Suture needle abstract
A suture needle holder includes a hollow holder portion which is
preferably molded from a clear plastic, and a base portion coupled
to a lower portion of the holder portion. A lower side of the base
portion is provided with an adhesive. The holder portion is provided
with at least one needle park which can be integrally molded with
the holder portion. The holder portion also includes an opening
through which used suture needles can be disposed into the hollow
holder portion. The surgeon is able to see into the clear holder
portion and make an accurate count of how many suture needles have
been used. The adhesive on the base member enables the holder to
be positioned on the surgical drape and prevents unintentional movement
of the holder, and further facilitates single-handed use of the
holder. In a preferred embodiment, the hollow holder portion is
shaped like a hexagonal frustum and includes a needle park on each
of its six sloped faces. Each needle park is formed by two inwardly
angled walls, the walls able to frictionally engage the shaft of
a suture needle. The holder portion is provided with a raised portion
around which suture material may be thread to assist a physician
in tying off suture. The opening is provided on the raised portion
and includes a tapered entryway which prevents disposed needles
from exiting the opening.
Suture needle claims
What is claimed is:
1. A holder and collector for at least one surgical implement having
a shaft and a sharp tip, comprising:
a hollow holding portion having an exterior surface and an interior
sized to hold a plurality of surgical implements, said exterior
surface provided with at least one engagement means for frictionally
engaging the shaft of one of the surgical implements and having
an opening into said interior which permits at least one of the
surgical implements to be provided completely into said interior.
2. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein:
said holder portion is generally frustum-shaped.
3. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein: further
comprising:
said holder portion is made from a clear material.
4. A holder and collector according to claim 1 further comprising:
a base portion,
wherein said holder portion is provided with a lower lip and said
lower lip is coupled to said base portion.
5. A holder and collector according to claim 4 wherein:
said base portion has an upper side and a lower side, said lower
side being provided with an adhesive.
6. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein:
said at least one engagement means is integrally formed with said
holder portion.
7. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein:
the holder portion is provided with a plurality of sloped faces,
each of said sides having an engagement means.
8. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein:
each of said engagement means is formed by respective first and
second portions of said exterior surface, said first and second
portions being acutely angled relative to each other such that the
shaft of the surgical implement is frictionally engagable therebetween.
9. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein:
said holder portion is preferably provided with a raised portion
having a circumferential channel.
10. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein:
said opening is provided with a tapered entrance.
11. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein:
said at least one engagement means is formed from first and second
wall portions, said first wall portion being angled relative to
said exterior surface and having a first coupled side coupled to
said exterior surface and a first free side, and said second wall
portion being angled relative to said exterior surface and having
a second coupled side coupled to said exterior surface and a second
free side, said first and second free sides being adjacent to and
discontinuous from each other such that the shaft of the surgical
implement is positionable therebetween.
12. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein:
said opening is provided between said first and second wall portions.
13. A holder and collector according to claim 4 wherein:
said suture needle holder and collector has a height of approximately
one to three inches, said interior has a largest dimension of approximately
two to four inches, and said base portion has a width of approximately
two and a half to five inches.
14. A holder and collector for at least one surgical implement
having a shaft and a sharp tip, said holder and collector for use
with a surgical drape, comprising:
a) a hollow plastic holding portion having an exterior surface
and an interior sized to hold a plurality of surgical implements,
said exterior surface provided with at least one engagement means
for frictionally engaging the shaft of one of the surgical implements
and having an opening into said interior which permits at least
one of the surgical implements to be provided completely into said
interior; and
b) first means for attaching said holding portion to the surgical
drape.
15. A holder and collector according to claim 14 wherein:
said holding portion is a made from PETG.
16. A holder and collector according to claim 14 further comprising:
c) a base portion; and
d) second means for attaching said base portion to said holder
portion,
said base portion being provided with said first means for attaching.
17. A holder and collector according to claim 16 wherein:
said base portion is coupled to said has an upper side and a lower
side, said lower side being provided with an adhesive.
18. A holder and collector according to claim 14 wherein said
at least one engagement means is integrally molded with said holder
portion.
19. A holder and collector according to claim 1 wherein:
said holder portion is preferably provided with a raised portion
having a circumferential channel.
20. A holder and collector according to claim 16 wherein:
said suture needle holder and collector has a height of approximately
one to three inches, said interior has a largest dimension of approximately
two to four inches, and said base portion has a width of approximately
two and a half to five inches.
Suture needle description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to devices for holding and disposing
of sharp surgical implements. More particularly, this invention
relates to a combined holder and disposal container for suture needles.
2. State of the Art
During surgery, a surgeon often uses suture needles as part of
an operation and to close entry wounds. A suture needle is a small,
typically sickle-shaped needle having a length of suture tied through
the eye of the needle. As a surgeon works to close the wounds, the
surgeon often desires to park the needle, i.e., to temporarily place
the needle into a holder, so that an interstitial procedure better
performed with two unencumbered hands may be performed. For example,
the surgeon is better able to tie off pieces of suture at the wound
closure with two free hands.
After a needle has been used, it is desirable to safely dispose
of the needle to prevent unintended sticking. The Federal Occupational
Safety and Health Administration has widely recognized this concern
and the related potential of harm to health care workers, as such
needle sticking poses the risk of cross-contamination of threatening
diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis. As a result, standards in health
care mandate that surgical instruments be counted both pre- and
post-operatively to ensure that instruments have not been left inside
the human body.
Currently, a surgeon has three options when he or she desires to
park a suture needle. One, the surgeon can use a currently available
rigid foam park in which the sharp distal tip of the suture needle
may be impaled to hold the needle. However, the foam tends to quickly
dull the distal tip and make the continuing procedure more difficult
for the surgeon and more dangerous for a patient. Second, the surgeon
can use a fabric park such as the SutureMate.RTM. marketed by Surgical
Safety Products Inc., of Sarasota, Fla. However, the SutureMate.RTM.
requires that the needle be parked between particular stitches sewn
into the fabric park, and is not convenient to use. As a result,
many surgeons tend to choose the third option, which is to not park
the needle. Rather the needle is cupped in one hand, only partially
freeing the fingers of the hand cupping the needle, making the performance
of interstitial procedures not directly involving the needle more
difficult. This option further poses a risk to the surgeon, as the
surgeon may receive inadvertent stab wounds and can thereby be exposed
to blood-borne pathogens. Moreover, none of these options addresses
providing a suitable safe means for disposing of the suture needles
in a manner which permits counting of the needles.
While relatively large containers for the disposal of a relatively
large number of sharps are well known, e.g., the container disclosed
in U.S. Pat. No. 4494652 to Nelson et al., it is preferable to
have a disposal container which is relatively small and provided
solely for the suture needles of a current operation. The use of
such a large disposal container would result in unavoidable waste,
as counting of the disposed suture needles to ensure the proper
number of pre- and post-operative needles (determined by the number
of empty packages matched against the number of suture needles in
the disposal container) requires a new container with each surgical
procedure.
A number of small needle collection devices have been proposed
or used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3727658 to Eldridge, Jr.,
discloses a foldable magnetic receiver which magnetically traps
metallic surgical implements such as suture needles, and U.S. Pat.
No. 3944069 also to Eldridge, Jr., discloses another foldable
receiver. However, the receivers do not safely enclose the suture
needles, and in order to count the needles used, the devices must
be kept open, until surgery is complete. As a result, as each used
suture needle is placed into the receiver, opportunity exists for
unintentional hand pricking by a sharp needle located in the trap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4591048 to Eldridge, Jr., and U.S. Pat. No. 5316142
to Jain each disclose used needle collectors having numbered parks
in which to place used needles. The numbered parks allow a surgeon
to keep track of the number of needles used. However, each has an
open design, being made from foam and sponge-plastic, respectively,
and presents the opportunity for hand pricking. In addition, in
order to place the needle into each of the collectors, two hands
are required to compartmentalize the needle. As the surgeon may
have one hand occupied, this can be inconvenient. U.S. Pat. No.
5590774 to Roberts discloses a cup-like suture needle container
having several radial compartments in which needles can be placed,
a rotatable locking lid which provides entry only into a single
compartment at a time, and a handle. However, the device requires
two hands to operate, one to hold the handle and the other to rotate
the lid to close one compartment and open another.
Moreover, the art does not provide any device which provides both
a needle park and a used needle collector within the same device.
In addition, none of the devices of the prior art are adapted to
remain stationary, and not move around, while in use. Also, none
of the devices of the prior art assist a surgeon in tying off suture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a single
device which acts as a suture needle park and collection device.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a device that
can hold suture needles in a manner which prevents inadvertent stab
wounds and which will not dull the needles.
It is another object of the invention to provide a needle collection
device which permits an accurate counting of used suture needles
post-operatively in order to ensure that suture needles have not
been left in the human body.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a device
that can be used to safely dispose of suture needles.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a suture needle
collecting and parking device which will remain stationary while
in use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a device that
can assist a surgeon in tying off sutures.
In accord with these objects, which will be discussed in detail
below, a suture needle holder for holding and collecting suture
needles is provided. The suture needle holder generally includes
a hollow, preferably frustum-shaped, holder portion which is preferably
molded from a clear plastic, and a base portion coupled to a lower
portion of the holder portion. A lower side of the base portion
is preferably provided with an adhesive. The holder portion is provided
with at least one needle park which is preferably integrally molded
with the holder portion. The holder portion also includes an opening
through which used suture needles can be disposed of into the hollow
holder portion.
It will be appreciated that a surgeon is able to see into the clear
holder portion and make an accurate count of how many suture needles
have been used. Furthermore, the adhesive on the base portion enables
the holder to be positioned on the surgical drape and prevents unintentional
movement of the holder. In addition, the adhesion of the holder
to the drape facilitates single-handed use of the holder and allows
the surgeon to keep one hand free while using the holder.
According to a first and preferred embodiment of the invention,
the hollow holder portion is shaped like a hexagonal frustum and
includes a needle park on each of its six sloped faces. Each needle
park is formed by two inwardly angled walls which are capable of
frictionally engaging the shaft of a suture needle. The upper surface
of the holder portion is preferably provided with a raised portion
having a circumferential channel around which suture material may
be thread. The raised portion and channel may be used to assist
a physician in tying off suture. The opening through which used
needles may be disposed into the interior of the holder portion
is provided on the raised portion and includes a tapered entryway
which prevents needles from exiting the opening.
According to a second embodiment of the invention, each needle
park of the holder portion is generally formed from two walls each
of which has a lateral side coupled to the same sloping face, and
a medial free side. The walls are inwardly angled and biased toward
each other. The needles may be frictionally held between the free
sides of the inwardly angled walls and, if desired, may be further
pushed through the opening between the walls to be disposed of within
the holder portion.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become
apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the detailed
description taken in conjunction with the provided figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is top view of a first embodiment of a suture needle holder
according the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross section through line 2--2 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the suture needle holder of FIG.
1 shown with a suture needle being held by the holder;
FIG. 4 is a top view of a second embodiment of a suture needle
holder according to the invention; and
FIG. 5 is a cross-section through line 5--5 in FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2 a first embodiment of a suture needle
holder 10 is shown. The suture needle holder 10 generally includes
a hollow frustum-shaped holding member 12 and a base member 14.
The holding member 12 generally includes an upper surface 16 a
lower lip 18 having a top side 20 and a bottom side 22 and six
sloping peripheral faces 24a-f extending between the upper surface
16 and the lower lip 18. The base member 14 has an upper surface
26 and a lower surface 28 each of which are provided with an adhesive
30 32 respectively. The adhesive 30 on the upper surface 26 of
the base member 14 couples the base member 14 to the bottom side
22 of the lower lip 16. Preferably, the remainder of the upper surface
26 that is, the portion of the upper surface surrounded by the
lower lip 18 is also provided with the adhesive 30 to give the
remainder of the upper surface a tacky quality. The adhesive 32
on the lower surface 28 of the base member 14 is preferably provided
with a peel-away protective layer 34 which prevents the lower surface
28 of the base member 14 from unintentionally sticking to another
surface, e.g., onto a surgical drape until the holder 10 is purposefully
positioned for use. The peel-away protective layer 34 is easily
removable by hand. Providing a means for adhering the holder 10
to a surface such as a surgical drape, facilitates single-handed
use of the device and thereby allows a surgeon to keep one hand
free while using the device.
According to a preferred aspect of the first embodiment, the holding
member 12 is preferably vacuum-formed from clear PETG to be generally
frusto-pyramidal in shape and, as stated above, and to have six
faces 24a-24f sloping inward from the lower lip 18 to the upper
surface 16. Each face 24a-f preferably has a needle park 36a-f provided
thereon. With reference to needle park 36a, each needle park is
preferably an inwardly formed portion of the holding member 12 having
two adjoining walls 38a, 40a and a floor portion 42a which intersects
the adjoining walls. The adjoining walls 38a, 40a are skewed to
intersect at an acute angle, preferably approximately 2.degree.
to 20.degree.. The depth of the needle park and the angle at which
the adjoining walls intersect are both chosen such that when the
shaft 44 of a suture needle 46 is inserted into the needle park,
the walls 38a, 40a frictionally engage the shaft of the needle and
hold the needle in the park 36a. As seen in FIG. 3 the sharp tip
48 of the suture needle need not contact the needle park when the
needle is being held therein. It will also be appreciated that by
providing a needle park 36a-f on each of the faces 24a-f, the holder
10 may be freely positioned relative to the operating position of
a surgeon as one of the needle parks will always be positioned for
use by the surgeon. The concern of whether the device will be aligned
for optimal use by the surgeon is thereby eliminated.
By way of example, and with the understanding that other dimensions
may also be used, dimensions for the suture needle holder are hereby
provided. The suture needle holder has a height of approximately
one to three inches. The holding member has a width across its bottom
end, from the inside of the lip to the inside of the lip, of approximately
two to four inches, and the base member has a width of approximately
two and a half to five inches.
The upper surface 16 of the holding member 12 is preferably provided
with a generally cylindrically-shaped raised portion 50 having a
circumferential channel 52 around which suture material may be thread;
i.e., the raised portion and channel may be used to assist a physician
in tying off suture. Central in the raised portion 50 an opening
54 is provided through which used suture needles can be received
into the interior of the holder 10. Preferably, the opening 54 includes
a tapered entryway 56 which becomes smaller toward the base member
14 and thereby prevents suture needles from exiting through the
opening. In addition, the disposed suture needles, e.g., suture
needle 58 stick to the adhesive 30 on the upper surface 26 of the
base member 14 further inhibiting any disposed suture needles from
being released from within the holder 10 (FIG. 2).
Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5 a second embodiment of a suture needle
holder 110 substantially similar to the first embodiment (with
like parts having numbers incremented by 100), is shown. The suture
needle holder generally includes a hollow frustum-shaped holding
member 112 and a base member 114 coupled to a lower portion of the
holding member. The holding member 112 is provided with six sloping
faces 124a-f, each of the faces being provided with a needle park
136a-f. With reference to needle park 136a, each needle park is
generally formed from two walls 138a, 140a, each of which is angled
relative to the face 124a, and each of which is preferably flexible.
Each wall 138a, 140a has a first side 160a, 162a, coupled to a portion
of the same sloping face 124a, and a second free side 164a, 166a.
The free side 164a of one wall 138a is adjacent, but discontinuous,
from the free side 166a of the other wall 140a. If desired, the
free sides 164a, 166a may contact one another. A suture needle 144
is positionable between the walls 138a, 140a such that a portion
of the shaft 146 is insertable between the free sides 164a, 166a
of the walls 138a, 140a and stably held therebetween. It will be
appreciated that by pushing a suture needle, e.g, suture needle
170 further through the walls, the suture needle can be pushed
into the hollow holding member 12 and the walls, if resiliently
flexible, will return to a closed position. Regardless, the suture
needle, e.g., suture needle 172 will be safely enclosed within
the hollow needle holder 110.
There have been described and illustrated herein embodiments of
a suture needle holder. While particular embodiments of the invention
have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited
thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope
as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise.
Thus, while particular shapes for the holding member have been disclosed,
it will be appreciated that other shapes can be used as well. For
example, the holding member may have fewer or more than six faces,
or the holding member may be conically shaped. Furthermore while
PETG has been disclosed as a suitable material for manufacturing
the holding member, it will be understood that other materials,
preferably vacuum-formable or injection moldable, can also be used.
In addition, while each face is described as including a needle
park, it will be appreciated that not all of the faces need be provided
with a needle park. Moreover, it will be appreciated that, where
a multi-faceted holding member (i.e., not a conical holding member)
is used, the needle park may be provided at the corners formed by
the faces rather than on the faces. Also, while a raised portion
having a suture receiving channel is preferred, it will be recognized
that the raised portion is not required. In addition, while the
holding member has been shown as having a continuous peripherally
extending lip, it will be appreciated that the lip may extend inward,
or may be discontinuous. Furthermore, while it is preferable that
the upper and lower sides of the base member be substantially completely
provided with adhesives, it will be appreciated that an adhesive
is not required on either side. Without any adhesive, the holding
member and base member may be coupled in another manner, e.g., by
stapling. Moreover, it will also be appreciated that an adhesive
may be provided to the bottom side of the lower lip, and that the
holding member may be provided directly to a surgical drape or other
desired surface; i.e., without a base member positioned therebetween.
In addition, while the holder has been described as being assembled
from two primary components, i.e., the holding member and the base
member, it will be understood that the holding member and base member
can be formed or molded as a unitary member. Adhesive may be provided
to the lower surface of a unitary formed holder. Furthermore, while
the suture holder has been described with reference to holding suture
needles, it will be appreciated that the suture holder may be used
with other sharp surgical implements. It will therefore be appreciated
by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be
made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit
and scope as so claimed. |