Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures
First Claim
1. A minimally invasive procedure for suturing a secondary vessel to a coronary artery of a patient with a suturing needle, wherein the coronary artery has an opening, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a first articulate arm and a second articulate arm, said first and second articulate arms being coupled to a controller and an input device that receive an input command and move said first and second articulate arms in response to the input command;
b) cutting at least one incision into the patient;
c) inserting said first and second articulate arms into the patient through the incision;
d) generating an input command to move said first articulate arm to grasp the secondary vessel;
e) generating an input command to move said second articulate arm to grasp the suturing needle;
f) generating an input command to move said second articulate arm to move the needle through the coronary artery and the secondary vessel; and
g) repeating step (g) to suture the secondary vessel to the coronary artery.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are coupled to a pair of master handles by a controller. The handles can be moved by the surgeon to produce a corresponding movement of the end effectors. The movement of the handles is scaled so that the end effectors have a corresponding movement that is different, typically smaller, than the movement performed by the hands of the surgeon. The scale factor is adjustable so that the surgeon can control the resolution of the end effector movement. The movement of the end effector can be controlled by an input button, so that the end effector only moves when the button is depressed by the surgeon. The input button allows the surgeon to adjust the position of the handles without moving the end effector, so that the handles can be moved to a more comfortable position. The system may also have a robotically controlled endoscope which allows the surgeon to remotely view the surgical site. A cardiac procedure can be performed by making small incisions in the patient'"'"'s skin and inserting the instruments and endoscope into the patient. The surgeon manipulates the handles and moves the end effectors to perform a cardiac procedure such as a coronary artery bypass graft.
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Citations
52 Claims
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1. A minimally invasive procedure for suturing a secondary vessel to a coronary artery of a patient with a suturing needle, wherein the coronary artery has an opening, comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a first articulate arm and a second articulate arm, said first and second articulate arms being coupled to a controller and an input device that receive an input command and move said first and second articulate arms in response to the input command;
b) cutting at least one incision into the patient;
c) inserting said first and second articulate arms into the patient through the incision;
d) generating an input command to move said first articulate arm to grasp the secondary vessel;
e) generating an input command to move said second articulate arm to grasp the suturing needle;
f) generating an input command to move said second articulate arm to move the needle through the coronary artery and the secondary vessel; and
g) repeating step (g) to suture the secondary vessel to the coronary artery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system that allows a surgeon to perform a procedure on a patient, comprising:
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a first articulate arm which has a first end effector;
a first input device that can be moved a first input device spatial increment by the surgeon to create a first input command; and
,a controller that is coupled to said first input device and said first articulate arm, said controller receives said first input command from said first input device and provides a first output command to said first articulate arm to move said first end effector a first end effector spatial increment, wherein said controller scales said first input command so that the first input device spatial increment is different than the first end effector spatial increment. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A medical robotic system that can be inserted through a first incision of a patient and controlled by a surgeon, comprising:
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a first articulate arm which has a passive joint that is coupled to a first end effector inserted into the incision, wherein the incision defines a first pivot point for said first end effector;
a first input device that creates a first input command in response to an instruction from the surgeon; and
,a controller that is coupled to said first input device and said first articulate arm, said controller receives said first input command from said first input device and provides a first output command to said first articulate arm to move said first end effector relative to the first pivot point. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A system that allows a surgeon to perform a procedure on a patient, comprising:
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a first articulate arm which has a first end effector;
a first input device that can be moved a first input device spatial increment by the surgeon to create a first input command;
a controller that is coupled to said first input device and said first articulate arm, said controller receives said first input command from said first input device and provides a first output command to said first articulate arm to move said first end effector; and
,a second input device that activates said first articulate arm so that said first end effector moves in conjunction with said first input device and deactivates said first articulate arm so that said first end effector remains stationary while the surgeon moves said first input device. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A medical robotic system, comprising:
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a robotic arm;
a sterile bag that encloses said robotic arm;
a sterile coupler that is plugged into said robotic arm; and
,a surgical instrument that is plugged into said sterile coupler. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52)
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Specification