Surgical instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10130414-B2
Application number	US-201514749244-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2015
Priority date	Jun 25, 2014
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A sealing instrument ( 10 ) including two branches ( 15, 16 ) with sealing jaws ( 19, 20, 36, 37 ) acted on by a sealing voltage preferably between 80 and 120 volts. Tissue receptacles ( 53, 54 ) are separated from one another by a wall-like extension ( 24 ), which at its lower edge carries a cutting electrode ( 31 ), are defined between the branches ( 15, 16 ). A cutting voltage from 300 to 500 volts is applied between a branch ( 16 ) and the cutting electrode. When the branches are closed the grasped tissue is sealed simultaneously between the sealing jaws ( 19, 36 and 20, 37 ) and is severed by the cutting electrode ( 31 ). Even though the tissue is severed completely; for example after 0.3 to 0.5 seconds and the sealing requires more time, the rolls of tissue grasped in the tissue receptacles ( 53, 54 ) act as form-fitting protection of the vessel edges in the tool ( 12 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical instrument ( 10 ), comprising:
a first branch ( 15 ), which has two first sealing jaws ( 19 , 20 ) arranged at a distance from one another, which delimit a first groove ( 21 ) between one another,
an electrically insulating cutting electrode support ( 22 ), which has a base ( 23 ), which is arranged in the first groove ( 21 ) and which has a base face ( 23 a ), which is set back in a movement direction (B) of the first branch so as to be recessed from sealing electrodes ( 25 , 26 ) arranged on the first sealing jaws ( 19 , 20 ) and from which a wall-like extension ( 24 ) extends away at a distance from the first sealing jaws ( 19 , 20 ) of the first branch ( 15 ),
a cutting electrode ( 31 ), which is embedded in the cutting electrode support ( 22 ) with an end face ( 32 ) exposed,
a second branch ( 16 ), which has two second sealing jaws ( 36 , 37 ), which are arranged at a distance from one another and which delimit a second groove ( 38 ) between one another,
wherein the first and second branches ( 15 , 16 ) are movable towards one another and away from one another in the movement direction (B) to be closed and opened,
a counter bearing ( 42 ), arranged in the second groove ( 38 ), for the cutting electrode ( 31 ), wherein the counter bearing ( 42 ) has a tissue support face ( 44 ), which is set back with respect to sealing electrodes ( 39 , 40 ) of the second sealing jaws ( 36 , 37 ) when the branches ( 15 , 16 ) are closed,
wherein tissue receptacles ( 53 , 54 ) are formed in the movement direction (B) between the tissue support face ( 44 ) of the counter bearing ( 42 ) and the base face ( 23 a ) of the base ( 23 ) and transversely to the movement direction (B) between the extension ( 24 ) and each of an opposing pair of the first and second sealing jaws ( 19 , 36 ) and between the extension ( 24 ) and each of another opposing pair of the first and second sealing jaws ( 20 , 37 ) when the branches ( 15 , 16 ) are closed;
wherein each tissue receptacle has a width (H) measured transversely to the movement direction (B) between the extension ( 24 ) and the first and second sealing jaws ( 19 , 36 ; 20 , 37 ), and each of the first and second sealing jaws have a width between an inner tissue receptacle facing surface and an opposite outer facing surface thereof measured transversely to the movement direction (B) at tissue contacting surfaces of their respective sealing electrodes ( 25 , 26 , 39 , 40 ), wherein the width of each tissue receptacle is greater than said width of each of the first and second sealing jaws.

2. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the width (H) of the tissue receptacles ( 53 , 54 ) is smaller than a height measured in the movement direction (B) between the counter bearing ( 42 ) and the base ( 23 ).

3. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the width (H) of the tissue receptacles ( 53 , 54 ) is greater than a thickness of the extension ( 24 ) measured in the same direction ( 24 ) as the width.

4. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second sealing jaws ( 19 , 36 ; 20 , 37 ) terminate at the tissue contacting surfaces that each have a lateral cross-sectional contour with rounded transitions.

5. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the opposing pairs of the first and second sealing jaws ( 19 , 36 ; 20 , 37 ) each define a sealing gap ( 45 , 46 ) therebetween when the branches are closed without the presence of tissue between the opposing pairs of first and second sealing jaws.

6. The surgical instrument according to claim 5 , wherein both sealing gaps ( 45 , 46 ) define an obtuse angle (β) with respect to one another.

7. The surgical instrument according to claim 6 , wherein the obtuse angle (β) has a vertex (S) that points towards the cutting electrode.

8. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein each sealing jaw ( 19 , 36 ; 20 , 37 ) has at least one insulating region ( 27 , 28 , 61 , 62 ), which is located between the sealing electrodes ( 25 , 26 , 39 , 40 ) of each respective sealing jaw arranged in a row.

9. The surgical instrument according to claim 8 , wherein the sealing electrodes ( 25 , 26 ; 39 , 40 ) of each sealing jaw ( 19 , 20 ; 36 , 37 ) are electrically interconnected.

10. The surgical instrument according to claim 8 , wherein the sealing electrodes ( 25 , 26 ; 39 , 40 ) of the opposing pairs of the first and second sealing jaws ( 19 , 36 ; 20 , 37 ) are arranged in a manner not overlapping one another.

11. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the cutting electrode support ( 22 ) comprises ceramic or plastic.

12. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the cutting electrode ( 31 ) comprises a continuous strip supporting the exposed end face ( 32 ), and the strip is anchored in the electrode support ( 22 ) via a plurality of fastening extensions ( 56 , 57 ).

13. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the cutting electrode ( 31 ) comprises a continuous strip supporting the exposed end face ( 32 ), and the strip is anchored in the electrode support ( 22 ) via a plurality of resilient feet ( 59 ).

14. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the cutting electrode support ( 22 ) is rigidly disposed in the first groove ( 21 ) and the counter bearing ( 42 ) is movably disposed in the second groove ( 38 ), or wherein the cutting electrode support ( 22 ) is movably disposed in the first groove ( 21 ) and the counter bearing ( 42 ) is rigidly or movably disposed in the second groove ( 38 ).

15. A surgical instrument ( 10 ), comprising:
a first branch ( 15 ), which has two first sealing jaws ( 19 , 20 ) arranged at a distance from one another, which delimit a first groove ( 21 ) between one another,
an electrically insulating cutting electrode support ( 22 ), which has a base ( 23 ), which is arranged in the first groove ( 21 ) and which has a base face ( 23 a ), which is recessed from sealing electrodes ( 25 , 26 ) arranged on the first sealing jaws ( 19 , 20 ) and from which a wall-like extension ( 24 ) extends away at a distance from the first sealing jaws ( 19 , 20 ) of the first branch ( 15 ),
a cutting electrode ( 31 ), which is embedded in the cutting electrode support ( 22 ) with an end face ( 32 ) exposed,
a second branch ( 16 ), which has two second sealing jaws ( 36 , 37 ), which are arranged at a distance from one another and which delimit a second groove ( 38 ) between one another,
wherein the first and second branches ( 15 , 16 ) are movable towards one another and away from one another in a movement direction (B) to be closed and opened,
a counter bearing ( 42 ), arranged in the second groove ( 38 ), for the cutting electrode ( 31 ), wherein the counter bearing ( 42 ) has a tissue support face ( 44 ), which is set back with respect to sealing electrodes 39 , 40 of the second sealing jaws ( 36 , 37 ) when the branches ( 15 , 16 ) are closed,
wherein tissue receptacles ( 53 , 54 ) are formed in the movement direction (B) between the tissue support face ( 44 ) of the counter bearing ( 42 ) and the base face ( 23 a ) of the base ( 23 ) and transversely to the movement direction (B) between the extension ( 24 ) and each of an opposing pair of the first and second sealing jaws ( 19 , 36 ) and between the extension ( 24 ) and each of another opposing pair of the first and second sealing jaws ( 20 , 37 ) when the branches ( 15 , 16 ) are closed,
wherein each tissue receptacle has a width (H) measured transversely to th

Assignees

• Erbe Elektromedizin

Inventors

• Weiler Rolf
• Mayer Volker
• Schall Heiko
• Brodbeck Achim
• Amann Tobias

Classifications

• A61B2018/1455

  having a moving blade for cutting tissue grasped by the jaws · CPC title

• A61B2018/0063

  Sealing · CPC title

• A61B2018/00601

  Cutting · 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

• A61B2018/00196

  reciprocating lengthwise · CPC title