Surgical obturator
AssigneeStryker Corporation
InventorsRichard Mazzolla, Michael Patton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An obturator has an elongated shaft with a first shaft portion and a second shaft portion within an obturator housing. The distal end of the first shaft portion creates a first shield and the distal end of the second shaft portion creates a second shield. A blade having a piercing tip and cutting edges is interposed between the first shield and the second shield. In use, once the piercing tip passes the body wall, the first shield moves to cover the piercing tip and protect internal organs from accidental injury while the cutting edges continue to cut the body wall. Once the second shield passes through the body wall, the second shield moves to cover the cutting edges.
Claims22
A surgical obturator comprising:
- a first shaft portion extending along a longitudinal axis of a shaft and having a first shield at said first shaft portion's distal end;
- a second shaft portion juxtaposed with said first shaft portion and having a second shield at said second shaft portion's distal end, wherein inner surfaces of said first shaft portion and said second shaft portion include opposing planar surfaces along their lengths that slide against one another along their longitudinal axis;
- a blade juxtaposed between said first shield and said second shield having a piercing tip portion and a lateral cutting edge portion, wherein said piercing tip portion forms a single vertex at its distal end, and wherein said blade is configured with a groove in which said first shield is juxtaposed and wherein said second shield is configured with a groove in which said blade is juxtaposed;
- a first biasing element for biasing said first shield to its distalmost position, thereby covering said piercing tip portion;
- and
- a second biasing element for biasing said second shield into its distalmost position, thereby covering said lateral cutting edge portion.
A surgical obturator comprising:
- a shaft having a distal end and a proximal end, said shaft having a first shaft portion and a second shaft portion, wherein inner surfaces of said first shaft portion and said second shaft portion include opposing planar surfaces along their lengths that slide against one another along their longitudinal axis;
- said first shaft portion being biased towards its distal position and having a first shield at its distal end;
- said second shaft portion being biased towards its distal position and having a second shield at its distal end;
- a blade positioned between said first shield and said second shield, said blade having a piercing tip portion and a lateral cutting edge portion, wherein said piercing tip portion forms a single vertex at its distal end;
- wherein said first shield has a shape that, when in the distal position, covers said piercing tip portion but not said lateral cutting edge portion, and said second shield has a shape that, when in the distal position, covers said lateral cutting edge portion but not said piercing tip portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.