TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to an inexpensive and portable Veterinary Ultrasonic Blade that can be used in trimming the horns of animals, in operations in cattle such as rumenotomy, caesarean section and displaced abomasum surgery requiring the incision of cattle skin, in breaking down animal carcasses and breaking bones, in autopsies of animals in veterinary hospitals, in treatment of foot diseases and in foot care.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Developments in the livestock industry have led to the increase in the number of enterprises with a large number of cattle. The widespread use of cattle breeding enterprises and the prolonged immobility of animals in these enterprises prevent the natural abrasion on the hooves of animals. As a result, it has become mandatory to care for the hooves of animals at certain intervals. Lack of care for the hooves in these animals leads to foot diseases that result in lameness and, thus, productivity losses. It is estimated that the incidence of hoof deformities and related diseases in cattle varies between 25-30%. Hoof disorders in these animals lead to a reduction in gain from feeding and, thus, yield of milk and meat. Also, in animals with hoof problems, fertility decreases due to the problem of determining the timing of rut. Therefore, it is recommended that the foot care of these animals be done at least every 6 months.

It is obvious that there is a need for new techniques and technologies that can be used in this field due to the difficulty of using current methods for hoof trimming and care in cattle and the damages they may cause to the animal and the physician. Current techniques used for hoof care involve various attachments such as large hoof trimmer, hoof pincer, right or left-handed blade, chisel, wooden mallet and wooden wedge on which the hoof will be placed, right or left-handed cutter for finer cutting and trimming work and to scrape off slits and cracks, rasp and angle grinder. The purchase, transport, cleaning, hygiene, maintenance and repair of such numerous equipment imposes a heavy burden on veterinarians. The most important problem at that point is the sterilization and hygiene of the instruments used. However, disinfectants and sterilizers used for that purpose also shorten the useful life of these instruments. The routine disposal of these instruments due to frequent use and sterilization leads to the continuous purchase of new instruments. In this regard, the Veterinary Ultrasonic Blade, which is currently being developed, is intended to be purchased for one time, preventing repeated repurchase of equipment. Since the device operates through sound, there is no problem of sterilization. Hence, a lower-cost and healthier technique is introduced for animal hoof care.

It is impossible to directly utilize the ultrasonic blades used in humans for horn and hoof trimming or skin incision in cows. Although the technical characteristics are similar, serious modifications should be made especially in the probes used.

Based on a survey in the market conducted among veterinarians concerning the use of an instrument/application similar to the device within the scope of the present invention, it was determined that the veterinarians do not use any similar device, and they try to solve the problems related to horn and hoof trimming or skin incision in cattle by conventional methods on hand. It is not possible both technologically and in terms of price to use the current Ultrasonic Blades used in humans without any modification for that purpose.

The necessity of introducing an effective method for horn and hoof trimming or skin incision in cattle that prevents recurrence, is inexpensive, portable, and does not require much expertise and operating room environment is frequently emphasized, and the search has been going on for the development of techniques and technologies that will provide an alternative to the currently available methods. Apart from these, the disposal, especially after use, of metal scalpels currently used in operations that require cattle skin incision such as rumenotomy, cesarean section, displaced abomasum surgery, is detrimental in terms of both human health and environmental health. Besides, since these metal scalpels are single-use, making it necessary to use a new scalpel for each operation, and since their sterility cannot be maintained during the operation, a new incision technique must be developed in the veterinary field.

List of Figures

Figure 1. Veterinary Ultrasonic Blade Figure 2. Ultrasonic Generator

Numbers in the Figures and Corresponding Parts

1 . Voltage Indicator 2. Current Indicator

3. Frequency Indicator

4. Error Indicator

5. Power Switch

6. Ultrasonic Operation Switch

7. Transmission Cable

8. Piezoelectric Transducer

9. Cutting Implement BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The purchase, transport, cleaning, hygiene, maintenance and repair of such numerous equipment imposes a heavy burden on veterinarians. The most important problem at that point is the sterilization and hygiene of the instruments used. However, disinfectants and sterilizers used for that purpose also shorten the useful life of these instruments. The routine disposal of these instruments due to frequent use and sterilization leads to the continuous purchase of new instruments. In this regard, the Veterinary Ultrasonic Blade, which is currently being developed, is intended to be purchased for one time, preventing repeated repurchase of equipment. Since the device operates through sound, there is no problem of sterilization. Hence, a lower- cost and healthier technique is introduced for animal hoof care.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Recently, there has been an intensive effort for the adaptation of some treatment techniques and devices used in human medicine to the veterinary field. However, some issues arise in the direct transfer of the successful techniques from human to veterinary medicine.

The main issue in livestock farming is economy. It is not right to spend money more for the diseases of the animal than the expected profit from the animal. For this reason, being economical is a necessity for the devices to be developed for use in the field of animal health.

Another issue that should not be neglected in animal health is the fact that unlike human medicine, the physician visits the patient in livestock farming. This requires the use of portable and mobile instruments or techniques. In the light of these, once the expected results are attained through the present invention, a new, inexpensive and portable technique will be available for both the treatment of foot diseases and foot care, which are important issues in cattle breeding. In addition, this technique can also be used in animal horn trimming, in operations in cattle such as rumenotomy, cesarean section and displaced abomasum surgery requiring the incision of cattle skin, and in animal autopsies. This technique has the potential to be used in slaughterhouses in the future for breaking down animal carcasses and breaking bones.

Ultrasonic cutting technique is used today in many areas such as healthcare, dentistry, food, metallurgy, marble processing and textile. This technique is used in all cases where fast, clean and smooth cutting is desired. Although ultrasonic cutting systems vary according to purpose of use, they can operate at sound frequencies between 20 kHz and 40 kHz, which are inaudible to the human ear, and the amplitude can also be adjusted. By applying electricity to the piezoelectric crystals contained in ultrasonic devices, sound waves are produced that are inaudible to the human ear. These ultrasonic waves create thermoplastic erosion with the cavitation effect on the surfaces they come into contact with, creating molecular ruptures in the application site. Since this phenomenon occurs at the micronic level, very clean and smooth cuts can be achieved. Different results can be obtained with various devices by changing the physical properties of ultrasonic waves such as shape, spectrum and amplitude. Ultrasonic cutting technique is generally used in materials with high rigidity and endurance. However, there are devices with similar technology known as "ultrasonic blades" which are also used in humans in cutting sensitive organs such as veins and tendons. Ultrasonic devices used for cautery in medicine create a 55.5 kHz vibration at the tip of the cautery to create coagulation and perform cutting. It is known that ultrasonic cautery leads to less tissue damage and better postoperative results.

The Veterinary Ultrasonic Blade, which is the subject of the present invention, consists of an ultrasonic generator, transmission cable (7), piezoelectric transducer (8), cutting implement (9) and foot pedal.

The ultrasonic generator is a power source that receives 220 V, 50-60 Hz, 8 A electrical input, and through the amplifier circuit inside, generates automatically adjusted electrical output in the range of 250-350 V, 15000-100000 Hz, and 2-4 A according to the strength of the material. On the ultrasonic generator, there is voltage indicator (1 ), current indicator (2), frequency indicator (3), error indicator (4), power switch (5) and ultrasonic operating switch (6).

Transmission cable (7) is an intermediate element used to transmit the electrical output generated by the ultrasonic generator to the piezoelectric transducer (8). The ultrasonic conduit consists of two positive and negative pins, and the transmission cable (7) transmits the electrical output received from the ultrasonic generator to the piezoelectric transducer (8) with a two-pin socket.

Piezoelectric transducer (8) is made up of inorganic quartz material consisting of lead, zirconate and titanate components. It has crystal structure and when an electric current is applied on it, it expands and contracts, thus creating mechanical movement. The mechanical waves that occur in the environment during these movements create sound waves. When the frequency of these sound waves exceeds 20 kHz, ultrasonic sound waves occur.

The cutting implement (9) has a body made of steel material that magnifies and focuses the intensity of sound waves (sound transmission 6000m/s), and a tip made of light, hard, highly impact-resistant and corrosion-resistant titanium material. There are at least 4 piezoelectric transducers (8) within the blade body with a diameter of 50 mm each in order to provide the necessary mechanical vibration. The mechanical waves created by the piezoelectric transducer (8) are transmitted onto the amplifier body and accelerated, and the pressure is increased. The waves passing from there to the titanium tip with pressure create micron-sized pressure movements on the sharp surface. Micron-sized deformations occurring on the material allow it to be cut rapidly.

The foot pedal includes a foot-operated pedal switch and a 4-pin socket connection to control the ultrasonic output, allowing the operator who uses both hands during the operation to command the device. Two of the pins serve as ultrasonic output switches and the other two as cooling fan connections.

After the device which is the subject of the present invention is connected to the grid voltage, the foot pedal socket and the transmission cable (7) are connected to the specified places on the ultrasonic generator. The other end of the transmission cable (7) is connected to the socket inlet on the cutting implement (9). The power switch (5) of the ultrasonic generator is turned to "on" position. The ultrasonic blade is activated as soon as the foot pedal is pressed. As long as the foot pedal is pressed, the ultrasonic effect is transmitted to the blade. The ultrasonic effect stops as soon as the pedal is released.