Surgical instrument

• US 20090069842A1
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Endobotics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Endoscopic Devices Inc.
• Inventors: Ross, Richard, Heneberry, Eileen M., Guiles, Marvin A., Chamorro, Andres, Hollenbeck, James C., Lee, Woojin
• Granted Patent: US 8,257,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/205
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2909 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0046 with a releasable handle; with handle and operating part separable for prosthetic joint-implanting tools A61F2/4603
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/292 connection of actuating rod to handle, e.g. ball end in recess
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2929 with a head rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/30 Containers specially adapted for packaging, protecting, dispensing, collecting or disposing of surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments for wound clamps A61B17/10; for ligaturing clips A61B17/122; packages or dispensers for surgical gloves or finger-stalls A61B42/40

Abstract

A medical instrument having a proximal control handle and a distal tool that are intercoupled by an elongated instrument shaft that is meant to pass internally of an anatomic body, proximal and distal movable members that respectively intercouple the proximal control handle and the distal tool with the instrument shaft, cable control means disposed between the movable members, an actuation member at the handle for controlling the distal tool through the movable members, and a coupler for selectively engaging or disengaging separable cable segments of the actuation member.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument comprising:

an instrument shaft having proximal and distal ends;

a tool disposed from the distal end of the instrument shaft;

a control handle coupled from the proximal end of the instrument shaft;

a distal motion member for coupling the distal end of said instrument shaft to said tool;

a proximal motion member for coupling the proximal end of said instrument shaft to said handle;

actuation means extending between said distal and proximal motion members for coupling motion of said proximal motion member to said distal motion member for controlling the positioning of said tool;

and an actuation cable extending from said handle to said tool for controlling the actuation of the tool;

said actuation cable separated into two inter-engagable cable segments that enable the proximal motion member to be disconnected from the control handle.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1 further including a rotation means disposed adjacent the control handle and rotatable relative to the control handle for causing a corresponding rotation of the instrument shaft and tool.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 2 wherein at least said proximal motion member comprises a proximal bendable member, said rotation means comprises a rotation knob that is adapted to rotate the tool about a distal tool roll axis and said rotation knob is disposed between said control handle and proximal bendable member.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 1 including an actuation lever supported from said handle at a pivot point on the handle and for controlling the actuation cable.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 1 including a slider for capturing the proximal end of said tool actuation cable and an actuation lever supported at said handle for controlling the translation of said slider and, in turn, the operation of said tool.

6. The surgical instrument of claim 1 including a locking mechanism for fixing the position of the tool at a selected position and having locked and unlocked states, said locking mechanism including a ball and socket arrangement disposed about said proximal motion member and a cinch member for locking said ball and socket arrangement.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 6 wherein the socket member comprises a split socket and said cinch member closes said split socket to lock the socket on the ball.

8. The surgical instrument of claim 1 including a horn that is pivotally supported from the handle and that is operable to engage and disengage the cable segments.

9. The surgical instrument of claim 8 including a collet supported in the handle for closing about the cable segments.

10. In a medical instrument having a proximal control handle and a distal tool that are intercoupled by an elongated instrument shaft that is meant to pass internally of an anatomic body, proximal and distal movable members that respectively intercouple said proximal control handle and said distal tool with said instrument shaft, cable control means disposed between said movable members, an actuation member at said handle for controlling said distal tool through said movable members, and a coupler for selectively engaging or disengaging separable cable segments of the actuation member.

11. The medical instrument of claim 10 wherein said coupler includes a collet attached to one of said cable segments and a capture lug on the other of the cable segments, said collet for retaining said capture lug to engage the cable segments.

12. The medical instrument of claim 11 including a pivot member on the handle including at least one link that is operable to control a cam that sets open and closed positions of the collet.

13. The medical instrument of claim 12 wherein said pivot member forms a horn at the top of the handle to assist in a comfort grip of the handle.

14. The medical instrument of claim 13 wherein said collet includes a quick disconnect mechanism having a base in which the collet is positioned and a spring that biases the base to a closed position of the collet.

15. A method of controlling a medical instrument that has a proximal end including a control handle and a distal end including a distal tool, said control handle and distal tool being intercoupled by an elongated instrument shaft and said tool actuated from a tool control cable, said method including providing proximal and distal movable members that respectively intercouple said proximal control handle and said distal tool with said instrument shaft, said proximal and distal movable members being intercoupled so that a motion at said proximal movable member controls said distal movable member, dividing the tool control cable into separate cable segments and interlocking the separate cable segments so that the tool control cable is operable.

16. The method of claim 15 including manually controlling, from the proximal end of the instrument, the rotation of said distal tool about its longitudinal distal tool axis.

17. An instrument having a proximal control handle and a distal tool that are intercoupled by an elongated instrument shaft, proximal and distal movable members that respectively intercouple said proximal control handle and said distal tool with said instrument shaft, means disposed between said movable members so that a motion at said proximal movable member controls said distal movable member and, in turn, the distal tool, means supported at the handle for controlling the distal tool including a tool control cable that extends between the handle and distal tool, said tool control cable including separate control cable segments that are adapted to have one of an engaged state and a dis-engaged state.

18. The instrument of claim 17 including a control member at said control handle and manipulable by a user to control, via said proximal and distal movable members, the rotation of said distal tool about its distal tool axis.

19. The instrument of claim 17 wherein the proximal motion member can be disconnected from the control handle when the control cable segments are in their dis-engaged state.

20. The instrument of claim 19 including a coupler for selectively engaging or disengaging the separable cable segments.

21. The instrument of claim 19 wherein said coupler includes a collet attached to one of said cable segments and a capture lug on the other of the cable segments, said collet for retaining said capture lug to engage the cable segments.

22. The instrument of claim 21 wherein said collet includes a quick disconnect mechanism having a base in which the collet is positioned and a spring that biases the base to a closed position of the collet.