Intelligent selection system for electrosurgical instrument
First Claim
Patent Images
1. In combination:
- a) an electrosurgical apparatus comprising a microcontroller and being capable of being switched via the microcontroller from a cutting mode to a coagulation mode and vice versa upon the inputting of mode selection signals to the microcontroller, said electrosurgical apparatus when in the cutting mode generating RF electrosurgical currents capable of performing a cutting operation when applied via an electrosurgical electrode and when in the coagulation mode generating RF electrosurgical currents capable of performing a coagulation operation when applied via the electrosurgical electrode, b) a handpiece for connection to the electrosurgical apparatus and comprising fingerswitches for selectively providing cutting mode or coagulation mode electrosurgical currents from the electrosurgical apparatus to an electrode connected to the handpiece, said handpiece comprising;
(i) a housing, ii) at least first and second fingerswitches on the housing, iii) means on the housing for receiving and holding an electrode for delivering RF electrosurgical currents, iv) means connected to the housing for supplying a control current to the fingerswitches, v) means connecting the fingerswitches such that when the first fingerswitch is activated a first current level is established and when the second fingerswitch is activated a second current level is established, c) said first and second current levels serving as the control signals and being usable by the microcontroller to select an operating mode of the electrosurgical apparatus, d) further comprising a non-volatile memory in the handpiece and accessible from the microcontroller.
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Abstract
An intelligent selection system for operating an electrosurgical instrument for use by a surgeon that depends primarily on the surgical procedure to be employed. The operating mode as well as other operating parameters can be controlled by the handpiece chosen by the surgeon to perform the procedure. Each handpiece is customized to activate when operated one of several preset operating modes of the electrosurgical instrument.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. In combination:
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a) an electrosurgical apparatus comprising a microcontroller and being capable of being switched via the microcontroller from a cutting mode to a coagulation mode and vice versa upon the inputting of mode selection signals to the microcontroller, said electrosurgical apparatus when in the cutting mode generating RF electrosurgical currents capable of performing a cutting operation when applied via an electrosurgical electrode and when in the coagulation mode generating RF electrosurgical currents capable of performing a coagulation operation when applied via the electrosurgical electrode, b) a handpiece for connection to the electrosurgical apparatus and comprising fingerswitches for selectively providing cutting mode or coagulation mode electrosurgical currents from the electrosurgical apparatus to an electrode connected to the handpiece, said handpiece comprising;
(i) a housing, ii) at least first and second fingerswitches on the housing, iii) means on the housing for receiving and holding an electrode for delivering RF electrosurgical currents, iv) means connected to the housing for supplying a control current to the fingerswitches, v) means connecting the fingerswitches such that when the first fingerswitch is activated a first current level is established and when the second fingerswitch is activated a second current level is established, c) said first and second current levels serving as the control signals and being usable by the microcontroller to select an operating mode of the electrosurgical apparatus, d) further comprising a non-volatile memory in the handpiece and accessible from the microcontroller.
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2. In combination:
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a) an electrosurgical apparatus comprising a microcontroller and being capable of being switched via the microcontroller from a cutting mode to a coagulation mode and vice versa upon the inputting of mode selection signals to the microcontroller, said electrosurgical apparatus when in the cutting mode generating RF electrosurgical currents capable of performing a cutting operation when applied via an electrosurgical electrode and when in the coagulation mode generating RF electrosurgical currents capable of performing a coagulation operation when applied via the electrosurgical electrode, b) a handpiece for connection to the electrosurgical apparatus and comprising fingerswitches for selectively providing cutting mode or coagulation mode electrosurgical currents from the electrosurgical apparatus to an electrode connected to the handpiece, said handpiece comprising;
i) a housing, ii) at least first and second fingerswitches on the housing, iii) means on the housing for receiving and holding an electrode for delivering RF electrosurgical currents, iv) means connected to the housing for supplying a control current to the fingerswitches, v) means connecting the fingerswitches such that when the first fingerswitch is activated a first current level is established and when the second fingerswitch is activated a second current level is established, c) said first and second current levels serving as the control signals and being usable by the microcontroller to select an operating mode of the electrosurgical apparatus, d) the means of claim element b)v) comprising a small impedance having a value of about 100 ohms.
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3. An intelligent mode-selection system for an electrosurgical instrument comprising:
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(a) an electrosurgical instrument capable of receiving a plurality of control signals for selecting an operating mode, each of said control signals when received by the electrosurgical instrument being capable of placing the instrument into one of a plurality of operating electrosurgical modes, each of the operating modes generating RF electrosurgical currents each characterized by a different RF waveform capable of one of cutting or coagulation of tissue when the RF electrosurgical currents are applied to a patient to carry out a specific procedure requiring a particular operating mode, (b) a handpiece for connection to the instrument and comprising multiple fingerswitches and having an output, (c) component means in the handpiece each connected to one of the fingerswitches for generating, when supplied with current and when a fingerswitch is activated, at the handpiece output one of a plurality of control signals, each of the control signals being associated with one of the plurality of operating electrosurgical modes for executing a particular procedure on the patient, (d) means on the handpiece for holding an electrode for delivering to the patient one of the plurality of RF electrosurgical currents each representative of one of the instrument'"'"'s operating modes, (e) means for outputting the control signals to the electrosurgical instrument in response to the activation of the fingerswitches for selecting one of the operating modes, (f) means in said instrument in response to receipt of the control signals from the handpiece for supplying to the electrode RF electrosurgical currents in the selected mode having the characteristic waveform for performing the particular cutting or coagulation procedure. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. In combination:
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a) an electrosurgical apparatus comprising a microcontroller and being capable of being switched via the microcontroller from a cutting mode to a coagulation mode and vice versa upon the inputting of mode selection signals to the microcontroller, said electrosurgical apparatus when in the cutting mode generating RF electrosurgical current waveforms capable of performing a cutting operation when applied via an electrosurgical electrode to a patient and when in the coagulation mode generating different RF electrosurgical current waveforms capable of performing a coagulation operation when applied via the electrosurgical electrode to the patent, b) at least one handpiece for connection to the electrosurgical apparatus and comprising mode-selection-signal-controlling means for selectively providing cutting mode or coagulation mode electrosurgical current waveforms from the electrosurgical apparatus to an electrode connected to the handpiece, said handpiece comprising;
(i) a housing, (ii) means on the housing for receiving and holding an electrode for delivering RF electrosurgical currents to the patient, (iv) means connected to the handpiece housing for supplying a control current to the mode-selection-signal-controlling means, said mode-selection-signal-controlling means in response to the control current establishing a first or second current level, c) said first and second current levels serving as the made selection signals and being usable by the microcontroller to select an operating cutting or coagulation mode of the electrosurgical apparatus associated with the first or second current levels. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification