Electrosurgical instrument and jaw part therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10092350-B2
Application number	US-201214370553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2012
Priority date	Jan 4, 2012
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

An electrosurgical instrument including a jaw part made up of mutually movable instrument legs which have facing sides on which one or more electrode areas are arranged/formed in each case, the movement of the instrument legs relative to each other being able to be limited by at least one first spacer acting on proximal end portions of the instrument legs and at least one second spacer acting on distal end portions of the instrument legs. At least one of the spacers on at least one electrode is manufactured from an electrically conductive material and is connected to the electrode in electroconductive fashion. Furthermore, the spacer cooperates with a local spacer abutment surface which is made of a non-conductive material and arranged in electrically insulating manner on at least one opposing electrode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrosurgical instrument comprising a jaw part made up of mutually movable instrument legs or branches which have facing sides on which one or more electrode surfaces are either arranged or formed in each case, the movement of the instrument legs or branches relative to each other being limited by at least one first spacer acting on proximal end portions of the instrument legs or branches and at least one second spacer acting on distal end portions of the instrument legs or branches, wherein at least one of the spacers on at least one electrode comprises an electrically conductive material and is connected to the electrode in electroconductive fashion, and cooperates with a local spacer abutment surface which comprises a non-conductive material and is arranged in electrically insulating manner on at least one opposing electrode, wherein the spacer abutment surface comprises a concavity which points toward the spacer or is recessed with respect to the electrode area.

2. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the spacer abutment surface comprises a pad-shaped or pin-shaped component whose areal width on an electrode plane protrudes beyond the spacer on all sides, so that the spacer does not come into electrical contact with the electrode comprising the spacer abutment surface.

3. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 2 , wherein the electrode comprising the spacer abutment surface is formed to have at least one indentation on its surface, in which the spacer abutment surface in the form of a pad or pin is inserted, or which is cast with an electrically insulating material which forms the spacer abutment surface after solidification.

4. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 3 , wherein the indentation is mushroom-shaped or T-shaped as seen in longitudinal section.

5. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein at most one protrusion acting as an electrically conductive spacer is either provided or fixed on each of the electrode surfaces.

6. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein at least one spacer is a spacer module which is formed separate from the instrument legs or branches and comprises at least one electrically non-conductive material tongue which is clamped between the instrument legs or branches in a closed position, a height (H) of the material tongue corresponding to a predetermined minimum distance (S) between the instrument legs or branches in the closed position.

7. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 6 , wherein the spacer module is rotatably supported in a swivel joint of a first instrument leg or branch, which is pivotable, and is enclosed by flange-shaped joint portions of the pivotable instrument leg or branch, which define an accommodation cavity for the spacer module.

8. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein at most one protrusion acting as a spacer is either provided or fixed on each of the electrode areas, at least one spacer being a spacer module which is formed to be separate from the instrument legs or branches and comprises at least one electrically non-conductive material tongue which is clamped between the instrument legs or branches in a closed position, a height (H) of the material tongue corresponding to a predetermined minimum distance (S) between the instrument legs or branches in the closed position, and the spacer module being rotatably supported in a swivel joint of a first instrument leg or branch, which is pivotable, and being enclosed by flange-shaped joint portions of the pivotable first instrument leg or branch, which define an accommodation cavity for the spacer module.

9. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 8 , wherein the first instrument leg or branch is pivotally guided at its proximal end portion in a mounting opening of a second instrument leg or branch or a carrier part thereof, by said first instrument leg or branch having its proximal end portion enclosed by the second instrument leg or branch or the carrier part at diametric sides; and
the accommodation cavity of the spacer module being formed in the first instrument leg or branch, which is pivotally guided, in such a way that the flange-shaped joint portions of said pivotally guided first instrument leg or branch come to lie between the spacer module and the second instrument leg or branch.

10. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 8 , wherein a spacer is formed by a protrusion which is arranged on a distal end portion of a second instrument leg or branch between two electrode areas of said second instrument leg or branch and points toward the first instrument leg or branch, or a spacer that is formed by a protrusion provided on an electrode area or by several protrusions each provided on different electrode areas.

11. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 8 , wherein at least one third spacer which acts on middle portions of the instrument legs or branches, said third spacer being formed as a protrusion and being arranged such that the number of spacers which are either arranged or fixed on one electrode area does not exceed the value 1.

12. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 8 , wherein between the proximal end portion and the distal end portion of at least one instrument leg or branch, one or more ridges pointing toward the respective other instrument leg or branch are formed at regular intervals, said ridges having a height (H) which is less than the height (H) of the spacers and amounts to between 10% and 75% of the height (H) of the spacers, the protrusions and/or the ridges and/or at least the material tongue of the separate spacer module comprising an electrically non-conductive material.

13. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the spacers are arranged exclusively outside of a region provided for tissue treatment.

14. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the instrument legs or branches comprises a rotation limiter pin which is guided in a slot-type guide on the side of the respective other instrument leg or branch, the cooperation between the rotation limiter pin and the slot-type guide establishing or simulating a spacer, and the instrument legs or branches having a predetermined minimum distance (S) relative to each other if the rotation limiter pin reaches an end of the slot-type guide.

15. The electrosurgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein between the proximal end portion and the distal end portion of at least one instrument leg or branch, one or more ridges pointing toward the respective other instrument leg or branch are formed at regular intervals, said ridges having a height (h) which is less than a height (H) of the spacers and amounts to between 10% and 75% of the height (H) of the spacers.

Assignees

• Aesculap Ag

Inventors

• Rothweiler Christoph
• Herner Eugen
• Huber Christian

Classifications

• A61B2018/00494

  Stomach, intestines or bowel · CPC title

• A61B2018/0016

  Energy applicators arranged in a two- or three dimensional array · CPC title

• A61B2018/00083

  low, i.e. electrically insulating · CPC title

• A61B18/1442

  Probes having pivoting end effectors, e.g. forceps · CPC title

• A61B18/1445 Primary

  at the distal end of a shaft, e.g. forceps or scissors at the end of a rigid rod · CPC title