US2254620A - Clip - Google Patents

Description

a. l. MILLER Sept. 2, 1941 CLIP Filed Nov. 14, 1939 INVENTOR. GEORGE I.MILLER 2% ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 2, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application November 14, 1939, Serial No. 304,340

1 Claim.

This invention refers to clips and relates more particularly to a wound clip for use in surgery and the like.

Wounds and tissues are .now sewn by special needles and threads, and the stitches are left in the tissues for a considerable period of time until the wounds have healed and the tissues have grown together. The stitches remaining in the tissues often cause capillary bleeding and so-called stitch abscesses.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the use of stitches in surgery and the like and to provide novel means for holding together tightly and firmly the torn or cut edges of skin and tissues until the wound is healed.

Another object is the provision of a wound clip which will not strangulate tissues, which may eliminate stitch abscesses, and by the use of which capillary bleeding may be avoided.

A further object is to eliminate the danger that a part of the stitches is left in the wound, thereby causing infection, to eliminate pain and mental anguish during the removal of the stitches, to facilitate a quick closing of the wound and to lessen the time period during which a patient is under anaesthesia.

Other objects of the present invention, will appear in the course of the following specification.

The objects of the present invention may be realized through the provision of a wound clip made of metal, plastic material or the like and consisting of one or several parts, each of which comprises bars interconnected by bendable webs and provided with spiculas. In operation, the bars are placed on both sides of the wound and are pressed toward each other, so that they hold tightly the edges of the wound due to the bending of the web and the action of the spiculas, which project into the upper layers of the skin or tissues.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing showing by way of example preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front view of a wound clip constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section along theline 22 if Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view illustrating the use of the clip; and

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are perspective views illustrating different forms of the clips.

The clip shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the drawing comprises twobars 8 and 9 and two webs l8 and II interconnecting these bars. The clip may be made of any suitable metal, such as gold, silver, nickel silver, steel, aluminum, tin, or any other sheet metal which should be sufficiently flexible to enable the surgeon to move thebars 8 and 9 toward each other and thereby bend the webs I0 and II by the fingers of one hand and without the use of an instrument or tool.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3 thebars 8 and 9 are preferably hollow and similar to each other in form. They consist of bent edges of sheet metal and comprise inclined side surfaces l2 and I3, projecting portions l4 and [5 which are U-shaped in cross section, and inwardlybent edges 16 and Il, respectively.

Thebars 8 and 9 are interconnected by thin and narrow strips or webs l0 and H, which extend at both sides of an opening l8 and, preferably, have the form of a fiat tray in cross section when the clip is not being used.

Thebars 8 and 9 are also provided with portions l9 and 20 which are U-shaped in cross section, which are situated close to the webs I8 and H and which carryspiculas 2| to 24. The spiculas are, preferably, punched out of the sheet metal of which the clip is made and are triangular in form. The ends of the spiculas are sharp, so that they can easily pierce the skin and tissues.

The use of the described clip is illustrated in Figure 4. The clip is placed over thewound 25 in such manner that thespiculas 2| to 24 extend downwardly and the'bars 8 and 9 are located on both sides of the wound and extend substantially parallel to the edges thereof. Then the surgeon presses with his fingers thebars 8 and 9 toward each other, causing thespiculas 2! to 24 to pierce the upper layers of the skin and tissues and bending the webs H1 and II until the clip acquires the form shown in Figure 4. The clip is left in this position holding tightly the edges of the skin and tissues until the wound is healed.

The clip shown in Figure 5 comprises bars 38 and 3] which are interconnected by fiveWebs 32 and which are provided withspiculas 33.

Figure 6 shows a clip having bars 4|] and M, the ends of which are closed by means offlaps 42. The bars 48 and 4| carryspiculas 43 and are interconnected bywebs 44.

The clip shown in Figure 7 comprises bars 59 and 5| having inwardly turnededges 52 and 53, respectively, which are bent once again to formtubular flanges 54 and 55 contacting the adjacent surfaces of theweb 56. The bars 50 and 5| carryspiculas 51.

It is apparent that the specific illustrations shown above have been given by way of illustrations and not by way of limitation, and that the structures above described are subject to wide variations and modifications without departing 10 from the scope of the invention. For instance, several of the illustrated clips may be placed one next to the other and held together by wires extending through their bars. All of such and other variations and modifications are to be in- 15 said hollow bars.

GEORGE I. MJILER.

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