Arthroscopic devices and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11426231-B2
Application number	US-201715855684-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2017
Priority date	Jan 11, 2017
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

An arthroscopic or other medical device includes an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a working end. At least one electrode for treating tissue is located at the working end of the shaft, and a fluid outflow path extends proximally from the working end through a first channel portion in the shaft. A handpiece is coupled to the proximal end of the shaft and has a body with a second channel portion formed along an axis therein. The second channel is receives a heated or other outflow from a proximal end of the first channel in the shaft, and the second channel runs along an axis of the handpiece. A thin wall sleeve is located in the handpiece so that it surrounds at least a portion of the second channel. The thin wall sleeve is surrounded by an air gap or otherwise provides a thermal barrier between an exterior surface of the thin wall sleeve and an inner surface of the body of the handpiece in order to limit heat transfer from the heated or other fluid outflow through the second channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medical device, comprising:
a probe with a proximal hub and an elongate shaft assembly that extends along a first longitudinal axis to a working end of the probe, the working end including at least one electrode for treating tissue, the elongate shaft assembly including an inner sleeve rotatably received in an outer sleeve, the outer sleeve including a proximal end that is fixedly coupled to an outer portion of the proximal hub, the probe including a rotating drive coupling that is fixedly coupled to a proximal end of the inner sleeve, the rotating drive coupling rotatable to rotate the inner sleeve about the first longitudinal axis relative to the outer sleeve and relative to the outer portion of the proximal hub to which the proximal end of the outer sleeve is fixedly coupled, the inner sleeve including a longitudinal channel therein that extends along the first longitudinal axis and provides a fluid outflow path extending proximally from the working end of the probe; and
a handpiece coupled to the proximal hub of the probe, the handpiece including a motor drive configured to couple to the rotating drive coupling for rotating the inner sleeve about the first longitudinal axis relative to the outer sleeve and relative to the outer portion of the proximal hub to which the proximal end of the outer sleeve is fixedly coupled when the proximal hub is coupled to the handpiece, said handpiece comprising a body with a longitudinal bore therein that extends along a second longitudinal axis in the handpiece, the second longitudinal axis being non-coaxial with the first longitudinal axis when the proximal hub is coupled to the handpiece, the handpiece further including a thin-wall sleeve that is received in the longitudinal bore and fixedly secured to the body of the handpiece, the thin-wall sleeve being configured to receive an outflow fluid from the longitudinal channel in the inner sleeve, wherein the thin-wall sleeve is surrounded by an air gap located between an exterior surface of the thin-wall sleeve and an inner surface of the longitudinal bore for limiting heat transfer from the outflow fluid received from the longitudinal channel in the inner sleeve to an exterior of the handpiece, wherein the air gap is provided by a fluid-tight chamber in the handpiece.

2. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve comprises a material having a thermal conductivity of less than 50 W/m·K.

3. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve comprises a material having a thermal conductivity of less than 25 W/m·K.

4. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve has a circumference that extends circumferentially around the second longitudinal axis, and wherein the air gap extends fully around the circumference of the thin-wall sleeve.

5. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the air gap has a width transverse to the second longitudinal axis of at least 0.005″.

6. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve extends over at least 60% of a length of the longitudinal bore in the body of the handpiece.

7. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve extends over at least 80% of a length of the longitudinal bore in the body of the handpiece.

8. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve comprises a ceramic material.

9. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve comprises a ceramic coating.

10. A medical device, comprising:
a probe with a proximal hub and an elongate shaft assembly extending distally from the proximal hub to a working end of the probe, the working end including at least one electrode for treating tissue, the elongate shaft assembly including an inner sleeve rotatably received in an outer sleeve, the probe further including a rotating drive coupling that is fixedly coupled to a proximal end of the inner sleeve, the rotating drive coupling rotatable to rotate the inner sleeve within the outer sleeve, the inner sleeve including a longitudinal channel therein that provides a fluid outflow path extending proximally from the working end of the probe; and
a handpiece coupled to the proximal hub of the probe, the handpiece including a motor drive configured to couple to the rotating drive coupling inside the handpiece for rotating the proximal end of the inner sleeve about a first longitudinal axis in the handpiece when the proximal hub is coupled to the handpiece, the handpiece comprising a body with a longitudinal bore therein that extends along a second longitudinal axis in the handpiece, the second longitudinal axis being non-coaxial with the first longitudinal axis in the handpiece, the handpiece further including a thin-wall sleeve that is received in the longitudinal bore in the body of the handpiece, wherein the thin-wall sleeve is configured to receive an outflow fluid from the longitudinal channel in the inner sleeve, the thin-wall sleeve being surrounded by an air gap located between an exterior surface of the thin-wall sleeve and an inner surface of the longitudinal bore for limiting heat transfer from the outflow fluid received from the longitudinal channel in the inner sleeve to an exterior of the handpiece, wherein the air gap is provided by a fluid-tight chamber in the handpiece.

11. The medical device of claim 10 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve and a surrounding portion of the body of the handpiece have a combined thermal conductivity in a transverse direction of less than 25 W/m·K.

12. The medical device of claim 10 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve is formed at least partly of a material selected from a group consisting of metal, ceramic and glass.

13. The medical device of claim 12 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve is formed at least partly of stainless steel.

14. The medical device of claim 12 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve is formed at least partly of a metal with a ceramic surface layer.

15. The medical device of claim 12 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve is formed at least partly of a ceramic providing an exterior or interior surface of the thin-wall sleeve.

16. The medical device of claim 10 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve comprises a material having a thermal conductivity of less than 25 W/m·K.

17. The medical device of claim 10 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve has a circumference that extends circumferentially around the second longitudinal axis, and wherein the air gap extends fully around the circumference of the thin-wall sleeve.

18. The medical device of claim 10 , wherein the air gap has a width transverse to the second longitudinal axis of at least 0.005″.

19. The medical device of claim 10 , wherein the thin-wall sleeve extends over at least 60% of a length of the longitudinal bore in the body of the handpiece.

20. The medical device of claim 10 , wherein the longitudinal bore in the body of the handpiece is positioned laterally of the first longitudinal axis in the handpiece such that the entirety of the first longitudinal axis is located outside the longitudinal bore in the body of the handpiece.

Assignees

• Relign Corp

Inventors

• Germain Aaron
• Poser Ben
• Walker Michael D
• Echeverry Jan

Classifications

• A61B2018/00101

  low, i.e. thermally insulating · CPC title

• A61B2018/00577

  Ablation · CPC title

• A61B2018/00607

  Coagulation and cutting with the same instrument · CPC title

• A61B18/1482 Primary

  having a long rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously in minimal invasive surgery, e.g. laparoscopy · CPC title

• A61B2018/00791

  Temperature · CPC title