Medical instrument including an end effector having a medical-treatment electrode

• US 7,481,225 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2005
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Cropper, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leubecker; John P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Victoria W
• Application Number:
  US11/043,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 606/41, 606 50- 52, 606/1, 606/45, 606/46, 128/898, 600/127, 600/104, 600/129, 600/146
• US Class Current: 128/898
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00291 using suction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00482 Digestive system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00982 combined with or comprising means for visual or photographic inspections inside the body, e.g. endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1495 Electrodes being detachable from a support structure

Abstract

A medical instrument includes a flexible sheath and an end effector. The sheath has a distal end. The end effector is attached to the sheath proximate the distal end and is insertable into a patient. The end effector includes opposing and retroflexed first and second jaws and includes at least one medical-treatment electrode supported by the second jaw. At least one of the first and second jaws is rotatable. In one implementation, the at-least-one medical-treatment electrode is operatively connectable to a medical radio-frequency (RF) generator. In one application, the end effector is insertable into the esophagus of a patient. In one employment, the first and second jaws are adapted to grasp a working end of a flexible tube of an endoscope.

Claims

1. A method for medically treating patient tissue using a medical instrument, wherein the medical instrument includes a flexible sheath having a distal end and an end effector attached to the sheath proximate the distal end and insertable into a patient, wherein the end effector includes opposing and retroflexed first and second jaws and includes at least one medical-treatment electrode supported by the second jaw, wherein at least one of the first and second jaws is rotatable, and wherein the method includes the steps of:

a) inserting the end effector into the mouth of a patient and translating the end effector to the esophagus or the stomach of the patient;

b) inserting a working end of a flexible tube of an endoscope into the mouth of the patient and translating the working end of the flexible tube to the esophagus or the stomach of the patient;

c) grasping the working end of the flexible tube with the first and second jaws;

d) using the endoscope to bend the working end of the flexible tube to move the second jaw against patient tissue of the esophagus or the stomach; and

e) medically treating the patient tissue using the at-least-one medical-treatment electrode.

2. A method for medically treating patient tissue using a medical instrument, wherein the medical instrument includes a flexible sheath having a distal end and an end effector attached to the sheath proximate the distal end and insertable into a patient, wherein the end effector includes opposing and retroflexed first and second jaws and includes at least one medical-treatment electrode supported by the second jaw, wherein the second jaw is rotatable, and wherein the method includes the steps of:

a) inserting the end effector into the mouth of a patient and translating the end effector to the esophagus or the stomach of the patient;

b) inserting a working end of a flexible tube of an endoscope into the mouth of the patient and translating the working end of the flexible tube to the esophagus or the stomach of the patient;

c) grasping the working end of the flexible tube with the first and second jaws;

d) using the endoscope to bend the working end of the flexible tube to move the second jaw against patient tissue of the esophagus or the stomach; and

e) medically treating the patient tissue using the at-least-one medical-treatment electrode.