JP7660028B2 - Supporting member - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a support member that can support various units such as lighting and is easy to attach and detach to surgical tools.

As shown in Patent Document 1, a conventional support member comprises a detachable part that can be attached to and detached from a muscle hook, which is an example of a surgical tool, and a unit attachment part that can support an optical fiber. The detachable part comprises claws arranged opposite each other and a biasing member that constantly biases the claws in a direction to close, forming a so-called clip-like form. The unit attachment part also comprises a movable part that can move the optical fiber in the up, down, left, and right directions, and an insertion hole through which the optical fiber can be inserted. A conventional support member configured in this way has the detachable part, and is therefore characterized by its ease of attachment and detachment to and from a muscle hook.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-015311

However, conventional support members have the problem that dirt and other contaminants during surgery easily get into the gap between the insertion hole and the optical fiber, and into the small gaps in the movable part that moves up, down, left and right. Furthermore, such dirt is washed away after each operation to prevent infection, but conventional support members have the problem that dirt gets into complicated areas such as the movable part and insertion hole, so the cleaning work to remove it takes time. Furthermore, conventional support members have the problem that when adjusting the position of the optical fiber attached to them, the optical fiber must be pulled out and pushed in from the movable part, making fine adjustments to the slight protrusion amount troublesome.

Furthermore, when the muscle hook is shaped like an axis, the conventional support member clamps the axis with two claws, but there is a risk of the claws rotating around the axis when an external force is applied to them. When such rotation of the support member occurs, the position of the tip of the optical fiber is also likely to change, making it difficult to stably irradiate the required light. In order to prevent such rotation of the support member around the axis, it is possible to increase the biasing force of the biasing member. However, if the biasing force of the biasing member is replaced with one that has a higher biasing force, it becomes difficult for the surgeon to operate the claws in the direction of opening, making it difficult to attach and detach the muscle hook.

The present invention provides a support member having a detachable part formed so as to be detachable from a muscle hook, the hook being provided with a hook part that turns at a right angle and extends from a shaft-shaped handle part connected to a protruding part that protrudes partially in the width direction, and a support part capable of supporting an auxiliary unit for assisting a surgeon in surgery, the detachable part being composed of a fitting part having a fitting groove with an open end that fits into the protruding part, and an engaging part having an engaging groove with an open end that engages with the handle part, the engaging part and the fitting part being formed by connecting a protrusion that contacts the handle part to a connecting member. The protrusion is preferably formed integrally by bending the plate-shaped connecting member. The support part is preferably formed on the upper part of either the engaging part or the fitting part, or on the upper parts of both the engaging part and the fitting part. Furthermore, the support part is preferably arranged at a plurality of locations so as not to support the auxiliary unit on the same straight line. It is also preferable that the support portion is a long hole-shaped support groove with an opening at one end. It is also preferable that the support portion is formed with a wavy inner surface that allows the auxiliary unit to be adjusted to a plurality of support positions. It is also preferable that the opening direction of the support groove is set at a different angle from the opening direction of the other support grooves. It is also preferable that the connecting member is offset so as not to block the opening of the engagement groove, and the support portion of the fitting portion is arranged close to the offset direction. The auxiliary unit may also be a lighting unit that includes an irradiation means for irradiating light, and a movable portion that is flexibly movable and shaped like a shaft and includes the irradiation means at one end.

The support member according to the present invention has a protrusion on the connecting member that connects the engagement portion and the fitting portion, so that the handle portion contacts three points: the engagement portion, the protrusion, and the fitting portion. Moreover, when these three points are in contact with the handle portion, the connecting member is always bending, so the support member according to the present invention has the advantage that it is difficult to pinch the handle portion and fall off from the handle portion. In addition, the support member according to the present invention has a simple configuration that utilizes the repulsive force that resists the bending of the connecting member, but also has the advantage of making it easy to attach to the muscle hook. Furthermore, since the support member according to the present invention is formed by bending the plate-shaped connecting member to form the protrusion, there is no need to weld a separate member to the connecting member. Therefore, the protrusion can be integrally formed with the connecting member simply by bending the plate-shaped connecting member, so there is also the advantage that it can be finished inexpensively and lightweight. In addition, the support member according to the present invention has an advantage that the auxiliary unit can be attached above the handle, since the support part is disposed above either the engaging part or the fitting part, or above both the engaging part and the fitting part, and therefore the auxiliary unit can be attached above the handle, and the auxiliary unit can be easily attached and detached. Furthermore, the support member according to the present invention has support parts disposed at a plurality of locations so as not to support the auxiliary unit on the same straight line, so that even if an unsupported auxiliary unit is twisted and rotated, the rotational force is not easily transmitted. Therefore, the support member according to the present invention has an advantage that the auxiliary unit supported thereon can be stably supported, and when the auxiliary unit is configured as a lighting unit and its tip is disposed so as to extend to the tip of the hook, it is not easily swung like a pendulum. Furthermore, the support member according to the present invention has an advantage that the support part is an elongated support groove with one end open, so that the auxiliary unit can be easily inserted through the opening and easily attached and detached. Furthermore, the support member according to the present invention has an advantage that the inner surface of the support part is formed to be wavy, so that the attachment position of the auxiliary unit can be adjusted in stages. This has the advantage that, for example, when the auxiliary unit is a lighting unit and is arranged to extend to the tip of the hook, it can be adjusted to any position, such as the center or right end of the tip of the hook, making it easy to handle. In addition, since the support member according to the present invention has an opening direction set at a different angle from the opening directions of other support grooves, even if the auxiliary unit is mistakenly pulled out in one direction, it is prevented from falling off by the support groove that does not open in this pulling direction. Furthermore, since the support member according to the present invention is offset to one side so as not to block the opening of the engagement groove, and the support part of the fitting part is also arranged to the offset side, it is easy to attach and detach from the muscle hook even when supporting the auxiliary unit. This is because when the muscle hook is removed from the support member, the handle part moves in a direction away from the support part, and the support member plays a role in restricting the movement of the muscle hook toward the support part. In addition, the support member according to the present invention has an auxiliary unit that is a flexibly movable lighting unit, so by placing an illumination means at the tip of the hook, it has the advantage of keeping the surgeon's operative field bright.

1A is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a support member according to the present invention, FIG. 1A being a plan view, FIG. 1B being a front view, FIG. 1C being a perspective view seen from above, and FIG. 2A is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the use state of the support member of Figure 1, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a rear view, (b) is an oblique view seen from diagonally rearward from the front, and (c) is an oblique view showing an example of a muscle hook for attaching the support member. 10A to 10D are schematic explanatory views showing another support member according to the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a perspective view seen from above. 4A and 4B are schematic explanatory views showing a state in which the alternative support member of FIG. 3 is used, in which FIG. 4A is a perspective view seen from above and in the front, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view seen from below and in the front.

The support member according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. The support member 1 according to the present invention is configured so that it can be attached and detached to a muscle hook 5, which is an example of a surgical tool that is often used when opening an incision site as shown in Figure 2(d). This muscle hook 5 is composed of a gripping portion 6 that is held by a surgeon (not shown) and a hook portion 7 that extends from the gripping portion 6 at a substantially right angle, and is made of a material such as stainless steel. The gripping portion 6 is also integrally composed of a handle portion 8 that is connected to the hook portion 7 and extends in an axial direction, and a ring-shaped protrusion portion 9 that protrudes in the width direction from the handle portion 8.

As shown in Figs. 2(a) to 2(c) and 4(a) and (b), the support member 1 according to the present invention is configured to be able to attach a lighting unit 40, which is an example of an auxiliary unit that irradiates light, to the tip of the hook portion 7. The lighting unit 40 comprises an irradiation means 41 that irradiates light, and a movable part 42 that is shaped like a shaft and has the irradiation means 41 at one end and is flexibly movable. The movable part 42 incorporates a transmission line (not shown) capable of transmitting power and light to the irradiation means 41, and a copper wire (not shown) that is arranged along the transmission line and does not bend only by the weight of the lighting unit 40, but can be easily bent by human force, and has a shape-maintaining function that allows it to be flexibly deformed by external force and to maintain any shape even when the external force is removed. In this way, the lighting unit 40 with a shape-maintaining function can be arranged along the muscle hook 5 that bends at a right angle as shown in the figure.

The support member 1 according to the present invention is provided with a removable part that can be attached to and detached from the grip part 6. The removable part is composed of an engagement part 10 that engages with the handle part 6, a fitting part 20 that fits into the protruding part 9, and a connecting member 30 that connects the engagement part 10 and the fitting part 20 together.

The engagement portion 10 is provided with an engagement groove 11 into which the handle portion 6 can be inserted from below, and a support portion to which the movable portion 42 of the lighting unit 40 can be attached and supported. In addition, the engagement groove 11 is configured to be capable of guiding the upper portion and both side surfaces of the handle portion 6 engaged therewith, as shown in Figs. 2(b) and (c).

The fitting portion 20 is composed of two members as shown in Figs. 1(a), (b), (c) and 3(a) and (d), and is fixed to the upper rear end surface of the connecting member 30 described later. The two members are arranged at a predetermined interval so that the handle portion 8 can be inserted, and form fitting grooves 21 and 22 into which the ring-shaped protruding portion 9 can be inserted from the horizontal direction. As a result, the protruding portion 9 is restricted from slipping out in the vertical and horizontal directions because a part of its outer shape fits into the fitting grooves 21 and 22 as shown in Figs. 2(a), (b) and 4(a), (b). Furthermore, a support portion is formed on the upper portion of one of the two members to which the movable portion 42 of the lighting unit 40 can be attached and supported.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the support portion of the engagement portion 10 is disposed above the engagement groove 11 and is configured as a support groove 12 shaped like a vertically long hole that opens from the top surface of the engagement portion 10 toward the engagement groove 11.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the support parts of the fitting part 20 are arranged in multiple locations above the fitting groove 21, and are configured as support grooves 23a and 23b that are shaped like vertically long holes that open from the top surface of the fitting part 20 toward the fitting groove 21.

The groove width of the support grooves 12, 23a, 23b is set according to the depth, with the opening being set wide enough to guide the movable part 42, narrowing as it gets deeper from this opening and setting the width dimension slightly smaller than the diameter of the movable part 42, and then widening as it gets deeper from here and setting the width dimension to allow the movable part 42 to pass through. In other words, the support groove 12 has a narrow return section so that the movable part 42 cannot be easily removed once it has been attached.

On the other hand, the support groove 12 of the engagement part of another form shown in Figure 3 is formed in the shape of a horizontally long hole that opens from the right side of the engagement part 10 toward the upper side of the engagement groove 11 and extends diagonally upward. In addition, as shown in Figure 3 (c), the inner surface of this support groove 12 is formed so that it is continuously wavy, and is configured so that the support position of the movable part 42 can be set arbitrarily. As a result, as shown in Figure 4, the movable part 42 can be supported at the back side of the support groove 12 or at the opening side of the support groove 12, and the position of the irradiation means 41 can be arbitrarily positioned in the center or to the side of the hook part 7, which has the advantage that it can be easily changed to a position that does not interfere with the surgeon's operation.

The support grooves 23a and 23b of the engagement part in another form shown in FIG. 3 are formed as elongated vertical holes that open from above on the fitting part 21 side, or as elongated horizontal holes that open from the upper side surface.

The support member 1 shown in FIG. 3 therefore supports the movable part 42 alternately horizontally and vertically with the support groove 12 (horizontal) of the engagement part 10 closest to the hook part 7, the support groove 23a (vertical) of the fitting part 20 next closest, and the support groove 23b (horizontal) furthest away. Even if the surgeon accidentally pulls the movable part 42 upward, the support grooves 12 and 23b, which have inner surfaces at the top, prevent the movable part 42 from falling off.

The connecting member 30 is plate-shaped, and is formed by fixing the fitting portion 20 and the engagement portion 10, which are composed of the above-mentioned two parts, by a method such as welding, screwing, gluing, or integral molding. The connecting member 30 also has a protruding portion 31 protruding upward near the middle, and this protruding portion 31 is bent and shaped so that it protrudes upward toward the fixed engagement portion 10 and fitting portion 20. As a result, when the support member 1 according to the present invention is attached to the muscle hook shown in Figure 2, the lower part of the gripping portion 6 is pressed upward by the protruding portion 31, while the upper part of the gripping portion 6 is pressed downward by the engagement portion 10 and fitting portion 20, and the warping of the connecting member 30 can be used to stabilize the attachment state to the muscle hook 5.

Furthermore, the connecting member 30 is formed so that its tip is offset in the width direction, and is offset so as not to block the engagement groove 11 of the engagement part 10 attached thereto from below. Therefore, as shown in Figures 2(b) and 4(b), the handle part 8 can be guided from below the engagement part 10 and set into the engagement groove 11.

Next, the operation of the support member 1 according to the present invention will be described. First, the surgeon inserts the handle portion 8 obliquely from above the connecting member 30 to below the engagement portion 10 in order to engage the muscle hook 5 with the engagement groove 11 of the support member 1 shown in Figures 1 and 3.

The handle portion 8, which was inserted at an angle, is returned to a horizontal position along the connecting member 30, but at this time, the protruding portion 9 is pulled to a position behind the mating portion 20 so that it does not interfere with the upper portion of the mating portion 20.

When the surgeon returns the handle portion 8 to a horizontal position so that it is aligned with the connecting member 30 as described above, the phase of the protrusion portion 9 is aligned with the phase of the fitting grooves 21, 22, and the protrusion portion 9 is pushed forward to fit into the fitting grooves 21, 22.

2(b), the gripping portion 6 is in contact with multiple points of the support member 1, with the upper tip end of the handle portion 8 contacting the engagement groove 11, the lower rear end of the handle portion 8 contacting the upper end of the protrusion 31, and the upper portion of the overhanging portion 9 contacting the fitting grooves 21 and 22, and is clamped by the support member 1. At this time, a bending moment is generated in the connecting member 30 with the protrusion 31 contacting the handle portion 8 as a fulcrum. Once the support member 1 can be attached to the muscle hook 5 in this way, the lighting unit 40 is attached to the support portion.

In this way, the action and effect will be explained according to the procedure for attaching the lighting unit 40 to the support member 1 in the state where it is attached to the muscle hook 5. Note that after describing the action and effect of the support member 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, the action and effect of another form of support member 1 shown in Figures 3 and 4 will be described in that order.

First, the action and effect of the support member 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 will be explained. In order to position the irradiation means 41 of the lighting unit 40 at the center of the hook portion 7 and slightly protruding from the tip as shown in Figures 2(b) and (c), the surgeon bends the movable portion 42 90 degrees to follow the right-angle bend of the hook portion 7, and then positions it along the handle portion 8 and aligns it with the opening of the vertically elongated support groove 12.

Then, the surgeon presses the movable part 42 into the vertical support groove 12 from above to mount it, and then presses the movable part 42 into the vertical support groove 23a from above to mount it. At this time, the support groove 23a is not arranged on the same straight line as the support groove 12, as shown in FIG. 2(a) and other figures. As a result, the movable part 42 supported by the support groove 12 and the support groove 23a changes its posture, dividing into a part that extends horizontally along the handle part 8 and a part that extends gradually diagonally, with the support groove 12 as the boundary. Furthermore, the vertical support groove 23b changes direction by approximately 90 degrees with respect to the support groove 23a, and is not arranged on the same straight line as the support groove 12 mentioned above.

By arranging the multiple support grooves 12, 23a, 23b not on the same line in this way, even if the movable part 42 supported by these support grooves 12, 23a, 23b and located after support groove 23b is rotated around an axis, this rotational force is canceled by the support grooves with a different orientation, and it is difficult for the irradiation part 41 located at the tip to swing along the hook part 7. Therefore, since the support member 1 according to the present invention arranges the support grooves 12, 23a, 23b so that they are not arranged on the same line, it is possible to prevent the irradiation part 41 from swinging like a pendulum, and there is an advantage that even if the surgeon accidentally touches and rotates the movable part 42, it is difficult for the irradiation location to change.

Next, the action and effect of the support member 1 in another form shown in Figures 3 and 4 will be explained. In order to position the irradiation means 41 of the lighting unit 40 at the center front of the hook portion 7 as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), the surgeon bends the movable portion 42 90 degrees so as to follow the right-angle bend of the hook portion 7, and then positions it along the handle portion 8 and aligns it with the opening of the support groove 12.

Then, the surgeon presses the movable part 42 into the horizontally long support groove 12 from the side to attach it. Similarly, the surgeon presses the movable part 42 into the vertically long support groove 23a from above to attach it. As shown in FIG. 3(a), this support groove 23a is not arranged on the same straight line as the horizontally long support groove 12, so it is gradually tilted with respect to the handle portion 8 and is supported.

The horizontally elongated support groove 23b is arranged at an angle of about 45 degrees to the support groove 23a, and is not arranged on the same straight line as the support groove 12. Therefore, in the support member 1 of another form shown in Figures 3 and 4, the irradiation means 41 is less likely to swing like a pendulum, as in the support member 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Furthermore, the support grooves 12, 23a, and 23b of the support member 1 shown in Figures 3 and 4 are set to open at different angles relative to the opening direction of each support groove, so that even if a force is applied to the movable part 42 by the surgeon touching an incorrectly attached lighting unit 40, the force can be received by the inner surface of one of the support grooves. Therefore, the support member 1 of a different form shown in Figures 3 and 4 is less likely to cause the movable part 42 to fall off compared to the support member 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, which open in the same direction.

In addition, the support member 1 shown in Figures 3 and 4 has the advantage that it can be easily attached and detached from the muscle hook 5 while the lighting unit 40 is attached to the support grooves 12, 23a, and 23b. This is because the connecting member 30 is positioned offset so as not to block the opening of the engagement groove 11, and the support grooves 23a and 23b of the fitting portion 20 are positioned toward the offset direction of the connecting member 30.

The advantages of the offset arrangement of the connecting member 30 described above will be specifically explained along with the procedure for removing the support member 1 from the muscle hook 5. First, the protruding portion 9 is pulled backward to remove it from the fitting grooves 21, 22, and then the protruding portion 9 is pulled upward. Here, the gripping portion 6 tilts obliquely from a horizontal position relative to the support member 1, and the bending moment generated in the connecting member 30 is eliminated.

The gripping portion 6 in this tilted position is rotated around the engagement groove 11 as a fulcrum while remaining in this tilted state, and the handle portion 8 is pulled downward from the engagement groove 11. When the gripping portion 6 in this tilted state is rotated, the direction of rotation is away from the engagement grooves 23a, 23b, so the tilted and rotating handle portion 8 does not come into contact with the movable portion 42 in an intersecting manner. In this way, the support member 1 shown in Figures 3 and 4 has the advantage that it can be easily removed from the muscle hook 5 even when the lighting unit 40 is still attached to the support grooves 12, 23a, 23b.

The auxiliary unit only needs to have a movable part 42 with a shape-maintaining function, and the irradiation means 41 may be replaced with a spraying means for spraying water or air according to the surgical procedure, or a suction means for sucking foreign matter from inside the body. The protrusion 31 is not limited to being formed by bending, but may be formed by fixing an interference member that interferes with the handle 8.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ... Support member 5 ... Muscle hook 7 ... Hook portion 8 ... Handle portion 9 ... Projection portion 10 ... Engagement portion 11 ... Engagement groove 12 ... Support portion 20 ... Fitting portions 21, 22 ... Fitting grooves 23a, 23b ... Support portion 30 ... Connection member 31 ... Projection portion 40 ... Auxiliary unit

Claims (9)

A support member including: a detachable portion formed so as to be detachable from a muscle hook, the detachable portion being provided with a hook portion extending at a substantially right angle from a shaft-shaped handle portion connected to a protruding portion partially protruding in the width direction; and a support portion capable of supporting an auxiliary unit for assisting a surgeon in surgery,
the detachable portion is composed of a fitting portion having a fitting groove with an open end that fits into the protruding portion, and an engagement portion having an engagement groove with an open end that engages with the handle portion,
A support member, characterized in that the engaging portion and the fitting portion are connected to a connecting member having a protrusion that contacts the handle portion. The support member according to claim 1, characterized in that the protrusion is formed integrally with the plate-shaped connecting member by bending. The support member according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support portion is molded on the upper portion of either the engagement portion or the fitting portion, or on the upper portions of both the engagement portion and the fitting portion. The support member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support parts are arranged at multiple locations so as not to support the auxiliary unit in the same straight line. The support member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the support portion is a long hole-shaped support groove with one end open. The support member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the support portion is formed with a wavy inner surface that allows the auxiliary unit to be adjusted to a plurality of support positions. The support member according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the opening direction of the support groove is set at a different angle relative to the opening direction of the other support grooves. The connecting member is disposed offset so as not to block an opening of the engagement groove,
8. The support member according to claim 1 , wherein the support portion of the fitting portion is disposed in the offset direction. The support member according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the auxiliary unit is a lighting unit having an irradiation means for emitting light and a movable part that is flexibly movable and shaped like a shaft and has the irradiation means at one end.

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