# US 8,465,471 B2 · Endoscopically-guided electro-cauterizing power-assisted fat aspiration system for aspirating visceral fat tissue within the abdomen of a patient > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,465,471 B2 - Document ID: US8465471B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/850,786 - Filed: 2010-08-05 - Published: 2011-05-19 - Granted: 2013-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2009-08-05 - Assignees: Rocin Laboratories, Inc. - Applicants: Robert L. Cucin - Inventors: Robert L. Cucin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8465471B2 ## CPC - A61B 18/1402: {Probes for open surgery} - A61M 1/89: {Suction aspects of liposuction (surgical cutting instruments A61B17/32)} - A61B 18/1477: {Needle-like probes} - A61B 18/148: {having a short, rigid shaft for accessing the inner body transcutaneously, e.g. for neurosurgery or arthroscopy} - A61B 2018/00464: {Subcutaneous fat, e.g. liposuction, lipolysis} - A61B 2018/00595: {Cauterization} - A61B 2018/1425: {Needle} - A61B 2218/002: Irrigation - A61B 2218/007: Aspiration - A61M 1/77: {Suction-irrigation systems (aspiration tips supplying fluids A61M1/85; specific for negative pressure wound therapy A61M1/92; combined with tracheal tubes A61M16/0463)} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} ## Abstract An endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system for performing fat aspiration operations, including an endoscopy subsystem for capturing and recording captured digital video images of the intra-abdominal region of a patient, and a twin-cannula powered fat aspiration subsystem having a powered hand-supportable fat aspiration instrument provided with a bipolar electro-cauterizing twin-cannula assembly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system for performing fat aspiration operations typically in an operating room environment, on a patient having an abdominal region, said endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system comprising: an endoscopy subsystem having (i) a video probe provided with an embedded 2D high-resolution digital color image sensor with a field of view (FOV) for insertion into the abdominal region of the patient during a fat aspiration operation, (ii) one or more video monitors for displaying to surgeons and assistants, real-time digital color video images of said abdominal region captured along the FOV of said video probe, and (iii) digital recording equipment for recording captured digital video images of said abdominal region during said fat aspiration operation; and a twin-cannula powered visceral fat aspiration subsystem having a powered hand-supportable fat aspiration instrument having a housing and provided with a bipolar electro-cauterizing twin-cannula assembly including (i) an outer cannula mounted stationary with respect to said housing and having one or more outer aspiration apertures, and (ii) an inner cannula slidably disposed within said outer cannula and having at least one inner aspiration aperture that moves relative to said one or more outer aspiration apertures during operation of said twin-cannula powered visceral fat aspiration subsystem. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 1, wherein said twin-cannula powered visceral fat aspiration subsystem further comprises a system controller connected to said powered hand-supportable fat aspiration instrument by way of a flexible cable, for supplying (i) pressurized air streams from a pressurized gas source to drive the inner cannula of said powered hand-supportable fat aspiration instrument, or (ii) electrical power signals from an electrical power source to drive said powered hand-supportable fat aspiration instrument. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 1, wherein RF-power signals are generated by an RF signal generating module and supplied to said bipolar electro-cauterizing twin-cannula assembly. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 2, which further comprises an infusion pump controlled by said system controller, for periodically or continuously pumping irrigation fluid through an irrigation tube and into an irrigation port provided on said outer cannula for infusing solution near and within the distal tip portion of said outer cannula during system operation. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 4, wherein said infusion pump supplies a pulsatile flow of irrigation fluid through the distal tip portion of said outer cannula so that controlled amounts of fluid are delivered to the inner cannula under short periods of time to facilitate synchronization. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 1, which further comprises a multi-spectral illumination source with selectable spectrum control, for delivering a spectrum of illumination along an optical fiber, mounted to said outer cannula, to the distal tip portion of said outer cannula and produce a field of illumination about said inner and outer aspiration apertures, that spatially overlaps the field of aspiration about said inner and outer aspiration apertures. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 6, wherein said multi-spectral illumination source generates a red, blue and/or yellow illumination for delivery to the field of aspiration about said inner and outer aspiration apertures, to illuminate tissue about said inner and outer aspiration apertures and help a surgeon visually distinguish arterial vessels, veins and fat, and facilitate visualization of arterial blood vessels, portal and systemic veins and fat, when viewing color digital video images arterial blood vessels, portal and systemic veins and fat being captured by said video probe and displayed by said video monitors during said fat aspiration operation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal visceral fat aspiration system of claim 1, which further comprises: an in-line fat sampling device installed in-line between a vacuum source and said powered hand-supportable fat aspiration instrument, for collecting and indexing samples of visceral fat while a surgeon samples the abdominal region of the patient, for subsequent analysis and testing/measurement for compounds indicative of obesity, metabolic syndrome and/or type II diabetes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 1, wherein said housing comprises a hand-supportable housing. ### Claim 10 An endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system for performing visceral fat aspiration operations on a patient having an abdomen with a mesentery region, said endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system comprising: an endoscopy subsystem having a video probe with a field of view (FOV) for insertion into the abdomen of a patient, and (ii) one or more video monitors for displaying to one or more surgeons, real-time digital video images of the abdomen of the patient, captured along the FOV of said video probe; and a twin-cannula powered fat aspiration subsystem including a powered fat aspiration instrument having an instrument housing and a twin-cannula assembly provided with an inner cannula that reciprocates within an outer cannula mounted stationary to said instrument housing; wherein said outer cannula has a distal tip portion with at least one outer aspiration aperture, and said inner cannula has at least one inner aspiration aperture; and wherein said twin-cannula assembly is configured for insertion into the abdomen of the patient for aspirating fat tissue, including visceral fat tissue in the mesentery region of the abdomen, through said at least one outer aspiration aperture and said at least one inner aspiration aperture and towards a vacuum source operably connected to said powered fat aspiration instrument, while digital video images of the abdomen of the patient, are captured along the FOV of said video probe. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 10, wherein said twin-cannula powered fat aspiration subsystem further comprises: a controller connected to said twin-cannula powered fat aspiration instrument by way of a flexible cable, for supplying pressurized air streams from a pressurized gas source to drive said inner cannula, or (ii) electrical power signals from an electrical power source to drive said inner cannula in said powered fat aspiration instrument. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 10, wherein said twin-cannula assembly further comprises bipolar electro-cauterizing electrodes provided on said inner and outer cannulas, and wherein a supply of RF-power signals is supplied to said bipolar electro-cauterizing electrodes so as to electro-cauterize aspirated fat tissue during tissue aspiration operations carried out through said twin-cannula assembly. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 11, wherein said endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system which further comprises: an infusion pump controlled by said controller, for periodically or continuously pumping irrigation fluid through an irrigation tube and into an irrigation port provided on said outer cannula for infusing solution near and within the distal tip portion of said outer cannula during system operation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 13, wherein said infusion pump supplies a pulsatile flow of irrigation fluid through the distal tip portion of said outer cannula so that controlled amounts of fluid are delivered to the inner cannula under short periods of time to facilitate synchronization. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 10, which further comprises a multi-spectral illumination source with selectable spectrum control, for delivering a spectrum of illumination along an optical fiber, mounted to said outer cannula, to the distal tip portion of said outer cannula and produce a field of illumination about said at least one inner aspiration aperture and said at least one outer aspiration aperture, so that said field of illumination spatially overlaps the field of aspiration about said at least one inner aspiration aperture and said at least one outer aspiration aperture. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 15, wherein said multi-spectral illumination source generates a red, blue and/or yellow illumination for delivery to the field of aspiration about said inner and outer aspiration apertures, to illuminate tissue thereabout and help a surgeon visually distinguish arterial vessels, veins and fat, and facilitate visualization of arterial blood, vessels, portal and systemic veins and fat, when viewing color digital video images of arterial blood vessels, portal and systemic veins and fat being captured by said video probe and displayed by said video monitors during said fat aspiration operations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal visceral fat aspiration system of claim 10, which further comprises: an in-line fat sampling device installed in-line between said vacuum source and said powered fat aspiration instrument, for collecting and indexing samples of visceral fat while a surgeon samples the abdominal region of the patient, for subsequent analysis and testing/measurement for compounds indicative of obesity, metabolic syndrome and/or type II diabetes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 10, wherein said endoscopy subsystem further comprises (iii) digital recording equipment for recording captured digital video images during the operation. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 10, wherein said video probe comprises a digital image sensor having said FOV. ### Claim 20 (depends on 10) The endoscopically-guided intra-abdominal fat aspiration system of claim 10, wherein said instrument housing comprises a hand-supportable housing.