Flexible Circuit Sheet

• US 20140012130A1
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Xomed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Xomed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Jacobsen, Brad, Burg, Bruce M., Block, Orey G., Bzostek, Andrew, Doerr, Vince J., Merkl, Brandon, Jain, Abhishek, Cilke, Joseph Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,226,689 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/24 for use in the oral cavity, larynx, bronchial passages or nose for medical inspection of cavities or tubes in the body A61B1/00; Tongue scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00946 malleable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/397 electromagnetic other than visible, e.g. microwave
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3983 Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2217/005 with suction drainage system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/166 the sensor is mounted on a specially adapted printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/84 Drainage tubes; Aspiration tips for negative pressure wound therapy A61M1/90; for surgical cutting instruments A61B17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3576 with non implanted data transmission devices, e.g. using external transmitter or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0298 Multilayer circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/056 Folded around rigid support or component
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/2027 Guiding means, e.g. for guiding flexible circuits

Abstract

A surgical instrument is disclosed having an elongated body portion having a proximal end and a distal end. The body portion is formed from a plastically deformable material such that the body portion can be bent between the proximal and distal ends from a first configuration to a second bent configuration and maintains the bent configuration. A flexible circuit having at least a pair of lead wires disposed around the body portion. The pair of lead wires are configured to conform to the bent configuration of the body portion such that they do not break during bending of the body portion. A tracking device adapted to cooperate with a navigation system to track the distal end of the instrument is coupled to the flexible circuit.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument, comprising:

an elongated body portion extending from a proximal end to a distal end;

a tracking device disposed at the distal end; and

a flexible circuit attached to the elongated body and extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the elongated body portion, the flexible circuit having at least first and second conductive traces coupled to the tracking device.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit protrudes from a nominal surface radius of the body portion less than about 0.08 mm.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the first and second conductive traces comprises a first pair of terminal pads at the proximal end.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein first and second conductive traces form one of a twisted pair, a double oppositely oriented parallel pair or double oppositely oriented twisted pair.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit has features configured to allow the flexible circuit to bend, the features selected from the group consisting of a sinusoid peripheral shape, a sinusoidal base curve peripheral shape, a base layer formed of and elastic PABAX, and combinations thereof.

6. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit comprises a base layer, and wherein the first and second conductive traces have a first portion of the first and second conductive traces formed on a first side of the base layer and a second portion of the first and second conductive traces formed on an opposed second side of the base layer;

an insulative layer formed over the first and second conductive traces to isolate the first and second conductive traces from an external environment, wherein the base layer, first and second conductive traces and insulative layer form a flexible circuit sheet; and

wherein the base layer and the insulative layer include material properties and a thickness configured to facilitate the flexible circuit sheet being flexible such that the flexible circuit sheet is adapted to conform to an exterior surface of the elongated body portion.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an outer polymeric shrink fit layer covering the elongated body portion and flexible circuit.

8. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive configured to contact a lower side of the flexible circuit and adapted to adhere the flexible circuit to a portion of the elongated body.

9. The surgical instrument of claim 8, wherein the flexible circuit and the adhesive have a combined thickness of between approximately 0.10 and 0.12 mm.

10. The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein a portion of the elongated body portion is malleable such that it can be bent into a plurality of shapes;

and

wherein the flexible circuit is adhered to a cylindrical outer surface of the elongated body portion and is configured to change shape in response to bending of the portion of the elongated body portion.

11. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an outer polymeric shrink layer covering the elongated body and flexible circuit, the flexible circuit being moveably captured between the outer polymeric shrink layer and the elongated body portion.

12. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the tracking device includes a plurality of tracking coils configured to nest around a generally cylindrical surface of the body portion.

13. The surgical instrument of claim 12, wherein the plurality of tracking coils includes three coil assemblies each having a respective pair of lead wires coupled to corresponding conductive traces of the flexible circuit.

14. A surgical instrument, comprising:

an elongated body portion extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the body portion formed from a deformable material such that the body portion can be bent between the proximal end and the distal end from a first configuration to a second bent configuration; and

a tracking device coupled to the distal end, including a flexible circuit extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the elongated body portion and having at least a pair of conductive traces disposed adjacent the elongated body portion, the pair of conductive traces configured to conform to a bent configuration of the elongated body portion such that they do not break during bending of the elongated body portion, the tracking device adapted to cooperate with a navigation system to track the distal end of the instrument.

15. The surgical instrument of claim 14, wherein the tracking device includes at least two coil assemblies, each coil assembly coupled to the elongated body portion adjacent a distal tip.

16. The surgical instrument of claim 15, wherein the at least two coil assemblies are orientated in a non-parallel configuration relative to each other.

17. The surgical instrument of claim 14, wherein the flexible circuit comprises a base layer, a first conductive trace having a first portion of the first conductive trace formed on a first side of the base layer and a second conductive trace having a second portion of the second conductive trace formed on an opposite second side of the base layer, a portion of the first and second conductive traces being parallel;

and

an insulative layer formed over the plurality of conductive traces to isolate the conductive traces from an external environment, wherein the base layer, plurality of conductive traces and insulative layer form a flexible circuit sheet; and

wherein the base layer and the insulative layer include material properties and a thickness configured to facilitate the flexible circuit sheet being flexible such that the flexible circuit sheet is adapted to conform to an exterior surface of the elongated body.

18. The surgical instrument of claim 17, wherein the first conductive trace has a third portion of the first conductive trace formed on the opposite second side of the base layer and the second conductive trace has a fourth portion of the second conductive trace formed on the first side of the base layer.

19. The surgical instrument of claim 14, further comprising an outer polymeric shrink fit layer covering a portion of the elongated body portion and flexible circuit.

20. The surgical instrument of claim 14, wherein the pair of conductive traces are in one of a twisted pair, a double oppositely parallel pair or double opposite oriented twisted pair.

21. A surgical instrument, comprising:

an elongated tubular body portion extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the elongated tubular body portion having an inner diameter defining a first internal flow passage between the proximal end and the distal end, and formed of a malleable deformable material such that the elongated tubular body portion can be bent between the proximal end and the distal end from a first configuration to a second bent configuration;

a tracking device coupled to the elongated tubular body portion adjacent to the distal end, the tracking device adapted to cooperate with a navigation system to track the distal end of the instrument, the tracking device including a flexible circuit having a base layer, a plurality of conductive traces each having a first portion of the plurality of conductive traces formed on a first side of the base layer and a second portion formed on an opposite second side of the base layer and a pair of lead wires for each coil assembly coupled to corresponding conductive traces; and

an insulative layer formed over the conductive traces to isolate the conductive traces from an external environment, the base layer, plurality of conductive traces and insulative layer form flexible circuit, wherein the base layer and an insulative layer include material properties and a thickness configured to facilitate the flexible circuit being flexible such that the flexible circuit is adapted to conform to an exterior surface of the elongated tubular body portion;

.

22. The surgical instrument of claim 21, wherein the flexible circuit has features configured to allow the flexible circuit to bend, the features selected from the group consisting of a sinusoid peripheral shape, a sinusoidal base curve peripheral shape, a base layer formed of and elastic PABAX, and combinations thereof.

23. The surgical instrument of claim 21, wherein the plurality of conductive traces are in one of a twisted pair, a double oppositely parallel pair or double opposite oriented twisted pair.

24. The surgical instrument of claim 21, further comprising an outer polymeric shrink fit layer covering a portion of the elongated body portion and the flexible circuit.

26. The surgical instrument of claim 21, wherein the tracking device includes at least two coil assemblies, each coil assembly coupled to the flexible circuit at predetermined locations between the proximal end and the distal end.

27. The surgical instrument of claim 22, wherein the flexible circuit protrudes from a nominal surface radius of the body portion less than about 0.08 mm and provides a substantially uniform outer surface.