Description:
Technology: Surgeons and researchers at MUSC have created a new design for a skin hook that enables a gripping orientation more clinician-friendly from the traditional pencil-grip style. The design terminates in a loop that may fit around a finger. This loop design may reduce fatigue and permit a single hand to hold more than one skin hook. While introducing this new gripping method, the design also allows a traditional pencil-grip holding technique if desired.
Overview: This design would be useful in any procedure where skin hooks are necessary, particularly procedures that are long or require multiple points of contact to keep skin out of the operating window. This design may reduce fatigue which means a more consistent operating window for longer. This design also enables one person to hold more skin hooks from a wider variety of angles by enabling more than one skin hook to be manipulated by a single hand.
Applications: any type of invasive surgeries
Advantages:
Comfort: User may experience less fatigue than they would using traditional skin hooks.
Adaptable: A single user can adapt to more operating window shapes.
Key Words: skin hook, surgical instrument, retractor
Inventors: Andrea Abbott, Matthew Roberts
Patent Status: Design Patent Application # 29688723 filed April 24, 2019
MUSC-FRD Technology ID: P1951
Licensing Status: Currently available for licensing