Multi-sleeved surgical ultrasonic vibrating tool suited for phacoemulsification in a manner that prevents thermal injury to ocular tissue

A multi-sleeved surgical vibrating tool suited for performing phacoemulsification through an incision and for preventing thermal injury otherwise caused by friction and heat generation from the tool, comprising:

• a surgical handpiece of the multi-sleeved surgical vibrating tool, the surgical handpiece being configured to perform phacoemulsification, the surgical handpiece including a hollow, vibratory needle that includes a shaft that terminates distally into a ported tip, and a driver that drives the vibratory needle to effect oscillatory vibratory motion;
• and
• a plurality of concentric sleeves each of different diameter from each other and also concentric with the shaft of the hollow, vibratory needle, the plurality of concentric sleeves including an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve, the outer sleeve being configured to guide fluid to exit the outer sleeve to prevent thermal injury to tissue otherwise caused by friction and heat generation from driving of the vibratory needle, a distal end of the inner sleeve being arranged to protrude longitudinally further than a distal end of the outer sleeve so as to be closer longitudinally to a distal end of the needle than is the distal end of the outer sleeve as the fluid exits the outer sleeve, the concentric sleeves include a middle sleeve located spatially between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve, the needle and the inner sleeve being spaced apart from each other to define therebetween an inner passage, the inner and middle sleeves being spaced apart from each other to define therebetween a middle passage, the middle and outer sleeves being spaced apart from each other to define therebetween an outer passage, the surgical handpiece being configured to deliver fluid to at least one of the middle and outer passages to allow the outer passage to guide the fluid to exit the outermost sleeve to cool the tissue the middle sleeve being more flexible and compressible than the inner sleeve.

A method of performing phacoemulsification through an incision and preventing thermal injury otherwise caused by friction and heat generation from a multi-sleeved surgical tool, comprising the steps of:

• driving a hollow, vibratory needle of a surgical handpiece to effect oscillatory vibratory motion, the hollow, vibratory needle having a shaft that terminates distally into a ported tip, and
• guiding fluid with a plurality of concentric sleeves, the concentric sleeves including an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve, the guiding including guiding the fluid with the outer sleeve to exit to effect cooling to prevent thermal injury to tissue otherwise caused by friction and heat generation from the driving of the hollow, vibratory needle, the concentric sleeves each being of a different diameter from each other and also being concentric with the shaft of the needle, a distal end of the inner sleeve being arranged to protrude longitudinally further than a distal end of the outer sleeve so that the distal end of the inner sleeve is closer longitudinally to a distal end of the needle than is the distal end of the outer sleeve as the fluid exits the outer sleeve, the concentric sleeves include a middle sleeve located spatially between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve, the needle and the inner sleeve being spaced apart from each other to define therebetween an inner passage, the inner and middle sleeves being spaced apart from each other to define therebetween a middle passage, the middle and outer sleeves being spaced apart from each other to define therebetween an outer passage, and delivering the fluid to at least one of the middle and outer passages to allow the guiding of the fluid by the outer sleeve to flow past the distal end of the outer sleeve, the middle sleeve being more flexible and compressible than the inner sleeve.