Extendable electrocautery surgery apparatus and method

• US 4,919,129 A
• Filed: 11/30/1987
• Issued: 04/24/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Technology Consortuim Asociates
• Original Assignee: Celebration Medical Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Cast, Michael A., Watkins, Frank T. III, Weber, Jaroy Jr., Kloeckl, Terrance L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Application Number:
  US07/125,652
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 128/303.13-303.19, 128/800, 128/801, 604/35
• US Class Current: 606/42
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1402 Probes for open surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320008 Scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/32113 with extendable or retractable guard or blade
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00196 reciprocating lengthwise
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00946 slidable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00958 for switching between different working modes of the main function
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00976 with scraping means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1475 Electrodes retractable in or deployable from a housing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/008 for smoke evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/7415 by deformation of the fluid passage
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/04 Tools for specific apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/014 Application surgical instrument

Abstract

An improved electrocautery method and instrument is configured to accept attachable extension units for effectively extending the utility of the instrument into deep surgical sites. Interlock features enable the instrument to be safely configured to any desired length for use as a vacuum probe and as a self-cleanable electrocautery or electro-surgical instrument under convenient manual controls including a slide element and control buttons and interlock switch positioned on the instrument.

Claims

1. Surgical apparatus comprising:

an elongated body having an electrical conductor positionable along a slideable path extending substantially therethrough toward a forward end thereof, and including connector means disposed near said forward end;

said connector means being disposed to receive a conductive element therein for selective slideable positioning thereof relative to said forward end in response to slideable movement of the electrical conductor;

slider means disposed on the body and coupled to the electrical conductor for selectively altering the position thereof and of the connector means between forward and rearward positions thereof relative to said forward end;

circuit means disposed in the body to be actuated by the electrical conductor for controlling the application of electrical signal thereto in response to the position of the electrical conductor along the slideable path thereof;

said circuit means including an interlock switch operable in conductive state and in non-conductive state and disposed to be actuated for operation in the non-conductive state in response to the electrical conductor being positioned near said rearward position along the slideable path thereof;

said interlock switch including auxiliary circuit means disposed in the body for grounding the electrical conductor during operation in said non-conductive state.

2. Surgical apparatus comprising:

an elongated body having a an electrical conductor positionable along a slideable path extending substantially therethrough toward a forward end thereof, and including connector means disposed near said forward end;

said connector means being disposed to receive a conductive element therein for selective slideable positioning thereof relative to said forward end in response to slideable movement of the electrical conductor;

slider means slideably disposed on the body and coupled to the electrical conductor for selectively altering the position thereof along the slideable path and of the connector means between forward and rearward positions relative to said forward end;

circuit means disposed in the body to be actuated by the electrical conductor for controlling the application of electrical signal thereto in response to the position of the electrical conductor along the slideable path thereof;

switch means including at least one switch mounted in the body and including an actuator therefor positioned on the body for manually actuating said one switch for selectively applying electrical signal through said circuit means to the electrical conductor; and

said slider means including means oriented to shroud the actuator against manual operation thereof near the rearward position along the slideable path thereof.

3. Surgical apparatus comprising:

an elongated body having an electrical conductor positionable along a slideable path extending substantially therethrough toward a forward end thereof, and including connector means disposed near said forward end;

said connector means being disposed to receive a conductive element therein for selective slideable positioning thereof relative to said forward end in response to slideable movement of the electrical conductor;

slider means disposed on the body and coupled to the electrical conductor for selectively altering the position thereof and of the connector means between forward and rearward positions thereof relative to said forward end;

circuit means disposed in the body to be actuated by the electrical conductor for controlling the application of electrical signal thereto in response to the position of the electrical conductor along the slideable path thereof;

a vacuum conduit through the body including a port near said forward end thereof;

valve means for said vacuum conduit including a control element disposed to protrude from said body for manually controlling vacuum at said port;

said port including a receptacle which extends to said forward end of the body for receiving a conduit in a front end thereof near said forward end of the body and including an aperture in the receptacle that communicates with the vacuum conduit for limiting the pressure in the vacuum conduit when said front end of the receptacle is occluded;

extension means including a conduit for attachment to the receptacle and electrode means for attachment with said connector means for conducting electrical signal therefrom, and including support means attached to the conduit for slideably supporting the electrode means therein;

said extension means disposed to attach to said body with the conduit thereof inserted into said receptacle to occlude said aperture and with the electrode means attached to said connector means.

4. Surgical apparatus comprising:

an elongated body having an electrical conductor positionable along a slideable path extending substantially therethrough toward a forward end thereof, and including connector means disposed near said forward end;

said connector means being disposed to receive a conductive element therein for selective slideable positioning thereof relative to said forward end in response to slideable movement of the electrical conductor;

slider means disposed on the body and coupled to the electrical conductor for selectively altering the position thereof and of the connector means between forward and rearward positions thereof relative to said forward end;

circuit means disposed in the body to be actuated by the electrical conductor for controlling the application of electrical signal thereto in response to the position of the electrical conductor along the slideable path thereof;

support means for supporting an electrode therein disposed to be attached to said body near said forward end thereof; and

electrode means for conducting electrical signal slideably disposed in the support means and including a portion thereof disposed to protrude from a forward end of the support means in a forward slideable position thereof and having a rearwardly extending portion disposed to attach to said connector means.

5. Surgical apparatus comprising:

an elongated body having an electrical conductor positionable along a slideable path extending substantially therethrough toward a forward end thereof, and including connector means disposed near said forward end;

said connector means being disposed to receive a conductive element therein for selective slideable positioning thereof relative to said forward end in response to slideable movement of the electrical conductor;

slider means disposed on the body and coupled to the electrical conductor for selectively altering the position thereof and of the connector means between forward and rearward positions thereof relative to said forward end;

circuit means disposed in the body to be actuated by the electrical conductor for controlling the application of electrical signal thereto in response to the position of the electrical conductor along the slideable path thereof;

a vacuum conduit through the body including a port near said forward end thereof;

valve means for said vacuum conduit including a control element disposed to protrude from said body for manually controlling vacuum at said port;

support means for supporting a vacuum port near a forward end thereof and having a conduit coupled thereto and extending rearwardly from the support means for attachment to said port of said body; and

electrode means for conducting electrical signal slideably disposed in the support means and including a portion thereof disposed to protrude from said forward end of the support means in a forward slideable position thereof, and having a rearwardly extending portion disposed to attach to said connector means of said body.

6. A method of operating an electrosurgical instrument including a vacuum conduit with a port disposed in a forward end of the instrument and including a manually-controlled slideable electrode extendable from said forward end for controllably applying electrical signal to tissue, the method comprising the steps of:

detachably substituting electrode means for the electrode to extend from said forward end of the instrument;

detachably extending the vacuum conduit from the port in said forward end of the instrument to an extended port at a location near the electrode means; and

slideably supporting the electrode means near the extended port of the vacuum conduit for selectively manually extending the electrode means relative to said location in response to the manual control thereof at the instrument.

7. The method according to claim 6 comprising the step of:

inhibiting the application of electrical signal in response to the positioning of the electrode means near a rearward slideable position thereof.