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US 10,092,741 B2Granted
Ultrasonic surgical apparatus and associated method
AssigneeMisonix, Incorporated
InventorAlexander Darian
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A surgical instrument assembly has (i) a surgical instrument including a handpiece and a probe or horn attached to the handpiece, (ii) a source of ultrasonic vibratory energy operatively connected to the probe or horn, (iii) a source of electrical current operatively connected to deliver electrical current to organic tissues of a patient at a surgical site contacted by a distal end of the probe or horn, and (iv) a sensor of electrical potential disposable in contact with the patient at a desired distance from the surgical site. The sensor is operatively connected to the source of ultrasonic vibratory energy to automatically attenuate an output thereof in response to a detected potential of a predetermined magnitude.
Claims14
A surgical method comprising:
- providing a surgical instrument including a handpiece and a probe or horn attached to said handpiece;
- placing a distal end or operative tip of said probe or horn in contact with organic tissues of a patient at a surgical site;
- disposing a sensor on the patient at a distance from the surgical site so that said sensor is spaced from the organic tissues at the surgical site;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip, vibrating said probe or horn at an ultrasonic frequency;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip and the vibrating of said probe or horn, conducting electrical current into the patient at least proximate the surgical site, said electrical current being so limited as to prevent damage to any organic tissues of the patient including the organic tissues at the surgical site;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip and the vibrating of said probe or horn, applying suction to said surgical site via said instrument;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip and the vibrating of said probe or horn, operating said sensor to detect electrical potential arising from the electrical current conducted into the patient;
- and
- attenuating the vibrating of said probe or horn initially in response to a detected potential of a first predetermined magnitude and the applied suction initially in response to a detected potential of a second predetermined magnitude, said first predetermined magnitude and said second predetermined magnitude being different from one another.
6 more elements
A surgical method comprising:
- providing a surgical instrument including a handpiece and a probe or horn attached to said handpiece;
- placing a distal end or operative tip of said probe or horn in contact with organic tissues of a patient at a surgical site;
- disposing a sensor on the patient at a distance from the surgical site so that said sensor is spaced from the organic tissues at the surgical site, the disposing of said sensor includes placing said sensor in operative contact with a tissue surface of the patient proximate to a nerve of the patient;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip, vibrating said probe or horn at an ultrasonic frequency;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip and the vibrating of said probe or horn, conducting electrical current into the patient at least proximate the surgical site, said electrical current being so limited as to prevent damage to any organic tissues of the patient including the organic tissues at the surgical site;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip and the vibrating of said probe or horn, operating said sensor to detect electrical potential arising from the electrical current conducted into the patient;
- and
- attenuating the vibrating of said probe or horn in response to a detected potential of a predetermined magnitude, wherein the detected potential is taken from the group consisting of a maximum amplitude of nerve activation and an average potential over several cycles of nerve activation.
5 more elements
A surgical method comprising:
- providing a surgical instrument including a handpiece and a probe or horn attached to said handpiece;
- placing a distal end or operative tip of said probe or horn in contact with organic tissues of a patient at a surgical site;
- disposing a sensor on the patient at a distance from the surgical site so that said sensor is spaced from the organic tissues at the surgical site;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip, vibrating said probe or horn at an ultrasonic frequency;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip and the vibrating of said probe or horn, conducting electrical current into the patient at least proximate the surgical site, said electrical current being so limited as to prevent damage to any organic tissues of the patient including the organic tissues at the surgical site, the vibrating of said probe or horn being controlled to commence only after a predetermined time period has elapsed after the conducting of the electrical current into the patient has commenced;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip and the vibrating of said probe or horn, applying suction to said surgical site via said instrument;
- during the contacting of said organic tissues with said distal end or operative tip and the vibrating of said probe or horn, operating said sensor to detect electrical potential arising from the electrical current conducted into the patient;
- and
- attenuating at least one of the vibrating of said probe or horn and the applied suction in response to a detected potential of a predetermined magnitude.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.