Trocar for endoscopic surgery

• US 5,385,572 A
• Filed: 11/12/1992
• Issued: 01/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Beowulf Holdings
• Inventors: Flower, Robert J., Nobles, Anthony A., Lancaster, Arthur, Brosch, Ben G. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Ralph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dawson, Glenn K.
• Application Number:
  US07/974,956
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 128/4, 128/6-8, 128/749, 128/395, 128/398, 607/90-93, 606/1, 606/167, 606/170, 606/184-186, 606/2, 606/10-16, 606/182, 606/183, 604/264, 604/164
• US Class Current: 606/185
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/313 for introducing through surgical openings, e.g. laparoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3417 Details of tips or shafts, e.g. grooves, expandable, bendable; Multiple coaxial sliding cannulas, e.g. for dilating syringe needles A61M5/32; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation

Abstract

A trocar has an elongated shaft, and a cutting element is attached to a distal end of the shaft. The cutting element can be a transparent puncturing head formed integrally with the shaft, and a distal portion of the puncturing head is configured as a regular triangular pyramid having three sharpened cutting edges. Alternatively, the cutting element can be three or four metal cutting blades which are attached to the distal end of the shaft. In either case, a pathway for light communication is established from the cutting element through the shaft, a portion of which is transparent. The shaft has a cavity, and a rigid endoscope is positioned in the cavity to collect light from the distal end of the shaft. A video monitor is connected to the endoscope for displaying an image of the path of advancement of the trocar.

Claims

1. An endoscopic piercing instrument, comprising:

a transparent shaft having a distal end configured for cutting tissue and a proximal segment, the proximal segment having a cavity formed therein;

a light transmitting member positioned in the cavity in light communication with the distal end of the shaft for transmitting light which impinges on the distal end and propagates to the light transmitting member through said transparent shaft; and

a pyramidal puncturing head formed from a plurality of contiguous flat triangular surfaces on the shaft at the distal end, the puncturing head comprising a plurality of sharpened blades each aligned with and secured to an edge between said contiguous flat triangular surfaces.

2. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the light transmitting member is a rigid endoscope, and the endoscope is connected to a video display system.

3. The instrument of claim 2, wherein the endoscope includes at least one rod lens.

4. The instrument of claim 1, wherein a portion of the puncturing head is generally configured as a regular triangular pyramid.

5. A trocar for endoscopic surgery, comprising:

a shaft having a distal end and a proximal segment having a cavity formed therein;

a cutting element attached to the distal end of the shaft;

a video display system operationally connected to light receiving means in the interior of the cavity formed in the proximal segment of the shaft for displaying the image of an object located beyond the cutting element;

a transparent puncturing head formed on the distal end of the shaft, the puncturing head having a polished distal portion configured generally as a pyramid having a plurality of contiguous triangular surfaces; and

plurality of sharpened blades each aligned with and secured to an edge between said contiguous triangular surfaces.

6. The trocar of claim 5, wherein light receiving mean includes a rigid endoscope positioned in the cavity and the video display system a video monitor operably connected to the rigid endoscope.

7. The trocar of claim 5 wherein said distal portion is generally configured as a regular triangular pyramid.