the user can adjust between angular orientations of the blade relative to the adapter. The user can select between discrete angular orientations in which the user can “click” between fixed angular positions that are, for example, 10-30 degrees apart.  
         [0029]     The claims should not be read as limited to the described order or elements unless stated to that effect. Therefore, all embodiments that come within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalents thereto are claimed as the invention.