Surgical clamp assembly and method

Claim 1

A surgical clamp assembly comprising: a first clamp having a pair of opposed arms with laterally elongated segments at one end facing each other, each of said segments having an exposed laterally elongated end edge, said end edges of the arms being aligned with each other, and means for selectivley adjusting said arms of the first clamp toward each other to clamp between said laterally elongated segments a fold of skin that is to be surgically removed along a cut line located substantially along said end edges of said arms; and a pair of additional clamp elements for clamping engagement respectively with proximate segments of the skin immediately adjoining said fold of skin in immediate proximity to said end edges of said laterally elongated segments of said arms, each of said clamp elements having a narrow dimension lengthwise of the corresponding arm and being elongated laterally of the corresponding arm, each of said clamp elements having an end edge which mates with said end edge of said laterally elongated segment on the corresponding arm, at least one of said clamp elements having projections facing the other clamp element.

Claim 14

A method of surgically removing skin comprising the steps of: clamping a fold of skin that is to be surgically removed between opposed laterally elongated arms of a first clamp which have laterally elongated, exposed, end edges aligned with each other and substantially defining a line along which the skin is to be cut; positioning against proximate segments of the skin which are joined respectively to said fold of skin a pair of additional clamp elements in immediate proximity to said end edges of the first clamp, each of said additional clamp elements having an exposed laterally elongated edge which substantially mates with the adjacent end edge of said first clamp; clamping said additional clamp elements against said proximate segments of the skin; removing said first clamp from said fold of skin, leaving said fold of skin exposed beyond said end edges of said additional clamp elements; and, while said additional clamp elements remain clamped against said proximate segments of the skin, cutting the skin along said line in close proximity to said end edges of said additional clamp elements to sever said fold of skin from said proximate segments of the skin.

Claim 15

A method of surgically removing skin comprising the steps of: clamping a fold of skin that is to be surgically removed between opposed laterally elongated arms of a first clamp which have laterally elongated, exposed, end edges aligned with each other and substantially defining a line along which the skin is to be cut; positioning against proximate segments of the skin which are joined respectively to said fold of skin a pair of additional clamp elements in immediate proximity to said end edges of the first clamp, each of said additional clamp elements having an exposed laterally elongated edge which substantially mates with the adjacent end edge of said first clamp; clamping said additional clamp elements against said proximate segments of the skin; removing said first clamp from said fold of skin, leaving said fold of skin exposed beyond said end edges of said additional clamp elements; and, while said additional clamp elements remain clamped against said proximate segments of the skin, cutting the skin along said line in close proximity to said end edges of said additional clamp elements to sever said fold of skin from said proximate segments of the skin.