Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.

Mary E Schramm

Robert Perrin Gill

Richard F Schwemberger

William T Donofrio

Richard Michael Harper

Jason A Born

Joyce A Duell

James W Vlegele

According to the invention, a finger-operated switch for activating and operating an ultrasonic surgical handpiece is provided. The power output of the surgical handpiece is responsive and proportional to the pressure applied to the finger-operated switch. The finger-operated switch includes, but not limited to, force sensitive resistors whose resistance is proportional to the force applied by the finger of the human operator of the surgical handpiece, force sensitive capacitors whose capacitance is proportional to the pressure, deflection or compression of the insulation layer between two electrodes or is proportional to the spacing between the two conductive layers, strain gauges mounted underneath or integral to the housing of the surgical handpiece such that the pressure applied thereto results in an output change in the strain gauges, magnets or ferromagnets encased or embedded in an elastomer with a sensor inside the surgical handpiece that detects the field strength of the magnet and monitors changes relative to the force applied to the handpiece housing, and piezo film or piezo ceramic whose charge or voltage is proportional to the force applied.

Finger operated switch for controlling a surgical handpiece

A method and system for treating tissue with a surgical device includes the steps of displaying an image created by collecting imaging data from an imaging device, selecting at least one tissue target from the image, determining the effective treatment volume of the surgical device and determining a treatment modality for treating the tissue target with the surgical device, where the treatment modality is made up of at least one target treatment volume. The method may also include the steps of determining the position and orientation of the imaging device, the image and the surgical device, indicating the trajectory of the surgical device with respect to the image on the display screen, inserting the surgical device in the patient based upon the trajectory and treating the tissue target. The method may further include indicating the target treatment volumes on the display screen.

System and method for planning treatment of tissue

Hand piece switch adapter

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Mary E Schramm