Method of assembling a cordless hand-held ultrasonic cautery cutting device

• US 8,418,349 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien AG (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Covidien AG (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Smith, Kevin W., Bales, Thomas O. Jr., Palmer, Matthew A., Deville, Derek Dee
• Primary Examiner(s): Hughes, S. Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHI, KATHERINE MENGLIN
• Application Number:
  US13/072,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20110167621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 606/169, 600/437, 600/461, 600/471, 601/2, 604/22, 433/86, 433/119, 173/29, 173/217, 173/2, 483/16, 483/901, 295/94, 298/31, 298/32, 298/54
• US Class Current: 29/594
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32 Surgical cutting instruments A61B18/042 takes precedence; suture cutters A61B17/0467; instruments for ligaturing or cutting A61B17/128; instruments for rupturing the amniotic membrane A61B17/4208; specially adapted knives for eye surgery A61F9/0133
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320068 using mechanical vibrations, e.g. ultrasonic A61B17/22012 takes precedence; dental tooth drilling devices operated by vibration A61C3/03; removing intra-ocular material using mechanical vibrations A61F9/00745
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320092 with additional movable means for clamping or cutting tissue, e.g. with a pivoting jaw
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00017 Electrical control of surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00075 Motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00137 Details of operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0046 with a releasable handle; with handle and operating part separable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320089 node location
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320093 additional movable means performing cutting operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320094 additional movable means performing clamping operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320095 with sealing or cauterizing means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320097 with stapling means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320098 with transverse or torsional motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0803 Counting the number of times an instrument is used
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0807 Indication means
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 3/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for transmitting mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49005 Acoustic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 : Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor

Abstract

A method for assembling an ultrasonic surgical device includes the steps of providing a proximal end of an ultrasonic waveguide at an ultrasonic surgical handle body, removably coupling an ultrasonic-movement-generator assembly having a ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit to the ultrasonic surgical handle body, mechanically coupling an ultrasonic transducer rotationally freely and substantially longitudinally fixedly to the ultrasonic surgical handle body to place an ultrasonic-movement-producing distal end of the ultrasonic transducer opposite and adjacent the proximal end of the ultrasonic waveguide, and rotating the waveguide and the ultrasonic transducer with respect to one another to removably fixedly couple the waveguide to the ultrasonic-movement-producing distal end of the ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple the ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit to the ultrasonic surgical handle body.

Claims

1. A method for assembling an ultrasonic surgical device, the method comprising:

providing a proximal end of an ultrasonic waveguide at an ultrasonic surgical handle body;

removably coupling to the ultrasonic surgical handle body a cordless ultrasonic-movement-generator assembly having a shell containing therein an ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit;

mechanically coupling a cordless ultrasonic transducer rotationally freely and substantially longitudinally fixedly to the ultrasonic surgical handle body to place an ultrasonic-movement-producing distal end of the ultrasonic transducer opposite and adjacent the proximal end of the ultrasonic waveguide; and

rotating the waveguide and the ultrasonic transducer with respect to one another to removably fixedly couple the waveguide to the ultrasonic-movement-producing distal end of the ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple the ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit of the shell to the ultrasonic surgical handle body, wherein the ultrasonic transducer is operable to dynamically produce a resonant wave along the ultrasonic waveguide when the ultrasonic transducer is excited by the ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out the step of removably coupling the shell to the ultrasonic surgical handle body and the step of mechanically coupling the ultrasonic transducer rotationally freely and substantially longitudinally fixedly to the ultrasonic surgical handle body substantially simultaneously.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out the step of removably coupling the shell to the ultrasonic surgical handle body before carrying out the step of mechanically coupling the ultrasonic transducer rotationally freely and substantially longitudinally fixedly to the ultrasonic surgical handle body.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises removably coupling the shell to the ultrasonic surgical handle body after carrying out the step of mechanically coupling the ultrasonic transducer rotationally freely and substantially longitudinally fixedly to the ultrasonic surgical handle body.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein carrying out the waveguide rotation step automatically causes, at substantially the same time:

the shell to removably couple with the ultrasonic surgical handle body; and

the ultrasonic transducer to mechanically couple rotationally freely and substantially longitudinally fixedly to the ultrasonic surgical handle body.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing the ultrasonic transducer partially within the ultrasonic surgical handle body to expose a proximal end of the ultrasonic transducer to the environment for rotation by a user.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the waveguide has an ultrasonic end effector and which further comprises indirectly rotating the end effector by rotating the exposed proximal end of the ultrasonic transducer.

8. The method according to claim 6, which further comprises uncoupling the waveguide from the ultrasonic-movement-producing distal end of the ultrasonic transducer by:

grasping the exposed proximal end of the ultrasonic transducer; and

rotating the ultrasonic waveguide with respect to the ultrasonic transducer.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises removably inserting a battery at a selectively accessible and aseptically sealable battery-holding compartment of the ultrasonic surgical handle body.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the battery-holding compartment is disposed one of:

at a grip portion of the handle body;

in a grip portion of the handle body; and

in the ultrasonic-movement-generator assembly.

11. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises removably inserting an entirety of a battery at a selectively accessible and aseptically sealable battery-holding compartment of the ultrasonic surgical handle body.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the handle body defines the battery-holding compartment in an interior thereof and a door selectively closes off and seals the battery-holding compartment.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the battery-holding compartment is disposed one of:

at a grip portion of the handle body;

in a grip portion of the handle body; and

in the ultrasonic-movement-generator assembly.

14. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

replacing at least one of the ultrasonic transducer and the shell containing therein the ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit from the ultrasonic surgical handle body by coupling at least one of;

a second ultrasonic transducer different from the ultrasonic transducer to the ultrasonic surgical handle body; and

a second shell containing therein a second ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit different from the shell containing therein the ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit to the ultrasonic surgical handle body.

15. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

substantially simultaneously removing the ultrasonic transducer and the shell containing therein the ultrasonic-drive-wave-signal generating circuit from the ultrasonic surgical handle body; and

replacing the ultrasonic transducer and the ultrasonic-movement-generator assembly by substantially simultaneously coupling, to the ultrasonic surgical handle body, a second ultrasonic transducer different from the ultrasonic transducer and a second shell containing therein a second ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit different from the shell containing therein the ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit.

16. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises uncoupling the ultrasonic waveguide from the ultrasonic-movement-producing distal end of the ultrasonic transducer by rotating one of the ultrasonic waveguide and the ultrasonic transducer with respect to the other.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resonant wave is a sine wave.

18. A method for assembling and using an ultrasonic surgical assembly, the method comprising:

providing a cordless ultrasonic-movement-generator assembly with;

a shell;

an ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit housed within the shell; and

a cordless ultrasonic transducer having;

an ultrasonic-movement-producing distal end; and

a proximal end;

providing a proximal end of an ultrasonic waveguide at an ultrasonic surgical handle body;

providing a handle body with;

an ultrasonic-signal-generator assembly dock exposed to the environment and shaped to selectively removably couple the shell to the handle body; and

an ultrasonic transducer attachment dock exposed to the environment and shaped to selectively removably receive the ultrasonic transducer at the handle body;

mechanically coupling the ultrasonic transducer rotationally freely and substantially longitudinally fixedly to the ultrasonic surgical handle body at the ultrasonic transducer attachment dock to place the ultrasonic-movement-producing distal end of the ultrasonic transducer opposite and adjacent the proximal end of the ultrasonic waveguide;

removably coupling the shell of the ultrasonic-movement-generator assembly to the ultrasonic surgical handle body at the ultrasonic-signal-generator assembly dock; and

rotating the ultrasonic waveguide and the ultrasonic transducer with respect to one another to removably fixedly couple the waveguide to the ultrasonic-movement-producing distal end of the ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple the ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit to the ultrasonic surgical handle body, wherein the ultrasonic transducer is operable to dynamically produce a resonant wave along the ultrasonic waveguide when the ultrasonic transducer is excited by the ultrasonic-driving-wave-signal generating circuit.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the resonant wave is a sine wave.