Covidien LP

University of California

Tyco Healthcare Group LP

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

William H Nau, Jr

Duane E Kerr

Eric Russell Larson

Anthony B Ross

William J Dickhans

James S Cunningham

Robert B Stoddard

Russell D Hempstead

Robert M Sharp

Arlen K Ward

John J Kappus

Jeffrey R Townsend

James D Allen, Iv

David M Garrison

Glenn A Horner

Craig A Keller

Gene H Arts

Timothy J Bahney

John D Carlton

Edward M Chojin

Arlen James Reschke

Kathy E Rooks

Kellie F Payne

Dylan R Kingsley

Gary M Couture

Jeffrey R Unger

Rebecca J Coulson

Jeffrey Charles Lotz

John A Hammerland, Iii

Chris J Diederich

David S Bradford

Thomas W Meiser

Nathaniel Michael Fried

Luke A Hardy

Francesca Rossetto

Kai Liu

Daniel A Joseph

Arlan James Reschke

David J Van Tol

Rachit Ohri

Phillip Blaskovich

Weijiang Ding

Les Hull

William Ross Whitney

Kristel L Ambrosius

Lan Pham

Sara E Anderson

Allison Waller

Ashish Sharma

Jianjiang Chen

Stephen H Wu

Thomas Clifton Hutchens

Cassandra Latimer

Clifford J Herman

Terrence R Young

Rupal Ayer

Wenxing Huang

Joe Don Sartor

Darion R Peterson

Paul DiCarlo

Peter Michael Mueller

David Nichols Heard

Jonathan A Coe

Jessica E C Olson

Tony Moua

Mark Joseph Huseman

Thomas E Drochner

Harold M Martins

Christopher A Deborski

Allan J Evans

Christopher T Rusin

Jiagui Li

Raymond A Sirianne

Scott F Alexander

Qinlin Gu

Paul Dicarlo

Claire E Benjamin

Chip G W Bollendonk

Kathryn G Thompson

Nick C Ortiz

Scott C Oubre

Thomas C Hutchens

Mantao Xu

Xingyan Lu

An end effector assembly includes a first jaw member having a first tissue contact surface and a second jaw member having a second tissue contact surface. The second jaw member is pivotally coupled to the first jaw member. The tissue contact surfaces may include raised steps that define an exhaust channel. A longitudinally extending knife slot may be defined in one or both of the tissue contact surfaces. One or more exhaust slots, which may be defined in one or both of the tissue contact surfaces, are in communication with the knife slot. The exhaust channel and the exhaust slots direct fluid away from the jaw members to minimize thermal damage risks associated with tissue sealing.

Electrosurgical instruments for controlling thermal damage

An end effector assembly for an optical surgical instrument includes a jaw member and a plurality of optical elements positioned within a cavity of the jaw member. The jaw member has a tissue contacting surface. The jaw member has a proximal portion that is configured to secure a fiber optic cable thereto such that a distal end of the fiber optical cable extends into the cavity. The plurality of optical elements are arranged in a staircase-like manner that rises towards the tissue contacting surface as the plurality of optical elements extends distally within the cavity. The plurality of optical elements is configured to direct a beam of light exiting the fiber optic cable towards the tissue contacting surface.

Reflectors for optical-based vessel sealing

An endoscopic instrument is provided and includes a housing including an elongated shaft assembly extending distally therefrom. The elongated shaft assembly includes inner and outer shaft members. The inner and outer shaft members are removably coupled to the housing and the outer shaft member is movable with respect to the inner shaft member. An end effector is operably supported at the distal end of the outer shaft member and includes a pair of jaw members configured for treating tissue. A bushing operably couples to the inner and outer shaft members of the shaft assembly and selectively and releasably couples to the housing. The bushing includes one or more mechanical interfaces configured to engage one or more slots defined through the inner shaft member and one or more slots defined through the outer shaft member to release the inner and outer shaft members from the housing.

Endoscopic instrument

The present disclosure is directed towards a medical instrument. The medical instrument includes a housing and an end effector assembly operably connected to the housing. The end effector assembly includes first and second jaw members each having a tissue contacting surface, at least one of the first and second jaw members movable between a first, spaced-apart position and a second proximate position, wherein in the second position, the jaw members cooperate to define a cavity configured to receive tissue between the jaw members. The end effector also includes at least one light-emitting element coupled to at least one of the first and second jaw members, the at least one light-emitting element adapted to deliver light energy to tissue grasped between the first and second jaw members to treat the tissue.

Light energy sealing, cutting and sensing surgical device

A medical instrument includes two jaw members, at least one of which creates conditions of frustrated total internal reflection at a tissue-contacting surface when tissue is grasped between the two jaw members. The first jaw member may include an optical element having a tissue-contacting surface. The medical instrument also includes a light source that provides a light beam for sealing tissue. The light source is positioned so that the light beam is totally internally reflected from an interface between the tissue-contacting surface and air when tissue is not grasped by the jaw members. When tissue is grasped by the jaw members, at least a portion of the light beam is transmitted through that portion of the tissue-contacting surface that is in contact with the tissue. The light source may be movably coupled to a jaw member to scan the light beam and/or to change the incident angle based on optical properties of the tissue.

Medical devices and methods incorporating frustrated total internal reflection for energy-efficient sealing and cutting of tissue using light energy

A tissue-treating portion of a surgical instrument includes a body defining a cavity and a light-energy transmissible sphere captured within the cavity such that a portion of the light-energy transmissible sphere protrudes from the body. The light-energy transmissible sphere is capable of unlimited rotation in all directions relative to the body. The light-energy transmission cable extends through the body to a position spaced-apart from the light-energy transmissible sphere. The light-energy transmission cable is configured to transmit light energy to the light-energy transmissible sphere. The light-energy transmissible sphere, in turn, is configured focus the light energy towards tissue to treat tissue.

Surgical instruments incorporating light energy tissue treatment functionality

Surgical devices and methods for utilizing optical coherence tomography (OCT) to monitor and control tissue sealing are disclosed. The surgical device includes an end effector assembly that includes first and second jaw members that are movable between a first, spaced-apart position and a second proximate position. An OCT system, at least a portion of which is incorporated into the end effector assembly, is configured to sense properties of the tissue, e.g., the structural density of the tissue, disposed between the first and second jaw members. A tissue-sealing energy source may be disposed within at least one of the jaw members and may provide tissue-sealing energy to tissue disposed between the jaw members. A controller, which is coupled to the OCT system and the tissue-sealing energy source, controls the tissue-sealing energy generated by the tissue-sealing energy source based on the properties of the tissue sensed by the OCT system.

Surgical devices and methods utilizing optical coherence tomography (OCT) to monitor and control tissue sealing

An endoscopic forceps includes an elongate shaft defining an instrument axis. An end effector includes first and second jaw members each supporting an opposed sealing surface for clamping tissue. At least one of the jaw members is movable relative to the instrument axis such that the jaw members are movable between a first spaced-apart configuration and a second closed configuration for grasping tissue. A cutting instrument includes a reciprocating blade translatable relative to the sealing surfaces to sever tissue clamped between the jaw members. The reciprocating blade contacts an undersurface of at least one of the jaw members when the jaw members are in the second configuration to define a gap distance between the sealing surfaces. A handle adjacent the proximal end of the elongate shaft is operable to induce motion in the jaw members, and an actuator is operable to selectively translate the reciprocating blade.

Jaw, blade and gap manufacturing for surgical instruments with small jaws

A surgical forceps includes a housing having a movable handle coupled thereto and movable between an initial position and a compressed position. A drive bar is operably coupled to the movable handle such that movement of the movable handle between the initial and compressed positions effects longitudinal translation of the drive bar. The drive bar further includes a coupling member disposed at a distal end thereof. An end effector assembly includes first and second jaw members movable between spaced-apart and approximated positions. Each jaw member defines a cam slot. A cam pin is slidably disposed within the cam slot of each of the jaw members. The coupling member is configured to releasably engage the cam pin such that movement of the movable handle between the initial position and the compressed position effects movement of the jaw members between the spaced-apart position and the approximated position.

Surgical forceps including reposable end effector assemblies

A surgical device includes a handle assembly, an elongated portion, an end effector, a visualization device, and a constant horizon mechanism. The elongated portion extends distally from the handle assembly and defines a longitudinal axis. The end effector is rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the handle assembly. The visualization device defines a visualization axis. A first portion of the visualization device extends through the elongated portion, and a second portion of the visualization device is disposed at least partially within the handle assembly. The visualization device is rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the handle assembly. The constant horizon mechanism is disposed in operative engagement with the visualization device and is configured to prevent the visualization device from rotating about the visualization axis when the visualization device rotates about the longitudinal axis.

Visualization devices and methods for use in surgical procedures

A forceps includes a drive assembly and an end effector assembly having first and second jaw members movable between a spaced-apart position, a first approximated position, and a second approximated position. The drive assembly includes a drive housing and a drive bar. The proximal end of the drive bar is coupled to the drive housing, while the distal end of the drive bar is coupled to at least one of the jaw members. The drive housing and the drive bar are selectively movable in conjunction with one another between a first position and a second position to move the jaw members between the spaced-apart position and the first approximated position. The drive assembly is selectively activatable to move the drive bar independent of the drive housing from the second position to a third position to move the jaw members from the first approximated position to the second approximated position.

Surgical instrument for energy-based tissue treatment

A surgical instrument includes a light guide configured to convey light energy, a lens configured to focus the light energy into a light beam, a mounting tube, a jaw assembly coupled to the mounting tube, and a handle assembly. The jaw assembly includes a first jaw member non-movably secured to the mounting tube, a second jaw member movably secured to the mounting tube, and a window secured to the first jaw member and forming a tissue contacting surface. The window is oriented in a plane oblique to a longitudinal axis of the mounting tube and forms a liquid-tight seal between tissue and the lens. The handle assembly is coupled to the jaw assembly to move the second jaw member between an open position in which the second jaw member is spaced part from the window and a closed position.

Light energy surgical system, apparatus, and method

Growing community of inventors

Longmont, CO, United States of America

William H Nau, Jr