GB2137883A - Traction apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Traction apparatus for a patient suffering for example from a broken limb comprises a support (3, 20, 30, 40, 50, 61, 71). The support incorporates guide means (11, 24, 34, 45, 55, 60, 70). The guide means which is preferably in the form of a pulley wheel is adjustable in position in order to vary the angle of application of traction applied through a traction cord (26, 35, 57, 65) which passes operatively over said guide means. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Traction Apparatus This invention relates to traction apparatus for use in the setting of a broken bone. The invention has been found particularly useful in relation to the setting of a broken femur.

If a person suffers a fracture of the femur, it is normally necessary to confine the patient to bed and to apply traction to the limb in order to relocate the broken parts of the bone at the correct disposition relative to.each other.

Depending on the nature of the fracture, such traction has to be applied at an angle which will vary from patient to patient. At the present time, the apparatus for applying such traction consists generally of a frame located towards the bottom end of the patient's bed and incorporating a pulley or pulleys over which a traction cord is passed and to which a weight is attached.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simplified apparatus whereby traction can be applied in a manner which is simple and at the same time easily adjustable as to angle of application.

According to the present invention there is provided traction apparatus comprising a support adapted to be-ni.ounted#in a fixed location, a traction cord guide means carried by said support for receiving a traction cord-from a patient, and adjustment mearis for selectively varying the operative position of the guide means relative to the patient whereby a desired angle of traction can be applied to the patient.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:~ Figure 1 is a front view of traction apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 in the direction of arrow A, Figure 3 is a front view of a second embodiment of traction apparatus in accordance with the invention, Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line lV-lV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line VI-VI of Figure 5.

Figures 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of fourth and fifth embodiments of the invention respectively and Figures 9 and 10 are diagramatic representations of sixth and seventh embodiments of the invention respectively.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a first embodiment of traction apparatus, particularly for use in treatment of a fractured femur, comprises an elongated rigid bar 3, e.g. of mild steel. The bar 3 is formed as shown in Figure 2 by two parallel members 4, 5, jointed together at their upper and lower ends by spacers 6 and 7 respectively. As shown best in Figure 1 , the members 4, 5 are each provided with a slot 8, the slots 8 in each member 4 and 5 being in register with each other. Each slot 8 has a plurality of recesses 9 extending therefrom to act as a cradle or mounting for a central shaft 10 of a pulley wheel 11 adapted to act s a guide for a traction cord.The pulley wheel 11, can be located in any one of the recesses 9 merely by lifting the shaft out of one recess 9 and passing it along the slot 8 into one of the other recesses 9.

At the lower end of the bar 3, there is fitted thereto a clamp 12. The clamp 1-2 is of hollow rectangular form in front view as can be seen from Figure 1. The lower face 1 3 of the clamp is hinged at 14 and is held in place by a knurled nut 15 adapted to be screwed on to a spindle 16 extending from the body of the clamp.

It will be noted from Figure 1 that the bar 3 is angled from the vertical.

In use of the apparatus, the knurled nut is unscrewed from the spindle 1 6 to allow the lower face 1 3 to pivot relative to the remainder of the clamp so that the clamp-can be mounted around a square-section frame of a bed. The face 13 is then pivoted back into position and the apparatus secured by screwing the knurled nut 15 on to the spindle 1 6: A traction cord in the form of a cable or wire from the limb of the patient being treated is then fed over the pulley wheel 11 and a weight is attached to the free end thereof, the outwardly angled bar allowing the weight to be suspended freely beyond the end of the bed. It will be appreciated that the angle of application of the traction through the intermediary of the cable or wire can then be easily adjusted by locating the pulley wheel in any one of the recesses 9 as desired.

It will be readily appreciated that although a particular form of clamp 1 2 has been described, other forms of clamp can equally well be used.

The apparatus as described above, is easy to assemble and to mount in position.

Figures 3 and 4 describe a second embodiment of the invention in which an elongated mild steel bar 20, instead of being provided with the slot 8 and associated recesses 9 in the manner of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, is provided with a plurality of recesses in the form of vertical slots 21 provided at spaced intervals along one longitudinal edge 22 of the bar. The bar has another longitudinal edge 23 and the two edges 22 and 23 converge towards each other towards the outer free end of the bar. A grooved pulley wheel 24 having projecting axles 25 can be located in any one of the slots 21 in order to provide the desired angle of traction in a manner analogous to that employed in the above described first embodiment. The angle of traction can be varied by moving the pulley wheel 24 from one slot 21 to another as required.As in the first embodiment, the bar 20 is suitably angled to allow a weight suspended from cord 26 to hang freely from the apparatus through a longitudinal slot 27 Figure 4 in the underside of the bar 20, and clear of a bed to which the apparatus may be fixed.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a third embodiment of the invention in which bar 30 is of a bifurcated form having two parallel limbs 31 and 32. A carriage 33 which carries a fixed pulley wheel 34 is mounted for sliding movement along the limbs 31 and 32 in order to allow the angle of application of a traction cord 35 to be varied. As shown in Figure 6 the carriage 33 is provided on its underside with a clamping plate 36 and a clamping screw 37 extends between the carriage and the clamping plate 36 to enable the carriage 33 to be fixedly located in any given position along the length of the limbs 31 and 32.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth alternative embodiment of the invention in which the bar 40 is of generally oval hollow cross-section. The wall 41 of the bar 40 is deformed along one edge to provide a guide which receives a bulbous projection 42 which is integrally formed as part of a slide 43. The slide 43 is provided with a pair of outwardly projecting brackets 44 which act as a mounting for a grooved pulley wheel 45.

The slide 43 can be clamped in any desired position along the length of the bar (although the specific clamping means is not illustrated) in order to allow a traction cord to be passed around the pulley wheel 45 whereby traction can be applied at a desired angle.

Figure 8 illustrates a fifth alternative embodiment of the invention in which an elongated bar 50 is of hollow rectangular crosssection. One wall of the rectangular bar is provided with a longitudinal slot 51 and a slide 52 is mounted therein so as to be slideable along the length of the bar 50. The slide 52 has a pair of brackets 53 which project internally into the interior of the bar 50 and the brackets 53 carry a fixed grooved pulley wheel 55. A second longitudinal slot 56 is provided in the wall of the bar 50 opposite to the longitudinal slot 51. By this means, a traction cord 57 can be inserted through the slot 56, over the pulley 55 and outwardly through the slot 51 to apply traction at a desired angle. The angle of traction can be varied by moving the slide 52 along the length of the bar 50.

Figure 9 illustrates a sixth embodiment of the invention wherein a pulley wheel 60 is fixedly mounted at one end of a rigid elongated bar 61. A clamp 62 enables the bar 61 to be clamped to the end of a bed, for example, by means of a first clamping screw 63. The clamp 62 is provided with a second clamping screw 64 which allows the elongated bar 61 to be extended or retracted relative to the clamp 62 thereby permitting the angle of traction of a cord 65 to be varied.

Figure 10 illustrates a seventh embodiment of the invention wherein a grooved pulley wheel 70 is fixedly mounted at one end of a rigid elongated bar 71. The angle of traction of a cord passing round the pulley wheel 70 can be varied by pivoting the elongated bar 71 about a pivot 72 to any desired angular position wherein it can be clamped by suitable clamping means (not shown).

It will be readily appreciated that the various forms of elongated support bar described in the above embodiments may be provided with integral clamps as, for example, illustrated in Figures 1 and 9 for clamping to a suitable fixture.

It will be understood that the support bars can, alternatively, be formed as an integral part of such a fixture.

Claims (10)

1. Traction apparatus comprising a support adapted to be mounted in a fixed location, a traction cord guide means carried by said support for receiving a traction cord from a patient, and adjustment means for selectively varying the operative position of the guide means relative to the patient whereby a desired angle of traction can be applied to the patient.

2. Traction apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the support is provided with a releasable clamp to enable the apparatus to be clamped to a fixture.

3. Traction apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the adjustment means comprises means whereby the guide means can be moved relative to the support in order to vary the angle of traction.

4. Traction apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the support comprises an elongated bar, a slot extending along the bar, a series of spaced recesses extending from said slot, a pulley wheel, and axial bearing means on said pulley wheel received in said slot, the pulley wheel being moveable along said slot whereby said bearing means can be located in a selected one of said recesses.

5. Traction apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the support comprises an elongated bar, a series of spaced recesses extending along one longitudinal edge of the bar, a pulley wheel, and axial bearing means on said pulley wheel whereby the bearing means can be located in a selected one of said recesses.

6. Traction apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the support comprises a body portion, a carriage slideable along said body portion, a pulley wheel mounted on said carriage, and clamping means for securing the carriage in a selected position relative to the body portion.

7. Traction apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the adjustment means comprises means for selectively varying the position of the support in order to vary the angle of traction.

8. Traction apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which the support is an elongated bar, a pulley wheel is fixedly mounted adjacent one end of said bar, and clamping means is provided for engaging the bar at any desired location along its length whereby the effective length of the bar is varied to enable a desired angle of traction to be applied.

9. Traction apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which the support is an elongated bar, a pulley wheel is fixedly mounted adjacent one end of said bar, and the bar is pivotally mounted adjacent its other end whereby the bar can be fixedly secured in a selected angular position thereby enabling a desired angle of traction to be applied.

10. Traction apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2; Figures 3 and 4; Figures 5 and 6; Figure 7; Figure 8; Figure 9 or Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings.