Electrosurgical system with device specific operational parameters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10448992-B2
Application number	US-90993010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2010
Priority date	Oct 22, 2010
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

Electrosurgical systems and methods include a generator which is operable to connect to an electrosurgical device and to identify the electrosurgical device. The generator automatically determines at least one device specific operational parameter for carrying out the electrosurgical procedure. In an exemplary embodiment, a generator includes a fluid pump and the generator automatically determines a candidate flowrate at which to operate the pump based on the type of device. The device specific operational parameter may be selected or modified by the operator prior to commencing the procedure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrosurgical system for treating tissue at a target site during an open procedure comprising:
an electrosurgical device comprising a shaft having a distal end and an active electrode terminal disposed near the distal end, and a return electrode disposed on the device shaft at a location spaced proximally from the active electrode terminal;
a generator comprising:
a high frequency power supply configured to deliver high frequency energy to said active electrode terminal and said return electrode;
a pump configured to pump electrically conductive fluid to the target site and wherein the electrically conductive fluid provides a current path between the active electrode terminal and the return electrode; and

a controller configured to identify a device type of said electrosurgical device when said electrosurgical device is operationally connected to said generator and to automatically determine at least one operational parameter specific to said device type and a selected operating mode, and wherein said at least one operational parameter comprises an ablation candidate flowrate for delivering said electrically conductive fluid when the selected operating mode is an ablation mode, and a coagulation candidate flowrate that is non-zero and lower than the ablation candidate flowrate for delivering electrically conductive fluid when a coagulation operating mode is selected; wherein both candidate flowrates are configured to control the current path between the return electrode and active electrode terminal and thereby limit heating of the tissue; and
wherein the electrosurgical device and the generator are configured to volumetrically remove tissue in a non-thermal manner and thereby ablate the tissue when the ablation mode is selected, and wherein the electrosurgical device and the generator are configured to provide hemostasis to the tissue when coagulation mode is selected.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to determine at least 3 different candidate flowrates for delivering electrically conductive fluid to the target site based on the device type and selected operating mode.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said controller is configured to determine a minimum and maximum candidate flowrate for delivering electrically conductive fluid to the target site based on the device type and the operating mode.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said minimum candidate flowrate is 8 milliliters per minute, and said maximum candidate flowrate is 65 milliliters per minute.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a library of preselected candidate flowrates corresponding to a plurality of types of devices and operating modes.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said controller is configured to identify said device type based on an electrical resistance associated with the device when the device is connected to the generator.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one operational parameter further comprises one or more of the following: alarm condition, energy stop condition, count duration, and device activation duration.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said at least one operational parameter comprises the alarm condition and said controller is configured to produce an alarm signal when said alarm condition is met.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said at least one operational parameter comprises the energy stop condition and said stop condition includes at least one of the following: a) output current of the device, and b) total time that the device is connected to the generator.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said at least one operational parameter comprises a periodic count duration based on the device type and wherein the controller indicates the completion of the count duration.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the generator is configured to produce an audible tone.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein said at least one operational parameter comprises the device activation duration based on the device type and the controller is configured to stop delivery of high frequency energy to the device upon completion of the device activation duration.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said device activation duration is equal to or greater than 20 seconds and less than or equal to 40 seconds.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the pump is a peristaltic pump.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the electrosurgical device comprises an integrated fluid delivery channel.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising an electrically conductive fluid supply reservoir fluidly coupled to the integrated fluid delivery channel.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising a foot pedal coupled to the generator, and wherein the generator is configured to activate delivery of high frequency energy to the active electrode terminal responsive to activation of the foot pedal.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein both candidate flowrates are configured to flow over both the active and return electrodes followed by flowing away from the target site through an opening of the nose or mouth near the target tissue.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the generator is configured to produce high frequency energy sufficient to vaporize a portion of the electrically conductive fluid and form an ionized gas to ablate the tissue when the ablation mode is selected, and wherein the ablation candidate flow rate delivers the electrically conductive fluid at a rate that improves the efficiency of ionized gas formation and tissue ablation.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the ablation candidate flowrate is lower than the coagulation candidate flowrate.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to activate the pump based on the candidate flow rate and to adjust an operational flow rate of the conductive fluid based on both the device type and the selected operational mode.

22. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured so that the adjustment to the operational flow rate also based on voltage level selected within each operational mode, so that detection of a higher voltage level causes a selected change in operational flow rate in a first device type but not in a second device type.

23. An electrosurgical generator comprising:
a high frequency power supply configured to deliver high frequency energy to an active electrode terminal and a return electrode of an electrosurgical device, the high frequency energy sufficient to form an ionized gas adjacent the active electrode terminal;
a means for controlling delivery of electrically conductive fluid to a target site adjacent the active electrode terminal; and
a controller configured to identify a device type of said electrosurgical device when said electrosurgical device is operationally connected to said generator, and said controller configured to automatically determine at least one operational parameter specific to said device type and operating mode of the high frequency power supply, and wherein said at least one operational parameter comprises at least one candidate flowrate, comprising an ablation candidate flowrate for delivering said electrically conductive fluid at a rate that is configured to form an electrical path between the active electrode terminal and the return electrode, cover a portion of the active electrode terminal sufficient for electrically conductive fluid vaporization and limit heating of adjacen

Assignees

• Cadouri Hadar
• Woloszko Jean
• Tetzlaff Philip M
• Arthrocare Corp

Inventors

• Cadouri Hadar
• Woloszko Jean
• Tetzlaff Philip M

Classifications

• A61B18/16

  Indifferent or passive electrodes for grounding · CPC title

• A61B2218/002

  Irrigation · CPC title

• A61B2217/007

  with irrigation system · CPC title

• A61B18/148 Primary

  having a short, rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously, e.g. for neurosurgery or arthroscopy · CPC title

• A61B18/1206 Primary

  Generators therefor · CPC title