Medical instrument with nerve sensor

• US 5,928,158 A
• Filed: 03/25/1997
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Very Inventive Physicians
• Original Assignee: Very Inventive Physicians
• Inventors: Aristides, Arellano
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): YU, JUSTINE ROMANG
• Application Number:
  US08/823,992
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 600/118, 600/461, 600/464, 600/564, 600/567, 600/554, 600/587, 600/547, 600/550, 606/35, 606/23, 606/32, 606/170, 606/174, 606/705, 606/39, 604/116
• US Class Current: 600/547
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32 Surgical cutting instruments A61B18/042 takes precedence; suture cutters A61B17/0467; instruments for ligaturing or cutting A61B17/128; instruments for rupturing the amniotic membrane A61B17/4208; specially adapted knives for eye surgery A61F9/0133
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00039 Electric or electromagnetic phenomena other than conductivity, e.g. capacity, inductivity, Hall effect
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00123 and automatic shutdown
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00636 Sensing and controlling the application of energy

Abstract

An improved surgical instrument which is used for cutting of tissue. The instrument includes a sensor which identifies nerves within the patient which are proximate to the cutting member of the instrument. The entire assembly is hand held and includes both a surgical cutter such as a scalpel blade, scissors, or laser scalpel, as well as the electronics to stimulate nerves within the patient. The electronics monitor is positioned near the tip of the instrument to warn the surgeon of a proximate nerve so that the nerves are not inadvertently severed. In one embodiment of this invention, the scissors are incapacitated when a nerve is sensed to prevent an accidental cutting of the nerve.

Claims

1. A manually operated surgical instrument comprising:

a) a housing having,

1) a grip portion adapted to be held by a user, and,

2) a distal end adapted for cutting tissue within a human body; and

,

b) an electronics unit contained within said housing and having,

1) a first electrical lead adapted to be in electrical communication with the human body,

2) means for generating a predefined shaped signal in said first electrical lead, for detecting the present of non-stimulated naturally occuring electrical signal from human nerves

3) the second electrical lead having a contact proximate to a distal end of said manually operated instrument and adapted to electrically engage the human body,

4) means for sensing the predefined shaped signal in said second electrical lead, and,

5) alarm means for generating an alarm in response to sensing the predefined shaped signal in said second electrical lead.

2. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the distal end includes a pair of hinged blades and wherein said alarm means includes, in response to said predefined signal in said second electrical lead, means for blocking said hinged blades from closing.

3. The surgical instrument according to claim 1 wherein said electronics unit further includes means for electrically isolating said means for sensing from remote electronic systems.