Surgical knife safety handle

Abstract

A surgical knife safety device having a handle, a blade connected to the handle, and a guard carried by the handle for sliding movement between a retracted position in which the blade is exposed for use, and an extended position for covering the sharp cutting edge of the blade. In the retracted position, an enlarged guard radius is provided at the distal end of the handle to allow improved handle control and blade orientation. The enlarged guard radius is positioned to allow the user to firmly grip a large distal handle portion which is preferably molded as a single piece with the blade holder, preventing unwanted blade or handle movement due to guard mechanism tolerances.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A surgical knife safety handle, comprising:
 a handle body having a longitudinal axis;   a knife holder affixed to said handle body for carrying a surgical knife blade at a distal end of said handle body;   a guard longitudinally movable with respect to said handle body between extended and retracted positions, said guard having a distal portion configured to at least partially cover a knife blade carried by said knife holder when said guard is in said extended position and to expose said knife blade for use when said guard is in said retracted position, said guard further having a proximal portion narrower in at least one transverse dimension than said distal portion of said guard, each of said distal and proximal portions of said guard being at least partially external to said handle body in both the extended and retracted positions of said guard; and   a protrusion carried by said proximal portion of said guard for allowing a user to longitudinally move said guard between said extended and retracted positions to selectively cover or expose said knife blade.   
     
     
         2 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said protrusion is rigidly affixed to said proximal portion of said guard. 
     
     
         3 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said distal portion of said guard is at least partially cylindrical. 
     
     
         4 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said distal portion of said guard is at least partially circular when viewed along said longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         5 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said distal portion of said guard is configured to adjoin said handle body in such a manner as to provide a substantially continuous outer surface with said handle body when said guard is in said retracted position. 
     
     
         6 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said handle body comprises at least one of a slot, groove, rail or plate to guide said longitudinal movement of said guard. 
     
     
         7 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said guard comprises at least one of a slot, groove, rail or plate to guide said longitudinal movement of said guard. 
     
     
         8 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said guard comprises a textured non-slip outer surface. 
     
     
         9 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a distal end of said handle body comprises a textured non-slip surface. 
     
     
         10 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said handle body has a longitudinal opening for movably receiving said proximal portion of said guard. 
     
     
         11 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said handle body has a distal portion narrower in at least one transverse dimension than a proximal portion of said handle body, said distal portion of said handle body being received by said distal portion of said guard when said guard is in said retracted position. 
     
     
         12 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein portions of said guard and said handle body engage to prevent twisting of the distal portion of said guard when said guard is in the extended position. 
     
     
         13 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said guard is releasably lockable in said extended and retracted positions, and wherein said protrusion is depressible to release the locking of said guard at said extended and retracted positions. 
     
     
         14 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein said guard carries a spring to assist in locking said guard at said extended and retracted positions. 
     
     
         15 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein said extended and retracted positions of said guard are defined by selectively engageable internal structures of said guard and said handle body. 
     
     
         16 . A surgical knife safety handle, comprising:
 a handle body having a longitudinal axis;   a knife holder affixed to said handle body for carrying a surgical knife blade at a distal end of said handle body; and   a guard longitudinally moveable with respect to said handle body between extended and retracted positions, said guard having a distal portion configured to at least partially cover a knife blade carried by said knife holder when said guard is in said extended position and to expose said knife blade for use when said guard is in said retracted position, said guard further having a proximal portion, each of said distal and proximal portions of said guard being at least partially external to said handle body in said extended and retracted positions of said guard;   wherein at least one of said distal and proximal portions of said guard is configured to adjoin said handle body in such a manner as to provide a substantially continuous outer surface with said handle body when said guard is in said retracted position.   
     
     
         17 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein said distal and proximal portions of said guard are both configured to adjoin said handle body to provide a substantially continuous outer surface with said handle body when said guard is in said retracted position. 
     
     
         18 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the proximal portion of said guard is narrower in at least one transverse dimension than said distal portion of said guard. 
     
     
         19 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 16 , and wherein said handle body has a longitudinal opening for movably receiving said proximal portion of said guard. 
     
     
         20 . A surgical knife safety handle as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein said handle body has a distal portion narrower in at least one transverse dimension than a proximal portion of said handle body, said distal portion of said handle body being received by said distal portion of said guard when said guard is in said retracted position.