Scalpel blade holder

Abstract

In this invention, an improved scalpel blade holder for holding a conventional scalpel blade is disclosed. The conventional scalpel blade has two elongated holes that are coextensive with one another. Each of the holes has a length and a width with the holes being attached to one another in the length direction and the hole near the blade portion having a width smaller than the hole away from the blade portion. The blade holder has an elongated handle member having a distal end and a proximal end along the length. A support member is near the distal end. The support member has a groove along the periphery parallel to the length direction. The width of the support member between the groove is substantially equal to the width of the smaller hole of the blade. The length of the support member is less than the sum of the lengths of the two holes in the blade. A slidable member is also in the handle positioned spaced apart from the support member such that the distance from the proximal end of the slidable member to the groove at the distal end of the support member is substantially the same as the sum of the two lengths of the two holes in the blade. The slidable member is movable in the thickness direction and a means for locking the slidable member between the first position whereby the member is above the plane of the groove, and in a second position whereby the slidable member is just below the plane of the groove is also disclosed.