Bipolar coagulation and cutting forceps

• US 5,445,638 A
• Filed: 07/16/1993
• Issued: 08/29/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Everest Medical Corp. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: O'Brien, Joseph A., Rydell, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Application Number:
  US08/092,558
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 606/45, 606/46, 606/48-52, 606/171
• US Class Current: 606/51
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1402 Probes for open surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1442 Probes having pivoting end effectors, e.g. forceps
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1482 having a long rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously in minimal invasive surgery, e.g. laparoscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00196 reciprocating lengthwise

Abstract

A bipolar electrosurgical device for coagulating and cutting tissue has an elongated tubular member from which a bipolar tissue cutting forceps and cutting instrument extends at the distal end. The cutting instrument is connected to a moveable rod extending through the lumen of the tubular member. A first and second conductor pair extend in spaced apart parallel arrangement to allow the cutting instrument and its moveable rod to extend therebetween. The first and second conductor pairs are operatively connected to the forceps jaws. A moveable guide member is disposed within the lumen of the elongated tubular member and has means for selectively engaging the first and second conductor pairs for closing and opening jaws of the forceps. The forceps jaws have a slot for receiving the cutting instrument therebetween. A handle member is fixed to the proximal end of the first tubular member. The handle member includes means for imparting translational longitudinal reciprocal motion to the guide member and the cutting instrument for a coagulating and cutting procedure. The cutting instrument may have one cutting edge on the leading edge or a cutting edge on both the leading and trailing edge.

Claims

1. A bipolar electrosurgical device for coagulating and cutting tissue, said device comprising;

(a) an elongated tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen extending therethrough;

(b) a first moveable forceps jaw and a second moveable forceps jaw extending from said distal end of said tubular member;

(c) a means for opening and closing said first and second moveable forceps jaws relative to one another;

(d) a first electrode on said first moveable forceps jaw and a second electrode on said second moveable forceps jaw;

(e) means for applying a RF voltage across said first and second electrodes for coagulating tissue contained between said first and second moveable forceps jaws;

(f) a cutting instrument extending from said distal end of said tubular member; and

(g) a reciprocating means for advancing and retracting said cutting instrument through said tissue when contained between said jaws.

2. A device of claim 1 wherein said means for opening and closing said first and second moveable forceps jaws includes at least one first arcuate wire member extending proximal of said first moveable forceps jaws and at least one second arcuate wire member extending proximal of said second moveable forceps jaws and further including a moveable guide sleeve means for selectively engaging and deforming said at least one first and second arcuate wire members.

3. A device of claim 2 wherein said means for opening and closing said forceps jaws includes a handle at said proximal end of said tubular member, said handle having a stationary element coupled to said proximal end of said tubular member and a moveable element coupled to said stationary element.

4. A device of claim 3 and further including a spool member wherein said moveable element is pivotally joined to said stationary element with said moveable element having a first end coupled to said spool member and a second end of said moveable element configured for manual manipulation.

5. A device of claim 3 wherein said handle further includes a trigger member operatively connected to said reciprocating means for advancing and retracting said cutting instrument.

6. A device of claim 3 further including an exterior spool slidingly surrounding said tubular member and operatively connected to said reciprocating means for advancing and retracting said cutting instrument.

7. The device of claim 3 and further including a translating block operatively Joined to a proximal end of the moveable guide sleeve means and coupled to the moveable element for selectively engaging and deforming said at least one first and second arcuate wire members when the movable element is actuated;

and a movable rod affixed to said cutting instrument, the movable rod also being coupled to said movable element.

8. A device of claim 1 wherein said cutting instrument is a scalpel blade having a sharpened cutting leading edge.

9. A device of claim 1 wherein said cutting instrument is flexible and has a leading cutting edge and a trailing cutting edge.

10. A device of claim 1 wherein said cutting instrument is a springy wire having a leading edge and a trailing edge sharpened for cutting.

11. A device of claim 1 wherein said cutting instrument is a flexible scalpel blade having a leading edge and a trailing edge sharpened for cutting.

12. A bipolar electrosurgical device for coagulating and cutting tissue, said device comprising:

(a) an elongated tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen extending therethrough;

(b) a tissue cutting instrument extending from said distal end of said elongated tubular member;

(c) a moveable rod connected to said cutting instrument, said movable rod extending through said lumen;

(d) first and second arcuate wire segments extending from the distal end of the elongated tubular member;

(e) a forceps having a first moveable jaw extending from said first arcuate wire segment and a second moveable jaw extending from said second arcuate wire segment, said first moveable jaw having a first electrode surface and said second moveable jaw having a second electrode surface, said first electrode surface and said second electrode surface adapted to be operatively connected to a source of RF voltage;

(f) a guide sleeve member disposed within said lumen of said elongated tubular member for selectively engaging said first and second arcuate wire segments when said guide sleeve member is translated for closing said first and second moveable jaws; and

(g) a handle member affixed to said proximal end of said tubular member, said handle member including means for imparting translational reciprocal motion to said guide sleeve member and said moveable rod.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein said first electrode surface has a first slot for receiving said cutting instrument and said second electrode surface has a second slot for receiving said cutting instrument, said second slot being aligned parallel with said first slot in different planes.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein said guide sleeve member includes a cutting instrument receiving slot for receiving said cutting instrument therethrough and at least one wire receiving aperture for receiving one of said first and second arcuate wire segments therethrough.

15. The device of claim 12 wherein said handle member comprises a stationary element coupled to said proximal end of said tubular member and a moveable element pivotally jointed to said stationary element with said moveable element having a first end coupled to said guide sleeve member and a second end of said moveable element configured for manual manipulation.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein said handle member further includes a spool member affixed to said proximal end of said guide sleeve member, with said first end of said moveable element being forked for engaging said spool member.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein said means for imparting translational reciprocal motion to said guide member includes a translating block operatively joined to said guide sleeve member and a biasing means connecting said translating block and said moveable element.

18. The device of claim 12 wherein said means for imparting translational reciprocal motion to said guide sleeve member and said movable rod includes a trigger member operatively coupled to said moveable rod for imparting translational movement to said cutting instrument.

19. The device of claim 12 wherein said means for imparting translational reciprocal motion to said guide sleeve member and said moveable rod includes an exterior spool operatively connected to said moveable rod.

20. A device of claim 12 wherein said cutting instrument is a scalpel blade having a sharpened cutting leading edge.

21. A device of claim 12 wherein said cutting instrument is flexible and has a leading cutting edge and a trailing cutting edge.

22. A device of claim 12 wherein said cutting instrument is a springy wire having a sharpened leading edge and a sharpened trailing edge.

23. A devise of claim 12 wherein said cutting instrument is a flexible scalpel blade having a sharpened leading edge and a trailing edge.