Method and apparatus for precursively controlling energy during coaptive tissue fusion
First Claim
1. A tissue sealing apparatus for coaptively sealing a sidewall of biological tissue which surrounds and defines an opening in the tissue to occlude the opening permanently, comprising:
- a handpiece having movable jaws to compress apposed portions of the sidewall with sufficient pressure for sealing the opening;
an electrical energy generator connected to the handpiece and operative to conduct sufficient electrical energy to the jaws and through the compressed apposed portions of the sidewall during a treatment cycle to fuse together permanently the apposed sidewall portions and permanently occlude the opening, the energy delivered from the generator includes RF current delivered in RF cycles, each RF cycle of the RF current having a peak current value, the treatment cycle having an initial heating phase during which the peak current values of the RF current cycles have initial peak current values and also having a reduction phase during which the peak current values of the RF current cycles diminish from the initial peak current values due to the desiccation of the tissue and an increase in the impedance of the tissue;
a controller connected to control the duration of the electrical energy conducted from the generator to the handpiece and through the compressed apposed sidewall portions to avoid inadequate and excessive energy application for coaptively sealing the tissue, the controller including;
a switch which is movable from a closed position to an opened position in response to a termination signal asserted to the switch, the closed position conducting the energy including the RF current from the generator to the handpiece, the opened position terminating the conduction of the energy from the generator to the handpiece;
a detector which includes a threshold circuit, a comparator and a threshold timer, the threshold circuit developing a threshold value which is less than the initial peak current values of RF current cycles during the initial heating phase, the comparator connected to the threshold circuit and comparing the peak current values of RF current cycles to the threshold value, the threshold timer establishing a predetermined threshold time duration, and wherein the detector delivers a trigger signal upon the peak current values of the RF current cycles not exceeding the threshold value for the predetermined threshold time; and
an energy completion timer receptive of the trigger signal and operative to assert the termination signal to the switch upon expiration of a predetermined energy completion time measured from assertion of the trigger signal.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sidewall of biological tissue which surrounds and defines an opening in the tissue is sealed or fused to occlude the opening by compressing apposite sidewall portions and applying sufficient energy to cause the fibers of the compressed apposed sidewall portions to intertwine and fuse with one another to form a permanent seal. The energy application is controlled by detecting a precursor fusion condition while applying the energy and before sufficient energy has been applied to achieve an adequate seal. The application of energy is terminated in a time-delayed relationship to the detection of the precursor fusion condition such that sufficient energy has been applied to achieve an effective seal. The precursor fusion condition is detected upon the peak RF current delivered to the tissue remaining below a threshold value for a threshold time.
200 Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A tissue sealing apparatus for coaptively sealing a sidewall of biological tissue which surrounds and defines an opening in the tissue to occlude the opening permanently, comprising:
-
a handpiece having movable jaws to compress apposed portions of the sidewall with sufficient pressure for sealing the opening; an electrical energy generator connected to the handpiece and operative to conduct sufficient electrical energy to the jaws and through the compressed apposed portions of the sidewall during a treatment cycle to fuse together permanently the apposed sidewall portions and permanently occlude the opening, the energy delivered from the generator includes RF current delivered in RF cycles, each RF cycle of the RF current having a peak current value, the treatment cycle having an initial heating phase during which the peak current values of the RF current cycles have initial peak current values and also having a reduction phase during which the peak current values of the RF current cycles diminish from the initial peak current values due to the desiccation of the tissue and an increase in the impedance of the tissue; a controller connected to control the duration of the electrical energy conducted from the generator to the handpiece and through the compressed apposed sidewall portions to avoid inadequate and excessive energy application for coaptively sealing the tissue, the controller including; a switch which is movable from a closed position to an opened position in response to a termination signal asserted to the switch, the closed position conducting the energy including the RF current from the generator to the handpiece, the opened position terminating the conduction of the energy from the generator to the handpiece; a detector which includes a threshold circuit, a comparator and a threshold timer, the threshold circuit developing a threshold value which is less than the initial peak current values of RF current cycles during the initial heating phase, the comparator connected to the threshold circuit and comparing the peak current values of RF current cycles to the threshold value, the threshold timer establishing a predetermined threshold time duration, and wherein the detector delivers a trigger signal upon the peak current values of the RF current cycles not exceeding the threshold value for the predetermined threshold time; and an energy completion timer receptive of the trigger signal and operative to assert the termination signal to the switch upon expiration of a predetermined energy completion time measured from assertion of the trigger signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A controller which controls the duration of electrical energy conducted from an electrical energy generator to a handpiece and through compressed apposed sidewall portions of biological tissue to seal the sidewall portions and permanently occlude an opening previously defined by the sidewall portions while avoiding inadequate and excessive energy application for coaptively sealing the tissue, the handpiece having movable jaws which compress apposed sidewall portions with sufficient pressure for sealing the opening, the generator conducting RF current delivered in RF cycles to the jaws and through the compressed apposed sidewall portions during a treatment cycle, the RF current of each RF cycle having a peak current value, the treatment cycle having an initial heating phase during which the peak current values of the RF current cycles have initial peak current values and also having a reduction phase during which the peak current values of the RF current cycles diminish from the initial peak current values due to the desiccation of the tissue and an increase in the impedance of the tissue;
- the controller comprising;
a switch which is movable from a closed position to an opened position in response to a termination signal asserted to the switch, the closed position conducting the RF current from the generator to the handpiece, the opened position terminating the conduction of the RF current from the generator to the handpiece; a detector which includes a threshold circuit, a comparator and a threshold timer, the threshold circuit developing a threshold value which is less than the initial peak current values of RF current cycles during the initial heating phase, the comparator connected to the threshold circuit and comparing the peak current values of RF current cycles to the threshold value, the threshold timer establishing a predetermined threshold time duration, and wherein the detector delivers a trigger signal upon the peak current values of the RF current cycles not exceeding the threshold value for the predetermined threshold time; and an energy completion timer receptive of the trigger signal and operative to assert the termination signal to the switch upon expiration of a predetermined energy completion time measured from assertion of the trigger signal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
- the controller comprising;
Specification