Cautery tip cleaner

Claim 1

A surgical cautery tip cleaner for cleaning both surgical cautery needles and surgical cautery blades comprising: a hard base having a bottom surface and a top surface, said base being resistant to penetration by needles or other sharp objects; a cleaning pad mounted on the top surface of the hard base and having an upper fibrous abrasive portion and a lower compressible portion, said lower compressible portion being located between the upper abrasive portion and the hard base, said upper fibrous abrasive portion having a top surface and a bottom surface and containing one or more elongated cuts which penetrate the top surface of the upper fibrous abrasive portion, said elongated cuts having sufficient depth to clean the tips of cautery blades without penetrating the bottom surface of the upper fibrous abrasive portion; said base and said cleaning pad being constructed from materials suitable for sterilizing to permit the cautery tip cleaner to be used in surgery or for other medical procedures.

Claim 8

An apparatus for cleaning surgical cautery tips comprising: a substantially non-compressible base having a top surface and a bottom surface, said base being resistant to penetration by sharp surgical instruments; a pad mounted on the top surface of the base and having an upper fibrous abrasive portion and a lower compressible portion, said lower compressible portion being located between the upper abrasive portion and the top surface of the base, said upper fibrous abrasive portion containing one or more elongated slits which penetrate the surface of the upper fibrous abrasive portion and which have a first end, a second end, opposing abrasive walls and an abrasive floor for cleaning a cautery blade having two sides and an edge by pressing the edge of the blade down between any two opposing abrasive walls at the first end deforming the floor and compressing the lower compressible portion to bring the opposing abrasive walls together against the sides of the cautery blade and then drawing the blade through the slit towards the second end to clean the cautery blade; said base and said pad being constructed from materials suitable for sterilizing to permit the cautery tip cleaner to be used in surgery or for other medical procedures.

Claim 9

An apparatus for cleaning surgical cautery tips comprising: a substantially non-compressible base having a top surface and a bottom surface, said base being resistant to penetration by sharp surgical instruments; a pad mounted on the top surface of the base and having an upper fibrous abrasive portion and a lower compressible portion, said lower compressible portion being located between the upper abrasive portion and the top surface of the base, said upper fibrous abrasive portion containing one or more elongated slits which penetrate the surface of the upper fibrous abrasive portion and which have a first end, a second end, opposing abrasive walls and an abrasive floor for cleaning a cautery blade having two sides and an edge by pressing the edge of the blade down between any two opposing abrasive walls at the first end deforming the floor and compressing the lower compressible portion to bring the opposing abrasive walls together against the sides of the cautery blade and then drawing the blade through the slit towards the second end to clean the cautery blade; said base and said pad being constructed from materials suitable for sterilizing to permit the cautery tip cleaner to be used in surgery or for other medical procedures.

Claim 16

A method for cleaning cautery blades using only one hand in which a cautery blade having an edge and two sides is cleaned using a cautery tip cleaner comprising a compressible pad mounted on a substantially non-compressible base having a means for attaching the cautery tip cleaner to a surface within easy reach of a user, said compressible pad including an upper fibrous abrasive portion and a lower compressible portion located between the base and the upper abrasive portion, the upper abrasive portion including one or more elongated slits which penetrate the surface of the upper fibrous abrasive portion, each elongated slit having a first end, a second end, opposing abrasive walls and an abrasive floor, said method comprising: attaching the cautery tip cleaner to a surface within easy reach of the user; pressing the edge of the blade down between two opposing abrasive walls at the first end of an elongated slit, deforming the floor of the slit and compressing the lower compressible portion to bring the opposing abrasive walls together against the sides of the cautery blade; drawing the blade through the slit towards the second end to clean the sides and the edge of the tip of the cautery blade.

Claim 17

A method for cleaning cautery blades using only one hand in which a cautery blade having an edge and two sides is cleaned using a cautery tip cleaner comprising a compressible pad mounted on a substantially non-compressible base having a means for attaching the cautery tip cleaner to a surface within easy reach of a user, said compressible pad including an upper fibrous abrasive portion and a lower compressible portion located between the base and the upper abrasive portion, the upper abrasive portion including one or more elongated slits which penetrate the surface of the upper fibrous abrasive portion, each elongated slit having a first end, a second end, opposing abrasive walls and an abrasive floor, said method comprising: attaching the cautery tip cleaner to a surface within easy reach of the user; pressing the edge of the blade down between two opposing abrasive walls at the first end of an elongated slit, deforming the floor of the slit and compressing the lower compressible portion to bring the opposing abrasive walls together against the sides of the cautery blade; drawing the blade through the slit towards the second end to clean the sides and the edge of the tip of the cautery blade.