Importance

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Abstract

A surgical blade unit for receiving substantial cutting load and adapted for use with a selected shaft-form handle that has, at its distal end, an axially aligned blade-unit receiving opening. The blade-unit includes a metal blade defining a working edge and a load-transmitting, axially elongated metal support shank extending from the edge, and a intermediate load-transferring member of synthetic resin permanently molded about a proximal portion of the shank and defining an attachment fitting adapted to engage in load-transferring relationship with the handle. The proximal portion of the shank extends through the intermediate member in the attachment fitting region and is permanently embedded therein to define an elongated, load-transferring interface therewith. The intermediate member has substantial tensile and shear strength and is constructed and arranged to receive via the attachment fitting the surgeon's forces on the handle, and to receive via the substantial load-transferring interface, forces from the proximal end of the shank attributable to the resistance encountered by the metal blade, the substance of the intermediate member being adapted to transfer the surgeon's forces to overcome the resistance forces while maintaining the blade in fixed relationship to said handle. In preferred aspects of the invention, the attachment fitting comprises cooperatively acting threads on the handle and a proximal portion of the intermediate member, the blade unit is in the form of an arthroscopic retrograde blade, the unit being sized to lie within a surgical cannula and having a working edge disposed for reverse cutting.

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First Claim