Arthroscopic devices and methods
AssigneeRELIGN Corporation
InventorsAaron Germain, Jeffrey Norton, Salvatore G. Mangano, Michael D. Walker, Steffan Benamou
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Abstract
Arthroscopic cutters are used for resecting tissues, such as meniscal tissues, in meniscectomies or other arthroscopic procedures. The arthroscopic cutters have a shaft assembly with openable-closeable jaws at a working end of the shaft. A handpiece having a motor drive may be detachably coupled to a hub on a hub end of the handpiece. When the shaft is coupled to the handpiece, the motor drive will couple to the jaw structure to open and close the jaw structure to cut meniscal and other tissues.
Claims36
An arthroscopic cutter, comprising:
- a handpiece having a motor drive;
- and
- a shaft assembly having an openable-closeable jaw structure at a working end and a hub at a hub end;
- wherein the hub configured for detachable coupling to the handpiece;
- and
- wherein the motor drive is configured to couple to the jaw structure to open and close the jaw structure to cut tissue when the hub is coupled to the handpiece.
A method of performing a meniscectomy, comprising:
- providing a handpiece with a motor drive;
- coupling a probe to the handpiece, wherein the probe has a working end with openable-closeable jaws configured to resect tissue, and wherein the motor drive is configured to open and close the jaws when the handpiece is coupled to the probe;
- advancing the working end into a patient's joint to engage the jaws against meniscal tissue;
- and
- actuating the motor drive to open and close the jaws to resect the meniscal tissue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.