Apparatus for supplying a medical instrument and method for monitoring an instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11666371-B2
Application number	US-201916562015-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2019
Priority date	Sep 7, 2018
Publication date	Jun 6, 2023
Grant date	Jun 6, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus and method for sending test signals to an instrument, and checking the resultant and subsequently arriving echo signals in order to detect specific properties and changes of properties on the line, the instrument, the tissue or also on a fluid body, e.g., plasma body, present on an electrode of the instrument, and to control the operation of the supply arrangement accordingly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for supplying at least one of an operating power and an operating medium via a line to a medical instrument for treating tissue, the apparatus comprising:
a test signal emitter adapted to deliver successive test signals to the line, the successive test signals having a first shape;
an echo signal receiver adapted to receive successive echo signals caused by the test signals, the successive echo signals having a second shape different than the first shape, wherein the second shape is an envelope curve; and
an analysis arrangement adapted to detect, based on the change in the envelope curve of the echo signal, a change of a physical condition in the tissue.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the line is a fluid line and the operating medium is a fluid.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the line is an electrical line and the operating power comprises a treatment current, and wherein the electrical line is connected to a source for supplying the treatment current.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the source is a supply arrangement adapted to provide the treatment current in a pulsed manner and wherein the test signal emitter is active during pauses of the treatment current.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the physical condition is a temperature, a moisture, an electrical capacitance, an electrical resistance, an electrical inductance, an electrical impedance, a resonance property, a propagation delay, a number of reflections, an echo signal amplitude, a distortion, a phase position or a polarity.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the analysis arrangement is adapted to trigger an action in response to a characteristic change of the echo signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the action comprises an activation or deactivation of the instrument.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the action comprises generation of a signal that denotes a connected instrument.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the test signal emitter is adapted to generate test signals free of any dc voltage and/or dc current.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the test signal emitter is adapted to emit a first shape having a needle-shaped positive voltage pulse followed by a negative triangular pulse.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the analysis arrangement is further adapted to detect, based on the change in the first and second envelope curves from respective first and second echo signals, a change of a physical condition in or on the line.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the change in physical condition comprises a frozen region forming in the tissue.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the change in physical condition comprises the size of a frozen region forming in a portion of the tissue located at a distal tip of the medical instrument.

14. A method for operating an apparatus to monitor a medical instrument for treating tissue and connected to the apparatus via a line, the method comprising:
supplying at least one of an operating power and an operating medium to the instrument via the line;
delivering at least first and second test signals to the line;
receiving at least first and second echo signals having respective first and second envelope curves caused by the first and second test signals, the first and second envelope curves being different from one another;
analyzing the change in the first and second envelope curves from respective first and second echo signals; and
detecting a change of a physical condition in the tissue based on the change of the first and second envelope curves.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the test signals comprise dc voltage free and/or dc current free pulses.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the method is performed when the instrument is used on a human or animal body.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
controlling at least one of the apparatus and the instrument based on a characteristic change of the change in the first and second envelope curves from respective first and second echo signal.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
detecting a change of a physical condition in or on the line based on the analysis.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the detecting step includes detecting a change in both amplitude and frequency between the first and second envelope curves.

Assignees

• Erbe Elektromedizin

Inventors

• Fritz Martin Georg

Classifications

• G01N11/06

  by timing the outflow of a known quantity · CPC title

• A61B2018/00642

  with feedback, i.e. closed loop control · CPC title

• A61B2018/00922

  by switching or controlling the treatment energy directly within the hand-piece · CPC title

• A61B2018/00857

  harmonic · CPC title

• A61B2018/00767

  Voltage · CPC title