United States Patent (19) 11) Patent Number: 4,985,034 Lipton 45) Date of Patent: Jan. 15, 1991 54 SAFETY SURGICAL BLADE, HANDLE AND Assistant Examiner-Kerry Owens SHIELD Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Arnold, White & Durkee 75 Inventor: James M. Lipton, Dallas, Tex. 57 ABSTRACT (73) Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of A surgical scalpel is provided consisting of a handle, a blade, and a removable and reattachable blade shield to Texas System, Austin, Tex. encase the blade both before and after use and reduce (21) Appl. No.: 360,089 the likelihood of accidental contact with the blade. The blade is retained in the blade shield prior to use through (22) Filed: Jun. 1, 1989 tape or other closure means. Upon removal of the clo 51) Int. Cli.............................................. A61B 17/32 sure means, the forward end of the surgical handle is 52 U.S. C. ....................................... 606/167; 30/162 attached to a handle socket in the base of the blade 58) Field of Search ................. 30/335, 332, 340, 329, preferably through a pawl and notch releasable interen 30/284, 285, 162; 606/167, 170, 176, 185 gagement mechanism, and the blade, securely attached to the handle may be withdrawn from the blade shield. (56) References Cited After use, the blade is returned to the blade shield. A U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS force in the direction of the cutting edge of the blade is 2,960,769 11/1960 Matwijcow ........................... 30/340 applied to the handle causing a weakened floor of the 3,793,726 2/1974 Schrank ........ ... 30/151 handle socket to be displaced and forcing the handle 3,877,147 4/1975 Cummings ... ... 30/329 socket walls of the blade base into retaining recesses 3,905,101 9/1975 Shepherd. ... 30/162 defined in the blade shield thus securing the used blade 3,906,626 9/1975 Riuli ......... ... 30/162 within the blade shield. The handle is then withdrawn 4,617,738 10/1986 Kopacz ..... ... 30/339 from the blade base and the handle can be reused. The 4,719,915 1/1988 Porat et al. ......................... 606/167 used blade, secured within the blade shield, may be 4,735,202 4/1988 Williams. safely disposed. 4,825,545 5/1989 Chase et al. ........................... 30/153 Primary Examiner-Mickey Yu 9 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets 22 - 2, 2 M2 6 4 s U.S. Patent Jan. 15, 1991 Sheet 1 of 2 4,985,034. 12 - 4 2%, 2 7777 ZZZZZZ 1 s ( 4-4. 27 /27 |- 5 U.S. Patent Jan. 15, 1991 Sheet 2 of 2 4,985,034 4,985,034 1. 2 removable and reattachable blade shield for encasing SAFETY SURGICAL BLADE, HANDLE AND the blade. SHIELD The forward end of the handle is adapted to releas ably interengage the rearward end of the blade in a BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 5 releasable locking relation. The forward end of the I. Field of the Invention handle is tapered away from the rearward end of the The present invention relates generally to a surgical handle in a preferred embodiment. The locking relation scalpel, and more particularly, to a surgical scalpel with may be established through a pawl and notch system a removable and reattachable blade shield and with a between the forward end of the handle and the rear removable and reusable scalpel handle. The invention 10 ward end of the blade. The pawl may protrude from the secures the used blade inside the blade shield by the forward end of the handle to mate with a notched han single step of removing the reusable handle. The blade dle socket of the rearward end of the blade. Alterna shield reduces the risk of accidental contact with the tively, a notch may be positioned on the forward end of used blade. the handle to mate with a pawled handle socket of the II. Description of the Related Art 15 rearward end of the blade. Disposable surgical scalpels and surgical scalpels The rearward end of the blade may include a handle with disposable blades have long been known. Dispos socket and the handle socket preferably contains a able blades assure the user of a sharp instrument and can weakened section positioned in the direction of the serve to reduce the risk of infection. Disposable blades cutting edge of the blade. In a preferred form, the rear are typically shipped in some type of protective cover 20 ward end of the blade further contains a shield break such as a cardboard tube or plastic guard. Some blade away space or chamber abutting this weakened section shields and covers are designed merely to protect the where the breakaway space or chamber is defined by blade in shipment and be discarded after removal from the weakened section and the walls of the handle the blade. When blades initially protected by such blade socket. The walls of the handle socket define a progres shields are then disposed, the unprotected blades can, 25 sively narrower shield breakaway space when mea unfortunately, cut through plastic disposal bags or acci sured in a direction away from the weakened section of dentally cut the user. Additionally, merely attaching or the handle socket. The handle socket walls also contain removing a blade from a handle may require the use of a groove located proximate the weakened section of the a tool, such as a forceps, and the user risks cuts or dam handle socket and the grooves are defined on the outer age to the blade. 30 portion of each handle socket wall. An unprotected blade, when disposed, may pose a The bladeshield comprises a housing with an opening serious risk to those attempting to remove the blade at one end configured for receiving a blade in a longitu from a reusable handle, those handling a plastic disposal dinally slidable relation along one orthogonal axis, and bag containing the blade, and those emptying refuse a space within the housing able to accommodate differ receptacles in which unprotected blades have been 35 ent surgical blade sizes and configurations between two disposed. opposed longitudinal surfaces of the housing. Prefera Certain types of blade shields may be reused to cover bly, a longitudinal shoulder is provided along each of used surgical blades prior to disposal of the blade and the two opposed surfaces of the housing, located with handle assemblies. Where a non-removable or non-reus each shoulder facing the other longitudinal surface. able handle is involved, as in the related art, the user Additionally, the blade shield may contain recesses may be less inclined to cover the used blade prior to defined within the opening able to receive the handle disposal because the user may simply dispose of the socket walls in a locking relation. Preferably, the reces entire blade and handle as a unit. However, problems ses are longitudinal and located within each opposed associated with the disposal of an exposed blade will longitudinal surface. still exist. 45 In a preferred embodiment, the scalpel blade has a SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION cutting edge along its forward end and a socket holder A surgical scalpel with a handle, removable blade, along its rearward base end adapted to receive a handle. and removable and reattachable blade shield for encas The blade is configured to slide into the housing ing the blade is achieved by the present invention. A 50 through the opening with the blade's forward end pro principal advantage of the present invention is the se jecting into the housing. A first interengaging mecha curing of the used blade in the blade shield when the nism retains the used blade in the blade shield through handle is removed. A reusable handle can encourage expansible members on the rearward end of the blade the user to remove the blade utilizing the blade shield which are expanded into laterally opposed recesses and avoid accidental reuse of a blade. A reusable handle 55 within the blade shield. A second releasable interengag further allows for a higher quality handle than would be ing mechanism retains a handle within the socket holder economically feasable where the handle is disposable. through a notch and pawl mechanism. The blade shield of the present invention fully encloses In use, the forward end of the handle is inserted in the the surgical blade protecting it during shipment, when handle socket of the blade and thus securely attached to being attached to a handle, when being removed from a the blade so that the blade may be withdrawn from the handle and, after use, protecting others from accidental bladeshield. After use, the blade is returned to the blade cuts or infection from the used blade. shield and pressure is applied to the handle in the direc Broadly speaking, the surgical scalpel comprises a tion of the cutting edge of the blade. The weakened handle with a forward end and a rearward grip end to section of the handle socket is displaced and the down be held by the user, a blade having a forward cutting 65 ward pressure forces the socket walls, which define a end and a rearward end where the forward end is a progressively narrower shield breakaway space, to ex surgical blade and the rearward end is adapted to releas pand into the recesses within the opening in the blade ably interengage the forward end of the handle, and a shield. The expanded socket walls thus lock the blade in 4,985,034 3 4. the blade shield and allow removal of the handle from after use with the cutting end 23 projecting into the the handle socket.