CUTTING TOOL

Abstract: Tool for cutting holes of any desired size and shape in the pad or flange of a stoma or wound drainage pouch. For one piece pouches, the hole is cut without damage to the bag. The tool includes a cutting blade (1) which is reciprocated to cut the pad or flange, and extends through a support (8) into a foot (9) which is supported on a bar (10) provided closely behind the blade (1). This allows free movement of the blade (1) to cut any desired shape.

Description: CUTTING TOOL TECHNICAL FIELD Stoma or wound drainage pouches are bags which are placed over an opening in a patient to collect body fluids and solids passing through the opening. The pouches comprise a collecting bag, and a pad or flange which is adhered to the skin of the patient. The collecting bag may either be integral with the pad or flange, i.e. a one-piece bag, or may be connected to the pad or flange by a plastics collar. The pad or flange typically has a thickness of 0.5 to 2.0mm, and may be up to 4.0mm in thickness, and is manufactured from hydrocolloid with an adhesive on one side for adhering to the skin of the patient. The pad is typically covered by a protective layer which is removed when the pad is adhered to the skin of the patient. The pad or flange is malleable to conform to the contours of the body part to which it is adhered. The pad or flange includes a hole through which the body fluids or solids pass into the collecting bag. This hole needs to correspond accurately with the opening in the patient which it is to be provided over, with a tolerance between the opening in the patient and the hole in the pad or flange must be no more than 0.5mm. Stomas and wounds typically are of an irregular size and shape. BACKGROUND ART Generally, the stoma or wound pouch is formed with a small pre-cut circular hole, for example of 10 to 65mm, in the pad. This hole must then be customised to the required shape, either by a nurse or by a supplier of the pouch who cuts the hole to the required size. Previously, the enlarging and shaping of the hole has been performed using a small pair of scissors having curved blades. This is a time consuming and difficult operation. Where a one-piece pouch is used, there is a danger that the lower blade of the scissors will pierce the collecting bag below the pouch, leaving the product unusable. Even where the collecting bag is not pierced, cutting the pad or flange using small scissors, especially where the material is thick, causes pain to the fingers of the person cutting the material, and in all cases, especially where intricate shapes are to be cut, the use of scissors gives a poor finish with sharp, irregular and ragged edges which have to be smoothed in a separate operation. An apparatus for cutting holes in flanges to which a bag is connected subsequently is disclosed in GB-A- 2,239,832. This apparatus comprises a base having a cylindrical upstand over which the pre-cut hole of the flange is placed. An arm is then provided on the upstand, the arm including a blade holder at its free end. The blade holder includes a sprung, slotted foot. In use, the blade holder is depressed so that the foot rests on the upper surface of the flange, and the blade is depressed further so this passes through the slot in the foot, through the flange and into the base. Then, either the arm is rotated around the central upstand, or the arm is held in place as the flange is rotated around the upstand, to cut a circular hole in the flange. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a cutting tool for cutting the pad or flange of a drainage pouch comprises a cutting blade movable between a first and a second position, a means for reciprocating the cutting blade between the first and second positions during cutting, a support including an opening through which the cutting blade passes, and a foot into which the cutting blade extends when in the first position, the foot being supported by a bar positioned closely behind the blade. To cut the pad or flange, the foot is passed through the pre-cut hole in the pad or flange so the pad or flange is positioned between the support and the foot. The cutting blade is reciprocated between its first and second positions, thereby cutting the material. The reciporation of the blade slices through the pad or flange. This is advantageous over the prior art in which the blade remains still during cutting and therefore relies on the blade being sharp. It has been found that with a stationary blade, the protective layer on the adhesive of the flange tends to be buckled away from the flange rather than being cut, thereby exposing the adhesive unnecessarily, and requires the blade to be replaced very frequently. By providing a thin support bar immediately behind the cutting blade, the movement of the cutting blade through the material being cut is not limited significantly by the support bar. This allows the blade to cut straight, concave and convex curves in the flange. This allows any shape hole to be cut accurately, compared to the prior art apparatus which can only cut circular holes. Advantageously the thin bar is between 0.1 and 0.5mm behind the cutting blade, and is more preferably 0.25mm. It is preferred that the bar has either a triangular or trapezoidal cross-section. In this case, it is preferred that a corner of the bar is provided behind the blade in the line of cut. Advantageously, the corners of the bar are rounded. It has been found that such a bar assists in the cutting of the pad or flange. The bar helps part the material being cut, and separates the two sides of the cut . It is preferred that the bar has a width at its edge nearest the blade of about 0.5mm, and a maximum thickness at or towards its trailing edge of about 1.0mm. With such a bar, the cut sides of the flange are smoothed as they contact the bar. Usually this smoothing is done as a separate operation. The foot preferably includes a V-shaped opening to the slot. This acts as a sight with which to align the blade to the desired line of cut . Generally the pad or flange to be cut is positioned horizontally, and in this case the first position is a lower or extended position, and the second position is an upper position or retracted. The support limits the upward movement of the material as the cutting blade moves towards the second position, and the foot limits the downwards movement of the material as the cutting blade moves towards the first position. In this way, movement of the pad or flange is limited ensuring that the cutting blade moves with respect to the material to cut the material . Where the material is the pad or flange of a one-piece pouch, the foot acts as a protector and stops the cutting blade piercing the collecting bag. The gap between the support and the foot should be at least equal to the thickness of the material being cut and advantageously is larger than the thickness of the material being cut to ensure freedom of movement of the cutter. The gap should not be too great otherwise the material will be pulled up and down by the blade and will not be cut. Typically, the distance between the support and the foot is about 4mm. Advantageously this distance can be varied, for example by mounting the foot on a bar which is slidable with respect to the support . It is advantageous for the blade to extend through the support when the blade is in the second position. In this case, the blade can remain in contact with the material being cut to hold the material in place, which is useful to ensure accurate cutting of the material . In the second position, the cutting blade preferably extends about 1mm below the support . The support is preferably of an area and material such that the material being cut is not marked by repeated contact with the underside of the support. It is beneficial for the support to include a guide marking to help the operator guide the cutting blade along a marked path. The foot is preferably shaped with smooth surface to minimise damage caused to the material being cut and underlying material. Furthermore, the smooth surface assists in unimpeded movement of the cutting blade, and therefore assists in the cutting of smooth, intricate holes in the material. The foot preferably has an inclined upper surface extending from the front to the rear of the foot and past the cutting blade. This helps guide the material being cut towards and past the cutting blade. In use, the foot must pass through the preformed circular hole cut into the pad or flange in the material to be cut, and therefore the foot must fit through the pre-cut hole in the flange, and so is advantageously no more than 7mm in length and width. The means for reciprocating the blade may be a handle which is operated by a user, however it is preferred that the cutter is powered, for example by a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, or by a motor which is connected to the cutter through a cam. The reciprocating means is preferably capable of moving reciprocating the blade at a speed of between 0 and 3500 reciprocations per minute. Such reciprocation means the pointed tip of the blade will pierce the flange, and the cutting edge will slice through the material . The cutting blade may either have knife edge, or a saw-tooth. Preferably the cutting blade has a 0.5mm gauge. By providing a thin support bar immediately behind the cutting blade, the movement of the cutting blade through the material being cut is not limited significantly by the support bar. This allows the blade to cut straight, concave and convex curves in the flange. This allows any shape hole to be cut accurately, compared to the prior art apparatus which can only cut circular holes. Advantageously the thin bar is between 0.1 and 0.5mm behind the cutting blade, and is more preferably 0.25mm. It is preferred that the bar has either a triangular or trapezoidal cross-section. In this case, it is preferred that a corner of the bar is provided behind the blade in the line of cut. Advantageously, the corners of the bar are rounded. It has been found that such a bar assists in the cutting of the pad or flange. The bar helps part the material being cut, and separates the two sides of the cut. It is preferred that the bar has a width at its edge nearest the blade of about 0.5mm, and a maximum thickness at or towards its trailing edge of about 1.0mm. With such a bar, the cut sides of the flange are smoothed as they contact the bar. Usually this smoothing is done as a separate operation. The foot preferably includes a V-shaped opening to the slot. This acts as a sight with which to align the blade to the desired line of cut. Advantageously, the tip of the blade remains below the support at all times. In this way, the flange is always held between the blade and the foot . This local support ensures the flange is held at the cutting point, assisting in the accuracy of the cut . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a side view of a cutting tool; and, Figure 2 shows a front view of the cutting tool of Figure 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EXAMPLE As shown in the Figures, the cutting tool according to the present invention includes a cutting blade 1, such as a scalpel blade, mounted on a bar 2 using grub screws (not shown) . The bar 2 is slidably supported by two blocks 3,4 which are mounted on a platform 5. A second bar 6 is fixed to the two blocks 3,4, and slidably supports a third block 7 which is fixed to the bar 2 between the two blocks 3,4. The third block 7 limits the movement of the bar 2 and hence the cutting blade 1 by abutting against the blocks 3,4. On the bottom of the platform 5 a support 8 is provided. The support includes a slot through which the cutting blade 1 extends. A foot 9 is mounted to the support 8 by a thin connecting bar 10. The bar 10 has either a triangular or trapezoidal cross-section, with one corner lying about 0.25mm behind the blade 1. The corners of the bar are rounded. The bar 10 has a width of about 0.5mm at its leading edge, and widens to a maximum width of about 1mm. This bar 10 may be connected to the support 8 by grub screws (not shown) to allow a variation, in the spacing between the foot 9 and support 8. This can allow the tool to cut materials of different thickness. The foot 9 includes a recess 11 which receives the end of the cutting blade 1 as this is moved towards the foot 9. The foot 9 has an inclined upper surface from front to rear. In use, the cutting blade 1 is moved to an upper position by sliding the bar 2 until the third block 7 abuts the upper block 4. In this position, the cutting blade 1 extends about 1mm below the support 8. In this position, the foot 9 is pushed through a small pre-formed circular hole in the pad or flange of a stoma or wound drainage pouch. The bar 2 is then repeatedly slid so that the block 7 abuts the block 3, and then the block 4. This reciprocates the cutting blade 1 between a position where the end of the cutting blade is just below the support 8 into a position where the end of the cutting blade 1 is received in the recess 11 in the foot 9. This reciprocating action causes the cutting blade 1 to cut into the material of the pad or flange. By following a pre- marked line on the protective covering on the pad or flange with the continued reciprocating motion of the cutting blade 1, a hole of any desired shape can be cut into the pad or flange. The reciprocating action can be achieved in any known manner, for example by a direct pull-push motion, an electric motor with an offset pinion, cams and springs or a pneumatic or electrical joggle system, for example a solenoid.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A cutting tool for cutting the pad or flange of a drainage pouch comprising a cutting blade (1) movable between a first and a second position, a means for reciprocating the cutting blade (1) between the first and second positions during cutting, a support (8) including an opening through which the cutting blade (1) passes, and a foot (9) into which the cutting blade (1) extends when in the first position, the foot (9) being supported by a bar (10) positioned closely behind the blade (1) . 2. A cutting tool according to claim 1, in which the bar (10) is positioned between 0.1mm and 0.5mm behind the cutting blade (1) . 3. A cutting tool according to claim 2, in which the bar (10) is positioned about 0.25mm behind the cutting blade (1) . 4. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the bar (10) has a generally triangular or trapezoidal cross-section 5. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the edges of the bar (10) are rounded. 6. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the bar (10) has a minimum width of nearest the cutting blade (1) of about 0.5mm, and a maximum width of about 1mm. 7. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the gap between the support (8) and the foot (9) is at least equal to the thickness of the material being cut . 8. A cutting tool according to claim 7, in which the gap between the support (8) and the foot (9) is about 4mm. 9. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the gap between the support (8) and the foot (9) is variable. 10. A cutting tool according to claim 5, in which the bar (10) which supports the foot (9) is slidable with respect to the support (8) to allow the gap between the foot (9) and the support (8) to be varied. 11. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the blade (1) extends through the support (8) when the blade is in the second position. 12. A cutting tool according to claim 11, in which, in the second position, the cutting blade (1) extends about 1mm below the support (8) . 13. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the support (8) has an area and is made of a material such that the material being cut is not marked by repeated contact with the underside of the support (8) . 14. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the support (8) includes a guide marking to help the operator guide the cutting blade along a marked path. 15. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the foot (9) is shaped and has a smooth surface . 16. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the foot (9) has an inclined upper surface extending from the front to the rear of the foot and past the cutting blade (1) . 17. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claim, in which the means for reciprocating the blade (1) is powered, for example by a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, or by a motor which is connected to the cutter through a cam. 18. A cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the reciprocating means is capable of moving reciprocating the blade (1) at a speed of between 0 and 3500 reciprocations per minute.

Inventors: ELEY STEPHEN PETER, ELEY, STEPHEN, PETER
Applicants: ELEY STEPHEN PETER, PCS, ELEY, STEPHEN, PETER
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A61B17
IPC codes: A61B17, A61F5, B65B61