Intubating forceps and associated method

摘要

Forceps having arms pivotally connected for relative movement between an opened position and a closed position include a tube guide formed by arcuate guide portions on each arm. The tube guide includes an inwardly facing arcuate inside wall surface sized for slidable engagement with a tube. The tube guide is fixed at a right angle to the arms and includes a gap formed between tip ends of each of the arcuate guide portions when the arms are in the closed position. Each arm includes a bend fixed at distal ends, wherein the bend is positioned at a distance from the tube guide to form a distal arm portion for each arm permitting an improved view during use of the forceps.

主权项

1. An intubating forceps comprising:
first and second arms pivotally connected by a pivot for relative movement between an opened position and a closed position, each arm having a distal end and a proximal end; a first arcuate guide portion at the distal end of the first arm; a second arcuate guide portion at the distal end of the second arm; a tube guide having an opening therethrough formed by the first and second arcuate guide portions in combination when the arms are in or proximate the closed position; the tube guide having an inwardly facing arcuate inside wall surface forming the opening, wherein the opening is sized for slidable engagement with a tube to permit free longitudinal movement therewith; wherein the first arcuate guide portion lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the first arm, and the second arcuate guide portion lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the second arm, the tube guide thus generally perpendicular to the arms when the arms are in the closed position; wherein the tube guide includes a gap formed between tip ends of each of the first and second arcuate guide portions when the arms are in the closed position, the gap dimensioned to be within a range of 12% to 16% of a perimeter measure of the opening formed by the inside wall surface of the guide; and wherein each arm comprises a bend fixed at distal ends thereof, the bend fixed at an angle between ten and twelve degrees offset from a longitudinal axis of each arm, wherein the bend is positioned at a distance from the guide that is at least three times a length dimension of a diameter of the opening.