Ultrasonic surgical instruments

• US 8,430,898 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Wiener, Eitan T., Stulen, Foster B., Stokes, Michael J., Isaacs, Karen K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Severson, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cronin, Ashley
• Application Number:
  US11/888,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20090036912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• Field of Search: 606/157, 606/159, 606167-170, 433/86, 433102-103, 433118-119, 433141-144, 433/166, 604/22
• US Class Current: 606/169
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00234 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2202 the ultrasound transducer being inside patient's body at the distal end of the catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/30 Surgical pincettes without pivotal connectionsfor holding suture needles or materials A61B17/0483; wound clamps A61B17/08 ; hand-held gripping tools without pivotal connections in general B25B9/02
• 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 17/32056 Surgical snare instruments for removing or smashing calculi A61B2017/2212; tonsillotomes A61B17/26
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00296 mounted on an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00336 with a protective sleeve, e.g. retractable or slidable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22018 segmented along its length
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2911 rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320069 for ablating tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320071 with articulating means for working tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320088 with acoustic insulation, e.g. elements for damping vibrations between horn and surrounding sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320089 node location
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320094 additional movable means performing clamping operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320095 with sealing or cauterizing means

Abstract

A surgical instrument. The surgical instrument may comprise a transducer and an end effector. The transducer may be configured to provide vibrations along a longitudinal axis at a predetermined frequency and may comprise a piezoelectric stack positioned along the longitudinal axis. The transducer also may comprise a first metallic end mass positioned along the longitudinal axis adjacent a first end of the piezoelectric stack and a second metallic end mass positioned along the longitudinal axis adjacent a second end of the piezoelectric stack. The length of the transducer may be greater than or equal to of one wavelength and less than ½ of one wavelength. The end effector may be coupled to the transducer and may extend along the longitudinal axis. The length of the transducer and the end effector may be a multiple of ½ of one wavelength.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument, comprising:

a transducer configured to provide vibrations along a longitudinal axis at a predetermined frequency, the transducer comprising;

a piezoelectric stack positioned along the longitudinal axis;

a first metallic end mass positioned along the longitudinal axis adjacent a first end of the piezoelectric stack;

a second metallic end mass positioned along the longitudinal axis adjacent a second end of the piezoelectric stack, wherein the length of the transducer is greater than or equal to ¼

of one wavelength and less than ½

of one wavelength; and

an end effector extending along the longitudinal axis coupled to the transducer at a location offset from a nearest anti-node, wherein a length of the end effector is a non-integer multiple of ½

of one wavelength, and wherein a sum of the length of the transducer and the length of the end effector is an integer multiple of ½

of one wavelength.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the end effector comprises a waveguide.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric stack comprises a plurality of piezoelectric elements.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric stack is positioned about at a node of the transducer, wherein the node is a point along the longitudinal axis about ¼

of one wavelength from an end of the transducer.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the length of the instrument is about one wavelength.

6. A method for processing a surgical instrument for surgery, comprising:

obtaining the surgical instrument of claim 1;

sterilizing the surgical instrument; and

storing the surgical instrument in a sterile container.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the sum, of the length of the transducer and the length of the end effector is about equal to ½

of one wavelength.

8. A surgical instrument, comprising:

a transducer configured to provide vibrations along a longitudinal axis at a predetermined frequency, the transducer comprising;

a piezoelectric stack positioned along the longitudinal axis;

a first metallic end mass positioned along the longitudinal axis adjacent a first end of the piezoelectric stack;

a second metallic end mass positioned along the longitudinal axis adjacent a second end of the piezoelectric stack, wherein the amplitude gain of the transducer is equal to one; and

an end effector extending along the longitudinal axis coupled to the transducer, wherein the end effector comprises;

a plurality of first sections positioned along the longitudinal axis having a first diameter;

a plurality of second sections positioned along the longitudinal axis between the plurality of first sections, wherein the plurality of second sections have a second diameter larger than the first diameter, wherein at least a portion of distally facing ends of the plurality of second sections are located at a first plurality of zero-displacement nodes, wherein at least a portion of proximally facing ends of the second sections are located at a second plurality of zero-displacement nodes, and wherein the first plurality and the second plurality of zero-displacement nodes do not include any zero-displacement nodes in common.

9. The surgical instrument of claim 8, wherein the end effector comprises a waveguide.

10. The surgical instrument of claim 8, wherein the amplitude gain of the ultrasonic surgical instrument is between about 10 and about 50.

11. A method for processing a surgical instrument for surgery, comprising:

obtaining the surgical instrument of claim 8;

sterilizing the surgical instrument; and

storing the surgical instrument in a sterile container.