Patent ID: 8449530

Claim:
A medical instrument comprising a shaft having a distal end being bendable, a handle arranged at a proximal end of said shaft, a bend control mechanism for controlling a bending movement of said bendable distal end of said shaft, said bend control mechanism being arranged at said handle and having a pivotable control element, a pivoting of said pivotable control element causes a bending of said bendable distal end of said shaft, and a locking mechanism for locking said bend control mechanism in defined positions, wherein said pivotable control element runs over a friction element, wherein an actuating element being provided via which said friction element can be brought out of the locking engagement with said pivotable control element, wherein said friction element is designed as a friction plate pretensioned in a direction of said control element, wherein said control element has a finger-receiving part wherein said actuating element is arranged within said finger-receiving part, wherein said friction plate can be urged via spring plates in a direction of said control element, and wherein said spring plates are designed as angled pieces arranged on ends of said friction plate.