Electrothermal instrument for sealing and joining or cutting tissue
First Claim
1. A surgical instrument which comprises two oppositely-positioned working members each having proximal and distal ends and each having an exterior working surface, wherein at least one exterior working surface has a distal end and at least one heating element comprising an electrically resistant wire to seal and cut or cut tissue.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An instrument and method are provided for sealing and joining or hemostatically dividing tissue, which is particularly suitable for laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. The instrument makes use of the controlled application of a combination of heat and pressure to seal adjacent tissues, to join adjacent tissues, or to anastomose tissues, whereby tissue is heated for an optimal time and at an optimal temperature under optimal pressure to maximize tissue seal strength while minimizing collateral tissue damage. The instrument of the present invention is lightweight and therefore portable, and is particularly useful in field conditions where a source of external power may not be readily available.
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Citations
120 Claims
- 1. A surgical instrument which comprises two oppositely-positioned working members each having proximal and distal ends and each having an exterior working surface, wherein at least one exterior working surface has a distal end and at least one heating element comprising an electrically resistant wire to seal and cut or cut tissue.
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4. (canceled)
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6. (canceled)
- 31. A surgical instrument which comprises two oppositely-positioned working members each having proximal and distal ends and each having a working surface, wherein each working surface has an outwardly extending heating element comprising an electrically resistant wire to seal and cut or cut tissue.
- 60. A surgical instrument which comprises two oppositely-positioned working members each having proximal and distal ends and each having a working surface, wherein at least one working surface has a heating element comprising an electrically resistant wire to seal and cut or cut tissue and wherein a primary switch is actuated when the working surfaces are approximated and a secondary switch is manually activated to apply energy to each heating element.
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90. (canceled)
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120. A surgical instrument to seal and cut or cut tissue, comprising:
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two oppositely-positioned working members each having proximal and distal ends and each having an exterior working surface, at least one exterior working surface having a heating element comprising an electrically resistant wire to seal and cut or cut tissue, and a heating element actuator, wherein the heating element actuator is responsive to a predetermined pressure to activate the heating element to seal and cut or cut tissue. - View Dependent Claims (91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119)
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Specification