Gas-aided, axially displaceable surgical electrode

• US 6,391,027 B1
• Filed: 08/09/1999
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH (C. Erbe GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH (C. Erbe GmbH)
• Inventors: Bartel, Volker, Farin, Günter, Fischer, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda C. M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUDDY, DAVID M
• Application Number:
  US09/214,329
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 606/41-50, 606/32, 606/34, 606/38
• US Class Current: 606/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/042 using additional gas becoming plasma
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1402 Probes for open surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0091 Handpieces of the surgical instrument or device

Abstract

The invention concerns a surgical instrument preferably for high-frequency surgery, which is designed for simple operation. For this purpose, by means of an operating device consisting of a movable handle and a grip handle, the housing 8 of the instruments of the electrode 5 moves longitudinally, through the motion of the thumb, so that the electrode 6 can be brought into working position or an APC mode can be selected. Through spring force, for instance, upon activation of a catch button or by setting aside the instrument, the electrode can automatically be retracted into the housing 8 or the housing 8 can be brought to a position surrounding the electrode 5.

Claims

1. Surgical instrument, including an operating device, a gas and high-voltage current supply, a housing, as well as an electrode which is installed on an electrode mounting in the housing, the instrument distinguished by the fact that

the operating device consists of a longitudinal arrangement of a grip handle, a turntable turn handle connected at the distal end, against the grip handle with an inside thread;

the housing is equipped on the grip side with an outer thread corresponding to the inside thread of the turn handle which outer thread engages with the inside thread so that, through a turning of the turn handle, the housing can be moved longitudinally forward or backward; and

that

the electrode in the housing is secured to a holding element, which is connected with the grip handle on the grip side.

2. Surgical instrument according to claim 1, distinguished by the fact that

the electrode mounting (11) is shaped on the grip side like a spindle or similar object, whose thread (11a) instead of the outer thread (3) of the housing (8) is engaged with the inside thread (2a) of the turn handle (2) and thus the electrode (5) is movable longitudinally in the housing (8).

3. Surgical instrument according to claim 2, distinguished by the fact that

the thread (11a) of the electrode mounting (11) engages with the inside thread (8a) of the housing (8) and

that the turning motion of the turn handle (2) by means of magnets (17, 18) in the turn handle (2) and in the electrode mounting (11) is transmitted to the electrode mounting (11) and the electrode mounting is moved longitudinally over the thread arrangement (8a, 11a) in the housing (8).

4. Surgical instrument according to claim 1, distinguished by the fact that the thread pitch of the inside thread (2a or 8a) and outer thread (3) or of the spindle thread (11a) is arranged in such a way that the electrode (5) can be freed or covered with basically just a quarter-turn of the turn handle (2).

5. Surgical instrument according to claim 1, distinguished by the fact that the turn handle (2) is equipped with a spring in such a way that upon release of the electrode (5) the spring is tensed, so that when the turn handle (2) is freed, the electrode is independently covered up again.

6. Surgical instrument according to claim 1, distinguished by the fact that for stopping the spring on the turn handle (2) a securing element is installed, which unlocks the spring, for instance through thumb pressure.

7. Surgical instrument according to claim 1, distinguished by the fact that the housing (8) is bent at an angle or is flexible.

8. Surgical instrument according to claim 7, distinguished by the fact that

the distal end of the electrode mounting (11) is flexible, preferably in the form of a spiral spring (9).

9. Surgical instrument according to claim 1, distinguished by the fact that the electrode mounting (11) is designed in such a way that the electrodes (5) are replaceable.

10. Surgical instrument, including an operating device, a gas and high-voltage current supply, a housing, an electrode which is installed on an electrode mounting in the housing the instrument distinguished by the fact that

the operating device consists of a longitudinal arrangement of a grip handle and a distally connected handle movable in relation to the grip handle, with a grip ring;

the housing is connected with a grip ring or handle, so that through a longitudinal sliding of the handle, the housing can be moved longitudinally forward or backward to expose or cover up the electrode, and that

in the housing the electrode is secured to a holding element which is connected with the grip handle.

11. Surgical instrument according to claim 10, distinguished by the fact that

the grip handle (1) has a guide bore to receive an extension (23), which is connected with the grip ring (21) and/or the housing (20) which forms a protective sleeve.

12. Surgical instrument according to claim 11, distinguished by the fact that

inside the guide bore a shoulder (25) is formed, which together with a surrounding coil (24) of the extension (23) forms a slide prevention or slide limitation device.

13. Surgical instrument according to claim 11, distinguished by the fact that in order to hold the movable catch positions of the protective sleeve, the extension (23) has catch recesses (26), which interact with catch pins or catch spheres (27) of the grip handle.

14. A surgical instrument for high-frequency surgery, comprising:

a gas supply line for argon-plasma coagulation

a grip handle extending along a longitudinal axis and having a distal end;

an electrode spaced axially from the grip handle and connected thereto;

a turn handle between the grip handle and the electrode coaxial with the grip handle and rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the grip handle and the electrode, said turn handle having an inner thread; and

a housing having one of its opposite ends surrounding the electrode and the other end provided with an outer thread which meshes with the inner thread of the turn handle to provide axial displacement of the housing relative to the electrode upon actuating of the turn handle.