SURGICAL DEVICE WITH AN IMPACT DETECTOR

• US 20080200844A1
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Original Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Inventors: Millahn, Manuel, Neubauer, Timo
• Application Number:
  US12/033,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20080200844A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0809 Indication of cracks or breakages
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/32 for the hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/468 Testing instruments for artificial joints for testing non-implantable prostheses A61F2/76
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/488 Means for detecting or monitoring wear
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30668 Means for transferring electromagnetic energy to implants
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30698 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0001 Means for transferring electromagnetic energy to implants
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/008 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/127 for acceleration values
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/06 using members subjected to a permanent deformation
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0891 with indication of predetermined acceleration values G01P15/135 takes precedence

Abstract

A surgical device for performing a medical procedure includes an impact detector operative to provide data indicative of the surgical device being subjected to an impact. A polling device in communication with the impact detector can determine if an impact experienced by the surgical device exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A surgical device for performing a medical procedure, comprising an impact detector operative to provide data indicative of an impact subjected on the surgical device.

2. The surgical device according to claim 1, wherein the surgical device is an instrument, an implant or a trackable marker device for surgical navigation systems.

3. The surgical device according to claim 1, wherein the impact detector retrievably stores impact occurrence information.

4. The surgical device according to claim 1, wherein the impact detector is a passive impact detector.

5. The surgical device according to claim 1, wherein the impact detector is configured to permanently alter an electrical property of the impact detector as a result of an impact exceeding a predetermined threshold.

6. The surgical device according to claim 1, wherein the impact detector comprises an acceleration sensor.

7. The surgical device according to claim 1, comprising a transponder operatively coupled to the impact detector, said transponder operatively configured to poll data generated by the impact detector.

8. The surgical device according to claim 7, wherein the transponder and the impact detector are formed as an integral unit.

9. The surgical device according to claim 1, comprising a memory for storing data, wherein data derived by the impact detector is stored in said memory.

10. The surgical device according to claim 1, comprising a memory for storing acceleration values detected by the impact detector.

11. The surgical device according to claim 1, comprising a transponder operatively coupled to the impact detector, wherein the transponder is configured to store impact occurrence information from the impact detector and/or to communicate the impact occurrence information to a reader.

12. The surgical device according to claim 1, comprising an RFID transponder operative to store geometric data and/or identification data corresponding to the surgical device.

13. A system for monitoring a risk of damage to a device, comprising:

a surgical device for performing a medical procedure, said surgical device including an impact detector operative to provide data indicative of an impact subjected on the surgical device; and

a polling device operative to poll the surgical device to obtain impact occurrence information detected by the impact detector.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the polling device comprises a comparing unit operative to compare impact tolerance information with the polled impact occurrence information.

15. The system according to claim 14, comprising a warning unit operative to output a warning signal when the result of the comparison indicates that a tolerance has been exceeded.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the surgical device includes identification information stored thereon, said identification information indicative of a characteristic of said surgical device, and wherein the polling device includes a plurality of impact tolerance information and corresponding identification information stored in memory, said polling device configured to poll the identification information from the surgical device, and to retrieve impact tolerance information from memory corresponding to the polled identification information, and to compare the retrieved impact tolerance information with the polled impact occurrence information.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the polling device is configured to obtain geometric data from a transponder of the surgical device.

18. The system according to claim 13, comprising a navigation system communicatively coupled to said polling device, wherein when the result of the comparison indicates that a tolerance has been exceeded, said navigation system configured to i) output a warning signal and/or ii) disable navigation of the surgical device.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein when the result of the comparison indicates that a tolerance has been exceeded, geometric data obtained from the surgical device are not used or are only used with a warning indication.