Surgical clamp assembly with electrodes
First Claim
1. A surgical clamp assembly for grasping and heating portions of a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:
- a clamp having first and second jaws that are movable toward and away form each other, each jaw having a clamping surface that faces the other jaw and which engages a selected portion of a patient'"'"'s body;
a retainer operatively connected to the first and second jaws and movable between locked and unlocked positions, the retainer when in the locked position permitting the jaws to move toward each other but preventing the jaws from moving away from each other, and when in the unlocked position permitting the jaws to move away from each other;
an actuator selectively and operatively engageable with and disengageable from the first and second jaws, the actuator enabling a user to open and close the jaws, wherein the actuator has first and second arms that are movable toward and away from each other, and further comprising a third arm selectively engageable with and disengageable from the retainer, the third arm being movable between a first position where the third arm is disposed adjacent the retainer when the retainer is in the locked position and a second position where the third arm engages the retainer and displaces it to the unlocked position; and
an electrode forming a portion of the clamping surface of at least one of the jaws, the electrode capable of heating the portion of the patient'"'"'s body that is grasped by the clamp to a desired temperature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical clamp assembly includes a clamp having movable jaws, each of which has a clamping surface for engaging a portion of a patient'"'"'s body. An electrode forms a portion of the clamping surface of at least one of the jaws, the electrode being capable of heating, severing, or cauterizing the portion of the patient'"'"'s body that is grasped by the clamp. If desired, the clamp assembly can be provided with a retainer that prevents the jaws from being opened accidently. The clamp assembly also can include an actuator that can be detached from the clamp and removed from the operative site, leaving the locked clamp in place. In this type of assembly, when it is desired to remove the clamp, the actuator can be reattached to the clamp and used to disengage the toothed retainer, and thereafter can be used to spread the jaws in order to permit the clamp to be removed.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A surgical clamp assembly for grasping and heating portions of a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:
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a clamp having first and second jaws that are movable toward and away form each other, each jaw having a clamping surface that faces the other jaw and which engages a selected portion of a patient'"'"'s body; a retainer operatively connected to the first and second jaws and movable between locked and unlocked positions, the retainer when in the locked position permitting the jaws to move toward each other but preventing the jaws from moving away from each other, and when in the unlocked position permitting the jaws to move away from each other; an actuator selectively and operatively engageable with and disengageable from the first and second jaws, the actuator enabling a user to open and close the jaws, wherein the actuator has first and second arms that are movable toward and away from each other, and further comprising a third arm selectively engageable with and disengageable from the retainer, the third arm being movable between a first position where the third arm is disposed adjacent the retainer when the retainer is in the locked position and a second position where the third arm engages the retainer and displaces it to the unlocked position; and an electrode forming a portion of the clamping surface of at least one of the jaws, the electrode capable of heating the portion of the patient'"'"'s body that is grasped by the clamp to a desired temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A surgical clamp assembly for grasping and heating portions of a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:
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a clamp having first and second jaws that are movable toward and away form each other, each jaw having a clamping surface that faces the other jaw and which engages a selected portion of a patient'"'"'s body; a retainer operatively connected to the first and second jaws and movable between locked and unlocked positions, the retainer when in the locked position permitting the jaws to move toward each other but preventing the jaws from moving away from each other, and when in the unlocked position permitting the jaws to move away from each other; an actuator selectively and operatively engageable with and disengageable from the first and second jaws, the actuator enabling a user to open and close the jaws; a flexible, elongate housing having first and second ends, the clamp being connected to the first end; a fitting included as part of the second end of the housing to which the handle is secured, the handle having a pair of finger loops, and a stem having a knob; an elongate actuator in the form of a cable disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the jaws such that axial movement of the actuator within the housing causes the jaws to move toward or way from each other; the retainer being disposed within the housing, the retainer having two modes of operation, the retainer in the first mode permitting the actuator to move within the housing such that the jaws are moved toward each other but not away from each other, and the retainer in the second mode permitting the actuator to be moved within the housing such that the jaws are moved away from each other; a handle connected to the second end of the housing; the stem connected to the actuator, the stem projecting outwardly of the handle, the stem permitting the user to operate the actuator in either the first or second modes of operation permitted by the retainer; and an electrode forming a portion of the clamping surface of at least one of the jaws, the electrode capable of heating the portion of the patient'"'"'s body that is grasped by the clamp to a desired temperature. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification