US 12,714,460 B2Granted

Cannula with sensors to measure patient bodywall forces

AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.

InventorsBrett M. Page, Lawton N. Verner, John Ryan Steger, Smita De

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Abstract

A cannula is provided that includes a head portion that defines a proximal opening sized to receive one or more surgical instruments; an elongated inner tube rigidly fastened to the head portion defines an elongated conduit; a surgical instrument can be inserted within the conduit; an elongated overtube rigidly fastened to the head portion is coaxially aligned with the inner tube and extends about a portion of the inner tube; an inner wall of the overtube is spaced apart from an outer wall of the inner tube; sensors are disposed on the overtube to provide an indication of forces applied to the outer wall of the overtube in a direction generally transverse to the longitudinal dimension of the overtube.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A surgical system cannula comprising:

a head portion;
an overtube coupled to the head portion, the overtube including a contact segment positioned between a distal segment of the overtube and a proximal segment of the overtube, the contact segment being configured to contact a patient body wall, the proximal segment being configured to be positioned on a first side of the patient body wall, the distal segment being configured to be positioned on a second side of the patient body wall;
an inner tube, each of the overtube and the inner tube being rigidly fastened to the head portion, the inner tube being positioned axially with reference to the overtube, the inner tube including a first portion that extends within the overtube, the inner tube including a second portion that extends outside the overtube;
and
a plurality of strain sensors positioned on the overtube at an axial location, the plurality of strain sensors including a first strain sensor on an outer surface of the overtube at a first circumferential position and a second strain sensor on the outer surface of the overtube at a second circumferential position, the first circumferential position being 180 degrees from the second circumferential position,
wherein the inner tube includes a surgical instrument conduit that extends distally from the head portion through the overtube, and
wherein a gap extends between the overtube and the first portion of the inner tube.

4 more elements

A surgical system, comprising:

a surgical instrument including a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion including an end effector, the end effector including any of a clamp, a grasper, a scissors, a stapler, or a needle holder;
a head portion surrounding the proximal portion of the surgical instrument;
an overtube depending from and being rigidly fastened to the head portion, the overtube coupled to the head portion and surrounding the proximal portion of the surgical instrument, the overtube including a contact segment positioned between a distal segment and a proximal segment, the distal segment being configured to be positioned within a patient body cavity, the proximal segment being configured to be maintained outside the patient body cavity, the contact segment being configured to contact a patient body wall, the distal portion of the surgical instrument configured to extend beyond the overtube within the patient body cavity;
an inner tube depending from and being rigidly fastened to the head portion, the inner tube including a proximal portion and a surgical instrument conduit, the proximal portion of the inner tube being surrounded by the overtube, the surgical instrument conduit being sized to receive the distal portion of the surgical instrument;
and
a plurality of strain sensors positioned on the overtube at a location that is proximal to the contact segment and distal to the head portion, the plurality of strain sensors including a first strain sensor on an outer surface of the overtube at a first circumferential position and a second strain sensor on the outer surface of the overtube at a second circumferential position, the first circumferential position being 180 degrees from the second circumferential position, the plurality of strain sensors being configured to provide an indication of a force imparted to the overtube by the surgical instrument,
wherein during a condition in which the end effector of the surgical instrument is under a load, the surgical instrument has at least one point of contact with the surgical instrument conduit of the inner tube, and
wherein the overtube and the inner tube define a gap between the overtube and the inner tube.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/746,617Filed 17 May 2022 · continuation
Priority: 29 Jul 2014
Published: US 2022/0378474 A11 Dec 2022
Granted: 25 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

A61B 17/3403
Trocars; Puncturing needles: needle locating or guiding means
A61B 17/0218
For holding wounds open, e.g. retractors; Tractors: for minimally invasive surgery
A61B 17/34
Surgical instruments, devices or methods: trocars; Puncturing needles
A61B 17/3417
Trocars; Puncturing needles: details of tips or shafts, e.g. grooves, expandable, bendable; Multiple coaxial sliding cannulas, e.g. for dilating

Family

Application62/030,468Us provisional application · filed 29 Jul 2014
Application15/329,982Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Jul 2015
PCT/US2015/042262Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Jul 2015
Application16/656,422Parent of this continuation · filed 17 Oct 2019
US 2022/0378474 A1Pre-grant publication · published 1 Dec 2022
US 11,369,411 B2Parent of this continuation
US 10,470,796 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2017/0265890 A1Published application
US 2020/0046404 A1Published application
US 12,714,460 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.