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US 5,312,401 AGranted
Electrosurgical apparatus for laparoscopic and like procedures
AssigneeElectroscope, Inc.
InventorsDavid W. Newton, Roger C. Odell, Don R. Boyle
Life of this patent
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AssigneeElectroscope, Inc.
InventorsDavid W. Newton, Roger C. Odell, Don R. Boyle
Estimating the term…
A safety shield for use in laparoscopic or like electrosurgical procedures where the shield surrounds the active electrode and extends from a trocar or the like to the field of view of the surgical procedure. The shield is connected to the return lead via a low impedance path which includes monitor circuitry for determining whether the shield current is associated with an abnormal condition.
An electrosurgical apparatus comprising:
An electrosurgical apparatus comprising:
A safety shield for use with a laparoscopic electrosurgical apparatus including a trocar cannula having a tubular passage for providing a conduit through a patient's skin to a peritoneal cavity of the patient, the trocar cannula having a proximal end and a distal end and an active electrode probe having a tip and being adapted for connection to an electrosurgical generator and extending through the trocar cannula for effecting at the tip thereof an electrosurgical procedure within the peritoneal cavity, said safety shield comprising
Laparoscopic electrosurgical apparatus comprising:
A safety shield for use with an electrosurgical apparatus including a trocar cannula having a tubular passage for providing a conduit through a patient's skin where the trocar cannula has a proximal end and a distal end and an active electrode probe having a tip and being adapted for connection to an electrosurgical generator and extending through the trocar sheath for effecting at the tip thereof an electrosurgical procedure, said safety shield comprising
Laparoscopic electrosurgical apparatus comprising:
An electrosurgical apparatus comprising:
Electrosurgical apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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By passing a current through the tissue to be heated, e.g. high-frequency current: probes or electrodes therefor
Generators therefor: with circuits for assuring patient safety
Probes or electrodes therefor: having a long rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously in minimal invasive surgery, e.g. laparoscopy
Probes or electrodes therefor: trocar-like, i.e. devices producing an enlarged transcutaneous opening
Term ended 10 Jul 2011 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention is related to electrosurgical apparatus and in particular to such apparatus for performing laparoscopic, pelviscopic, athroscopic, thoroscopic and like procedures.
Procedures of the foregoing type are experiencing explosive growth in that incisions are kept to a minimum size and thus such procedures facilitate shorter hospital stays and lower costs. For example, with laparoscopic surgery, a patient can return to normal activity within about one week, whereas with procedures where a large incision is made, about a month for full recovery may be required.
It is to be understood that hereinafter and in the claims, whenever the term "laparoscopic" is employed, similar procedures such as pelviscopic, arthroscopic, thoroscopic, and the like where small incisions of the foregoing type are made are also encompassed by this term.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art laparoscopic electrosurgical apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an illustrative laparoscopic apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the laparoscopic apparatus of FIG. 2.
Referring to the drawing where like reference numerals refer to like parts, there is illustrated in FIG. 2 an illustrative laparoscopic electrosurgical apparatus in accordance with the present invention. A tubular safety shield assembly 25 includes a tubular shield 20 having a layer of insulation 22 provided on the outer surface thereof and an optional layer of insulation 24 provided on the inner surface thereof. The tubular shield assembly is inserted through trocar sheath 10 to thereby provide a passageway through which the active electrode probe 12 may be inserted. An elongated port 31 may extend through the active electrode through which irrigation fluids, suction, a pressurized gas stream, etc. may pass. When active probe 12 and tubular shield assembly 25 are in their respective inserted positions as shown in FIG. 2, the shield 20 surrounds the active probe from at least (a) a proximal point 26 prior to the entry point 28 of the active probe into the trocar sheath 10 to (b) a distal point 30 in proximity to the tip 18 of the active probe.
Shield monitor circuitry 32 is connected to shield 20 via a dual conductor lead 34 whereby the integrity of the connection of the shield to the monitor circuitry can be monitored.
The active electrode probe 12 is connected to an electrosurgical generator 36 which may be of a conventional type via an active lead 38. The electrosurgical generator is connected to a patient return electrode 40, which preferably should be of the dual area type, via the shield monitor circuitry 32 and, in particular, the return terminal of the generator is connected to circuitry 32 via lead 35 while the circuitry 32 is connected to the return electrode via lead 37. As will be described hereinafter, upon detection of a fault condition by the shield monitor circuitry, the electrosurgical generator 36 may be deactivated by opening a relay in the connection between the generator and patient return electrode 40 although other means may also be employed to deactivate the generator.