Cardiac tissue ablation instrument with flexible wrist
First Claim
1. A minimally invasive articulating surgical endoscope comprising:
- an elongate shaft having a working end, a proximal end, and a shaft axis between the working end and the proximal end;
a flexible wrist having a distal end and a proximal end, the proximal end of the wrist connected to the working end of the elongate shaft;
an endoscopic camera lens installed at the distal end of the wrist; and
a plurality of actuation links connecting the wrist to the proximal end of the elongate shaft such that the links are actuatable to provide the wrist with at least one degree of freedom.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An articulate minimally invasive surgical instrument with a flexible wrist to facilitate the safe placement and provide visual verification of the ablation catheter or other devices in Cardiac Tissue Ablation (CTA) treatments is described. In one embodiment, the instrument is an endoscope which has an elongate shaft, a flexible wrist at the working end of the shaft, and a vision scope lens at the tip of the flexible wrist. The flexible wrist has at least one degree of freedom to provide the desired articulation. It is actuated and controlled by a drive mechanism located in the housing at the distal end of the shaft. The articulation of the endoscope allows images of hard-to-see places to be taken for use in assisting the placement of the ablation catheter on the desired cardiac tissue. The endoscope may further include couplings to releasably attach an ablation device/catheter or a catheter guide to the endoscope thereby further utilizing the endoscope articulation to facilitate placement of the ablation catheter on hard-to-reach cardiac tissues. In another embodiment, the articulate instrument is a grasper or any other instrument with a flexible wrist and a built-in lumen to allow an endoscope to insert and be guided to the distal end of the instrument.
1048 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A minimally invasive articulating surgical endoscope comprising:
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an elongate shaft having a working end, a proximal end, and a shaft axis between the working end and the proximal end;
a flexible wrist having a distal end and a proximal end, the proximal end of the wrist connected to the working end of the elongate shaft;
an endoscopic camera lens installed at the distal end of the wrist; and
a plurality of actuation links connecting the wrist to the proximal end of the elongate shaft such that the links are actuatable to provide the wrist with at least one degree of freedom. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A minimally invasive articulating surgical instrument comprising:
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an elongate shaft having a working end, a proximal end, and a shaft axis between the working end and the proximal end, the elongate shaft having a lumen along the shaft axis into which an endoscope is removably inserted such that the endoscope is releasably attached to the instrument;
a flexible wrist having a distal end and a proximal end, the proximal end of the wrist connected to the working end of the elongate shaft;
an end effector at the distal end of the wrist; and
a plurality of actuation links connecting the wrist to the proximal end of the elongate shaft such that the links are actuatable to provide the wrist with at least one degree of freedom. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification