US2692594A - Surgical splint - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 26, 1954 v. KELLY SURGICAL SPLINT s Sheets-Sheet i Filed Aug. 7, 1951 Victor L. Kelly INVENTOR.

BY -Mzq,

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Oct. 26, 1954 v. L. KELLY 2,692,594

SURGICAL SPLINT Filed Aug. 7, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3

Vicfor L. Kelly INVENTOR.

arc W 8m Oct. 26, 1954 v. L. KELLY SURGICAL SPLINT s Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 7, 1951 Fig.8

66 64 Fig. 9

Victor L. Kelly INVENTOR.

BY glam Patented Oct. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates .to new and useful improvements in surgical splints and more particularly to a splint having novel and improved features over that disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 793,223, filed December ,22, 1947, now U. S. Patent No. 2,573,715.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a surgical splint composed of quickly and readily adjustable parts, whereby the splint may be employed on various parts of the human body in a convenient manner.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a surgical splint including an open cage like member that will enclose a part of a users body and which member is so constructed as to permit its length and circumference to be reduced or increased in a minimum time to fit anatomies of varying proportions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a surgical splint including a U-shaped base member whose web portion is composed of two slidably and adjustably connected legs removably secured to the leg portions of the member, together with a plurality of guard members and cradle members that include slidably connected sections mounted on the leg portions of the base member.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a surgical splint that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, small and compact in structure, efficient and durable in operation, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a side View of the invention in use;

Figure 2 is a view showing the invention placed upon the arm of a person whose hand is amputated;

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of Figure 1 but showing the web portion of the U-shaped base member disposed coplanar with the leg portions of the base member;

Figure 4 is a side view of Figure 3 and with dotted lines showing the web portion of the base member disposed perpendicular to the leg portions of the base member;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a group perspective view of one of the guard members used in the invention, the fasteners not being shown;

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 1-7 of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is an enlarged view of Figure 2 but showing a U-shaped longitudinal guard member incorporated in the device;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side view of the U-shaped longitudinal guard member used in Figure 8; and,

Figure 10 is an end view of Figure 8.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral 10 represents a flexible and resilient U--shaped base member of suitable material that includes a pair of elongated leg portions 12 and I4 having longitudinally spaced transverse weakened areas i5, and a web portion [6.

The web portion i6 is composed of two arcuate sections l8 and 20 that are slidably and adjustably connected in a manner now to be described. A channel 22 is formed at the inner end of the section 18 and slidably receives the inner end of the section 20. Section 20 is provided with spaced parallel, transverse rows of weakened areas 24 and section 20 is also provided with an aperture 26 between each pair of adjacent areas 24. Channel 22 is formed with a pair of apertures 28 that will oppose a pair of the apertures 26 and fasteners 30 are extended through registering apertures 26 and 28 to join the sections l8 and '20.

The outer ends of the sections i8 and 20 are each formed with two apertures that receive fasteners 32 and 34. The fasteners 32 constitute pivots and extend through accommodating apertures in plates 36 at the forward ends of the leg portions l2 and i4, whereas the fasteners 34 selectively extend through apertures 38 in the plates 36 to permit the web portion It to be retained coplanar with or at right angles to the leg portions [2 and [4, depending whether or not the base member is applied as shown in Figure 2 to a stump or to a complete arm as shown in Figure 1.

Guard members 40 and cradle members 62 constitute a means connecting the leg portions I2 and M. Each of the guard members and cradle members is composed of two arcuate sections 42 and 44 whose outer ends are bent outwardly upon themselves to form loops or guide sleeves 46 and 3 48 that slidably but non-rotatably receive the leg portions 12 and I4.

A guide channel 50 is formed at the inner end of each section 42 and slidably receives the inner end of a companion section 44. Sections 44 are also provided with spaced parallel rows of transverse perforations or weakened areas 52 and openings 54 are provided in the sections ,44 between adjacent rows of perforations 52. The channels 50 each includes a pair of apertures 56 that will oppose selected openings 54 and fasteners 58 extend through the apertures 56 and the openings 54 in registry therewith to permit adjustment of the guard members and the cradle members.

The cradle members 62 are wider than the guard members 40 and their arch is slightly less than that of the guard members since they are to rest about and against protective arch pads of resilient material 60. These pad engaging cradle members support the devic e upon the anatomy and are designated by the numeral 62 but are constructed identical to the guard members 40.

It will thus be seen that the present splint is composed of readily adjustable parts whose individual lengths may be reduced by breaking along their weakened areas. Also, the length of the splint may be conveniently reduced for a particular use and the distance between the leg portions 12 and I4 varied for a particular purpose.

In order to further increase the efiectiveness of the present surgical splint, there is provided a U- shaped, flexible, longitudinal guard member 64, attachable to or detachable from the device, illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 10.

U-shaped, flexible, longitudinal guard member 64 is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the U-shaped base member ID. The central portion of the web portion of member 64 is formed with an aperture that receives one of the fasteners 30. The leg portions of member 64 extend across the guard members 40. The leg portions of member 54 are provided with longitudinally spaced apertures 66 that will accommodate one of the fasteners 58 of each guard member 40 to secure the member 64 to each guard member 40. The leg portions of the member 64 are also provided with longitudinally spaced transverse weakened areas 58 to permit a reduction in the length of the member 64 in accordance with a particular requirement.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A surgical splint comprising a sectional U- shaped base member adapted to embrace a part of the human body, said base member including a pair of leg portions and a web portion joining said leg portions, said leg portions having a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse weakened areas whereby the length of the leg portions may be reduced, a plurality of guard members and cradle members slidably adjustably mounted on said leg portions and joining the latter, and

means removably fastening said web portion to said leg portions and selectively retaining the web portion in a plane common with the leg portions or a plane perpendicular to said leg portions.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said guard members, said web portion and cradle members each includes a pair of arcuate sections adjustably connected together, whereby said leg portions may be moved selectively toward and away from each other.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said guard members and cradle members each includes a pair of arcuate sections having inner and outer ends, the inner ends of each pair of sections overlapping each other, means adjustably connecting the inner ends of each pair of sections together.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of said guard members and cradle members includes a pair of arcuate sections having inner and outer end portions, said outer end portions terminating in loops slidably receiving said leg portions, a channel at the inner end portion of one section of each guard member and cradle member slidably receiving the inner end portion of the other section of each guard member and cradle member, and fasteners joining the inner end portions of each guard member and cradle member.

5. A surgical splint comprising a pair of parallel members having outer ends formed with flat extensions, a U-shaped web portion having its ends pivoted to said extensions for swinging movement of the web portion relative to said parallel members, each end of said web portion having an aperture therein, said extensions each having a pair of apertures for selectively registering with the apertures in said Web portion, one of said pair of apertures in each extension being in registry with the apertures in said web portion when the latter is disposed perpendicular to the pair of members, the other of said pair of apertures in said extensions being in registry with the apertures in said web portion when the latter is disposed in the plane of the parallel members, and fasteners extending through the apertures in the web portion and through one aperture in each extension to retain the web portion perpendicular to or in the plane of the parallel members.

6. The combination of claim 5 and an elongated U-shaped guard member disposed in a plane perpendicular to the plane of said parallel members, a plurality of cradle members having ends engaged with said parallel members, and means removably securing said U-shaped guard member to each of said cradle members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,479,535 Ferragamo Jan. 1, 1924 1,663,921 Pierce Mar. 27, 1928 2,261,058 Forbis Oct. 28, 1941 2,511,659 Wilson June 13, 1950 2,573,715 Kelly Nov. 6, 1951

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