Interchangeable surgical instrument
AssigneeHansen Medical, Inc.
InventorDavid L. Brock
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and associated method for delivering to an internal body site a selected one of a plurality of instruments. An instrument storage chamber is providing having passages for separately accommodating a plurality of instruments. An outlet guide tube couples from the instrument storage chamber and receives a selected one of these instruments for delivery to an internal operative site. An indexing mechanism is provided associated with the chamber for causing relative displacement between the instruments and the outlet guide tube. An instrument driver displaces the registered instrument from the chamber into the outlet guide tube for delivery to the internal operative site.
Claims32
An interchangeable instrument system, comprising:
- a plurality of separate instrument members each capable of assisting in a different phase of a medical procedure to be performed at an anatomical operative site;
- a single instrument storage chamber for releasably receiving said instrument members accommodated in separate storage locations within said instrument storage chamber;
- an instrument driver constructed and arranged for cooperative positioning relative to said instrument storage chamber, for selective coaxial alignment with one of said instrument members at a time, and for displacing said aligned instrument member from said instrument storage chamber toward said operative site;
- and
- an indexing mechanism for positionally controlling at least one of said instrument driver and instrument storage chamber so as to provide relative displacement therebetween, whereby said indexing mechanism selectively and coaxially aligns said instrument driver with different ones of said instrument members.
An interchangeable instrument system, comprising:
- a single storage retainer that supports a plurality of separately arranged instruments, and includes inlet and outlet ports, said outlet port configured to be arranged in coaxial alignment with a target or operative site where a selected one of said instruments is to be delivered for performing a medical procedure, said storage retainer being selectively operable, upon command, to permit different instruments to coaxially align between said inlet and outlet ports;
- a work implement supported at the distal end of each instrument;
- and
- an instrument transporter in coaxial alignment with said inlet port, and adapted to engage said selected instrument disposed in said storage retainer, so as to deliver said selected instrument, via said outlet port to said target or operative site, said instrument transporter, in addition to engagement with said selected instrument, also operatively coupling with and enabling operation of said work implement of said selected instrument.
An interchangeable instrument system, comprising:
- a single instrument retainer having multiple storage locations for receiving a plurality of instruments disposed separately in said respective storage locations;
- an instrument driver constructed and arranged for cooperative positioning relative to said instrument retainer, for selective coaxial alignment with one of said instruments at a time, and for displacing said aligned instrument from said instrument retainer toward an anatomical operative site;
- an indexing mechanism controlling the position of said instrument retainer, whereby said indexing mechanism selectively and coaxially aligns different ones of said instruments with said instrument driver;
- and
- an actuation member disposed at a user interface for controlling said indexing mechanism.
An interchangeable instrument system, comprising:
- a plurality of medical instruments;
- a single instrument retainer for releasably holding said instruments;
- and
- an instrument transporter associated with said instrument retainer, for selective coaxial alignment with one of said instruments at a time, and for displacing said aligned instrument from said instrument retainer toward an anatomical operative site;
- and
- an indexing mechanism for positionally controlling at least one of said instrument retainer and instrument transporter so as to provide relative displacement therebetween, whereby said indexing mechanism selectively and coaxially aligns said instrument transporter with different ones of said instruments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.