Surgical apparatus comprising a nerve testing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10441344-B2
Application number	US-93694809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2009
Priority date	Apr 10, 2008
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A surgical apparatus for facilitating testing nerves during HF surgery. The surgical apparatus comprises a converter for converting a high-frequency treatment current into a nerve stimulating current. A controllable selector switch optionally feeds either the treatment current or the nerve stimulating current to the electrosurgical instrument.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A surgical apparatus for facilitating testing nerves during high-frequency surgery, comprising:
a high-frequency generator for generating a high-frequency treatment current,
a converter for converting the high-frequency treatment current into a nerve stimulating current;
connecting lines for feeding the high-frequency treatment current from the high-frequency generator to the converter; and
a controllable selector switch for selectively feeding one of the high-frequency treatment current and the nerve stimulating current to a high-frequency electrosurgical instrument,
wherein the converter comprises a rectifier circuit for generating a direct current as the nerve stimulating current.

2. The surgical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the converter comprises a pulse modulation unit for generating a temporally defined pulse or temporally defined pulse sequence of the nerve stimulating current.

3. The surgical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the converter comprises a constant current source for generating the nerve stimulating current, wherein the nerve stimulating current is constant.

4. The surgical apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the constant current source is adjustable to predetermined current strengths.

5. The surgical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the converter comprises at least one driver device adapted to control output current parameters and voltage parameters of the high-frequency treatment current.

6. The surgical apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the converter is arranged in a special housing or housing insert and configured such that said converter can be connected to the high-frequency electrosurgical instrument via a plug connection.

7. The surgical apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the driver device is capable of adjusting the output current parameters and the voltage parameters of the high-frequency treatment current to match defined nerve stimulating current parameters.

Assignees

• Notz Juergen
• Beller Juergen
• Erbe Elektromedizin

Inventors

• Notz Juergen
• Beller Juergen

Classifications

• A61B2018/00732

  Frequency · CPC title

• A61B5/4893

  Nerves · CPC title

• A61B18/1206 Primary

  Generators therefor · CPC title

• A61B2018/00916

  with means for switching or controlling the main function of the instrument or device · CPC title

• A61B2018/1266

  with DC current output · CPC title