Vaporous delivery of thermal energy to tissue sites
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising generating a vaporous medium;
- and delivering the vaporous medium to a tissue site of a patient to transfer thermal energy to the tissue site.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Many surgical applications require the heating of a tissue site. The heating of the site may be for the purpose ablating the tissue, shrinking the tissue, coagulating the tissue, cauterizing the tissue, or the like. Vapor provides a medium for transfer of thermal energy to a tissue site. The vapor rapidly heats the tissue rapidly upon release of thermal energy in the phase change of the vapor from gas to liquid. By changing attributes of the vapor such as duration, direction, pressure, volume, and temperature, the effect, i.e. ablation, coagulation, or the like, of the heating can be controlled.
531 Citations
61 Claims
-
1. A method comprising
generating a vaporous medium; - and
delivering the vaporous medium to a tissue site of a patient to transfer thermal energy to the tissue site. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 37, 38, 39)
- and
-
19. An apparatus comprising:
-
a supply of liquid;
a source of thermal energy to evaporate the liquid to generate a vaporous medium; and
an instrument with a vapor outlet to deliver the vaporous medium to a tissue site of a patient.
-
-
32. A system comprising:
-
a source that generates a vaporous medium; and
a surgical instrument that delivers the vaporous medium to a tissue site of a patient. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
-
-
49. A device comprising
an outer housing; -
an inner liquid conduit that is in fluid communication with a liquid supply conduit that supplies liquid to the device;
a vapor outlet;
an inner vessel that defines a chamber adjacent the distal end, the chamber being in fluid communication with the inner liquid conduit via an inlet port and in fluid communication with the vapor outlet via an exit port;
electrical leads extending from the proximal end of the housing, one lead coupled to the inner vessel and one lead coupled to the inner liquid conduit; and
a radio frequency (RF) generator coupled to the proximal end of the electrical leads to apply a RF current to heat the fluid in the chamber and thereby create a vaporous medium, the vaporous medium being emitted from the chamber via the vapor outlet.
-
-
59. A method comprsing delivering a vaporous medium to a tissue site of a patient, the vaporous medium having a temperature selected to cause at least one of ablation, hemostasis and tissue shrinkage within a portion of the tissue site.
-
60. A device comprising a housing to contain a vaporous medium, and a port to direct the vaporous medium at a tissue site of a patient.
-
61. A method comprising delivering a vaporous medium to a tissue site of a patient,
wherein a portion of the vaporous medium travels within interstitial spaces between tissue cells at the tissue site.
Specification