Ultrasonic soft tissue cutting and coagulation systems having a curvilinear blade member and clamp

• US 20030212392A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Axya Medical, Inc. (Tornier Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Medical Engineering Limited
• Inventors: Westhaver, Paul, Fenton, Paul, Harrington, Francis
• Application Number:
  US10/437,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20030212392A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320068 using mechanical vibrations, e.g. ultrasonic A61B17/22012 takes precedence; dental tooth drilling devices operated by vibration A61C3/03; removing intra-ocular material using mechanical vibrations A61F9/00745
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3201 Scissors for biopsy A61B10/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320069 for ablating tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320082 for incising tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320089 node location

Abstract

Ultrasonic soft tissue cutting or coagulating systems are disclosed that include an ultrasonic blade member for cutting and/or coagulating tissue, and an opposed clamp member which is used together with the blade member to compress/clamp the tissue being treated. At least one of the blade member and the clamp member has a substantially curvilinear configuration. The ultrasonic blade member and the opposing clamp member can have substantially curvilinear and dissimilar configurations which enables soft tissue to be treated evenly across the contact surface

Claims

1. An ultrasonic surgical instrument, comprising:

a. an ultrasonic transducer for generating ultrasonic vibrations;

b. an elongated ultrasonic transmission coupler having a proximal end and a distal end and connected to said transducer at said proximal end, said coupler being adapted to receive ultrasonic vibrations at said proximal end and transmit said ultrasonic vibrations to said distal end;

c. an ultrasonic surgical assembly connected to said distal end of said coupler, said ultrasonic surgical assembly including a blade member and a clamp member movable relative to each other from an open position in which the blade member and the clamp member are spaced apart, to a closed position in which the blade member and the clamp member are in engagement so as to capture tissue therebetween;

wherein at least one of said blade member and said clamp member are characterized by a substantially curvilinear configuration.

2. An ultrasonic surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said blade member is acoustically coupled to said ultrasonic coupler for receiving ultrasonic vibrations therefrom so as to undergo vibratory motion, thereby permitting ultrasonic power to be delivered to tissue in contact with said blade member.

3. An ultrasonic surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said blade member is rigidly attached to said coupler, and said clamp member is movably attached to said coupler and is movable toward said rigidly attached blade member from said open position to said closed position.

4. An ultrasonic surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said clamp member is rigidly attached to said coupler, and said blade member is movably attached to said coupler and is movable toward said rigidly attached clamp member from said open position to said closed position.

5. An ultrasonic surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said blade member has an operative surface characterized by a first curvature rate, and wherein said clamp member has an operative surface characterized by a second curvature rate.

6. An ultrasonic surgical instrument according to claim 5, wherein said first curvature rate and said second curvature rate are substantially different.

7. An ultrasonic surgical instrument according to claim 1,

wherein said blade member includes an operative surface characterized a substantially sinusoidal configuration represented by a first sinusoidal wave function;

and

wherein said operative surface of said clamp member is characterized by a substantially sinusoidal configuration represented by a second sinusoidal wave function.

8. An ultrasonic surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein opposing lateral surfaces of said blade member and said clamp member are adapted for angled interference in response to relative motion therebetween.