Electrosurgical instruments and connections thereto

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10874452-B2
Application number	US-201815936914-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2018
Priority date	Oct 1, 2010
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

An electrosurgical instrument includes jaws having an electrode configuration utilized to electrically modify tissue in contact with one or more electrodes. The instrument is removably connectable to an electrosurgical unit via an electrosurgical connector extending from the instrument and a receptacle on the electrosurgical unit. The electrosurgical instrument is rotatable without disrupting electrical connection to the electrodes of the jaws. One or more of the electrodes is retractable. The electrosurgical unit and instrument optimally seals and/or cuts tissue based on identifying the tissue and monitoring the modification of the tissue by the application of radio frequency energy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrosurgical system comprising
an electrosurgical instrument comprising:
an elongate shaft;
an actuator coupled to the elongate shaft; and
first and second jaws coupled to the elongate shaft, the first jaw comprising a first electrode, the second jaw comprising a second electrode and a third electrode, and the actuator arranged to open and close the first and second jaws; and

an electrosurgical generator arranged to supply radiofrequency (RF) energy to the electrosurgical instrument removably coupled to the electrosurgical generator, the generator being arranged to supply RF energy between the first electrode and the second electrode, determine a phase value of the supplied RF energy and to determine when the determined phase value of the supplied RF energy equals or exceeds a predetermined phase value; and the generator, after determining the determined phase value of the supplied RF energy equals or has exceeded the predetermined phase value, is arranged to supply RF energy between the second and third electrodes instead of the first and second electrodes and to increase voltage of the supplied RF energy between the second and third electrodes;
wherein the first jaw further comprises a fourth electrode being outside the first and second jaws and not between the first and second jaws; and the generator, after determining the determined phase value of the supplied RF energy equals or has exceeded the predetermined phase value, is arranged to supply RF energy between the first and fourth electrodes and to increase voltage of the supplied RF energy between the first and fourth electrodes.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the fourth electrode is movable from a proximal position to a distal position and the fourth and third electrodes are vertical electrodes relative to the first and second electrodes disposed horizontally on the first and second jaws.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the third electrode is outside the second jaw and not between the first and second jaws and the first jaw is movable and the second jaw is stationary relative to the first jaw.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the generator is configured to determine and record a tissue type of tissue grasped between the first and second jaws and to identify the predetermined phase value based on the determined tissue type.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the generator is configured to determine permittivity of tissue grasped between the first and second jaws and to identify the predetermined phase value based on the determined tissue permittivity.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the generator increases the voltage of the supplied RF energy to a maximum output voltage.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein
the actuator further comprises:
a stationary handle;
a movable trigger, the movable trigger movable towards the stationary handle to close the first and second jaws and movable away from the stationary handle to open the first and second jaws;
an internal switch disposed within the stationary handle and not externally accessible, the internal switch being activated by a flexible arm extending from the movable trigger and contacting with the internal switch when the movable trigger is moved towards the stationary handle; and
at least one external switch disposed on the actuator and an electrical connection being established with the at least one external switch and the internal switch being both activated.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the at least one external switch is disposed in a distal portion of the stationary handle and below the internal switch and the elongate shaft; and the internal switch is disposed in a proximal portion of the stationary handle, below the elongate shaft and above the at least one external switch.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the at least one external switch further comprises a first external switch to activate an electrosurgical activity and a second external switch to activate a different electrosurgical activity, the first external switch disposed above the second external switch, both switches being disposed on the stationary handle and below the elongate shaft.

10. The system of claim 7 further comprising a movable cutting blade arranged to cut tissue between the first and second electrodes.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the movable cutting blade is electrically conductive and arranged to supply RF energy from the electrosurgical generator to the first electrode with the internal switch activated.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the movable cutting blade is blunt and further comprising a second cutting blade being positioned generally perpendicular to the first jaw and movable proximally and distally lengthwise through the first and second jaws.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the actuator further comprises:
a blade shaft connected to the movable cutting blade, disposed within the elongate shaft and movable along a longitudinal axis;
a blade trigger connected to the blade shaft; and
at least one stop disposed along the blade shaft and arranged to limit movement of the blade shaft and movable cutting blade along the longitudinal axis.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one stop comprises a distal stop arranged to interact with a first corresponding stop disposed along the elongate shaft and arranged to prevent distal movement of the blade shaft beyond a distal interaction point of the first corresponding stop of the elongate shaft interacting with the distal stop of the blade shaft when the blade shaft is moved distally.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one stop comprises a proximal stop arranged to interact with a second corresponding stop disposed along the elongate shaft and arranged to prevent proximal movement of the blade shaft beyond a proximal interaction point of the second corresponding stop of the elongate shaft interacting with the proximal stop of the blade shaft when the blade shaft is moved proximally.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a spring connected to the blade shaft and biasing the blade shaft proximally and wherein the proximal stop and the second corresponding stop are arranged to prevent the spring from pulling the blade proximally beyond the proximal interaction point and the spring, the proximal stop and the second corresponding stop arranged to hold the movable cutting blade stationary at the proximal interaction point.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein elongate shaft comprises a cover tube and the first and second corresponding stops are deformed portions on the cover tube, the deformed portions interacting with the distal and proximal stops of the blade shaft.

18. An electrosurgical system comprising:
an electrosurgical instrument comprising:
an elongate shaft;
an actuator coupled to the elongate shaft; and
first and second jaws coupled to the elongate shaft, the first jaw comprising a first electrode, the second jaw comprising a second electrode and a third electrode, and the actuator arranged to open and close the first and second jaws; and

an electrosurgical generator arranged to supply radiofrequency (RF) energy to the electrosurgical instrument removably coupled to the electrosurgical generator, the generator being arranged to supply RF energy between the first electrode and the second electrode, determine a phase value of the supplied RF energy and to determine when the determined phase value of the supplied RF energy equals or exceeds a predetermined phase value; and the generator, after determining the dete

Assignees

• Applied Med Resources

Inventors

• Brustad John
• Falkenstein Zoran
• Linville-Engler Benjamin
• Wixey Matthew
• Johnson Gary
• Elliott Patrick

Classifications

• A61B2018/1455

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

• A61B18/1206

  Generators therefor · CPC title

• A61B2018/00178

  Electrical connectors · CPC title

• A61B2018/00892

  Voltage · CPC title

• A61B2018/00196

  reciprocating lengthwise · CPC title