Optical energy-based methods and apparatus for tissue sealing

• US 9,402,685 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2015
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Chernov, Boris, Misuchenko, Igoris, Martsinovskiy, Georgy, Verbitsky, Mikhail
• Primary Examiner(s): CRANDALL, LYNSEY P
• Application Number:
  US14/811,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20150327931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/295 combined with cutting implements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1442 Probes having pivoting end effectors, e.g. forceps
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00404 Blood vessels other than those in or around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0063 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00702 Power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0072 Current
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0075 Phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00791 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00845 Frequency
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00869 Phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00875 Resistance or impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00886 Duration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2065 Multiwave; Wavelength mixing, e.g. using four or more wavelengths pilot laser A61B2018/2025
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2266 with a lens, e.g. ball tipped
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2272 with reflective or refractive surfaces for deflecting the beam A61B2018/2261, A61B2018/2266 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2294 with a diffraction grating

Abstract

Optical energy-based methods and apparatus for sealing vascular tissue involves deforming vascular tissue to bring different layers of the vascular tissue into contact each other and illuminating the vascular tissue with a light beam having at least one portion of its spectrum overlapping with the absorption spectrum of the vascular tissue. The apparatus may include two deforming members configured to deform the vascular tissue placed between the deforming members. The apparatus may also include an optical system that has a light source configured to generate light, a light distribution element configured to distribute the light across the vascular tissue, and a light guide configured to guide the light from the light source to the light distribution element. The apparatus may further include a cutting member configured to cut the vascular tissue and to illuminate the vascular tissue with light to seal at least one cut surface of the vascular tissue.

Claims

1. An energy-based instrument for sealing tissue, comprising:

an end effector assembly including first and second jaw members pivotably coupled about a pivot, at least one of the first and second jaw members being pivotable relative to the other about the pivot from a first position wherein the first and second jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to at least a second position wherein the first and second jaw members cooperate to deform tissue; and

an optical system configured to illuminate a portion of tissue with light to seal tissue, the optical system comprising;

a light source configured to generate light;

a light distribution element configured to distribute the light over the portion of tissue;

a light guide configured to guide the light from the light source to the light distribution element; and

an optical reflective material,

wherein the light distribution element is disposed in the first jaw member,

wherein the second jaw member includes the optical reflective material, which is configured to reflect light that has passed through tissue so that the light passes through tissue a second time, and

wherein the optical reflective material is a spectrally selective material which transmits visible light.

2. The energy-based instrument of claim 1, wherein the second jaw member is transparent to the light.

3. The energy-based instrument of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor configured to sense at least one parameter of the tissue; and

a controller configured to control at least one parameter of the light generated by the light source based on the at least one parameter of the tissue sensed by the sensor.

4. The energy-based instrument of claim 3, wherein the at least one parameter of the light is one or more of intensity, frequency, polarization, phase, pulse width, pulse frequency, duty cycle, repetition rate, wave shape, duration of illumination, total exposure of tissue to the light, or the spectra of the light.

5. The energy-based instrument of claim 1, wherein the light source includes at least one light emitting diode or at least one laser.

6. The energy-based instrument of claim 5, wherein the at least one laser generates light having different wavelengths.

7. The energy-based instrument of claim 5, wherein the at least one laser is a tunable laser that is tuned to generate light of a desired wavelength.

8. The energy-based instrument of claim 1, wherein the light distribution element is configured to create conditions of frustrated total internal reflection.

9. The energy-based instrument of claim 1, wherein the light distribution element includes at least one lens or at least one prism.

10. The energy-based instrument of claim 1, wherein the light distribution element includes at least one periodic optical structure.

11. The energy-based instrument of claim 10, wherein the at least one periodic optical structure is a diffraction grating.

12. The energy-based instrument of claim 11, wherein the diffraction grating is a Bragg diffraction grating.

13. The energy-based instrument of claim 1, wherein the light distribution element includes at least one waveguide structure.

14. The energy-based instrument of claim 1, wherein the light guide includes at least one waveguide structure.

15. The energy-based instrument of claim 14, wherein the at least one waveguide structure is an optical fiber.

16. The energy-based instrument of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second jaw members is coated with an optically-transparent coating with low adhesion to tissue.

17. The energy-based instrument of claim 16, wherein the optically-transparent coating is an optically-transparent collagen.