Robotic surgical systems with fluid flow control for irrigation, aspiration, and blowing

• US 9,216,243 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2012
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Millman, Paul, Bailey, David, Hoornaert, Dean, Mintz, David Stephen, Larkin, David Q, Magnasco, John, Guthurt, Gary, Swarup, Nitish, Brogna, Salvatore
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, EMILY LOUISE
• Application Number:
  US13/443,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 604/27, 604/32, 604/33, 604/35, 604/43
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00203 with speech control or speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/506 using a parallelogram linkage, e.g. panthograph
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2217/005 with suction drainage system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2217/007 with irrigation system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/74 Manipulators with manual electric input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/743 by changing the cross-section of the line, e.g. flow regulating valves A61M1/7413 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/76 Handpieces specially for suction-irrigation A61M1/774, aspiration tips A61M1/84
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/77 Suction-irrigation systems aspiration tips supplying fluids A61M1/85; specific for negative pressure wound therapy A61M1/92; combined with tracheal tubes A61M16/0463
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 13/003 Blowing gases other than for carrying powders, e.g. for inflating, dilating or rinsing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2039/2473 Valve comprising a non-deformable, movable element, e.g. ball-valve, valve with movable stopper or reciprocating element

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, a robotic surgical system is provided including a master control console and a surgical manipulator. The master control console generates control signals to cause one or more fluids to flow into or out of a surgical site. The surgical manipulator is coupled to the console to receive the control signals and includes at least one robotic arm and a surgical instrument coupled thereto. The surgical manipulator controls the surgical instrument in response to the control signals to control the flow of the one or more fluids into or out of the surgical site. The surgical instrument has a first robotically controlled valve that is responsive to the surgical manipulator and a hollow tube having a first end coupled to the first robotically controlled valve with an opening at a second end to direct the flow of one or more fluids.

Claims

1. A robotic surgical system, comprising:

a control console adapted to generate control signals that vary a flow rate of fluid into or out of a surgical site over a range of flow rates between zero and fully open flow;

a robotic arm in communication with the control console operable by a user and adapted to respond to the control signals in order to manipulate at least one surgical instrument through a driver element; and

a surgical instrument coupled to the robotic arm, the surgical instrument including

a valve body including a valve opening, the valve opening having an inner cylindrical sidewall, wherein a plurality of openings extend through the inner cylindrical sidewall,

a receiving element, the surgical instrument being coupled to the robotic arm in a way that removably couples the receiving element to the driver element,

a robotically controlled valve including a shaft coupled to the receiving element and extending into the valve opening, the shaft being rotatable in a fixed axial position about a central axis of the valve opening, wherein the shaft of the robotically controlled valve includes a slanted flow channel extending through the shaft, the flow channel including a first port and a second port that are coupleable to two openings of the plurality of openings, the first port being offset from the second port along a longitudinal axis of the shaft, and wherein the shaft is adapted to rotate, in response to actuation of the receiving element by the driver element in response to the control signals, to couple the two openings to the flow channel and to vary the flow rate of a first fluid through the flow channel in a controlled manner over a range of flow rates between zero and fully open flow, and

a hollow tube having a first end coupled to the valve body and a second end with an opening to direct the flow of the first fluid into or out of the surgical site.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said control console provides the user with the ability to vary the flow rate of the first fluid in a controlled manner for both incremental increases and incremental decreases between different non-zero and non-fully open flow rates by transmitting the control signals to rotate the shaft to vary the flow rate of a first fluid into or out of the surgical site in a controlled manner over the range of flow rates between zero and fully open flow.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said control console includes a single input device that provides the user with the ability to control the flow rates of a plurality of fluids into or out of the surgical site in a controlled manner.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said control console provides the user with the ability to vary the flow rates of both an irrigation fluid and a gas into the surgical site.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said control console further provides the user with the ability to vary the flow rate for removing the irrigation fluid, the gas, or both the irrigation fluid and the gas from the surgical site.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said control console is further adapted to provide a user with the ability to switch between controlling, different fluids at the surgical site.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said control console includes a handle having one or more grip components, said handle being adapted to provide the user with the ability to vary the flow rate of the fluid over a range of flow rates between zero and fully open flow.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said handle further includes one or more buttons that activate irrigation, aspiration, blowing, or any combination thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said control console includes a speech recognition device that is adapted to provide the user with the ability to vary the flow rate of the fluid over a range of flow rates between zero and fully open flow.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said control console includes one or more foot pedals that are adapted to provide the user with the ability to vary the flow rate of the fluid over a range of flow rates between zero and fully open flow.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said one or more foot pedals fully control irrigation and suction of fluids into and out of the surgical site.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a first foot pedal of said one or more foot pedals is further adapted to control one or more other surgical functions in addition to being adapted to vary the flow rate of the fluid.

13. The robotic surgical system of claim 1, wherein the robotically controlled valve includes manual operation feature that enables operation of the robotically controlled valve.

14. A robotic surgical system, comprising:

a control console operable by a user and adapted to generate control signals associated with a flow of fluid into or out of a surgical site;

a robotic arm including a driver element, the robotic arm being coupled to receive the control signals from the control console, the control signals controlling actuation of the driver element; and

a surgical instrument removably coupled to the robotic arm, the surgical instrument including;

a valve body having a valve opening that includes a cylindrical sidewall, wherein a plurality of openings extend through the cylindrical sidewall; and

a first robotically controlled valve, the first robotically controlled valve including a shaft that extends into the valve opening, the shaft being rotatable in a fixed axial position about an axis of the valve opening and being removably coupled to the driver element, the shaft having a slanted flow channel including a first port and a second port that are coupleable to two openings of the plurality of openings, the first port being offset from the second port along a longitudinal axis of the shaft, the flow channel extending through the shaft and turning in response to the actuation of the driver element to provide at least two different fluids into or out of the surgical site, to switch between said two different fluids, and to couple the two openings to the flow channel and to vary the flow rate of at least one of said fluids in a controlled manner over a range of flow rates between zero and fully open flow by rotation of the shaft caused by the driver element in response to the control signals.

15. The robotic surgical system of claim 14, wherein said control console provides the user with the ability to vary the rates of each of said two different fluids in a controlled manner for both incremental increases and incremental decreases between different non-zero and non-fully open flow rates.

16. The robotic surgical system of claim 14, wherein said control console includes one or more foot pedals and is arranged such that said one or more foot pedals provide the user with the ability to vary the flow rate of the fluid over a range of flow rates between zero and fully open flow.

17. The robotic surgical system of claim 16, wherein said control console is arranged such that one or more foot pedals fully control irrigation and suction of two different fluids into and out of the surgical site.

18. The robotic surgical system of claim 16, wherein said control console is arranged such that is first foot pedal of said one or more foot pedals provides the user with the ability to control one more other surgical functions in addition to providing the user with the ability to vary a fluid flow rate.

19. The robotic surgical system of claim 16, wherein said control console is arranged such that a first foot pedal of said one or more foot pedals provides the user with the ability to switch from suction control to blow control in order to blow a pressurized gas over the surgical site.

20. The robotic surgical system of claim 16, wherein said control console is arranged such that a first foot pedal provides the user with the ability to control suction to the surgical site and a second foot pedal provides the user with the ability to control irrigation into the surgical site.

21. The robotic surgical system of claim 14, wherein the surgical instrument further includes:

a first manually operated valve arranged in parallel with the first robotically controlled valve, the first manually operated valve adapted to vary the flow rate of at least one of said fluids in a controlled manner over a range of flow rates between zero and fully open flow.

22. The robotic surgical system of claim 14, wherein the first robotically controlled valve includes a manual operation feature that enables manual operation of the first robotically controlled valve.