Wireless electrosurgical adapter unit and methods thereof

• US 6,569,163 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2001
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ValveCure, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quantumcor, Inc.
• Inventors: Hata, Cary, Zhang, Ji
• Primary Examiner(s): PELHAM, JOSEPH MOORE
• Application Number:
  US09/957,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20020128644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 606/1, 606/27-32, 606/34, 606/37, 606/42, 606/45, 606/49
• US Class Current: 606/41
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor

Abstract

A wireless adapter unit that couples to an electrosurgery instrument comprising at least one surface electrical contact for contactably coupling the electrosurgical instrument to a remote power source through a coupling mechanism, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises an insulated electrical conductor running through a surgeon'"'"'s glove and/or a surgeon'"'"'s gown.

Claims

1. A remotely wired electrosurgical device system comprising a wireless adapter unit having a transmitter subsystem, and said wireless adapter unit connected to an electrosurgical instrument with a push-button switch mounted at or adjacent to said electrosurgical instrument and a remote power source comprising a switching receiver unit for power energizing, the transmitter subsystem emitting a signal by depressing said push-button switch to the switching receiver unit for energizing the power source, wherein the wireless adapter unit comprises at least one surface electrical contact for contactably coupling the wireless adapter unit connected to the electrosurgical instrument to the remote power source through a coupling mechanism.

2. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism further comprises a glove having at least one electrically conductive patch zone located at an outer surface of the glove for contactably coupling the wireless adapter unit to the remote power source.

3. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 2, wherein the glove comprises an insulated glove conductor having a first end and a second end, the first end of said insulated glove conductor being connected to one of the at least one electrically conductive patch zone of the glove and the second end of said insulated glove conductor being coupled to said remote power source.

4. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 1, wherein the electrosurgical instrument coupled to the wireless adapter unit comprises an end effector, said end effector being electrically coupled to one of the at least one surface electric contact through a first internal conducting wire within the instrument.

5. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 1, wherein the remote power source is a radiofrequency power generator.

6. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 4, wherein the end effector is selected from a group consisting of monopolar blade, bipolar forceps, bipolar scissors, a monopolar hook, monopolar scissors, bipolar endocutters, and an electric coagulator.

7. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 1, wherein the wireless adapter unit is coupled to an electrosurgical instrument such as a scalpel that has an actuator mounted on said scalpel, the actuator being adapted for activating and deactivating the remote power source through the said wireless adapter unit.

8. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 3, wherein the glove further comprises a second insulated glove conductor having a first end and a second end, the first end of said insulated glove conductor being connected to one of the at least one electrically conductive patch zone of the glove and the second end of said insulated glove conductor being coupled to said remote power source.

9. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 2, wherein the device system further comprises a gown having an insulated gown conductor, the insulated gown conductor being positioned between the second end of the insulated glove conductor and said remote power source.

10. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 1, wherein the wireless adapter unit of the electrosurgical instrument further comprises a signal transmitter and the remote power source comprises a switching/receiver unit, and wherein signals transmitted from said transmitter are received by the switching/receiver unit adapted for switching the power on.

11. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 10, wherein the signals are transmitted by infrared transmission method.

12. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 10, wherein the signals are transmitted by short range RF transmission method.

13. The remotely wired electrosurgical device system of claim 10, wherein the signals are transmitted by capacitively coupled signal transmission method.

14. A method for performing a cordless electrosurgery operation, the method comprising contactably coupling an electrical surgical instrument and a remote power source through a wireless adapter unit connected to the proximal end of the electrical surgical instrument and by a coupling mechanism mounted on a surgeon'"'"'s glove, the wireless adapter unit comprising a transmitter subsystem emitting a signal for either cutting or cautery, wherein the transmitter subsystem sends out a signal to activate the power source depending on energy needs of cutting or cautery.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the coupling mechanism further comprises an electrically conductive patch zone located at an outer surface of the surgeon'"'"'s glove for contactably coupling the wireless adapter unit of the electrosurgical instrument to the remote power source.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the coupling mechanism further comprises a gown having an insulated gown conductor, the insulated gown conductor being positioned between the electrically conductive patch zone of the glove and said remote power source for contactably coupling the wireless adapter unit of the electrosurgical instrument to the remote power source.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the signal is transmitted by infrared transmission method.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the signal is transmitted by short range RF transmission method.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the signal is transmitted by capacitively coupled signal transmission method.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the signal is by ultrasound signal transmission method.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein the signal is transmitted by voice activation transmission method.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein the step of sending out the signal is activated by foot-switching activation method.

23. A method for performing a cordless electrosurgery operation using an electrosurgical device system, wherein the device system comprises a wireless adapter unit having a transmitter subsystem, and said wireless adapter unit connected to an electrosurgical instrument with a push-button switch mounted at or adjacent to said electrosurgical instrument and a remote power source comprising a switching receiver unit for power energizing, and wherein the wireless adapter unit comprises at least one surface electrical contact for contactably coupling the wireless adapter unit to the remote power source through a coupling mechanism, the method comprising:

contactably coupling the wireless adapter unit connected to the electrosurgical instrument and the remote power source through the coupling mechanism mounted on a surgeon'"'"'s glove;

depressing the push-button switch for sending out a signal from the transmitter subsystem to the switching receiver unit; and

applying the wireless adapter unit connected to the electrosurgical instrument to contact a patient for performing the cordless electrosurgery operation.