Patent Application
20060189995
A rongeur is an instrument for removing small rough portions of bone during surgery. After use during a surgical operation, the rongeur is typically sterilized and can be used again. Although sterilization generally cleans the rongeur sufficiently for most uses, it has been found that various debris, such as tissue, can become compacted into various parts of the rongeur, such that the sterilization process does not effectively remove the debris. Such debris can create unsanitary conditions. Over time, after multiple surgeries, the rongeur can become filled with the debris, to the extent that the debris hinders operation of the rongeur.
For example, in punches (a type of rongeur), a top shaft slides along a bottom shaft to pinch bone between the end of the top shaft and a raised distal tip on the bottom shaft. In such rongeurs, the top shaft and bottom shaft are typically coupled tightly. For example, in some implementations, the bottom shaft has a T-slot in which a T-shaped member from the top shaft glides during the forward and backward motion of the top shaft. In traditional punches, the top shaft is not readily removable from the bottom shaft. When using the punch during surgery to punch unwanted bone fragments, debris can get lodged in the T-slot and between the top shaft and the bottom shaft. Traditional sterilization approaches typically do not remove such debris. In addition, because the top shaft is not easily removed from the bottom shaft, such debris is typically not removed, but remains lodged in the punch, where it can create unsanitary conditions and can impede the motion of the top shaft during subsequent uses in surgical operations.
Thus, a need exists for a rongeur that can be disassembled for cleaning.
Embodiments of rongeurs described herein include an assembly pin that provides easy disassembly and assembly of the rongeur. The assembly pin also serves the purpose of coupling a driving member to a top shaft of the rongeur. The assembly pin can be engaged with the driving member for normal operation of the rongeur. Alternatively, the assembly pin can be disengaged from the driving member to decouple the driving member from the top shaft, thereby enabling removal of the top shaft for cleaning.
Embodiments of rongeurs described herein include an assembly pin that provides easy disassembly and assembly of the rongeur. The assembly pin also serves the purpose of coupling a driving member to a top shaft of the rongeur. The assembly pin can be engaged with the driving member for normal operation of the rongeur. Alternatively, the assembly pin can be disengaged from the driving member to decouple the driving member from the top shaft, thereby enabling removal of the top shaft for cleaning.
A particular embodiment of a rongeur includes a bottom shaft having a distal tip, a top shaft slideably coupled to a top surface of the bottom shaft, a laterally moveable assembly pin extending into a cavity in the top shaft, the assembly pin including a neck portion disposed between a head portion and a plug portion. The plug portion is wider than the neck portion, and the head portion has an exposed surface enabling pressing of the assembly pin. A driver member extends through the bottom shaft and into the top shaft, coupling to the top shaft by way of the assembly pin. A portion of the assembly pin extends into a slot formed by a hook portion of the driver member. The hook portion defines a channel having a width that allows the neck portion to pass therethrough, but does not allow the plug portion to pass therethrough. When the exposed surface of the head portion is pressed, the assembly pin moves laterally within the cavity, thereby disengaging the driver member from the assembly pin.
An embodiment of a process for disassembling a rongeur includes pressing an assembly pin engaged with a hook portion of the driver member, said pressing forcing a plug portion of the assembly pin out of the aperture in the top shaft to disengage the assembly pin from the hook portion of the driver member. The process may further include decoupling the top portion from the driver member by passing a neck portion of the assembly pin through a passage defined by the hook portion of the driver member. The process may further include removing the top shaft from the rongeur.
Another embodiment of a rongeur includes a bottom shaft having an axially aligned groove and a top shaft having a coupling member fitting into the groove and enabling the top shaft to slide forward and backward on top of the bottom shaft. A driver member is coupled to the top shaft to actuate forward and backward movement of the top shaft. Means for coupling the driver member to the top shaft engage the driver member with the top shaft to cause the forward and backward movement. The means are further configured to enable decoupling of the top shaft from the driver member and removal of the top shaft from the rongeur.
A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed description of preferred embodiments and claims when considered in connection with the figures.
In the Figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.
Exemplary embodiments of rongeurs described herein include an assembly pin that provides easy disassembly and assembly of the rongeur. The assembly pin also serves the purpose of coupling a driving member to a top shaft of the rongeur. The assembly pin can be engaged with the driving member for normal operation of the rongeur. Alternatively, the assembly pin can be disengaged from the driving member to decouple the driving member from the top shaft, thereby enabling removal of the top shaft for cleaning.
In the illustrated embodiment, a driver member 116 is coupled to the top shaft 102 via an assembly pin 118. As discussed in more detail below, the driver member 116 can be disengaged from or engaged with the assembly pin 118. When the driver member 116 is engaged with the assembly pin 118, the driver member 116 is used to apply force to drive the top shaft 102 forward or backward. The force is applied through the driver member 116 to the assembly pin 118, which transfers the forward or backward force to the top shaft 102.
In this particular embodiment, the driver member 116 is a front grip that extends through an aperture 120 (
In other embodiments, the driver member is not limited to a front grip as shown in
After the rongeur 100 has been used to remove bone or other matter, for example, during surgical operations, tissue and other debris can become lodged between the top shaft 102 and the bottom shaft 104. Such debris lodged in the rongeur 100 can have undesirable consequences. For example, such debris can create unsanitary conditions, impede movement of the top shaft 102, and/or result in other undesirable situations. Advantageously, the rongeur 100 includes the assembly pin 118 that can be disengaged from the driver member 116 to enable disassembly of the rongeur 100 by removing the top shaft 102. With the top shaft 102 removed, debris can be more effectively removed from the top shaft 102 and the bottom shaft 104. In addition, in various embodiments, other parts of the rongeur 100, such as the driver member 116, can easily be removed for cleaning by pressing the assembly pin 118.
In the particular embodiment shown in
In this particular embodiment, the first chamber 138 is sufficiently wide to fit the head portion 130 therein when a user presses an exposed surface 146 of the head portion 130. The neck portion 132 extends from the head portion 130 through the passage 142 and into the aperture 144. The plug portion 134 is connected to the neck portion 132 and is positioned in the aperture 144 in the engaged position. When the exposed surface 146 of the head portion 130 is pressed, the neck portion 132 slides laterally through the passage 142 and further into the aperture 144, and the plug portion 134 is pushed laterally into the second chamber 140.
In the particular embodiment shown, the first chamber 138 houses a compression spring 148. The compression spring 148 can be coiled around the neck portion 132, such that when the assembly pin 118 is pressed, the spring 148 compresses between an unexposed surface of the head portion 130 and an inner wall of the top shaft 102.
In the particular embodiment shown, the cavity 136 is open on both sides of the rongeur 100. However, in other embodiments, the cavity 136 can be closed on the side of the second chamber 140 that receives the plug portion 134; i.e., on the side of the top shaft 102 opposite the head portion 130 of the assembly pin 118. In these embodiments, the second chamber 140 can include a spring disposed between the bottom of the plug portion 134 and a wall of the second chamber 140. In this position, the spring can push the assembly pin 118 back into the engaged position when the assembly pin 118 is not being pressed.
In the embodiment shown in
In the particular embodiment of
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
Various exemplary devices and methods have been illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in the foregoing detailed description. It will be understood that the methods and devices shown and described are not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but rather are capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope and spirit of the claims set forth below.
