Instrument guard and reusable medical device employing same
OwnerYoram Cohen, Abraham Mates +2inventors
InventorsYoram Cohen, Abraham Mates, Gadi Porat, Ilan Yotvat
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An instrument guard for a MIS medical device includes an attachment portion and an instrument holding portion. The attachment portion is removably attachable to a containment tube of a medical device used for minimally invasive surgery. The instrument holding portion is used to contain and insulate surgical instruments used for the procedure. The instrument guard may be removed after use, exposing the surgical instruments and allowing for cleaning thereof, by washing, brushing, ultrasonic cleaning and visual inspection. A clean instrument guard is then placed on the device, enabling the device to be reused in another procedure.
Claims45
For use with a minimally invasive surgery medical device having an instrument portion having at least one surgical instrument including an instrument proximal end and an instrument distal end and a shaft portion therebetween and a containment tube partially surrounding the instrument portion and partially leaving an exposed portion of the instrument portion, an instrument guard comprising:
- a. a flexible, insulating, tubular member comprising an attachment portion at a proximal end thereof for removable attachment to the containment tube and an instrument holding portion at a distal portion thereof for removable holding of the exposed portion of the instrument portion;
- and
- b. an inner diameter reducing portion incorporated in said instrument holding portion.
A medical device for insertion into a body, which comprises:
- a. an instrument portion comprising:
- at least one surgical instrument having an instrument proximal end, an instrument distal end, a shaft therebetween;
- a containment tube partially surrounding said at least one surgical instrument, and partially leaving an exposed portion of said at least one surgical instrument;
- and
- b. an instrument guard removably positionable on said exposed portion of said surgical instrument.
A method for enabling reuse of a medical device for an invasive procedure, the method comprising:
- providing a medical device, the device including one or more surgical instruments having a proximal end, a distal end and a shaft therebetween, a containment tube partially surrounding the shaft and partially exposing the shaft thereby providing an exposed portion of surgical instruments, and an instrument guard removably surrounding the exposed portion of the surgical instruments;
- inserting said medical device into the body of a subject;
- removing said medical device from the body;
- removing said instrument guard so as to expose said exposed portion of said at least one surgical instrument;
- cleaning said exposed portion of said at least one surgical instrument;
- placing a new instrument guard around at least a portion of said exposed distal portion to replace said removed instrument guard;
- and
- sterilizing said medical device.
For use with a medical device having an instrument portion having at least one surgical instrument including an instrument proximal end and an instrument distal end and a shaft portion therebetween and a containment tube partially surrounding the instrument portion and partially leaving an exposed portion of the instrument portion, and a flexible, insulating instrument guard for removable holding of the exposed portion, wherein the medical device has a specific total outer diameter,
- a trocar having a diameter which is suitable for forming an access hole for said medical device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.