Surgery – Instruments – Forceps
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-05
2004-05-11
Truong, Kevin T. (Department: 3731)
Surgery
Instruments
Forceps
C606S208000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06733514
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention generally relates to endoscopic instruments. More particularly, the present invention provides a jaw assembly for use in an endoscopic instrument.
Laparoscopic, endoscopic, and other minimally invasive surgical techniques enable surgeons to perform fairly complicated procedures through relatively small entry points in the body. The term “laparoscopic” refers to surgical procedures performed on the interior of the abdomen, while the term “endoscopic” refers more generally to procedures performed in any portion of the body. Endoscopic surgery involves the use of an endoscope, which is an instrument permitting the visual inspection and magnification of a body cavity. The endoscope is inserted into a body cavity through a cannula extending through a hole in the soft tissue protecting the body cavity. The hole is made with a trocar, which includes a cutting instrument slidably and removably disposed within a trocar cannula. After forming the hole, the cutting instrument can be withdrawn from the trocar cannula. A surgeon can then perform diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures at the surgical site with the aid of specialized medical instruments adapted to fit through the trocar cannula and additional trocar cannulas providing openings into the desired body cavity.
Some known advantages of minimally invasive surgical techniques include reduced trauma to the patient, reduced likelihood of infection at the surgical site, and lower overall medical costs. Accordingly, minimally invasive surgical techniques are being applied to an increasingly wider array of medical procedures.
FIG. 1
depicts a typical example of an endoscopic instrument
100
. The instrument
100
may include a handle
110
, a knob
120
, and a tubular member
130
. The handle
110
may be one of a variety of conventional configurations, such as a grip handle shown in
FIG. 1. A
portion of the handle
110
fits within the proximal end of the knob
120
, providing an axis about which the knob
120
can be rotated. The distal end of the knob
120
may engage the proximal end of the tubular member
130
, such that any rotation of the knob
120
may cause the tubular member
130
to rotate as well. The distal end of the distal member
130
may be adapted to include one of a variety of instruments or end effectors. For example, the distal end may be equipped with jaws, cutting blades, or some other instrument, depending on the desired use of the endoscopic instrument. It should therefore be appreciated that the term “jaw” is used generically in this disclosure and should be interpreted to include other types of end effectors.
FIG. 2
is a partially sectioned view of an endoscopic instrument
100
. As can be appreciated, the tubular member
130
may have a lumen
135
extending from the proximal end to the distal end. A drive rod
140
may be positioned within the lumen
135
. At the proximal end of the endoscopic instrument, the drive rod
140
may be attached to the handle
110
. The manner in which the drive rod
140
is attached to the handle
110
depends on the handle configuration, and is well known in the art. For example, in
FIG. 2
, the proximal end of the drive rod
140
is formed into a ball
142
and a portion of the handle
110
has a corresponding socket
112
. As is conventionally known, actuating the handle
110
moves the drive rod
140
axially within the lumen
135
. This axial movement of the drive rod
140
actuates the instrument at the distal end of the tubular member
130
.
FIG. 3
is a partially sectioned view of the distal end of the tubular member
130
equipped with a jaw assembly
200
. The jaw assembly
200
includes two jaw members
205
, which partially overlap. Each jaw member
205
has a pivot hole
210
and a substantially oval drive groove
215
. Each drive groove
215
may be arranged at an angle, such that when the two jaw members
205
are aligned and fully open, the drive grooves
215
form a “V” shape. A drive pin
220
may be inserted through the drive rod
140
and rides within the drive grooves
215
.
FIG. 4
is an exploded view of the distal end of the tubular member
130
and jaw assembly
200
, wherein like elements bear like reference numerals. A clevis
225
is formed in the distal end of the drive rod
140
. The clevis
225
may be a “U”-shaped section and at least one of the arms
227
of the “U” may have a hole
230
to accommodate a drive pin
220
. The distance between the arms
227
of the clevis
225
may be slightly larger than the width of the overlapping portions of the jaw members
205
. When assembled, the overlapping portions of the jaw members
205
may be placed within the clevis
225
. The drive pin
220
may be inserted through the at least one hole
230
in the arm
227
of the clevis
225
and through each of the drive grooves
215
. A pivot pin
235
is then inserted into a hole
240
in the distal end of the tubular member
130
and through the pivot hole
210
in each of the jaw members
205
.
The jaw assembly
200
may be operated as follows. When the jaws are open, the drive pin
220
is located near one end of the drive grooves
215
, for example, the end closest to the pivot pin
235
. As the handle
110
is actuated, the drive rod
140
moves axially. As the drive rod
140
moves axially, the drive pin
220
, which is coupled to the drive rod
140
, moves axially as well. As can be appreciated, the drive pin
220
moves through the drive grooves
215
of the jaw members
205
. The pivot pin
235
prevents the jaw members
205
from moving axially into the tubular member
130
. Rather, as the drive pin
220
moves through the drive grooves
215
, the distal ends of the jaw members
205
move toward each other and the jaw closes. As is known in the art, the axial movement may result from either a “push” or a “pull” action.
As can be appreciated, the amount of force required to close the jaws depends to a large extent on the characteristics of the material between the jaws. For example, thicker material may be more difficult to cut or compress than thinner material. As more force is exerted on the material, it is not uncommon for a portion of the clevis to fail under the stress. Typically, the point of failure occurs near where the drive pin is inserted in the clevis.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide an improved jaw assembly and drive rod configuration.
SUMMARY
In accordance with the present invention, there is an endoscopic instrument having a tubular member, a handle, and a drive rod. The tubular member has a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending therethrough. The handle is coupled to the proximal end of the tubular member and has an actuating mechanism. The drive rod is disposed within the lumen of the tubular member and has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end of the drive rod is coupled to the actuating mechanism of the handle such that the drive rod moves axially within the lumen in response to a change in force applied to the actuating mechanism. At least one boss protrudes radially from a portion of the drive rod near the distal end of the drive rod. In addition, at least one instrument member is pivotally connected to a pivot pin. The pivot pin is coupled to the distal end of the tubular member thereby preventing axial movement of the instrument member. A portion of the at least one instrument member is adapted to slidingly engage the at least one boss.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the at least one instrument member is a jaw member.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is an endoscopic instrument having a tubular member, a handle coupled to the proximal end of the tubular member, and a drive rod disposed within the lumen of the tubular member. The handle includes an actuating mechanism, and the proximal end of the drive rod is coupled to the actuating mechanism of the handle such that the drive rod moves axially within the lumen in response to a change in force applied to the actuating mechanism. At least one boss protrudes radially fr
Pilling Weck Incorporated
Truong Kevin T.
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