Ultrasonic surgical instrument with AD HOC formed blade
AssigneeEthicon, Inc.
InventorSean P. Conlon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of forming a component of an ultrasonic surgical instrument includes accessing a file including a digital model representing the component. The component includes a proximal portion and a distal portion. The proximal portion includes a contact portion. The distal portion includes an ultrasonic blade. The contact portion is configured to transmit ultrasonic vibrations to the ultrasonic blade when the component is acoustically coupled to a complementary portion of an acoustic waveguide of the ultrasonic surgical instrument. The file is used to fabricate the component via an additive manufacturing process. Once the component has been fabricated, the distal portion is secured to a distal end of the complementary portion of the acoustic waveguide.
Claims19
A method of forming a component of an ultrasonic surgical instrument, the method comprising:
- (a) accessing a file including a digital model representing the component, wherein the component comprises a proximal portion and a distal portion, wherein the proximal portion comprises a contact portion, wherein the distal portion comprises an ultrasonic blade, wherein the contact portion is configured to transmit ultrasonic vibrations to the ultrasonic blade when the component is acoustically coupled to a complementary portion of an acoustic waveguide of the ultrasonic surgical instrument;
- (b) using the file to fabricate the component via an additive manufacturing process;
- and
- (c) securing the proximal portion of the component to a distal end of the complementary portion of the acoustic waveguide.
A method of enabling ad hoc manufacturing of medical device components in a clinical setting, comprising:
- (a) creating a plurality of files that are suitable for use with an additive manufacturing process;
- (b) providing access to the files to at least one clinical facility or healthcare system;
- and
- (c) providing a portion of a medical device to the at least one clinical facility or healthcare system, wherein at least one of the files is associated with a digital model of a component configured to be incorporated with the portion of the medical device;
- wherein the medical device comprises an ultrasonic surgical instrument, and wherein the component comprises a portion of a waveguide of the ultrasonic surgical instrument.
A method of assembling an ultrasonic surgical instrument, the method comprising:
- (a) obtaining a portion of an ultrasonic surgical instrument, wherein the portion of the ultrasonic surgical instrument comprises a first portion of an acoustic waveguide, wherein the acoustic waveguide is configured to acoustically couple with a transducer assembly, wherein first portion of the acoustic waveguide comprises a first attachment portion at a distal end thereof;
- (b) fabricating a second portion of the acoustic waveguide with an additive manufacturing process in a clinical facility, wherein the second portion of the acoustic waveguide comprises an ultrasonic blade, wherein the second portion of the acoustic waveguide comprises a second attachment portion at a proximal end thereof;
- and
- (c) coupling the first and second attachment portions to thereby mechanically and acoustically couple the first and second portions of the acoustic waveguide in the clinical facility.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.