Surgical trocar with cutoff circuit
First Claim
1. A trocar system for penetrating a tissue wall in order to provide access for instruments extending into a body cavity of a patient, comprising:
- an obturator having a shaft with a blunt distal tip;
a cannula having a working channel adapted to removably receive the obturator and to receive the instruments after the obturator has been removed from the cannula;
a cutting element disposed at the blunt distal tip of the obturator and extending beyond the cannula when the obturator is disposed in the cannula, the cutting element having properties for being electrically energized to cut tissue;
a power generator for generating a cutting signal;
conduction means for conducting the cutting signal from the power generator to the cutting element at the blunt tip of the obturator; and
means responsive to penetration of the tissue wall for inhibiting further electrical energizing of the cutting element in order to prevent further cutting of tissue by the cutting element.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical trocar includes an operative sleeve adapted for disposition across a tissue barrier and an obturator removably disposed in the sleeve. An obturator includes a cutting element which is operable to cut the tissue. The obturator and the operative sleeve can be advanced through the cut tissue and the obturator removed leaving the sleeve operatively disposed for further surgery. A cutoff and reset mechanism is responsive to a condition present when the obturator penetrates the tissue barrier to inhibit further cutting by the cutting element. A reset mechanism is manually operable through the conscious efforts of the surgeon to reset the trocar should further cutting be desired. The cutoff and reset mechanisms can be embodied mechanically as well as electrically and adapted to both mechanical and electrosurgical trocars.
283 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A trocar system for penetrating a tissue wall in order to provide access for instruments extending into a body cavity of a patient, comprising:
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an obturator having a shaft with a blunt distal tip; a cannula having a working channel adapted to removably receive the obturator and to receive the instruments after the obturator has been removed from the cannula; a cutting element disposed at the blunt distal tip of the obturator and extending beyond the cannula when the obturator is disposed in the cannula, the cutting element having properties for being electrically energized to cut tissue; a power generator for generating a cutting signal; conduction means for conducting the cutting signal from the power generator to the cutting element at the blunt tip of the obturator; and means responsive to penetration of the tissue wall for inhibiting further electrical energizing of the cutting element in order to prevent further cutting of tissue by the cutting element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A trocar system for penetrating a tissue wall of a patient, in order to provide access for instruments extending into a body cavity of the patient, comprising:
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an obturator having a shaft with a blunt distal tip; a cannula having a working channel adapted to removably receive the obturator and to receive the instruments after the obturator has been removed from the cannula; a cutting element disposed at the blunt distal tip of the obturator and having properties for being electrically energized to cut tissue; first means operatively connected to the cutting element for electrically energizing the cutting element; and second means responsive to a particular condition representative of penetration of the tissue wall by the blunt distal tip of the obturator for inhibiting further cutting of tissue by the cutting element. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A trocar system for penetrating wall having an interior surface defining a body cavity of a patient, comprising:
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an obturator having a shaft with a blunt distal tip; a cutting element disposed at the distal tip and having properties for being energized to cut tissue; means for being electrically energizing the cutting tip; a switch including in the energizing means and having an open state permitting energizing of the cutting tip and a closed state inhibiting energizing of the cutting tip; an electrically sensor disposed at the distal tip and responsive to conditions present when the distal tip is in proximity to the inner surface of the tissue wall to provide a penetration signal;
to automatically switch to the open state, thereby inhibiting further cutting by the cutting element. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An electrosurgical trocar system for penetrating a tissue wall in order to provide access for instruments extending into a body cavity of a patient, comprising:
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an electrical generator producing an electrical power signal; an electrosurgical trocar operatively connected to the electrical generator and including an obturator having a distal tip responsive to the electrical power signal of the generator to cut the tissue of the wall as the obturator penetrates the wall; a cannula having a working channel adapted to removably receive the obturator and to receive the instruments after the obturator has been removed from the cannula; and a cutoff circuit included in one of the electrical generator and electrosurgical trocar, the cutoff circuit being responsive to full penetration of the wall by the distal tip of the electrosurgical trocar to inhibit the electrical power signal produced by the electrical generator and to prevent further cutting of the tissue by the distal tip. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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24. An electrosurgical trocar system for penetrating a body wall having an inner surface defining a body cavity, the system comprising:
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an electrical generator having a power electrode and properties for producing an electrical power signal; a control circuit included in the generator; switch means included in the control circuit of the generator and having a closed state enabling presentation of the power signal on the power electrode and an open state inhibiting presentation of the power signal on the power electrode; an electrosurgical trocar operatively connected to the generator and having a distal tip carrying a cutting element, the cutting element being responsive to the power signal from the generator to penetrate the body wall; an electric sensor operatively connected to said switch means and having characteristics for sensing an environmental condition which exists when the distal tip of the trocar is in proximity to the inner surface of the wall, the sensor being responsive to the environmental condition for providing a cutoff signal; and the switch means being responsive to the cutoff signal from the sensor for automatically assuming the open state to inhibit further cutting by the cutting element. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A trocar system for penetrating a tissue wall of a patient, comprising:
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a trocar including a housing and a cannula; an obturator having a handle, and a shaft extending from the handle, the shaft having a blunt distal tip and being adapted for insertion through the housing and the cannula of the trocar; an electrical actuated cutting element disposed at the distal tip of the obturator; means included in the obturator for moving the cutting element through the tissue wall; a sensor included in the obturator and responsive to a particular condition representative of penetration of the tissue wall by the cutting element to provide an electrical cutoff signal; and a logic circuit responsive to the cutoff signal of the sensor for inhibiting further cutting of the tissue by the cutting element of the obturator. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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32. A trocar system for penetrating a tissue barrier of a patient, comprising:
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a cannula having a proximal end and a distal end; an obturator adapted for removable disposition within the cannula and having a shaft with a blunt cutting tip adapted to cut the tissue barrier; logic means for electrically controlling the cutting of the blunt cutting tip; cutoff means included in the logic means and responsive to a condition representative of penetration of the tissue barrier by the cutting tip to inhibit further cutting by the blunt cutting tip; and reset means included in the logic means and manually operable for overriding the cutoff means to permit further cutting by the blunt cutting tip of the obturator. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for controlling the cutting of an electrical actuated tissue barrier by a blunt cutting tip disposed at the distal end of a trocar obturator, comprising the steps of:
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cutting the tissue barrier with the blunt cutting tip of the obturator; controlling the cutting of the tissue barrier by the blunt cutting tip through operation of a logic circuit; sensing a condition representative of substantially complete penetration of the tissue barrier by the blunt cutting tip; automatically inhibiting further cutting of the cutting tip due to operation of the logic circuit in response to the sensing of the condition; and resetting the logic circuit to permit further cutting of the tissue barrier. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40)
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41. An electrosurgical trocar system for cutting the tissue of a body wall, comprising:
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an electrical generator producing an electrical power signal; an electrosurgical trocar including a housing and a cannula extending from the housing; an obturator including a handle and a shaft extending from the handle, the shaft of the obturator being adapted for insertion through the cannula of the trocar and having a distal tip responsive to the electrical power signal of the generator to cut the tissue of the wall as the obturator penetrates the wall; a cutoff circuit included in one of the electrical generator and the electrosurgical trocar, the cutoff circuit being responsive to the full penetration of the body wall by the distal tip of the electrosurgical trocar to inhibit the electrical power signal produced by the electrical generator and to prevent further cutting of the tissue by the distal tip; a sensor included in the cutoff circuit and responsive to an environmental condition present when the distal tip is in proximity to an inner surface of the wall, to provide a cutoff signal; means included in the cutoff circuit and responsive to the cutoff signal for inhibiting the electrical power signal, the inhibiting means including a first switch and a second switch in series combination and operable to introduce the electrical power signal to the distal tip; the first switch being automatically responsive to the cutoff signal to inhibit introduction of the power signal to the distal tip; and the second switch being disposed in the obturator handle and manually operable by squeezing the handle of the obturator against the housing of the trocar to inhibit introduction of the electrical power signal to the distal tip.
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Specification