Surgical instruments with sensors for detecting tissue properties, and system using such instruments

A system comprising:

• a particular synthetic light re-emitting medium adapted to be introduced into a subject tissue of a patient;
• and
• a surgical instrument configured to manipulate biological tissue comprising:
• an incident light source configured to illuminate the subject tissue into which the particular light re-emitting medium has been introduced;
• a light sensor configured to receive an optical response from the light re-emitting medium introduced into the subject tissue and to generate a signal indicative of the optical response;
• and
• a processor configured to receive the signal and to determine a physiologic tissue characteristic of the subject tissue responsive to the optical response as indicated by the signal and based on the particular light re-emitting medium introduced into the tissue,
• wherein the processor is further configured to use the determined physiologic tissue characteristic to further guide a surgical procedure.

A system comprising:

• a surgical instrument configured to manipulate biological tissue having a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a property of a subject tissue of a patient;
• a reference measurement instrument having a sensor configured to measure a reference tissue and generate a reference measurement signal,
• wherein the surgical instrument and the reference measurement instrument are physically distinct instruments that are configured to be separately mounted on the subject tissue and the reference tissue;
• a signal processor configured to receive the signal and convert the signal into a current dataset, and configured to receive the reference measurement signal and convert it into a current reference dataset;
• a memory configured to store the current dataset and the current reference dataset;
• and
• a processor configured to compare the current dataset with the current reference dataset, and to assess a physical condition of the subject tissue and guide a current procedure being performed on the tissue, responsive to the comparison,
• wherein the reference tissue is a tissue of the patient, and
• wherein the signal processor is configured to convert the reference measurement signal to a reference baseline measurement dataset, and the processor is configured to assess the physical condition of the subject tissue responsive to the reference baseline measurement dataset.

A system for monitoring a biological tissue of a patient's body, comprising:

• a sensor implantable in the patient's body configured to generate a signal indicative of a property of the biological tissue;
• a controller configured to receive the signal outside the patient's body;
• and
• a communications interface configured to communicate the signal from the sensor to the controller, wherein:
• the sensor is configured to place in, on, in contact with, embedded into, or surrounding the biological tissue,
• the sensor is fully or partially bioabsorbable or biodegradable in the patient's body, and
• the communications interface is wireless, and the sensor is configured to wirelessly communicate the signal to the communications interface.