Ultrasonic scalpel blade and methods of application

• US 5,263,957 A
• Filed: 10/04/1991
• Issued: 11/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ultracision, Inc. (Giga-tronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davison, Thomas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pellegrino, Stephen C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US07/771,182
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 606/167, 606/169, 606/171, 606/181, 606/190, 606/177, 606/178, 606/176, 604/22
• US Class Current: 606/169
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3213 with detachable blades
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1206 Generators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00115 with audible or visual output with imaging means A61B90/37, A61B34/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00473 Distal part, e.g. tip or head A61B2017/00464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00973 pedal-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320069 for ablating tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320082 for incising tissue
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0253 taken directly from the generator circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/40 with testing, calibrating, safety devices, built-in protection, construction details
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/76 Medical, dental
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/16 on metallic substrates or on substrates of boron or silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/48 Ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 30/00 Coating with metallic material characterised only by the composition of the metallic material, i.e. not characterised by the coating process C23C26/00, C23C28/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/08 containing only metal elements C23C4/073 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 8/24 Nitriding

Abstract

The ultrasonic scalpel blade includes a blade having an included blade edge angle of 25° and greater such that, upon application of ultrasonic power, the otherwise blunt blade has a perceived sharpness corresponding to the sharpness of manually used scalpel blades with the added advantage of improved coagulation and hemostasis. Blades are also provided with varying included angles for ultrasonically incising different tissues.

Claims

1. A blade for an ultrasonic scalpel for use in cutting tissue comprising an elongated blade body having an elongated axis, a cutting edge extending continuously along an edge of said blade on one side of said axis and defined by a pair of cutting edge faces extending continuously and uninterruptedly along said cutting edge, said cutting edge faces having an included angle of at least about 25°

affording a blunt cutting edge and substantial frictional coupling of the blade edge and tissue to obtain tissue motion with resulting generation of heat in the tissue whereby, upon application of ultrasonic power to the blade and of the blade to the tissue, a perceptively sharper blade is provided for simultaneous cutting of the tissue and coagulation of an incision are obtained, said blade having a second cutting edge extending continuously along an edge of said blade and having cutting edge faces with a different included angle as compared with the first mentioned included angle.

2. A blade according to claim 1 wherein said first cutting edge portion has a pair of cutting edge face portions defining an included angle of at lest about 25°

and said second cutting edge portion has a pair of cutting edge face portions defining an included angle within a range of at least 25°

to 50°

.

3. A blade according to claim 1 wherein said first and second cutting edge portions lie along opposite sides of the axes of said blade.

4. A blade according to claim 3 wherein said first cutting edge portion has a beta titanium alloy edge and said second cutting edge portion is formed of titanium.

5. A blade according to claim 1 wherein said first and second cutting edge portions are formed of different materials.

6. A blade according to claim 1 wherein said first cutting edge portion has a pair of cutting edge face portions having an included angle of at least about 25°

along a curved edge on one side of said blade, said second cutting edge portion having a pair of cutting edge face portions having an included angle of about at least 25°

to 50°

along the other side of said blade.

7. A blade for an ultrasonic scalpel comprising a blade body having first and second cutting edges each defined by a pair of cutting edge faces, each said pair of cutting edge faces having an included angle of at least about 25°

whereby a perceptively sharper blade and coagulation of the blood vessels in the incision upon application of ultrasonic power to the blade is obtained;

the cutting edge faces of said first and second cutting edges, respectively, having different included angles; and

said first and second cutting edges lying along one side of said blade.

8. A blade according to claim 7 wherein said first cutting edge portion extends along a straight section of the cutting edge along one side of said blade and has cutting edge faces defining an included angle within a range of about 25°

-35° and

said second cutting edge portion extends along a curved section of the cutting edge along said one blade side and has cutting edge faces defining an included angle of at least about 40°

.

9. A blade according to claim 8 wherein said first cutting edge portion extends along a portion of said curved section.

10. An ultrasonic scalpel for use in cutting tissue comprising a blade including an elongated blade body having an elongated axis, a cutting edge extending continuously along an edge of said blade on one side of said axis and defined by a pair of cutting edge faces extending continuously and uninterruptedly along said cutting edge, said cutting edge faces having an included angle of at least about 25°

affording a blunt cutting edge and substantial frictional coupling of the blade edge and tissue to obtain tissue motion with resulting generation of heat in the tissue whereby, upon application of ultrasonic power to the blade and of the blade to the tissue, a perceptively sharper blade is provided for simultaneous cutting of the tissue and coagulation of an incision are obtained, a handle for mounting the blade, means for applying ultrasonic energy to the blade through the handle to vibrate the blade in the direction of the axis of said blade, said blade body lying in a plane, said included angle lying in a plane normal to said blade body plane and intersected by the axis of said blade body, said blade tip being flattened to provide ultrasonic tissue fragmentation upon application of ultrasonic power.

11. A method of incising tissue comprising the steps of:

selecting an ultrasonically actuated scalpel blade from a plurality of blades each having different included and increasing blade angles of at least about 25°

in inverse proportion to the protein content of the tissue to be incised;

applying energy to said selected blade to ultrasonically vibrate said blade;

applying said selected blade to the tissue;

frictionally coupling said selected blade and the tissue upon application thereof to the tissue to obtain motion of the tissue sufficient to heat the tissue and cause hemostasis of the tissue, thereby to achieve substantially simultaneous cutting and hemostasis.

12. A method of incising different tissues employing a single scalpel blade comprising the steps of:

providing an ultrasonically actuated scalpel blade lying in a plane and having at least two discrete edge portions with different included angles, both being at least 25° and

lying in planes generally normal to the plane of the blade;

applying one of the discrete edge portions to one of the tissues to dissect the one tissue;

applying energy to the blade to ultrasonically vibrate the blade;

frictionally coupling said one discrete edge portion and the tissue upon application of the one edge portion to the tissue to obtain motion of the tissue sufficient to heat the tissue and cause hemostasis of the tissue thereby to achieve simultaneous cutting and hemostasis of the one tissue;

applying the other edge portion to the other of the tissues;

applying energy to the blade to ultrasonically vibrate the blade when the other edge portion is applied to the other tissue; and

frictionally coupling said other edge portion and the other tissue upon application of the other edge portion to the other tissue to obtain motion of the other tissue sufficient to heat the other tissue and cause hemostasis of the other tissue thereby to achieve simultaneous cutting and hemostasis in the other tissue.

13. A method of incising tissue comprising the steps of:

selecting an ultrasonically activated blade from a plurality of blades each having different included and increasing blade angles thereby affording blades that are less than surgically sharp and having a bluntness and dullness in inverse proportion to the protein content of the tissues to be incised;

applying energy to said selected blade to ultrasonically vibrate said blade;

applying said selected blade to the tissue; and

frictionally coupling said selected blade and the tissue upon application of said selected blade to the tissue to obtain motion of the tissue sufficient to heat the tissue and cause hemostasis of the tissue, thereby to achieve tissue coagulation and hemostasis and simultaneously achieve a cutting sharpness that is perceived to be at least equivalent to the sharpness of standard surgical blades.

14. A blade for an ultrasonic scalpel comprising a blade body having first and second cutting edges each defined by a pair of cutting edge faces, each said pair of cutting edge faces having an included angle of at least about 25°

whereby a perceptively sharper blade and coagulation of the blood vessels in the incision upon application of ultrasonic power to the blade are obtained;

the cutting edge faces of said first and second cutting edges, respectively, having different included angles;

said first and second cutting edges lying along opposite sides of said blade; and

said first cutting edge having a coating of a nickel chrome alloy and said second cutting edge being formed of aluminum.