Polyolefin sheath and silicone O-ring for medical instrument

Claim 1

In combination, an endoscope having forceps on the end thereof which includes a rigid housing having a forked end pivotally supporting a pair of jaws for use in taking tissue samples for analysis, said rigid housing including a cylindrical tubular passage, a push rod closely received in and slidably mounted in said passage, a pair of pivotal links connecting one end of the push rod to said jaws, an elongated actuating wire connected to the other end of said push rod, a flexible coiled wire housing enclosing the actuating wire for the jaws, said rigid housing including a cylindrical cavity extending from the end of the rigid housing inwardly toward the passage and telescopically receiving an end of the coiled wire housing, means connecting the end of the coiled wire housing to the cavity in said rigid housing, a flexible plastic sheath of polyolefin enclosing the coiled wire housing and telescoped over the exterior of the end of the housing having the cavity therein and being sealed to the exterior of the rigid housing and coiled wire housing by heat shrinking, an O-ring seal in said passage in the rigid housing adjacent the forked end in sliding sealed engagement with the periphery of the push rod, said passage including a peripheral groove receiving said O-ring seal, said O-ring seal engaging the exterior of the push rod along a peripheral contact line to prevent entry of contaminants into the space between the push rod and interior of the passage in the rigid housing without substantially increasing the force necessary to be exerted on the actuating wire to actuate the jaws and enabling the endoscope to be reused without cross-contamination of patients after autoclaving.