Integral electrically conducting cord and lumen
AssigneeKirwan Surgical Products, Inc.
InventorsLawrence T. Kirwan, Jr., John P. Ariola, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cable assembly interconnects an electrosurgical instrument and source equipment for power and fluid transfer. The cable assembly includes a unitary tubular assembly forming a lumen(s) and an insulating sheath(s) for an electrically conducting cord that are integrally interconnected via a web arrangement in a continuum of material. The web arrangement has a thickness sufficient to allow the lumen(s) and sheath(s) to be pulled apart upon application of a pulling force in a direction transverse to the direction of elongation of the tubular assembly.
Claims10
A cable assembly for interconnecting an electrosurgical instrument and source equipment to provide electrical current from the source equipment to the instrument and fluid transfer between the electrosurgical instrument and the source equipment, the cable assembly comprising:
- a unitary tubular assembly comprising:
- at least two elongated hollow tubes extending between a source end and an instrument end,
- a first tube of the two tubes comprising a lumen, the interior of the lumen comprising a fluid flow passage,
- a second tube of the two tubes comprising an insulating sheath for an electrically conducting cord, and
- a web arrangement interconnecting the two elongated hollow tubes along the length of the tubular assembly between the source end and the instrument end, the web arrangement having a thickness sufficient to allow the two elongated hollow tubes to be pulled apart upon application of a pulling force in a direction transverse to the direction of elongation of the tubular assembly, and
- wherein the unitary tubular assembly comprises a continuum of flexible plastic insulating material;
- a bare electrically conducting wire disposed within the hollow interior of the second tube, the second tube fully encircling and contacting the circumference of the bare electrically conducting wire;
- a fluid handling fitting on the source end of the lumen for fluid connection to fluid handling equipment and a fluid handling fitting on the instrument end of the lumen for fluid connection to the instrument;
- and
- an electrical fitting on the source end of the second tube for electrical connection to an electrical generator and an electrical fitting on the instrument end of the second tube for electrical connection to the instrument.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.