Arthroscopic devices and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11793563-B2
Application number	US-202217576560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2022
Priority date	Apr 22, 2016
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

An arthroscopic or other surgical system includes a handpiece and a probe. The handpiece carries a motor drive, and the probe has a proximal hub and an elongate shaft which extends about a longitudinal axis to a working end of the probe. The hub is configured for detachably coupling to the handpiece, and the motor drive is configured to couple to a rotating drive coupling in the hub when the hub is coupled to the handpiece. A first magnetic component is carried by the hub, and a second magnetic component is coupled to rotate with the rotating drive coupling.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An arthroscopic system, comprising:
a controller;
a handpiece operatively coupled to the controller, the handpiece including a motor drive and a first sensor; and
a resecting probe with a proximal hub and an elongate shaft assembly that extends distally from the proximal hub about a longitudinal axis to a working end of the resecting probe, the elongate shaft assembly including an outer sleeve with an outer cutting window in a side of the outer sleeve, the outer cutting window communicating with an axial bore in the outer sleeve that extends proximally from outer cutting window back through the outer sleeve, the elongate shaft assembly further including an inner sleeve assembly that is rotatably received in the axial bore of the outer sleeve so that the inner sleeve assembly can achieve at least a first rotational position and a second rotational position in the outer sleeve, the inner sleeve assembly including a rotating drive coupling fixed to a proximal portion of the inner sleeve assembly, the inner sleeve assembly including a distal portion with an inner cutting window in a first side of the distal portion, the inner cutting window communicating with an axial extraction channel in the inner sleeve assembly that extends proximally from the inner cutting window back through the inner sleeve assembly for connecting to a negative pressure source, the distal portion of the inner sleeve assembly further including an electrode carried on a second side of the distal portion opposite the first side of the distal portion, the proximal hub detachably couplable to the handpiece to couple the rotating drive coupling to the motor drive for rotating the inner sleeve assembly in the outer sleeve,
wherein, in the first rotational position, the inner cutting window aligns sufficiently with the outer cutting window to allow fluid outflow to pass through the outer cutting window and into the axial extraction channel through the inner cutting window during use, and wherein, in the second rotational position, the electrode aligns with a longitudinal centerline of the outer cutting window,
wherein the proximal hub carries a first magnetic component including a first independent magnet and a second independent magnet that each have a North pole and a South pole, the first independent magnet and the second independent magnet being disposed in opposing sides of the proximal hub spaced outwardly from the longitudinal axis with the respective North poles of the first independent magnet and the second independent magnet oriented in opposite directions relative to the longitudinal axis,
wherein the proximal hub is selectively couplable to the handpiece so that the working end of the resecting probe can be positioned for use in either an upward orientation or a downward orientation relative to a first side of the handpiece, wherein the first independent magnet is proximate the first sensor when the working end is in the upward orientation and the second independent magnet is proximate the first sensor when the working end is in the downward orientation;
wherein said controller is configured to receive a first signal from the first sensor about a magnetic field of the first independent magnet or the second independent magnet when the first independent magnet or the second independent magnet is proximate the first sensor to identify whether the working end is in said upward orientation or downward orientation relative to the first side of the handpiece.

2. The arthroscopic system of claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to receive a probe identification signal from the first sensor based on a strength of the magnetic field of the first independent magnet or the second independent magnet, wherein the probe identification signal correlates the strength of the magnetic field to a resecting probe type.

3. The arthroscopic system of claim 1 , wherein the handpiece includes a second sensor.

4. The arthroscopic system of claim 3 , wherein the rotating drive coupling includes a second magnetic component coupled thereto to rotate with the rotating drive coupling, the second magnetic component including a third independent magnet and a fourth independent magnet that each have a North pole and a South pole, the third independent magnet and the fourth independent magnet being disposed in opposing sides of the rotating drive coupling spaced outwardly from the longitudinal axis with the respective North poles of the third independent magnet and the fourth independent magnet oriented in opposite directions relative to the longitudinal axis.

5. The arthroscopic system of claim 4 , wherein said controller is configured to receive a second signal from the second sensor about a magnetic field of the third independent magnet or the fourth independent magnet when the third independent magnet or the fourth independent magnet is proximate the second sensor to identify a rotational parameter of the rotating drive coupling.

6. The arthroscopic system of claim 5 , wherein the rotational parameter of the rotating drive coupling is a rotational position of the rotating drive coupling.

7. The arthroscopic system of claim 5 , wherein the rotational parameter of the rotating drive coupling is a rotational speed of the rotating drive coupling.

8. The arthroscopic system of claim 5 , wherein said controller is configured to determine a rotational position of the rotating drive coupling using a positioning algorithm responsive to the second signal, wherein the second signal is based on sensing varying magnet parameters of the third independent magnet and the fourth independent magnet with the second sensor as the rotating drive coupling rotates.

9. The arthroscopic system of claim 8 , wherein said controller is configured to de-activate the motor drive at a selected rotational position of the rotating drive coupling.

10. The arthroscopic system of claim 9 , wherein said controller is configured to dynamically brake the motor drive to thereby stop rotation of the rotating drive coupling in a selected stop position.

11. The arthroscopic system of claim 4 , wherein, along the longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft assembly of the resecting probe, the first independent magnet and the second independent magnet are located distally of the third independent magnet and the fourth independent magnet, and wherein, correspondingly in the handpiece, the first sensor is located distally of the second sensor.

12. The arthroscopic system of claim 4 , wherein said second sensor is configured to sense varying strengths of the third independent magnet and the fourth independent magnet as the rotating drive coupling rotates, and where said controller is configured to calibrate a rotational position of the rotating drive coupling responsive to the varying strength of the third independent magnet and the fourth independent magnet to thereby increase accuracy in calculating the sensed strength of the third independent magnet and the fourth independent magnet.

13. The arthroscopic system of claim 4 , wherein, in the inner sleeve assembly, the second magnetic component is in a fixed predetermined rotational position relative to the electrode.

14. The arthroscopic system of claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to use a controller algorithm for operating the resecting probe based on the identified upward orientation or downward orientation of the working end of the resecting probe.

15. The arthroscopic system of claim 1 , wherein the inner sleeve assembly includes a metal inner sleeve.

16. The arthroscopic system of claim 15 , wherein the inner sleeve a

Assignees

• Relign Corp

Inventors

• Benamou Steffan
• Germain Aaron
• Walker Michael D
• Malkevich Simon
• Tonkel Jacob

Classifications

• A61B18/14 Primary

  Probes or electrodes therefor · CPC title

• A61B17/32002

  with continuously rotating, oscillating or reciprocating cutting instruments · CPC title

• A61B18/148

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

• A61B18/149

  bow shaped or with rotatable body at cantilever end, e.g. for resectoscopes, or coagulating rollers · CPC title

• A61B18/1442

  Probes having pivoting end effectors, e.g. forceps · CPC title