Surgery – Instruments – Electrical application
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-08
2003-09-09
Gibson, Roy D. (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Instruments
Electrical application
C606S045000, C606S049000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06616658
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electrosurgical instruments and more particularly to electrosurgical pencils for cauterizing tissue and evacuating smoke from a surgical site.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The coagulation of blood vessels is a necessary part of medical surgery and is commonly performed by an electrosurgical tool commonly known as an electrosurgical pencil or coagulator pencil. In an electrosurgical pencil, a electrically conductive metal tip, usually flat in shape, extends outwardly from the end of the body of a hollow plastic main body that acts as a hand grip for a surgeon using the electrosurgical tool. In use, the tissue of a patient is electrically connected to one side of an electrosurgical circuit, and the electrically conductive tip is connected to the other side of the electrosurgical circuit. When the metal tip touches or is near the tissue at the surgical site, a high frequency electrical current flows from the electrode to the tissue, thus coagulating and cauterizing the tissue.
Due to the cauterizing effect of the electrically conductive metal tip, small plumes of smoke are produced, which are typically referred to as surgical smoke and must be removed. This surgical smoke is offensive in terms of its pungent odour, and is also potentially dangerous to surgeons and other operating room staff in that it contains possible carcinogenic elements, and also potentially contains transportable viable viral DNA. Exacerbating this problem, is the fact that such plumes of smoke tend to rise plumes toward the persons involved in the operation. Further, the evacuation of smoke away from the surgical site is vital so that the surgeon's view of the operation site remains as unobscured as reasonably possible.
In order to evacuate smoke from a surgical site, some prior art electrosurgical pencils are constructed to have an air flow passage with an inlet that either terminates adjacent the metal tip or is in fluid communication with the metal tip, and an outlet at the opposite end. The outlet is configured to receive and retain thereon a plastic air flow hose that is connected to a source of low air pressure that causes air to be drawn from the electrosurgical pencil. The air flow must be sufficient to draw away plumes of surgical smoke.
One problem with such prior art electrosurgical tools is that they have unnecessarily complicated structures, and are typically constructed from several parts. Further, many of the parts are unduly robust for use in a disposable tool. Accordingly, such prior art electrosurgical tools are expensive, which is highly undesirable, especially considering that the present day health care system in general, and hospitals in particular, are under severe budget constraints.
Also, it has been found in the prior art that electrosurgical tools having integral structures for smoke evacuation usually provide inadequate air flow. For such evacuation, the amount of air flow (commonly measured in cubic feet per minute) is greatly improved through the present invention.
Further, the air flow path that the surgical smoke is evacuated through is defined by several elements, thus, adding to the cost and complexity and contributing to the problem of a narrow air flow passage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,134 issued Sep. 12, 2000 to Cunningham et al, discloses an Instrument for Suction Electrosurgery. This instrument has an elongate body
11
molded from polymer plastic. A main flow passage
14
extends from a connecting nipple
12
at its back end to its front end where it diverts to a narrow forward main passage section
18
and to a branch passage
20
that extends to an elongate vent
22
that is used to control air flow through the passage
14
. A hollow metal electrode tip
30
is inserted into the narrow forward main passage section
18
of the main flow passage
14
. The hollow metal tube electrode tip
30
is electrified by means of a wire
26
disposed within a second passageway
24
, with the leading end of the wire
26
having a spade connector
29
crimped thereon, which spade connector
29
is clamped in place by the hollow metal tube
30
, thus electrically connecting the hollow metal tube
30
to an electrical power source. Smoke is evacuated from a surgical site through the hollow metal tube's electrode tip
30
, into the forward portion of the main passage section
18
, into the main passage
14
, through the nipple
12
, and into a flexible tube connected thereto. The limited cross-section of this air flow path ensures that the evacuation of surgical smoke is not maximized. Further, this prior art electrosurgical pencil has a main body that is very robust and that must be made from several molded pieces secured together, typically by a suitable adhesive or by ultrasonic welding. Further, the air flow path exists in part, within the electrode itself, thus precluding this particular prior art electrosurgical pencil from reaching maximum air flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,648 issued Nov. 21, 2000 to Cosmescu discloses an Electrosurgical Unit Argon Beam Coagulator Pencil Apparatus and Method for Operating Same. Wherein the coagulator pencil apparatus
21
comprises a handpiece
22
having a nozzle assembly
11
mounted thereon via tubing
9
, with an electrode
12
removably coupled within a socket
8
and surrounded by the nozzle assembly
11
. An exhaust connector
13
is coupled to the proximal end of the handpiece
22
. At the proximal end of the connector
13
there is namely an exhaust port
15
that is connectable to a source of low air pressure. In use, smoke is drawn through the nozzle assembly
11
into the tubing
9
and then into the exhaust connector
13
, through the exhaust port
15
and into tubing (not shown). This particular electrosurgical unit has a large number of components, many of which components define the air flow path, and is somewhat intricate, and is therefore unduly expensive. Further, the cross-sectional area of the air flow path is quite small and is also not straight, thus ensuring that the evacuation of surgical smoke is not maximized.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,431 issued Sep. 1, 1998 to Brown, discloses an Electrosurgical Tool with Suction and Cautery. The electrosurgical tool
2
has a handle
4
having an internal passage
10
that leads from a connector
16
, to a tube
18
and to a source of low air pressure. The forward end of the internal passage
10
connects to an air passage that is in fluid communication with a port
12
at the front end
8
of the electrosurgical tool
2
. A heatable tip
6
extends outwardly from the vicinity of the port
12
. The passage
10
is defined by tubing in the rear portion and in the front portion, which pieces of tubing are connected by a block of material whereat the internal passage
10
is of a restricted diameter. The cross-sectional area of the internal passage of this electrosurgical tool is quite limited due to its specific construction, which is highly undesirable. Further, there are several components that define the air flow path, which makes this prior art electrosurgical tool unnecessarily expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,548 issued Sep. 14, 1999 to DeSisto et al discloses a self evacuating electrocautery device having a hollow body
12
having an outlet connected to vacuum tubing
20
, which is in turn connected to a source of low air pressure. A disposable electrocautery blade
16
is inserted into the forward end of the hollow body
12
and terminates within a first air passageway
54
. A plurality of plume intake ports
52
permit passage of smoke into the first passageway
54
past spaced ribs
38
. The first passageway
54
is connected through an intermittent self-centering rocker switch
14
to a second airway path
56
which leads to the vacuum tubing
20
. The specific multi-component configuration of the first airway path
54
especially at the intake ports
52
and the spaced ribs
38
tend to restrict the flow of air therethrough and also make the hollow body
12
of the electrocautery device
10
expensive and difficult to manuf
Gibson Roy D.
Vrettakos Peter J
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