Surgical apparatus including a hand-activated, control assembly and method of using same

A modular surgical system comprising:

• a control assembly comprising a housing and an actuator movably mounted to an external portion of the housing, the housing of the control assembly comprising a first electrical connector adjacent a first end portion and a second electrical connector adjacent a second end portion, the housing further comprising a sensing element for monitoring a relative distance between the actuator and the sensing element and emitting a signal representative of the relative distance between the actuator and the sensing element, the first electrical connector configured to communicate with a plurality of different types of surgical tools comprising an electrically operated motor;
• at least one surgical tool detachably, electrically couplable to the first electrical connector of the control assembly and detachably, mechanically couplable to the first end portion of the control assembly, the at least one surgical tool comprising an electrically operated motor and a cutting portion driven by the electrically operated motor;
• a cable assembly detachably, electrically couplable to the second electrical connector of the control assembly and detachably, mechanically couplable to the second end portion of the control assembly;
• and
• a console in electrical communication with the cable assembly, the console transmitting a drive signal to the electrically operated motor of the at least one surgical tool based on the signal representative of the relative distance between the actuator and the sensing element received from the sensing element of the control assembly, the drive signal controlling a speed of the electrically operated motor.

A surgical method comprising:

• obtaining a control assembly comprising a housing and an actuator movably mounted to an external portion of the housing, the housing of the control assembly comprising a first electrical connector adjacent a first end portion and a second electrical connector adjacent a second end portion, the housing further comprising a sensing element for monitoring a relative distance between the actuator and the sensing element and emitting a signal representative of the relative distance between the actuator and the sensing element, the first electrical connector configured to communicate with a plurality of different types of surgical tools that utilize an electrically operated motor;
• electrically and mechanically coupling a first surgical tool to the control assembly such that the first surgical tool is electrically engaged with the first electrical connector, the first surgical tool comprising an electrically operated motor and a cutting portion driven by the electrically operated motor, the first surgical tool electrically and mechanically detachable from the control assembly;
• and
• electrically coupling a console to the second electrical connector of the control assembly via a cable assembly, the console configured to transmit a drive signal to the electrically operated motor of the first surgical tool based on the signal representative of the relative distance between the actuator and the sensing element received from the sensing element of the control assembly, the drive signal controlling a speed of the electrically operated motor.