End effector for electrosurgical instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016199124-A1
Application number	US-201614993496-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 12, 2016
Priority date	Jan 14, 2015
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An end effector for an electrosurgical instrument includes a pair of opposing first and second jaw members ( 2 ), ( 3 ), movable between an open position in which the jaw members are disposed in a spaced relation relative to one another, and a closed position in which the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween. A first sealing electrode ( 11 ) is located on the first jaw member, and a second sealing electrode ( 15 ) is located on the second jaw member. One or more stop members ( 21 ), ( 22 ), ( 25 ), ( 26 ) are disposed the sealing electrodes, the one or more stop members being formed of a compliant material such that they are capable of deforming when the jaw members ( 2 ), ( 3 ) are moved to their closed position with tissue grasped therebetween.

First claim

1 . An end effector for a surgical instrument including
a pair of opposing first and second jaw members, at least one of the jaw members being movable relative to the other from a first open position in which the jaw members are disposed in a spaced relation relative to one another, to a second closed position in which the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween, a first sealing electrode located on the first jaw member, a second sealing electrode located on the second jaw member, one or more stop members disposed on one or both of the first and second sealing electrodes, the one or more stop members being formed of a compliant material with a Shore A hardness of between 20 and 80, such that they are capable of deforming when the jaw members are moved to their closed position with tissue grasped therebetween.

2 . An end effector according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more compliant stop members are formed of a material with a Shore A hardness of between 30 and 50.

3 . An end effector according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more compliant stop members are formed of a material with a Shore A hardness of between 35 and 45.

4 . An end effector according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more compliant stop members are formed of a material such that they are capable of deforming by more than 10% when the jaw members are moved to their closed position with tissue grasped therebetween.

5 . An end effector according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more stop members are formed of an electrically non-conductive material.

6 . An end effector according to claim 1 , including a plurality of compliant stop members.

7 . An end effector according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of compliant stop members are such that when the jaw members are moved to their closed position at least one stop member at a first longitudinal position along the jaw members contacts the sealing electrode on the opposite jaw member before at least one stop member at a second longitudinal position along the jaw members contacts the sealing electrode on the opposite jaw member.

8 . An end effector according to claim 7 , wherein the first longitudinal position is more distal than the second longitudinal position.

9 . An end effector according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more compliant stop members deform from a first cross-sectional profile to a second cross-sectional profile when the jaw members are moved to their closed position with tissue grasped therebetween.

10 . An end effector according to claim 9 , wherein the first cross-sectional profile is substantially trapezoidal.

11 . An end effector according to claim 9 , wherein the second cross-sectional profile is that of a truncated triangle with a generally flatter top.

12 . An end effector according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more compliant stop members comprise one or more elongate members.

13 . An end effector according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more elongate members extend longitudinally along one or both of the jaw members.

14 . An end effector according to claim 13 , wherein the one or more elongate members extend along the majority of the length of the first and/or second sealing electrodes.

15 . An end effector according to claim 12 , wherein there is at least one elongate stop member on each of the first and second sealing electrodes.

16 . An end effector according to claim 12 , wherein there is a plurality of elongate stop members on each of the first and second sealing electrodes.

17 . An end effector according to claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first and second sealing electrodes present a generally concave shape when viewed from the side.

18 . An electrosurgical instrument including
a handle including an actuating mechanism movable between a first position and a second position, a pair of opposing first and second jaw members, movement of the actuating mechanism from its first position to its second position causing at least one of the jaw members to move relative to the other from a first open position in which the jaw members are disposed in a spaced relation relative to one another, to a second closed position in which the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween, a first sealing electrode located on the first jaw member, a second sealing electrode located on the second jaw member, electrical connections capable of connecting the instrument to an electrosurgical generator, such that when the jaw members are in their closed position with tissue grasped therebetween, the instrument is capable of sealing the tissue by passing an electrosurgical current into the tissue from the first and second sealing electrodes, and one or more stop members disposed on one or both of the first and second sealing electrodes, the one or more stop members being formed of a compliant material with a Shore A hardness of between 20 and 80, such that they are capable of deforming when the jaw members are moved to their closed position with tissue grasped therebetween.

19 . An end effector for a surgical instrument including
a pair of opposing first and second jaw members, at least one of the jaw members being movable relative to the other from a first open position in which the jaw members are disposed in a spaced relation relative to one another, to a second closed position in which the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween, a first sealing electrode located on the first jaw member, a second sealing electrode located on the second jaw member, one or more stop members disposed on one or both of the first and second sealing electrodes, the one or more stop members being formed of a compliant material such that they are capable of deforming by at least 10% when the jaw members are moved to their closed position with tissue grasped therebetween.

20 . An end effector according to claim 19 , wherein the compliant material is such that a distance which the stop members project above the surface of the first and/or second sealing electrodes is reduced by more than 10%, and optionally by more than 20%, when the jaws carrying the stop members are moved to their closed position with tissue grasped therebetween.

Assignees

• Gyrus Medical Ltd

Inventors

• Thomas Daniel John
• Jones Lewis Meurig
• Jenkins Andrew Edward

Classifications

• A61B2018/1462

  Tweezers · CPC title

• A61B18/1445 Primary

  at the distal end of a shaft, e.g. forceps or scissors at the end of a rigid rod · CPC title

• A61B2018/0063

  Sealing · CPC title

• A61B2018/00083

  low, i.e. electrically insulating · CPC title

• A61B18/12 Primary

  by passing a current through the tissue to be heated, e.g. high-frequency current · CPC title