Buckingham Circumcision Clamp
UTC
Patented in 1951, this device is now of historical interest only. Like its predecessor the Ross Ring and its successor the Plastibell, the Buckingham Clamp was intended to be left in place for 24-60 hours to prevent post-surgical bleeding.
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A selection of the drawings to be found in the patent document. |
There is an outer ring with a groove on the inside surface and an inner ring made of springy wire, with a split in it so it can be compressed to a smaller diameter. Expanded, it fits into the groove in the outer ring. It is attached to the outer ring by a hinged pair of wires which also serve as a handle for compressing it.
To use it, the operator first made a conventional dorsal slit before sliding the outer ring over the prepuce to the desired position. Compression of the inner ring by squeezing the two hinged parts together allowed it to be slid into the inside of the prepuce, release of the pressure then allowing it to expand once inside the outer ring. After final adjustment the prepuce beyond the outer ring was severed in the conventional manner. Once healing was well advanced, the device was removed by squeezing the hinged parts together to compress the inner ring, the whole clamp was thereby released and could simply be pulled off.
The advantage claimed for this novel approach (clamping by expansion of the inner component) is that the partly healed prepuce is not stretched as the clamp is removed. According to the inventor this minimises pain at the removal stage of the procedure.
The device looks as if would be difficult to position correctly. One potential problem is the lack of any protection against accidental cutting into the glans as the prepuce is sliced off. Another potential problem is that the ring might slip behind the corona and cause strangulation.
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