1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device and a method for hooking skin and holding it away from an incision, thus affording a surgeon greater access to the surgical area. More particularly, a forceps-type instrument is configured to hook into the skin on one side of an incision and hold the skin back against the hook.
2. Description of the Related Art
The invention relates to a device for hooking and, holding back the skin at an incision in the skin surface. An incision tends to remain closed because of the resilience of the skin and underlying tissue. Skin hooks are used to counteract this tendency by hooking the skin for the purpose of pulling the skin back from the incision and for providing a surgeon with improved access and visibility.
Known devices of this type include straight-shaft skin hooks, which have a pencil-type shape, with single or multiple hooks, as described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,386 to Ashbell. Skin hooks of this design suffer from several disadvantages including the fact that they tend to slip to an extent that the hook becomes dislodged and needs to be reinserted. These skin hooks may also cause trauma from slippage in that the skin may tear in the area where the hook has slipped. More importantly, since the hook is not covered or protected, the physician or attendant is at significant risk of being inadvertently punctured, particularly when the skin hook is passed from the attendant to the physician or vice versa. With the possibility that these medical professionals could become infected by viruses such as AIDS or hepatitis from such a puncture, this design has severe disadvantages. Hooks with this design are also subject to being bent out of shape because the tips are unprotected, requiring frequent replacement.
Adhesive retractors for retracting skin at the edges of an incision, such as described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,619 to Sharpe, have also been used to address the problem of slippage. An adhesive pad enables the retractor to remain in place. These products have drawbacks such as adhesives that do not stick all the time and the fact that they are not reusable which contributes to higher medical costs and waste that requires special handling. Further, since sterility is of utmost importance during an operation, the adhesive retractor is disadvantageous because it is difficult to sterilize since the adhesive pads are not autoclavable. Neither do adhesive retractors protect against accidental puncture by the retractor hooks.
Thus, there exists a need for a skin hook that will not slip, causes minimum trauma to the patient, will not bend when inadvertently bumped or dropped, and does not have unshielded sharp points or edges that could accidentally puncture physicians or attendants engaged in surgical procedures.