US3817078A - Removal device - Google Patents

Abstract

A wound clip removal device made in a single piece of plastics material and having jaws spaced apart to engage with the wound clip, a fulcrum between the jaws and a bow located on the opposite side of the fulcrum for opening the jaws further on compression of the bow.

Description

U ited States Patent 1 .1191 Reed et a1.

[ June 18, 1974.

541 REMOVAL DEVICE [75] Inventors: David Arthur Reed; David Frederick Weston, both of Runcom, England [73] Assignee: Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, London, England [22] Filed: Nov. 1, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 302,674

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 29, 1971 Great Britain 60394/71 [52] US. Cl 72/392, 81/43, 128/354 [51] Int. Cl B2ld 41/02 [58] Field of Search 72/392, 409; 81/43, 3 R,

81/3 E; 29/203. H, 203 HC, 268, 235, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 267,

1,748,765 2/1930 Hellermann 29/235 2,222,744 7 11/1940 Gallien 72/392 2,477,446 7/1949 Farner 29/235 2,595,683 5/1952 LoMonte 81/43 2,943,521 7/1960 Betton 81/43 3,265,068 8/1966 Holohan t 81/43 3,650,008 3/1972 PlOuffe 29/268 3,677,112 7/1972 Keniston 81/43 Primary Examiner-Charles W. Lanham Assistant Examiner-James R. Duzan Attorney, Agent, or F irmCushman, Darby & C ushman 5 7] ABSTRACT A wound clip removal device made in a single piece of plastics material and having jaws spaced apart to engage with the wound clip, a fulcrum between the jaws and a bow located on the opposite side of the fulcrum for opening the jaws further on compression of the bow.

,4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENTEmumwM 1817078 SHEET 2 [1F -2 REMOVAL DEVICE This invention relates to a removal device and in particular it relates to a device for removing wound closure clips from a substantially healed wound.

In certain surgical procedures, a wound or incision may be closed by applying a clip across the gathered edges of the wound. Such a clip usually consists of a bowed strip of metal, up to approximately 20 mm. long by 5 mm wide provided with inwardly directed prongs at each end, and this strip is bent across the gathered edges of the wound so that the prongs engage with, and retain in place, the edges of the wound. The clip is left in place until substantial healing of the wound has taken place and is then removed, for example by cutting the back of the clip. In one particular type of clip, known as a Clay-Adams clip, which is provided with notches at the ends of the clip, removal'is effected by inserting the jaws of crossover tweezers into the notches and squeezing the tweezers to pull the ends of the clip apart. Crossover tweezers must be rigid to apply the necessary force remote from the pivot point, and so are usually made of metal. They are relatively expensive to produce, and must be re-sterilised on each occassion before use.

The present invention is aimed at the production of a removal device forClay-Adams clips and similar clips having notches at the ends of the clips which is much cheaper to manufacture than crossover tweezers. Such a device could be supplied in a sterile pack and be cheap enough to dispose of after userather than resterilise. r

According to the invention there is provided a wound closure clip removal device comprising a pair of jaws normally spaced apart and provided with lips to engage with removal nothces on the ends of a wound closure clip, a hinge or fulcrum located between the jaws, and an actuating bow, the ends of which are located on the opposite side of the hinge to the jaws such that compression of the bow causes the jaws to open further; the whole device being constructed from a single piece of plastics material.

By the term normally spaced apart" is meant that the jaws are in an openposition when the bow is not stressed, that is when no compression is applied to the how. The action of the device thus involves movement of the jaws from an open position to a wider open position rather than to a closed position.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the actuating bow is composed of a pair of bowed sections joined together by a second hinge or fulcrum.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, two preferred embodiments of the wound clip removal device will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of one embodiment of the removal device FIG. II shows a vertical elevation of the device of FIG. I in the operating position FIG. III shows the jaw portion of the device of FIG. I in contact with a wound clip in the closed position FIG. IV shows the jaw portion of the device in FIG. I in contact with a wound clip in the removal position FIG. V shows a plan view of another embodiment of the removal device and FIG. VI shows a vertical elevation of the device of FIG. V.

The wound closure clip removal device of the invention comprises a single pieceof plastics material (FIGS. I & V) which is shaped to provide a pair of jaws l, movable about a hinge or fulcrum 2, and a bow, composed of a pair of bowed sections 3 joined together by a second hinge or fulcrum 4, in the same plane as the jaws 1 and fulcrum 2 which is joined to the fulcrum 2 on the opposite side of the jaws l. The whole device is designed to be operated by one hand and is approximately 10-15 cm. long by 1-2 cm. wide with the bow being 2-3 cm. across. The jaws l are spaced apart when the device is uncompressed, and the jaw heads are provided with lips 5 which can engage with removal notches on the ends of a wound clip. In one preferred embodiment, these lips 5 are located at an angle of approximately to the axis of the device (FIG. II) and in the second preferred embodiment,'they are located at 90 to the axis of the device (FIG. VI). The rigidity of the device about the fulcrum 2 is improved by the provision of a pair of ridges 6 along the axis of the device and extending from each jaw head to near the maximum width of the bow along the outside of the device. Gripping surfaces 7 are provided on the outer surface of the bowed sections 3 just beyond the ends of each ridge 6, and in one embodiment, a stop 8 is located on the inner surface of one of the bowed sections 3 at the point of maximum width.

In operation, when it is desired to remove a wound closure clip from a substantially healed wound, the removal device is held in one hand with the thumb and forefinger respectively on each gripping surface 7. The lips 5 are then inserted into the removal notches 9 of the wound closure clip 10 (FIG. III). When the lips S i are located at an angle of approximately 45 to the axis of the device, the top of the clip 10 is clearly visible, and thus the insertion is made easier, but when .the lips 5 are located at 90 to the axis of the device, a greater force can be applied to the clip. The bowed sections 3 V are then squeezed by pressure on the gripping surfaces 7 causing the jaws 1- to turn about the fulcrum 2 to separate the jaw heads. As a consequence, the lips 5 cause the removal notches 9 on the clip 10 to be pulled apart (FIG. IV) and the clip 10 is thereby released from the flesh (shown as a broken line in FIGS. III and IV). The stop 8, when present, prevents the bowed sections 3 from being squeezed so far that they fracture.

The removal device of the invention may be made from any thermoplastic material such as high density polyethylene, nylon, acetal, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, with or without fillers, and preferred materials are polypropylene, or filled. polypropylene, especially talc filled polypropylene, or nylon, of which the latter is especially preferred. The device may be manufactured by any known technique for the fabrica tion of articles in plastics material, but clearly one-shot injection moulding is a very suitable technique.

What we claim is: I

1. A wound closure clip removal device in a single piece of plastic material comprising a. a pair of jaws normally spaced apart,

b. an integral lip on each jaw for engaging with a removal notch on the end of a wound closure clip,

c. an integral fulcrumlocated between said jaws, and

d. an integral actuating bow located with its ends on the opposite side of said fulcrum to said jaws for material is polypropylene or nylon.

4. The removal device of claim 2 wherein the fulcrum is nearer the jaws than the end of the bow and said jaw 5 members include re-inforcing ridges.

Claims (4)

1. A wound closure clip removal device in a single piece of plastic material comprising a. a pair of jaws normally spaced apart, b. an integral lip on each jaw for engaging with a removal notch on the end of a wound closure clip, c. an integral fulcrum located between said jaws, and d. an integral actuating bow located with its ends on the opposite side of said fulcrum to said jaws for opening said jaws further on compression of said actuating bow.

2. The removal device of claim 1 in whiCh the actuating bow is composed of two bowed sections hinged together.

3. The removal device of claim 1 in which the plastics material is polypropylene or nylon.

4. The removal device of claim 2 wherein the fulcrum is nearer the jaws than the end of the bow and said jaw members include re-inforcing ridges.

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