Medical instrument having a needle knife

• US 7,959,642 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Lu, Ifung, Nobis, Rudolph H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BACHMAN, LINDSEY MICHELE
• Application Number:
  US11/435,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20070270895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,855 Days
• Field of Search: 606/170, 606/39, 606/45, 606/130, 606/159, 606/171, 606/167, 604/95.04, 604/528
• US Class Current: 606/170
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3478 Endoscopic needles, e.g. for infusion biopsy needles A61B10/0233; catheters with injection needles A61M25/0067
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1477 Needle-like probes
• 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 2017/2923 Toothed members, e.g. rack and pinion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2927 the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1425 Needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1475 Electrodes retractable in or deployable from a housing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1861 with an instrument inserted into a body lumen or cavity, e.g. a catheter

Abstract

A medical instrument includes a flexible sheath, a pivot base, a medical needle knife base, a medical needle knife, and a handpiece. The flexible sheath has a distal sheath portion insertable within a patient and has a proximal sheath portion. The pivot base is attached to the distal sheath portion. The needle knife base is pivotally connected to the pivot base and has a passageway. The medical needle knife is extendable from the passageway and is retractable within the passageway. The handpiece is connected to the proximal sheath portion and includes a manually-operated articulation control operatively connected to the needle knife base for pivoting the needle knife base with respect to the pivot base.

Claims

1. A medical instrument comprising:

a) a flexible sheath having a distal sheath portion insertable within a patient, having a proximal sheath portion, and having a first lumen, wherein the distal sheath portion has a distal end;

b) a pivot base fixedly attached to the distal sheath portion;

c) a medical needle knife base pivotally connected to the pivot base and having a passageway;

d) a medical needle knife extendable from the passageway and retractable within the passageway, wherein the medical needle knife is extendable distally beyond the distal end of the distal sheath portion; and

e) a handpiece connected to the proximal sheath portion and including;

(1) a manually-operated articulation control operatively connected to the needle knife base for pivoting the needle knife base with respect to the pivot base without translating the sheath with respect to the handpiece;

(2) a manually-operated translation control operatively connected to the medical needle knife for extending the medical needle knife from the passageway and for retracting the medical needle knife within the passageway, wherein the translation control is a separate and independent control from the articulation control;

(3) a handpiece body having a proximal body end portion, wherein the sheath has an exposed outer surface from the handpiece to the pivot base;

(4) a manually rotatable knob disposed at the proximal body end portion; and

(5) a drive shaft disposed within the handpiece body, having a distal drive shaft portion attached to the proximal sheath portion, and having a proximal drive shaft portion attached to the knob, wherein rotation of the knob with respect to the handpiece body rotates the drive shaft which rotates the flexible sheath which rotates the pivot base;

f) the handpiece further including;

(1) an articulation cam gear pivotally attached to the handpiece body;

(2) a manually operated button operatively connected to the articulation cam gear for pivoting the articulation cam gear with respect to the handpiece body; and

(3) a lengthwise-translatable articulation cable disposed in the first lumen, having a distal cable portion operatively connected to the needle knife base for pivoting the needle knife base with respect to the pivot base upon lengthwise translation of the articulation cable, and having a proximal cable portion operatively connected to the articulation cam gear, wherein pivoting of the articulation cam gear lengthwise translates the articulation cable;

(4) a rotation coupler disposed within the handpiece body, surrounding the drive shaft, lengthwise translatable with respect to the drive shaft, and non-rotatable with respect to the drive shaft, wherein the proximal cable portion is attached to the rotation coupler, wherein the rotation coupler has a circumferential notch, wherein the articulation cam gear has a pin which engages the notch, and wherein pivoting of the articulation cam gear lengthwise translates the rotation coupler with respect to the drive shaft which lengthwise translates the articulation cable with respect to the flexible sheath.

2. The medical instrument of claim 1, wherein the flexible sheath has a second lumen, wherein the handpiece includes a manually translatable needle knife handle, and also including an activation wire disposed in the second lumen and having a distal wire portion and a proximal wire portion, wherein the distal wire portion is attached to the medical needle knife, and wherein the proximal wire portion is attached to a needle knife handle.

3. The medical instrument of claim 2, wherein the distal wire portion is monolithically attached to the medical needle knife.

4. The medical instrument of claim 2, also including an electrical connector attached to the needle knife handle and electrically connected to the proximal wire portion.