Surgical needle abstract
The invention relates to a surgical needle with a suture material
or thread fixed to the end opposite to the perforation tip, characterized
in that the puncturing tip and the area of the needle following
onto the latter is made up to approximately 50% of its length from
bare or surface-untreated metal, whereas the surface of the remaining
part of the needle and up to the thread shoulder is chemically or
electrolytically of a coating dulled or coloured in a continuous
manner or with minor interruptions.
Surgical needle claims
I claim:
1. A metal, surgical needle, comprising:
an elongated needle member, said member having a distal end, a
proximal end, and an outer surface;
a piercing tip extending from the distal end of the needle member;
and,
suture mounting means in the proximal end of the needle member,
wherein the needle has an uninterrupted, non-reflective light-absorbing
coating over the outer surface extending from the proximal end of
the needle member up to about 50% of the length of needle member,
and, the remaining outer surface of the needle is bar metal.
2. The needle of claim 1 wherein less than about 25% of the length
of the needle extending from the proximal end has a coated outer
surface and the remaining outer surface is bare metal.
3. The needle of claim 1 wherein the length of the needle having
a bare outer surface as measured from the piercing tip is about
4 to about 10 mm.
4. The needle of claim 1 wherein the coated surface is discontinuous
and comprises bands of coating separated by bands of uncoated outer
surface.
5. The needle of claim 1 wherein the coating is discontinuous and
comprises speckles of coating separated by bare surface.
6. A metal, surgical needle, comprising:
an elongated needle member, said member having a distal end, a
proximal end, and outer surface;
a piercing tip extending from the distal end of the needle member;
and
suture mounting means in the proximal end of the needle member,
wherein the needle has an uninterrupted, non-reflective, light-absorbing,
dulled treatment on the outer surface extending from the proximal
end of the needle member up to about 50% of the length of needle
member, and, the remaining outer surface of the needle is bar metal.
7. The needle of claim 6 wherein less than about 25% of the length
of the needle extending from the proximal end has a dulled treated
outer surface and the remaining outer surface is bare metal.
8. The needle of claim 6 wherein the length of the needle having
a bare, untreated outer surface as measured from the piercing tip
is about 4 to about 10 mm.
9. The needle of claim 6 wherein the treated outer surface is discontinuous
and comprises bands of treated outer surface separated by bands
of untreated outer surface.
10. The needle of claim 6 wherein the treated outer surface is
discontinuous and comprises speckles of treated outer surface separated
by bare outer surface.
Surgical needle description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a surgical needle with a suture material
or thread fixed to the end opposite to the puncturing tip.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such surgical needles or suture needles are generally known and
are normally made from a corrosion-resistant metal, preferably chrome-nickel
steel. Bare or surface-untreated needles are used for minor surgical
operations. However, in the case of major surgery, of late so-called
coloured or dulled needles have been used, such as are e.g. described
in U.S. Pat. No. 4959068. This colouring or dulling takes place
either chemically by pickling or etching or electrolytically by
a corresponding anodic or cathodic treatment, optionally with polarity
reversal or by alternating current. A special form of pickling is
so-called dull pickling. In certain cases stoving lacquers are also
used for colouring or dulling. As a result of the so-called colouring
or dulling of the surgical needle, the latter does not reflect under
powerful OP-light and irritate the surgeon, which is particularly
advantageous in major operations.
Despite the popularity of such coloured or dulled needles, it has
proved disadvantageous that particularly with yellow to dark red
and brown coloured or dulled needles the surgeon is unable to precisely
detect in the similarly coloured tissue or operating field the point
of perforation of the needle, i.e. the needle tip and the area following
onto the same, which makes it more difficult to precisely insert
a suture not only in microsurgery, but in general surgical operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problem of the invention is to eliminate this disadvantage
and make available a surgical needle, which has both the advantage
of coloured or dulled needles, i.e. freedom from glare, whilst simultaneously
permitting a precise point-sized insertion of the needle into the
corresponding tissue.
Thus, for solving the set problem, a surgical needle of the aforementioned
construction is proposed, which is constructed in such a way that
the puncturing tip and the area of the needle following onto the
latter is made up to approximately 50% of its length from bare or
surface-untreated metal, whereas the surface of the remaining part
of the needle and up to the thread shoulder is chemically or electrolytically
or by means of a coating dulled or coloured in a continuous manner
or with minor interruptions.
It has surprisingly been found that with a needle according to
the invention in this form and contrary to the previously held opinion
that the entire needle must be dulled or coloured, it is still possible
to operate in a glare-free manner and that with the relatively short
tip of the bare or surface-untreated metal it is possible to insert
a suture much more accurately.
Preferably the bare or surface-untreated area represents less than
25% of the needle length, said value also being dependent on the
needle size or length and in absolute terms can in particular be
4 to 10 mm.
In place of a continuous dulling or colouring of the remaining
part of the needle, the latter can be dulled or coloured with minor
interruptions and in particular this coloured or dulled area can
be dulled or coloured in ring form or in speckled form. The bare
gaps in the only zonally dulled or coloured area are preferably
no larger than 1 to 2 mm.
The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative
to the drawings, wherein show:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 a larger-scale representation of the surgical needle according
to the invention with a continuously dulled or coloured area.
FIG. 2 a representation identical to FIG. 1 with an only zonally
dulled or coloured area in ring form.
FIG. 3 a representation identical to FIG. 2 with a dulled or coloured
area in speckled form.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
The needle 2 is a standard semicircular round body needle. However,
the needle can have any other random configuration and can e.g.
be a blunt round body needle, a cutting needle or a spatula needle.
At one end of the needle is located the perforation or puncturing
tip 6 which can also be constructed as a microtip, whereas at the
opposite end of the needle it is possible to see the thread shoulder
12 with the thread 4. The tip 6 and the area 8 following onto it
and which represents approximately less than 50% of the needle length,
is bare or surface-untreated, whereas the remaining part 10 is continuously
dulled or coloured either chemically or electrolytically on the
one hand, or by means of a coating on the other.
In the case of FIG. 2 the dulled or coloured area 10' is dulled
or coloured in ring form. The randomly wide, dulled or coloured
rings are spaced by approximately 1 to 2 mm. This spacing is sufficient
to avoid any glare, but is also sufficient to make it possible to
adequately detect the further contour of the needle in the operating
field.
In the needle shown in FIG. 3 the dulled or coloured area 10"
is speckled and the spacings of the coloured or dulled speckles
must be no greater than 1 to 2 mm.
In all the needles shown the colour of the dulled or coloured areas
8 preferably coincides with the colour of the thread 4 which leads
to the further advantage that the coding colour of the thread can
be detected by intuition in the case of needles in a pack. |