Electric medical apparatus

• US 6,306,131 B1
• Filed: 09/02/1999
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatta, Shinji, Sekino, Naomi, Hareyama, Norihiko, Yamauchi, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): PEFFLEY, MICHAEL F
• Application Number:
  US09/388,783
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 606/32, 606/34, 606/35, 606/37, 606/41, 606/42
• US Class Current: 606/38
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1442 Probes having pivoting end effectors, e.g. forceps
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00026 Conductivity or impedance, e.g. of tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00011 with fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00607 Coagulation and cutting with the same instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00702 Power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00875 Resistance or impedance

Abstract

An electric medical apparatus according to the present invention performs an incising treatment automatically after the coagulating treatment has been performed without a necessity for an operator to perform another operation between the two treatment operations when the incising treatment performs after a coagulating treatment. The electric medical apparatus comprises a CPU, a waveform generating circuit, an amplifier and an output control unit to supply an output for performing the coagulating treatment to a treatment device and an output for performing the incising treatment to the treatment device. The impedance of a living tissue with which the treatment device is brought into contact is measured and calculated by a voltage sensor, a current sensor and an impedance calculating portion. In accordance with a result of the calculation performed by the impedance calculating portion, an output from an electric knife body is, by the CPU, switched to the output for the incising treatment after the coagulating treatment has been performed.

Claims

1. An electric medical apparatus having a treatment device which is adapted to be brought into contact with a living tissue and which is supplied with high-frequency electric power from a high-frequency power supply unit so as to coagulate or excise the living tissue, said electric medical apparatus comprising:

measuring means for measuring an impedance of the living tissue;

output control means for switching between;

(i) a state where said high-frequency electric power has a load characteristic output suitable for coagulating the living tissue, and (ii) a state where said high-frequency electric power has a load characteristic output suitable for excising the living tissue; and

control means for, when the high-frequency electric power has the load characteristic output suitable for coagulating the living tissue, detecting completion of coagulation of the living tissue based on a measurement result obtained by said measuring means, and for then automatically controlling said output control means to switch over to the state where the high-frequency electric power has the load characteristic output suitable for excising the living tissue.

2. An electric medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means detects completion of coagulation of the living tissue when a rate of change in the impedance measured by said measuring means is larger than a predetermined value.

3. An electric medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means detects completion of coagulation of the living tissue when the impedance measured by said measuring means has a value larger than a predetermined value.

4. An electric medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means detects completion of coagulation of the living tissue when one of:

(i) a rate of change in the impedance measured by said measuring means is larger than a predetermined value, and (ii) the impedance measured by said measuring means has a value larger than a predetermined value.

5. An electric medical apparatus having a treatment device which is adapted to be brought into contact with a living tissue and which is supplied with high-frequency electric power from a high-frequency power supply unit so as to coagulate or excise the living tissue, said electric medical apparatus comprising:

measuring means for measuring an impedance of the living tissue;

output control means for switching between;

(i) a state where said high-frequency electric power has a load characteristic output suitable for coagulating the living tissue, and (ii) a state where said high-frequency electric power has a load characteristic output suitable for excising the living tissue;

control means for, when the high-frequency electric power has the load characteristic output suitable for coagulating the living tissue, detecting completion of coagulation of the living tissue when one of;

(i) a rate of change in the impedance measured by said measuring means is larger than a predetermined value, and (ii) the impedance measured by said measuring means has a value larger than a predetermined value, and for then automatically controlling said output control means to switch over to the state where the high-frequency electric power has the load characteristic output suitable for excising the living tissue.