Surgery – Instruments – Cutting – puncturing or piercing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-30
2001-04-24
Truong, Kevin (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Cutting, puncturing or piercing
C604S022000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06221088
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to powered handpieces for driving surgical blades and, more particularly, to electric motor driven, powered handpieces, surgical blade assemblies for use with such handpieces, powered handpiece systems utilizing non-sterile electric motors and methods for supplying powered handpieces for use in surgery.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Powered handpieces are commonly used in many medical specialities to drive surgical blades for performing various diverse cutting functions including resection, comminution, dissection, debridement, shaving, drilling, pulverizing and shaping of anatomical tissue. In the areas of ENT/Head/Neck surgery, powered or motorized handpieces and systems have been proposed as illustrated by the Stryker Hummer system of Stryker Endoscopy, San Diego, Calif., the Apex System of Linvatec, Incorporated, Largo, Fla., the PS 3500 and EP-1 Surgical Drive System of Dyonics, Inc. of Andover, Mass. and the Wizard microdebrider system of Xomed, Inc., Jacksonville, Fla. Conventional powered handpieces are typically all metal and reusable in design with permanently installed motors. Such handpieces are typically decontaminated and sterilized for reuse by steam autoclave and/or soaking in a disinfectant solution resulting in reduced reliability and/or life of the motors due to the heating and cooling cycles and/or due to moisture seepage. A further disadvantage of conventional powered handpieces is that the motor of a handpiece cannot be replaced prior to surgery with a different speed motor in accordance with the procedure to be performed.
Conventional powered handpieces generally use suction to evacuate anatomical tissue cut or excised by the blades. Powered handpieces currently in use generally force the excised anatomical tissue to follow a suction path with major or substantial bends or angles. Accordingly, there is a tendency for the excised tissue to become clogged in the handpieces thusly impairing operation of the handpieces and compromising the surgical procedure.
Another drawback of some conventional powered handpieces is that the handpieces can only be operated by a power console specifically designed for the handpieces and not by a power consoles designed for other manufacturer's handpieces. Such handpieces therefore require a major investment in capital equipment for the associated power console.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of prior art powered or motorized handpieces for driving surgical blades.
Another object of the present invention is to facilitate evacuation of cut or excised anatomical tissue from the cutting tip of a surgical blade and out of a powered handpiece for the blade.
A further object of the present invention is to avoid clogging of excised tissue evacuated through a suction channel of a powered handpiece for a surgical blade by reducing areas of turbulence in the suction channel.
A still further object of the present invention is to evacuate cut or excised anatomical tissue from a surgical blade through a suction channel extending through a powered handpiece for the blade, the suction channel having a portion extending through a drive shaft for rotatably driving the blade with the channel portion being parallel to a longitudinal axis of a motor in the handpiece.
An additional object of the present invention is to increase the reliability and/or life of an electric motor of a reusable powered handpiece by providing a method of supplying a powered handpiece for surgery including removing the electric motor from a body of the handpiece prior to medically acceptable sterilization of the handpiece body to medical standards and reinstalling the electric motor in the sterilized handpiece body prior to reuse of the handpiece.
The present invention has as a further object to utilize a non-sterile motor in a reusable powered handpiece by removing the non-sterile motor from a body of the handpiece prior to sterilization of the handpiece body to medical standards and reinstalling the non-sterile motor in the sterilized handpiece body subsequent to sterilization without contaminating the sterilized handpiece body.
The present invention has as an additional object to provide a device for installing a non-sterile motor in driving engagement with a drive unit in a sterile handpiece body without contaminating the sterile handpiece body.
Additionally, the present invention has as an object to provide a surgical blade assembly for use with a reusable powered handpiece having a non-sterile motor removable from a body of the handpiece prior to medically acceptable sterilization of the handpiece body to medical standards and reinstallable in the handpiece body subsequent to sterilization thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a surgical blade assembly for use with a reusable powered handpiece having a suction channel extending through a drive shaft for rotatably driving the blade, the drive shaft being driven by a motor disposed parallel to the drive shaft.
Some of the advantages of the present invention are that diverse non-sterile, electric motors are readily interchangeable with the handpiece allowing an optimal motor to be selected in accordance with procedural use, the handpiece is relatively lightweight, compact and ergodynamically functional for use by surgeons in various specialities and, in particular, the areas of ENT/Head/Neck surgery, accurate alignment of the motor assembly with the drive unit is assured during installation of the motor assembly in the handpiece body, the motor assembly can be installed in the handpiece body by operating personnel just prior to the surgical case, the handpiece can be powered off of various conventional power consoles, and various diverse blades are interchangeable with the handpiece for performing various diverse functions.
These and other objects, advantages and benefits are realized with the present invention as characterized in a powered handpiece including a reusable handpiece body having a distal end for releasably receiving a surgical blade, a drive unit in the handpiece body including a drive shaft for driving the blade to cut anatomical tissue, a motor assembly for being disposed in the handpiece body for driving the drive unit and an electrical cord assembly for being electrically coupled between the motor and a power console. The handpiece body is capable of being medically sterilized to medical standards, such as by steam autoclave, gas sterilization and/or soaking, prior to each use. The motor assembly is removable from the handpiece body prior to sterilization of the handpiece body and is replaceable in the handpiece body subsequent to sterilization thereof without contaminating the sterile handpiece body. An installation device for inserting the motor assembly in the sterilized handpiece body without contaminating the sterilized handpiece body includes a funnel capable of being sterilized to medical standards and having a flared head and a tubular stem for being disposed over an open proximal end of the handpiece body. The motor assembly is inserted through the funnel into the open proximal end of the handpiece body without impairing the sterility of the handpiece body. In order to insure that the motor assembly is inserted in the handpiece body in driving engagement with the drive unit, an alignment mechanism is provided including a slot or keyway in the proximal end of the handpiece body and a protrusion or key on the motor assembly for being received in the slot; and, when the key of the motor assembly is received in the keyway of the handpiece body, the motor assembly will be in driving engagement with the drive unit. The funnel includes a protrusion or key for being received in the keyway of the handpiece when the funnel is disposed over the handpiece body. A notch is disposed in the funnel in longitudinal alignment with the key of the funnel and, therefore, with the keyway of the handpiece. T
Truong Kevin
Xomed Surgical Products, Inc.
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