Method for operating an electrical surgical instrument with optimal tissue compression
First Claim
1. A method for effecting a tissue compressing, cutting, and stapling surgical procedure at a user-selected tissue compression force, which comprises:
- providing a mechanical binary-output OTC electrical switch having OTC-off and OTC-reached electrical states initiated and changed solely by mechanical movements;
disposing the switch in line with an electrically controlled surgical endocutter to cause a force that is proportional to a force that is placed upon compressed tissue within jaws thereof to be placed upon the switch;
mechanically coupling the switch with an adjustable biasing device that is set to an amount of force that is proportional to an optimal tissue compression force of the compressed tissue within the jaws and retains the switch in the OTC-off switching state until a force at least as great as the optimal tissue compression force is imparted to the switch; and
permitting a surgical cutting and stapling procedure to be carried out on the tissue compressed within the jaws only after the switch changes to the OTC-reached state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for effecting a tissue-compressing surgery at a user-selected compression force provides an electrical switch having switching states changed solely by mechanical movements. The switch is mechanically coupled with an adjustable biasing device retaining the switch in one state until a force greater than the bias device is imparted to the switch. The switch is in line with a tissue-compressing device to place a proportional amount of compression force on the switch as imparted upon the tissue. The biasing device is set to a desired state-changing tissue compression force so that the switch changes its state when the force on the switch is at least the desired force. Tissue compresses until a force imparted on the switch at least equals the desired state-changing tissue compression force and, at such time, the switching state changes and, thereafter, a surgical procedure is carried out on the compressed tissue.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for effecting a tissue compressing, cutting, and stapling surgical procedure at a user-selected tissue compression force, which comprises:
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providing a mechanical binary-output OTC electrical switch having OTC-off and OTC-reached electrical states initiated and changed solely by mechanical movements; disposing the switch in line with an electrically controlled surgical endocutter to cause a force that is proportional to a force that is placed upon compressed tissue within jaws thereof to be placed upon the switch; mechanically coupling the switch with an adjustable biasing device that is set to an amount of force that is proportional to an optimal tissue compression force of the compressed tissue within the jaws and retains the switch in the OTC-off switching state until a force at least as great as the optimal tissue compression force is imparted to the switch; and permitting a surgical cutting and stapling procedure to be carried out on the tissue compressed within the jaws only after the switch changes to the OTC-reached state.
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2. A method of configuring a surgical instrument having a surgical tissue-compressing device including a pair of opposing compression surfaces with a tissue compression-measuring device, the method comprising:
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providing a mechanical binary-output electrical switch having open and closed electrical switching states initiated and changed solely by mechanical movements; mechanically coupling the switch with an adjustable biasing device retaining the switch in one of the switching states until a force at least as great as a force imposed by the biasing device is imparted to the switch; disposing the switch in line with the surgical tissue-compressing device to cause a proportional amount of force that is placed upon compressed tissue disposed between the opposing compression surfaces to be placed upon the switch; and setting the biasing device to an amount of force that is proportional to an optimal tissue compression force of the compressed tissue when disposed between the opposing compression surfaces. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of configuring a surgical instrument having a surgical tissue-compressing device including a pair of opposing compression surfaces with an adjustable tissue compression-measuring device, the method comprising:
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providing a mechanical binary-output electrical switch having open and closed electrical switching states initiated and changed solely by mechanical movements; mechanically coupling the switch with an adjustable biasing device retaining the switch in one of the switching states until a force at least as great as a force imposed by the biasing device is imparted to the switch; disposing the switch in line with the surgical tissue-compressing device to cause a proportional amount of force that is placed upon compressed tissue disposed between the opposing compression surfaces to be placed upon the switch; and setting the biasing device to an amount of force that is proportional to an optimal tissue compression force of the compressed tissue when disposed between the opposing compression surfaces to cause a change of the switching state to occur when the switch experiences a force at least as great as the force imposed by the biasing device. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for effecting a tissue-compressing surgical procedure at a user-selected tissue compression force, the method comprising:
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providing a mechanical binary-output electrical switch having open and closed electrical switching states initiated and changed solely by mechanical movements; mechanically coupling the switch with an adjustable biasing device retaining the switch in one of the switching states until a force at least as great as a force imposed by the biasing device is imparted to the switch; disposing the switch in line with a surgical tissue-compressing device including a pair of opposing compression surfaces to cause a proportional amount of force that is placed upon compressed tissue disposed between the opposing compression surfaces to be placed upon the switch; setting the biasing device to an amount of force that is proportional to an optimal tissue compression force of the compressed tissue when disposed between the opposing compression surfaces; compressing tissue between the opposing compression surfaces of the tissue-compressing device until a force imparted on the switch is at least as great as the optimal tissue compression force and, at such time, changing the switching state; and after changing the switching state, effecting a surgical procedure on the compressed tissue. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for effecting a tissue-compressing surgical procedure at a user-selected tissue compression force, which comprises:
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providing a mechanical binary-output electrical switch having open and closed electrical switching states initiated and changed solely by mechanical movements; mechanically coupling the switch with an adjustable biasing device retaining the switch in one of the switching states until a force at least as great as a force imposed by the biasing device is imparted to the switch; disposing the switch in line with an electrically controlled surgical tissue-compressing device including a pair of opposing compression surfaces to cause a proportional amount of force that is placed upon compressed tissue disposed between the opposing compression surfaces to be placed upon the switch, the tissue-compressing device having an electrically operated tissue-compressing assembly and a feedback controller communicatively connected to the tissue-compressing assembly; setting the biasing device to an optimal tissue compression force; electrically connecting the switch to the feedback controller; and compressing tissue between the opposing compression surfaces of the tissue-compressing device until a force imparted on the switch is at least as great as the optimal tissue compression force and, at such time, changing the switching state, which state change communicates to the feedback controller that tissue is being compressed with the optimal tissue compression force. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification