RF probe for electrosurgical instrument

• US 6,712,813 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2001
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cynosure Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ALAN G. ELLMAN, Jon C. Garito
• Inventors: Garito, Jon C., Ellman, Alan G.
• Primary Examiner(s): COHEN, LEE S
• Application Number:
  US09/962,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20030050634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 606/41, 606/42, 606/45, 606/48, 606/49, 606/50
• US Class Current: 606/41
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/12 by passing a current through the tissue to be heated, e.g. high-frequency current
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00199 with a console, e.g. a control panel with a display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00367 Details of actuation of instruments, e.g. relations between pushing buttons, or the like, and activation of the tool, working tip, or the like

Abstract

An electrosurgical handpiece having a removable section permanently incorporating an electrode adapted for a particular procedure. The handpiece may be labeled for that procedure or otherwise visually distinguished from other handpieces, as, for example, by shape or color-coding, and the optimum electrode for that procedure is already pre-attached to the handpiece. The handpiece comprises a common connector attached at one end to a cable terminating in an end connector for attachment to an electrosurgical instrument, and at its other end adapted to receive and hold and electrically connect to the handpiece proper itself, i.e., a handle for the surgeon to hold and the attached electrode. A family of handpieces are preferably configured to removably attach to the common connector and thus could use the same common connector and cable and end connector for connecting to the instrument as a source of RF electrosurgical currents. The shape of the handpiece can also be related to the orientation of the electrode so that the surgeon can tell by the position of the handpiece in his hand the position of the electrode at the patient'"'"'s tissue.

Claims

1. A family of handpieces for an electrosurgical instrument comprising:

(i) each member of the family comprising;

(a) a handpiece section comprising a handle having at one end a mounting portion configured to removably engage for mounting and for electrically connecting to a complementary part of a cable-connector section, each handpiece section further comprising an electrical component functioning when activated to generate a unique control signal for the electrosurgical instrument,

(b) a non-removable electrode permanently connected to the opposite end of the handpiece section;

(ii) the electrode being differently shaped or sized in each member of the family and the electrical component of each handpiece section in each member of the family having different electrical properties such as to generate a different unique control signal,

(iii) a common cable-connector section for connection to the instrument, the common cable-connector section having at one end a receiving portion for removably receiving each of the mounting portions of each of the handpiece sections, the cable-connector section further comprising a cable and a connector for connecting to the instrument.

2. A family of handpieces as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cable-connector section comprises a molded electrically-insulating body having on its interior one of a male and female electrical connector, each of the handpiece sections comprising a molded electrically-insulating body serving as the handle and having on its interior the other of the male and female electrical connector, the male and female electrical connectors having complementary shapes for electrical engagement when any of the handpiece section'"'"'s mounting portions engages the cable-connector section receiving portion.

3. A family of handpieces as claimed in claim 2, wherein each handpiece section'"'"'s body is differently physically configured or labeled or colored to indicate to a user that the attached non-removable electrode is adapted for a different procedure.

4. A family of handpieces as claimed in claim 2, wherein the non-removable electrode of at least one of the handpiece sections is non-circular-symmetrical and has a predetermined fixed orientation with respect to the handle of said one handpiece section, and the handle of said one handpiece section has a predetermined non-circular-symmetrical physical configuration related to the orientation of the electrode such as to indicate to a user holding the handle the predetermined orientation of the electrode.

5. A family of handpieces as claimed in claim 4, wherein the non-removable electrode of said one handpiece section is planar, and said one handpiece section has a cross section with at least one flat side that is orientated parallel to the plane of the electrode.

6. A family of handpieces as claimed in claim 5, wherein said one handpiece section has a triangular cross section with one of its sides extending parallel to the plane of the electrode.

7. A family of handpieces as claimed in claim 4, wherein the non-removable electrode of said one handpiece section is planar, and said one handpiece section has a cross section with at least one vertex with which the plane of the electrode is orientated in parallel relationship.

8. A family of handpieces as claimed in claim 7, wherein said one handpiece section has a triangular cross section with one of its vertices oriented to the plane of the electrode.

9. A family of handpieces as claimed in claim 2, wherein the handpiece section is free of electrical wires or cables or connectors for connecting to the electrosurgical instrument.

10. A handpiece for an electrosurgical instrument comprising:

(a) a handpiece section comprising a handle having at one end a mounting portion configured to removably engage for mounting and for electrically connecting to a complementary part of a cable-connector section,

(b) a non-removable electrode permanently connected to the opposite end of the handle,

(c) the handpiece section being free of electrical wires or cables or connectors for connecting to the electrosurgical instrument,

(d) the non-removable electrode being non-circular-symmetrical and having a given fixed orientation,

(e) the handle having a a triangular cross section related to the orientation of the electrode such as to indicate to a user holding the handle the given orentation of the electrode.

11. An electrosurgical procedure, comprising:

(A) providing an electrosurgical instrument for receiving a common cable-connector section,

(B) providing a family of handpieces for the electrosurgical instrument,

(a) each member of the family comprising;

(i) a handpiece section having at one end a mounting portion configured to removably engage for mounting and for electrically connecting to a complementary part of a cable-connector section, the handpiece section further comprising an electrical component functioning when activated to generate a unique control signal for the electrosurgical instrument,

(ii) an electrode permanently connected to the opposite end of the handpiece section,

(b) the electrode being differently shaped or sized in each member of the family and the electrical component of each handpiece section in each member of the family having different electrical properties such as to generate a different unique control signal,

(c) a common cable-connector section connected to the instrument, the common cable-connector section having at one end a receiving portion for removably receiving each of the mounting portions of each of the handpiece sections,

(C) mounting a first member of the family to the cable-connector section,

(D) applying the electrode of the first family member to the patient while activating the instrument to conduct a first part of a procedure controlled by the unique control signal generated by the electrode of the first member,

(E) removing the first member of the family from the cable-connector section and mounting a second member of the family to the cable-connector section,

(F) applying the electrode of the second family member to the patient while activating the instrument to conduct a second part of the procedure controlled by the unique control signal generated by the electrode of the second member, the second part of the procedure being different from the first part.