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US 2005/0033286 A1Published application
Minimally invasive instrumentation for recovering tissue
AssigneeNeothermia Corporation
InventorsPhilip Eggers, Andrew Eggers, Eric Eggers, David Jacobs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The capture component of tissue retrieval apparatus is strengthened to improve its structural integrity when utilized within very dense tissue. Eyelet structures carrying pursing cable are improved through the utilization of slightly expanded constant widths with diminished lengths to avoid fold back phenomena. The pursing cables employed with the capture component exhibit more than a 100% improvement in tensile strength at high electrosurgical cutting temperatures through the utilization of strands having about a 1.4 mil diameter formed with a type 316 stainless steel.
Claims45
Apparatus for electrosurgically cutting about a tissue volume, comprising:
- a support member having an outer surface surmounting an interior channel and extending along an instrument axis to a forward region;
- a tissue capture component positioned within said interior channel, having a leaf assembly comprising a plurality of elongate thin leafs extending forwardly from a base portion, a said leaf having a thickness extending between oppositely disposed faces, having a leaf width extending between oppositely disposed side edges and extending along a centrally disposed leaf axis to a tip region having a forward edge, having a cable guide channel extending along said leaf to a guide outlet at said tip region, and having an eyelet structure extending forwardly from the location of said edge with an eyelet width effective to withstand tissue cutting loads, having a surface substantially perpendicular to a said leaf face and having a cable receiving aperture extending therethrough said leaf assembly being moveable to deploy outwardly from said support member forward region, said capture component having a pursing cable assembly extending through said cable guide channel, said guide outlet, and said cable receiving aperture, electrosurgically energizable and deployable with each said leaf tip region to define an electrosurgical cutting arc of initially expanding extent and subsequent pursively contracting extent;
- a drive assembly engageable with said leaf assembly base portion and said pursing cable assembly and actuable to move said leaf assembly to deploy outwardly from said support member while effecting said deployment of said pursing cable assembly;
- and
- a control assembly drivably engageable with said drive assembly to effect said actuation thereof and having a terminal electrically coupled with said cable assembly to effect the electrosurgical energization thereof.
2 more elements
Apparatus for electrosurgically cutting about a tissue volume, comprising:
- a support member having an outer surface surmounting an interior channel and extending along an instrument axis to a forward region;
- a capture component positioned within said support member forward region, having a forward portion extending to a forwardly disposed pursing cable assembly configured with at least one electrically conductive multi-strand cable energizable to provide an electrosurgical cutting arc leading edge portion, said cable exhibiting a strength supporting a load in tension greater than about one pound, in the temperature environment of said cutting arc, said cable extending into said interior channel, said leading edge of said forward portion being extendible from said support member forward region toward an outer peripheral orientation having a diametric extent and subsequently being drawn in contraction toward said instrument axis by stress asserted upon said cable assembly reaching a load value of about one pound upon a cable;
- a drive assembly extending from drive engagement with said capture component to a driven engagement portion drivably moveable to effect extension of said leading edge and to apply said stress to said cable assembly;
- and
- an actuator and control assembly drivably engageable with said drive assembly driven engagement portion to effect said movement thereof and to convey electrosurgical cutting energy to said cable assembly.
2 more elements
Apparatus for electrosurgically cutting about a tissue volume, comprising:
- a support member extending to a forward region positionable in adjacency with said tissue volume;
- a cutting component at said forward region having a multi-strand cable formed of a type 316 stainless steel with a lead portion of said cable being responsive to applied electrosurgical cutting energy to support an electrosurgical cutting arc while moving in cutting relationship along a cutting locus through tissue, said cable exhibiting a tensile load at a region of said locus;
- and
- an actuator assembly coupled with said cable and applying said electrosurgical energy and tensile load thereto.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.