Minimally invasive surgical assembly and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9326784-B2
Application number	US-50303509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2009
Priority date	Mar 13, 2006
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A minimally invasive surgical assembly broadly includes an outer hollow needle which has an outer diameter of approximately 2 mm or smaller, and a coaxial surgical instrument having a shaft which extends through the outer hollow needle. The coaxial surgical instrument includes end effectors at the end of the shaft which are biased to an open position such that when the end effectors of the surgical instrument extend out of the needle they open, and they are closed by relative movement of the needle over them. The assembly preferably includes a first fixing element which is used to fix the relative location of the surgical instrument and the needle. The assembly also preferably includes a second fixing element which moves relative to the needle and is located on the outside thereof and which is used to fix the relative location of the needle to the patient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical device comprising:
an elongated needle body defining an interior lumen extending longitudinally therethrough, the needle body having a sharpened distal tip portion; and an interior surface profile which defines the interior lumen;
a handle attached to a proximal end of the enlongated needle body; and
an assembly operatively associated with the interior lumen of the needle body, the assembly having:
a solid metallic shaft having an outer surface profile corresponding to the inner surface profile of the needle body, the shaft extending through the interior lumen needle body and defining a longitudinal axis and
a pair of arms extending distally from the shaft, and biased radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the shaft, each arm having a first portion extending generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shaft, a middle portion extending distally from a distal end of the first portion and angled away from the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and a tip portion extending distally from the distal end of the middle portion and substantially parallel to the first portion, and having a blunt front surface, wherein proximal movement of the shaft causes approximation of the arms to a closed position in which the arms intimately contact one another along the entire length thereof,

wherein the arms are adapted and configured so as to remain in the closed position in intimate contact with one another within the interior lumen of the needle body until approximately half the length of the arms extend beyond the sharpened distal tip portion of the needle body, and the blunt front surfaces of the tip portions of the arms are rounded and together present an approximately hemispherical surface in the closed position adapted and configured to act as an obturator relative to the sharpened distal tip portion of the needle body and guard the needle body from causing accidental needle tip trauma when the arms are extended approximately half the length of the arms beyond the sharpened distal tip portion of the needle body,
wherein the arms are further adapted and configured to separate from one another from the closed position as the arms are extended more than approximately half their length beyond the sharpened distal tip position of the needle body, and
wherein the handle rotatably supports a first fixing means, the first fixing means including a cam element operable to lock an axial position of the assembly with respect to the needle body.

2. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface profile of the shaft is sized to interferingly fit against the inner surface profile of the needle body to inhibit fluid communication therebetween, to avoid loss of insufflation gas from an operative space.

3. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein a seal is provided between the shaft and the inner surface of the needle body to inhibit fluid communication therebetween, to avoid loss of insufflation gas from an operative space.

4. The surgical device of claim 1 , further comprising a second fixing means adapted and configured to stabilize the surgical device with respect to an operative space of a patient.

5. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the elongated needle body is between about 13 cm and 18 cm in length.

6. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein an outer diameter of the elongated needle body is about 2 mm or less.

7. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the assembly is configured such that the arms, in an open position, are separated by a distance greater than two times a diameter of the elongated needle body.

8. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the assembly is configured such that the arms, in an open position, are separated by a distance of between about 7 mm and about 12 mm.

9. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the middle portion of each arm extends away from the longitudinal axis of the shaft by an angle of between about 6 degrees and about 18 degrees.

10. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the sharpened distal tip portion includes a sharpened end surface angled at about 35 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis.

11. The surgical device of claim 1 , further comprising a handle in connection therewith to facilitate manipulation of the device.

12. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the arms are configured as a surgical grasper.

13. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the arms are configured as a lung clamp.

14. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the arms are configured as a retractor.

15. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the arms are integrally formed with the shaft.

16. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the arms are connected to the shaft.

17. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein an outer diameter of the elongated needle body is about 1.8 mm to about 2.2 mm.

18. The surgical device of claim 1 , further comprising a spring coupled between the handle and a proximal end of the shaft,
wherein the spring is placed in a state of tension as the pair of arms are retracted within the elongated needle body to reveal the sharpened distal tip in a puncturing position, and
wherein the spring is placed in a state of compression as approximately half the length of the arms are extended beyond the sharpened distal tip in an extended position.

19. The surgical device of claim 1 , further comprising a spring coupled between the handle and a proximal end of the shaft,
wherein the spring biases the pair of arms to extend beyond the sharpened distal tip while keeping the pair of arms in the closed position.

20. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the cam includes a rounded surface to contact and to lock an axial position of an outer surface of the shaft relative to the handle.

Assignees

• Ravikumar Sundaram
• Teleflex Medical Inc

Inventors

• Ravikumar Sundaram

Classifications

• A61B17/221

  Gripping devices in the form of loops or baskets {for gripping calculi or similar types of obstructions (surgical snare instruments A61B17/32056)} · CPC title

• A61F2/0063

  Implantable repair or support meshes, e.g. hernia meshes · CPC title

• A61B2017/308

  with suction cups · CPC title

• A61B17/122

  Clamps or clips, e.g. for the umbilical cord {(for the vas deferens A61F6/206)} · CPC title

• A61B2017/00349

  Needle-like instruments having hook or barb-like gripping means, e.g. for grasping suture or tissue (A61B17/06066 takes precedence) · CPC title