Surgery – Instruments – Electrical application
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-10
2001-04-03
Dvorak, Linda C. M. (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Instruments
Electrical application
C606S048000, C606S049000, C606S051000, C606S052000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210409
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to electrosurgical electrodes for use in an electrosurgical handpiece and an activator for an electrosurgical handpiece.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Our prior application, Ser. No. 09/303,839, describes a novel electrosurgical handpiece for treating tissue in a surgical procedure commonly known as minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Among the features described and claimed in the prior application is an electrosurgical handpiece that can be used in MIS and reduces the danger of excessive heat causing possible patient harm. This is achieved in one embodiment by an electrosurgical handpiece that is bipolar in operation and that is configured for use in MIS. The bipolar operation confines the electrosurgical currents to a small active region between the active ends of the bipolar electrode and thus reduces the possibility that excessive heat will be developed that can damage patient tissue. Moreover, the position of the active region can be controlled to avoid patient tissue that may be more sensitive to excessive heat. Preferably, the handpiece is provided with a dual compartment insulated elongated tube, each of the compartments serving to house one of the two wires of the bipolar electrodes. The electrode for MIS use is preferably constructed with a flexible end controllable by the surgeon so as to allow the surgeon to manipulate the end as desired during the surgical procedure. In a preferred embodiment, the flexible end is achieved by weakening at the end the housing for the electrode, and providing a pull string or wire connected to the weakened housing end and with a mechanism at the opposite end for the surgeon to pull the string or wire to flex the housing end to the desired position. This feature allows the surgeon to position the active electrode end at the optimum location for treating, say, a herniated disk to remove undesired regions and to provide controlled heat to shrink the tissue during surgery. In
FIGS. 3-7
of the prior application, a suitable bipolar electrode is described.
FIG. 12
illustrates how such an electrode can be used for the reduction of herniated disks in a laparoscopic procedure.
FIG. 20
shows a scissors end that can be constructed as a bipolar electrode for certain purposes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a continuation-in-part of the prior application and hereby incorporates by reference the total contents of the prior application. The present invention describes two additional bipolar electrodes for use in the handpiece of the prior application but otherwise makes use of the same teachings, and for this reason it was felt unnecessary to repeat in the body of this specification the total the contents of the prior application. The present description will be confined solely to the differences in the electrode ends to achieve certain benefits that may be more difficult to achieve with the electrode constructions of the prior application. For the convenience of the reader, however, attached herewith as Appendix A is a copy of the prior application as filed together with a copy of its drawings. When and if the prior application becomes an issued patent, it is proposed to substitute a copy of the issued patent for the application of Appendix A.
The two new bipolar electrodes of the present improvement are configured to provide hemostasis or cauterization of a bleeder. For this purpose, the electrode ends comprise two electrically-insulated, adjacent, prong-like elements whose ends are laterally spaced apart a distance sufficient to embrace a typical blood vessel in a patient. A preferred spacing is about 2 mm. The spaced prongs project from the flexible end of its tubular housing, and can be positioned by moving the tubular housing and flexing the tubular housing tip to surround or flank the blood vessel to be cauterized by the surgeon manipulating the tubular housing and flexible tip as described in the prior application.
In a first preferred embodiment, the prong ends are straight and lie in a plane extending substantially perpendicular to the plane of flexing. In a second preferred embodiment, one prong end is straight and the other forms a hook lying in a plane extending substantially parallel to the plane of flexing.
The present invention also makes use of the interchangability of electrodes. As explained in connection with
FIG. 1
of the prior application, the various bipolar electrodes can be withdrawn from the handpiece and replaced by another bipolar or unipolar electrode enabling the surgeon, without having to remove the handpiece from the cannula, to successively use one or more bipolar or unipolar electrodes as needed. So, for example, after first using a bipolar or unipolar electrode for a cutting procedure, either of the electrodes of the present invention can be substituted to perform hemostasis of any blood vessels cut during the procedure.
The construction of the invention will provide the same important benefits not only for MIS of herniated disks but also for other MIS procedures where controlled electrode position and controlled heat generation is of importance as described in the prior application.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5441499 (1995-08-01), Fritzsch
patent: 5709224 (1998-01-01), Behl et al.
patent: 6010500 (2000-01-01), Sherman et al.
Ellman Alan G.
Garito Jon C.
Dvorak Linda C. M.
Kearney R.
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