Surgical forceps

#a) Field of the Invention

#The invention relates to surgical forceps having distal mouth parts, at least one mouth part of which can be movably actuated against the other by means of a proximal handle, wherein the force exerted when actuating the handle can be transferred to the movable mouth part by means of an axially displaceable rod, and wherein overload protection is provided which is effective in the case of overload with danger of breakage and limits the closing force of the mouth parts to a preset value.

#b) Description of the Prior Art

#The foregoing summary of the invention, as well as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific arrangements and instrumentalities disclosed.

#FIG. 1 shows a side view of the forceps on a reduced scale,

#FIG. 2 shows a sectional representation along the line II--II on an enlarged scale,

#The forceps according to FIG. 1 may be designed as cutting, holding or clamping forceps. They consist essentially of mouth parts 1 and 2, of which the mouth part 2 is movable in the exemplary embodiment, and also of the shaft 3 as the forceps housing and the handle consisting of grips 4 and 5 to be actuated like scissors. Of these, the grip 5 is connected to the shaft section 3a of the housing and the grip 4 is mounted thereon as pivotable lever. The two-part rod 6, 7, which is linked by its section 7 at the movable mouth part 2 and moves the latter, is actuated by this grip 4.

#The rod section 7 is provided with a moulding 8 which engages positively in a moulding 9, which is in turn connected to the rod section 6. The positive engagement of the two mouldings 8 and 9 in one another takes place by means of teeth 10. A tube sleeve 11 is provided in order to keep the two mouldings 8 and 9 together or to guide them together. This tube sleeve 11 has a longish peripheral recess 12 (shown by the curved dotted lines).

#The two mouldings 8 and 9 kept together by means of the tube sleeve 11 in accordance with the representation, are axially displaced together with the rod sections 6 and 7 in the same direction and with the same path during normal actuation of the grip 4, so that the mouth part 2 is moved. If the movable mouth part 2 comes to rest against the fixed mouth part 1 or in some other way is prevented from further movement, so that destruction of the mouth parts or their mounting is threatened by the force acting at the grips 4 and 5, the flanks of the teeth 10 of the two mouldings 8 and 9 slide over one another, as a result of which the moulding 8 is deflected like a resilient spring radially outwards against the shaft section 3a.