Surgical needle abstract
A surgical needle which has an environmentally contrasting color
along its length to make it more distinctly visible in surgical
procedures to facilitate greater accuracy in use of the needle and
to impart safety against needle sticks and accidental retention
in the body of patients operated on. One, two or more colors can
be provided in zones along the needle length to promote greater
visibility and performance of specific functions for which the needle
is designed.
Surgical needle claims
1- A surgical needle for use in a surgical environment comprising
a needle having a longitudinal curvalinear body extending to a sharp
tipped insertion end, said needle having at least a portion of its
length of color distinctly and contrastingly visible in the usual
blood red environment in which it is used.
2- A surgical needle as set forth in claim 1 in which the full
length of the needle is of one color.
3- A surgical needle as set forth in claim 1 in which the opposite
ends of the needle are of the same color spaced from each other
with a different color on the inbetween body portion.
4- A surgical needle as set forth in claim 1 in which the needle
is provided at least two distinctly and contrastingly visible colors,
the tip end being of one such color and the opposite end being of
another color.
5- A surgical needle as set forth in claim 1 in which each distinctly
visible color is selected from a group consisting of blue, green,
violet and yellow, mixtures thereof and different shades of each.
6- A surgical needle as set forth in claim 1 in which each distinctly
visible color is provided by matter selected from a group consisting
of fluorescent, phosphorescent or iridescent matter.
7- A surgical needle as set forth in claim 1 in which the color
is black.
Surgical needle description
[0001] This invention is a surgical needle provided with color
which is contrasting to the color of flesh and blood confronted
in surgery procedures.
BACKGROUND AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Surgical needles are usually of metal with a mirror-like
finish such as stainless steel which when used under the usually
well lit, high intensity light conditions such as in operating rooms
are highly reflective of their environment. When inserted into flesh
in the vicinity of blood confronted during surgery they reflect
the surrounding color of flesh and blood and become less visible
or practically invisible in areas where the needle is inserted and
directed to a withdrawal point.
[0003] By providing the body of the needle with a color which is
contrasting to the environment, such as blue, yellow or green, it
is clearly more than usually visible, in the environment. A surgeons
manipulation or maneuvering of a contrasting colored needle which
is clearly more than usually visible can be more precise and can
result in greater accuracy in performance of a surgical procedure.
For example when a surgical needle used for stitching a wound is
provided an environmentally contrasting color, such as green, it
can be more clearly seen such as when the tip of the needle is brought
to the surface across a wound for withdrawal and reinsertion.
[0004] Thus an object of the invention is to make it possible for
surgical needles to be used more precisely and accurately during
the performance of surgical procedures.
[0005] Another object is to make the use of surgical needles more
safe in handling outside the wound by making them more visible and
thereby lend to reducing the number of accidental sticks.
[0006] Still another object of the invention is to make the surgical
needles more visible during surgery so as to reduce the possibility
of loss within wound and result in becoming a retained item left
in a patient unintentionally as has been experienced at times during
closing procedures following operations.
[0007] Contrasting colors to the red blood environment in which
the needles are most frequently used are colors not naturally present
in the body or shades such as blue, green and yellow or mixtures
thereof as well as black. Since the surgical rooms are usually lit
with a fluorescent light, coloring the needle with fluorescent matter
would be advantageous in that the color would be more visible in
such light phosphorescent matter or iridescent coloring matter can
also be used as an advantage to make the needles more visible for
surgical procedures.
[0008] A surgical needle can also be provided with two different
colors along its length such as by providing one color at its tip
and another along its body. Thus the tip would be more clearly visible
when emitted from the flesh for withdrawal such as in stitching
as wounds.
[0009] Where the needle has one or two cutting edges the portion
which is provided with the cutting edges can be one color with another
color at its tip. The colored regions could thus also be used as
a measuring means to indicate more clearly where the cutting region
is present along the length of the needle.
[0010] The body of the needle can also be provided with more than
two or more colors along its length to indicate regions to be used
for functions to be performed. For example one color can be provided
along the length where: one cutting edge is provided and another
color where more than one cutting edge is provided and thereby promote
proper use of the needle for the functions and in the regions for
which it was designed.
[0011] Other objects and features which are believed to be characteristic
of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a surgical needle of the type
which is provided an environmentally contrasting color for the environment
in which it is used.
[0013] FIG. 2 is representative of the manner of use of the surgical
needle of FIG. 1 in stitching a wound.
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates how a needle such as shown in FIG. 1
can be provided two or three different colors along its length.
[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates a number of different shaped surgical
needles for which the concept of the present invention can be adapted.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION IN DETAIL
[0016] Turning to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 is representative
of a common shape of a surgical needle among a wide spectrum of
different shaped surgical needles commercially available. As illustrated
the needle in this case representative of an arc shaped needle which
is colored according to the present invention. Generally the needle
is a thin crescent moon shaped needle or a bow shaped needle such
as might be the shape of a bow in a bow and arrow assembly. The
needle 10 has a tip 11 and an opposite base end 12 with an eye 13
for fastening of a stitching thread 14 thereto.
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates the needle of FIG. 1 in use in which
circumstance needle 10 is inserted on one side 16 of a cut or a
wound 18 and extends to the other side 17 of the wound where the
tip 4 of the needle emerges. When the tip is sufficiently exposed
it can be grasped to pull its body across the wound 18 with the
stitching thread pulled thereafter to bridge the wound and effect
the drawing of the two sides 16 and 17 together. As can be seen
in FIG. 2 when the conventional needle of stainless steel having
a reflective surface is positioned as illustrated the needle is
in a position to reflect the color of the environment, usually a
blood red environment and can become somewhat lost in the background
so that it is not clearly visible.
[0018] When as proposed the needle is provided with a color such
as blue, yellow, green or violet, or the color of fluorescent, phosphoresent
or iridescent matter it will be more clearly visible in the environment
so that the insertion of the tip from one side 16 to the other side
17 can be more effective. In other words, the emergence of the tip
11 becomes more clearly visible and accuracy of the stitching procedure
can be greatly enhanced. Besides greater accuracy or precision in
effecting the procedure, safety in the use of the needle is also
enhanced since it is less likely to result in a colored needle stick
by reason of the visibility of the needle point. As seen in the
illustration in FIG. 2 the needle point by reason of having a contrasting
color can be seen more readily even with a short emergence from
the flesh in which case a grasping tool might be utilized sooner
than if the point were not as readily seen in the environment upon
the short emergence.
[0019] FIG. 3 is another arrangement of the invention in which
a needle 30 is provided with two colors along its length. One color
being at the tip end 31 and another color at the trailing end 32.
Such two colors might be contrasting such as being a yellow or green
at the tip end and a darker color such as blue at the trailing end.
In this arrangement a black section also might be provided at either
end of the needle. Further in this regard three or more colors if
predetermined length segments can be provided along the needle length
including the possibility of using them for measuring purposes.
[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates four different styles of curvalinear
shaped needles that are conventionally available from supply houses.
Needle A is a half circle shaped needle while needle B has a long
section with its tip end being a short bent section. FIG. 4C might
be described as a stretched out S-shaped needle. These different
shaped needles are illustrated to show the wide range of different
shaped needles commercially available in which the invention can
be advantageously embodied. Some needles are provided with a sharp
cutting edge between the base and the tip which can be provided
with one color such as green or yellow while the two ends are provided
another color or the ends can be provided with colors different
from each other.
[0021] As still another arrangement, the length of the different
colored zones, such as the tip end and the tail end with a body
portion inbetween, can be used functionally to indicate the depth
of penetration and or the amount of the tip end emerging from the
stitched region for adequate grasping and drawing of the needle
from the flesh to effect tightening of a wound.
[0022] In view of the foregoing it will be understood that many
variations of the arrangement of the invention can be provided within
the broad scope of principles embodied therein. Thus, while particular
preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described
it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications
which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. |