Surgical scalpel assembly

A surgical scalpel assembly includes a handle having at least one attachment element and at least one guide element. The assembly also has a guard including at least one guide member configured to engage the at least one guide element of the handle such that the guard is movably connectable with the handle. The guard includes a first biased arm having a first boss and a second cantilevered arm having a second boss. The assembly also includes a blade having an attachment groove configured to engage the attachment element of the handle. The blade includes a first hole configured to receive the first boss when the blade is connected to the guard and a second hole configured to receive the second boss when the blade is connected to the guard.

Surgical scalpel with protective sheath

A protective sheath for a disposable surgical scalpel includes at least three modes of operation, (i) a protective mode, (ii) an open mode, and (iii) a permanently locked mode. In the open mode, a locking strip of the scalpel handle resides in one opening of the sheath to keep the sheath substantially immobile during use of the scalpel blade. In the protective mode, the locking strip resides in a second opening of the sheath to keep the sheath substantially immobile when the scalpel blade is not in use. In the permanently locked mode, a button connected to the sheath is depressed into the second opening and engages the locking strip, thereby preventing the blade from being used and allowing the scalpel to be safely disposed.