Adjustable stiffener for surgical instruments
AssigneeAlcon Inc.
InventorsBill Chen, James Y. Chon, John R. Underwood
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure generally relates to microsurgical instruments having variable stiffness such as microsurgical instruments having variable stiffness for ophthalmic surgical procedures. In one embodiment, a surgical instrument includes a probe and a stiffener assembly. The stiffener assembly further includes a stiffener formed of a hollow tubular member substantially surrounding at least a portion of a length of the probe. Actuation of the stiffener along the length of the probe adjusts the stiffness of the probe, thus providing a user better control of the surgical instrument.
Claims19
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- a base unit, the base unit configured to be held by a user;
- a probe disposed through a first opening in a distal end of the base unit, the probe having a length parallel to a longitudinal axis thereof;
- a stiffener assembly, the stiffener assembly comprising:
- a stiffener disposed through the first opening in the base unit, the stiffener formed of a hollow tubular member slidably coupled to and surrounding at least a portion of the probe;
- and
- an actuation mechanism configured to move the stiffener along the length of the probe, wherein the actuation mechanism comprises:
- a biasing device configured to apply a biasing force against the stiffener in a distal direction,
- a housing surrounding the biasing device, wherein:
- the housing is positioned inside the base unit and extending through an interior portion of the distal end of the base unit,
- the housing separates the biasing device from an inner cavity of the base unit, and
- the inner cavity separates the housing from an inner surface of the base unit.
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- a base unit, the base unit configured to be held by a user;
- a probe disposed through a first opening in a distal end of the base unit, the probe having a length parallel to a longitudinal axis thereof;
- a self-adjusting stiffener assembly, the self-adjusting stiffener assembly comprising:
- a stiffener disposed through the first opening in the base unit, the stiffener formed of a hollow tubular member slidably coupled to and surrounding at least a portion of the probe;
- and
- an actuation mechanism configured to move the stiffener distally along the length of the probe, wherein the actuation mechanism comprises:
- a biasing device configured to apply a biasing force against the stiffener in a distal direction,
- a housing surrounding the biasing device and extending through an interior portion of the distal end of the base unit, wherein:
- the housing is positioned inside the base unit,
- the housing separates the biasing device from an inner cavity of the base unit, and
- the inner cavity separates the housing from an inner surface of the base unit.
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- a base unit, the base unit configured to be held by a user;
- a probe disposed through a first opening in a distal end of the base unit, the probe having a length parallel to a longitudinal axis thereof;
- a self-adjusting stiffener assembly, the self-adjusting stiffener assembly comprising:
- a stiffener disposed through the first opening in the base unit, the stiffener formed of a hollow tubular member slidably coupled to and surrounding at least a portion of the probe, the stiffener comprising a flange at a proximal end of the stiffener;
- and
- an actuation mechanism configured to move the stiffener along the length of the probe, wherein the actuation mechanism comprises:
- a biasing device configured to apply a biasing force against the stiffener in a distal direction,
- a housing surrounding the biasing device and extending through an interior portion of the distal end of the base unit, wherein:
- the housing is positioned inside the base unit,
- the housing separates the biasing device from an inner cavity of the base unit, and
- the inner cavity separates the housing from an inner surface of the base unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.