Surgical instrument and method for endoscopic tissue dissection

• US 6,206,823 B1
• Filed: 08/02/1999
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Datascope Corporation (Getinge AB)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Bertin, Jason C., Thompson, Bennie, Kolata, Ronald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirsch, Paul J.
• Application Number:
  US09/365,946
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 600/129, 600/127
• US Class Current: 600/129
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00008 Vein tendon strippers tube strippers A61M1/83
• 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 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras

Abstract

A surgical instrument and method is provided for optically penetrating bodily tissue for creating an initial body cavity such as during a vessel harvesting procedure. The surgical instrument comprises an elongated shaft having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end, and a distal end. The surgical instrument further comprises an optical penetrating tip having a cylindrical portion attached to the distal end of the shaft, and a tapered portion extending distally therefrom. The tapered portion has an apex spaced laterally apart from the longitudinal axis. In one embodiment of the present invention, a handle is attached to the proximal end of the shaft.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument for optically penetrating bodily tissue to create an initial body cavity and comprising:

a. an elongated, hollow shaft having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end, and a distal end, said hollow shaft having a lumen therethrough; and

b. a hollow and enclosed optical penetrating tip having a cylindrical portion attached to said distal end of said hollow shaft and a tapered portion extending distally therefrom, said tapered portion having an apex spaced laterally apart from said longitudinal axis.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1 further comprising a handle attached to said proximal end of said hollow shaft.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein said tapered portion of said optical penetrating tip comprises an upper surface blended into a lower surface, and said upper surface is sloped with respect to said longitudinal axis of said hollow shaft, and said upper surface has an average inclination axis when viewed from the side, and said average inclination axis forms an inclination angle with said longitudinal axis of said hollow shaft of between 15 and 75 degrees.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 2 wherein said tapered portion of said optical penetrating tip comprises an upper surface blended into a lower surface, and said upper surface is sloped with respect to said longitudinal axis of said hollow shaft, and said upper surface has an average inclination axis when viewed from the side, and said average inclination axis forms an inclination angle with said longitudinal axis of said hollow shaft of about 45 degrees.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 4 wherein said upper and lower surfaces of said tapered portion of said optical penetrating tip are non-planar.

6. The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein said optical penetrating tip further comprises a hollow enclosed optical tip chamber in communication with said lumen of said hollow shaft for slidably inserting a distal viewing tip of an endoscope therein.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 1 wherein said optical penetrating tip is made from an optically transparent polymeric material and said tapered portion has a substantially uniform wall thickness.

8. The surgical instrument of claim 1 further comprising an endoscope slidably inserted into said lumen of said hollow shaft and positioned such that said endoscope has a tip having a field of view through said optical penetrating tip, said field of view having a central viewing axis therethrough, said central viewing axis making a viewing angle with respect to said longitudinal axis of at least about thirty degrees and said central viewing axis is closely aligned with said apex.

9. The surgical instrument of claim 1 further comprising at least one purge port in said distal end of said hollow shaft fluidly connected to a flow source, whereby particulate matter and moisture is purged from a body cavity created by said optical penetrating tip while said surgical instrument is inserted in said body cavity.

10. The surgical instrument of claim 9 wherein said flow source comprises carbon dioxide gas.

11. A method for creating an initial body cavity alongside of a vessel to be harvested from a surgical patient'"'"'s body comprising the steps of identifying a vessel to be removed;

making an incision in the patient'"'"'s body near the identified vessel;

inserting a surgical instrument having a hollow enclosed optical penetrating tip through said incision, said surgical instrument comprising an elongated, hollow shaft having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end, and a distal end, said optical penetrating tip having a cylindrical portion attached to said distal end of said hollow shaft and a tapered portion extending distally therefrom, said tapered portion having an apex spaced laterally apart from said longitudinal axis;

optically penetrating the tissue along a side of the vessel with the surgical instrument; and

withdrawing the surgical instrument from the body through the incision.