GB2583517A - Holder for medical instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

A holder (10) for medical instruments such as endoscopes and accessories comprises a body (12) with complementary connectors (18, 20) at opposite ends which are configured to allow the holder (10) to be connected to like holders (10) to form a modular assembly. The body (12) of each holder (10) comprises a plurality of instrument holding structures (26) configured to releasably hold medical instruments of different shapes and sizes. These structures may include slots with bevelled edges (32, 36), perpendicularly extending arms (38, 40), or an arc-shaped tapering slot 16. The connectors (18, 20) may be configured to connect holders (10) together in a form-locking manner, preventing disconnection without breaking and preventing relative movement between connected holders (10).

Description

HOLDER FOR MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS

The present invention relates to a holder for medical instruments and a modular instrument holder assembly. It is intended in particular for use in medical procedures such as endo-therapy procedures, in which an endoscope and a variety of other instruments are required.

Typically, at least 4-8 different devices may be used in an endo-therapy procedure. There is a need to store the various items before and during the procedure in a secure and safe manner which protects the instruments themselves from physical damage but keeps them readily available for use and re-use. Since the equipment must be clean and sterile before use there is also a need to ensure clean instruments are stored in a manner which prevents contamination before use and which ensures they do not cross-contaminate each other or contaminate the surrounding environment once they have been use and are soiled with body fluids.

Various storage options exist for such medical equipment. In some cases, the equipment is simply laid in a tray. However, since endo-therapy equipment normally involves items with long tubes, wires or cables, these must be coiled up to fit in the tray. When multiple pieces of equipment are used this is cumbersome and disorganised and the different instruments contact each other and may cross-contaminate.

Another known solution is laying the instruments out on a sterile drape, or placing them in pockets formed on the drape. However, this takes up a large amount of space and can be awkward to use.

It is also known for medical staff simply to hang or hook instruments over other pieces of equipment, but this is ad hoc and unsatisfactory since it is disorganised and instruments are not held securely.

Purpose-made trolleys and workstations are also used which are provided with a variety of hooks, clips and rails to receive medical instruments. However, these come in a fixed format and cannot be varied to suit different procedures and collections of instruments, and they must themselves be cleaned and sterilised between uses.

Therefore, the known solutions all have various limitations. The medical instruments may become entangled and difficult to retrieve. There is a risk of the instruments becoming damaged or contaminated by contact with other instruments or by accidentally falling onto the floor. Soiled instruments may contaminate the environment around them, including other equipment and medical staff. All of these issues decrease the efficiency of the medical procedure as a whole both in terms of the length of time it takes and the costs involved.

The present invention provides a holder for medical instruments comprising a body with first and second ends spaced along a longitudinal axis, the body further comprising complementary connectors formed at the first and second ends configured to allow the holder to be connected to like holders, and a plurality of instrument holding structures configured for releasably holding medical instruments of different shapes and sizes.

The connectors at the first and second ends are configured to allow the holder to be connected to like holders in a form-locking manner which prevents disconnection without breaking and which prevents relative movement of the connected holders.

In one example, the connectors comprise at least one socket and at least one hook which are configured to allow insertion of a hook of a first holder into a respective socket of a second holder in a first direction and to prevent withdrawal of the hook from the socket in a second, opposite direction and to prevent rotation of the hook within the socket.

Preferably the instrument holding structures comprise at least one aperture in the body and at least one projection extending from the body.

The at least one aperture may comprise a slot in the body having an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body. The slot may be substantially cylindrical with a diameter, and open at both ends and with an opening along one side between the open ends which is narrower than the diameter. Preferably, at at least one end, the diameter of the slot increases.

The at least one projection may comprise a pair of arms projecting from the body in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body. In particular, the pair of arms may be located either side of one of the apertures.

The at least one aperture may comprise a tapered slit in the body. The slit may be arcuate in a direction extending into the body. At least one protrusion may be formed on the wall of the slit.

Preferably, the holder is formed of a resilient material. Advantageously, it is formed of a biodegradable material so that it can be used once and then disposed of without causing environmental damage.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an instrument holder assembly for holding medical instruments, comprising a plurality of holders of the type described above connected to one another in series to create an elongate structure.

The present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a holder for medical instruments in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the holder of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross section of the holder of Figure 1 in the direction A-A; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an instrument holder assembly formed of a plurality of holders of Figures 1-3; Figure 5 is a schematic view of a workstation attachable to one or more holders.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a holder 10 for medical instruments in accordance with the present invention. The holder 10 comprises a body 12 preferably formed as a one-piece moulding. Such a moulding may be formed of a plastic material although it is preferred if it is a biodegradable material such as. The material preferably has a degree of resilience to allow some flexing so that when one holder 10 is connected to another, or a medical instrument is placed in the holder 10, some flexing is accommodated and the holder 10 will grip the instrument to some extent, as described further below.

Very generally, the body 12 is a cylindrical block extending along a longitudinal axis X, with various cut away portions and projections. It has first and second ends 14, 16 spaced apart along the longitudinal axis X. The first and second ends 14, 16 have complementary connectors 18, 20 which allow the holder 10 to be connected to another like holder at each end.

In this example, the first end connector 18 comprises a socket 19 and the second end connector 20 comprises a hook or anchor 21. As best seen in the cross sectional view of Figure 3, the socket 19 is substantially L-shaped extending into the body 12 in a direction along the longitudinal axis and including a side arm portion 19a perpendicular to the axis X. The hook 21 comprises a main shaft 22 projecting from the second end 16 of the holder 10 in a direction along the axis X and a tip or barb 24 turned back towards the second end 16 so that there is an acute angle between the tip 24 and the shaft 22.

In use, the hook 21 of one holder 10 can be inserted into the socket 19 of another holder 10. The dimensions of the connectors 18, 20 are chosen so that the tip 24 must flex slightly towards the shaft 22 as the hook 21 passes into the socket 19, springing back as it enters the side arm portion 19a. Subsequently, the hook 21 cannot be withdrawn from the socket 19 because the tip 24 is captured in the side arm portion 19a. The two holders 10 can then only be separated by exerting such force that one or both holders will break.

Preferably the connectors 18, 20 are configured so that they can only be connected in one orientation and once connected they are prevented from relative rotation about the axis X. In this example, the socket 19 and the shaft 22 of the hook 21 are rectangular in cross section so that (referring to the orientation in Figure 1) the height dimension is greater than the width dimension. Therefore, the hook 21 can only enter the socket 19, and the tip 24 can only become captured in the side arm portion 19a, in one orientation. Once engaged the hook 21 cannot rotate in the socket 19.

In this way, holders can be connected together in a form-locking manner which prevents disconnection and which also prevents relative rotation about the longitudinal axis X. It will be appreciated that the precise configuration of the complementary connectors 18, 20 can be altered as desired while providing the same functionality. The exact shapes and dimensions could be altered and each connector could comprise a combination of male and female parts. If the connector at one end is in a different form to the connector at the other end, holders can only be connected in one orientation, i.e. the first end of one holder can only connect to the second end of another holder. However, it is also possible for each end of the holder 10 to have identical forms of connector so that either end of one holder can connect to either end of another holder.

Using the connectors 18, 20, two or more holders 10 can be connected together in series to create an instrument holder assembly 48 as shown in Figure 4 and as described further below.

In the example illustrated in Figures 1-3, at the first end 14, the body 12 may be enlarged compared to other parts to provide a portion which is easy for a user to hold when assembling the holder 10 with others. Enlarged portions may be provided at one or both ends of the holder 10.

In this example, the main part of the body 12 between the first and second ends is formed with a slightly reduced diameter and this portion incorporates various medical instrument holding structures 26. These structures 26 comprise at least one aperture 28 formed in the body 12 into which part of a medical instrument can be inserted, and at least one projection 30 extending from the body 12 which can support part of a medical instrument.

In one form, one instrument engaging structure 26 comprises a slot 32 formed in one side of the body 12. The slot 32 is generally cylindrical having a diameter and a longitudinal axis Y which is preferably substantially perpendicular to and spaced from the longitudinal axis X of the body 12. The slot 32 is open at each end and along one side so that, as best seen in Figure 3, in cross section the wall of the slot 32 is substantially C-shaped defining a narrow mouth 34. At at least one end of the slot 32, the diameter gradually increases to create a generally conical or cup shaped portion 36 to receive parts of a medical instrument of different sizes. A cylindrical or tubular part of a medical instrument, e.g. part of the insertion tube of an endoscope, can be inserted into the slot 32 by pushing through the narrow mouth 34. A larger part of the instrument, such as the control handle of an endoscope, may be received in the cup 36 at the top of the slot 32.

A second form of instrument engaging structure 26 comprises at least one arm 38 projecting from the body 12. In particular, a pair of arms 38 may project either side of the mouth 34 of the slot 32. Preferably, each arm 38 extends in a third direction Z (shown only for one arm 38 in Figure 1 for clarity) perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis X of the body 12 and the longitudinal axis Y of the slot 32. The arms 38 preferably have upturned hooked ends 40. Medical instruments with loops, handles or other flexible parts can be supported over one or both arms 38. Alternatively, the pair of arms 38 when positioned either side of the slot 32 may act as additional support to help retain a cylindrical instrument received in the slot 32.

A third form of an instrument engaging structure 26 comprises at least one narrow slit 42 formed in the body 12. As best seen in Figures 2 and 3, this is preferably arcuate and tapering, curving and becoming narrower in a direction into the body 12. One or more protrusions 44 may be formed on a wall of the slit 42. A slender item such as a wire or cable can be pushed into the slit 42 past the protrusion 44. The curved, tapering shape, and the protrusion 44, preferably in conjunction with the resilience of the body material, will retain the wire or cable within the slit 42.

In use, the holder 10 is typically used in conjunction with a support structure 46, such as a trolley or workstation, and optionally with additional holders. A first holder 10 is connected to a part of the support structure 46, such as an upright pole or the like which itself is formed with a connector configured to mate with the connector at one end of the holder 10.

For example, the support structure 46 (shown schematically in Figure 5) may include a base and an upright pole which carries a hook of the same form as the hook 21 at the second end 16 of the holder 10. The hook on the support structure can be inserted into the socket 19 at the first end 14 of a first holder 10.

If more capacity is required to accommodate a larger number of instruments, the hook 21 at the second end of the holder 10 can then be inserted into the socket 19 at the first end 14 of a second holder 10 and so on. Depending upon the medical procedure being carried out and the equipment required, a suitable number of holders 10 can be connected together in series to form an instrument holder assembly 48. This takes the form of an elongate support or rail for holding numerous medical instruments side by side. The assembly 48 is modular in that the number of holders 10 and the total length of the assembly 48 can be chosen to suit the application.

When using the preferred form-locking configuration of the connectors 18, 20, the holders 10 can only be connected in one orientation, making the assembly 48 easier to put together and ensuring that all the instrument holding structures 26 face the same way. This makes the set-up process and use of the assembly 48 more efficient. The assembly 48 is strong and stable. It is self-supporting so that it does not need to be fitted over an existing elongate support rail. A holder cannot rotate relative to the others under the weight of a medical instrument placed on or in it.

After use, all the holders 10 can be cleaned and re-used, or, more preferably, disposed of to avoid the need for cleaning and decontamination. By using a biodegradable material to form the holders 10, this disposal does not compromise sustainability or have environmental concerns.

Claims (15)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A holder for medical instruments comprising a body with first and second ends spaced along a longitudinal axis, the body further comprising complementary connectors at the first and second ends configured to allow the holder to be connected to like holders, and a plurality of instrument holding structures configured for releasably holding medical instruments of different shapes and sizes..
2. A holder for medical instruments as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connectors are configured to allow the holder to be connected to like holders in a form-locking manner which prevents disconnection without breaking and which prevents relative movement of the connected holders.
3. A holder for medical instruments as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the connectors comprise at least one socket and at least one hook which are configured to allow insertion of a hook of a first holder into a respective socket of a second holder in a first direction and to prevent withdrawal of the hook from the socket in a second, opposite direction and to prevent rotation of the hook within the socket.
4. A holder for medical instruments as claims in any preceding claim, wherein the instrument holding structures comprise at least one aperture in the body and at least one projection extending from the body.
5. A holder for medical instruments as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one aperture comprises a slot formed in the body with an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body.
6. A holder for medical instruments as claimed in claim 5, wherein the slot is substantially cylindrical with a diameter, and is open at both ends and along one side between the ends, the opening being narrower than the diameter.
7. A holder for medical instruments as claimed in claim 6, wherein the diameter of the slot increases at at least one end of the slot. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
8. 8. A holder for medical instruments as claimed in any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the at least one projection comprises a pair of arms projecting from the body in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body.
9. 9. A holder for any medical instruments as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pair of arms is located either side of one of the apertures in the body.
10. 10. A holder for any medical instruments as claimed in of claims 4 to 9, wherein the at least one aperture comprises a tapered slit in the body.
11. 11. A holder for any medical instruments as claimed in claim 10, further comprising at least one protrusion on a wall of the slit.
12. 12. A holder for any medical instruments as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the slit is arcuate in a direction extending into the body.
13. 13. A holder for any medical instruments as claimed in any preceding claim formed of a resilient material.
14. 14. A holder for medical instruments as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the holder is formed from a biodegradable material.
15. 15. An instrument holder assembly for holding a plurality of medical instruments, comprising a plurality of holders as claimed in claims 1-14 connected to one another in series to create an elongate assembly.