Clamp arm jaw to minimize tissue sticking and improve tissue control
AssigneeEthicon, Inc.
InventorsJoseph S. Salguero, Lauren M. Valente, Joseph H. Kemper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An end-effector and a surgical instrument including the end-effector are disclosed. The end-effector includes a clamp arm and an ultrasonic blade configured to acoustically couple to an ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple to a pole of an electrical generator. The clamp arm includes a clamp jaw, a cantilever electrode configured to electrically couple to an opposite pole of the electrical generator. The cantilever electrode is fixed to the clamp jaw at a proximal end and free to deflect at a distal end. The clamp arm includes control features to adjust a tissue path relative to the clamp arm to create a predefined location of contact.
Claims21
An end-effector, comprising:
- a clamp arm;
- and
- an ultrasonic blade configured to acoustically couple to an ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple to a pole of an electrical generator;
- wherein the clamp arm comprises:
- a clamp jaw;
- a cantilever electrode configured to electrically couple to an opposite pole of the electrical generator, wherein the cantilever electrode is fixed to the clamp jaw at a proximal end and free to deflect at a distal end;
- and
- wherein the clamp arm comprises control features to adjust a tissue path relative to the clamp arm to create a predefined location of contact.
An end-effector, comprising:
- a clamp arm;
- and
- an ultrasonic blade configured to acoustically couple to an ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple to a pole of an electrical generator;
- wherein the clamp arm comprises:
- a clamp jaw;
- a cantilever electrode configured to electrically couple to an opposite pole of the electrical generator, wherein the cantilever electrode is fixed to the clamp jaw at a proximal end and free to deflect at a distal end;
- and
- wherein the clamp arm comprises control features to adjust a tissue path relative to the ultrasonic blade to create a predefined location of contact.
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- a housing;
- an ultrasonic transducer;
- and
- an end-effector comprising:
- a clamp arm;
- and
- an ultrasonic blade configured to acoustically couple to an ultrasonic transducer and to electrically couple to a pole of an electrical generator;
- wherein the clamp arm comprises:
- a clamp jaw;
- a cantilever electrode configured to electrically couple to an opposite pole of the electrical generator, wherein the cantilever electrode is fixed to the clamp jaw at a proximal end and free to deflect at a distal end;
- and
- wherein the clamp arm comprises control features to adjust a tissue path relative to the clamp arm or ultrasonic blade to create a predefined location of contact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.