Motor control system for a surgical handpiece

1. A motor control system for a powered surgical handpiece capable of powering various micro-cutting instruments, the system comprising:

a controller programmed for selective electronic connection to a powered surgical handpiece and for controlling the powered surgical handpiece based upon user-defined procedural information, the controller including a database storing prescribed operational ranges for a plurality of micro-cutting instruments useful with the powered surgical handpiece, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

identify a micro-cutting instrument coupled to the powered surgical handpiece, and

signal when a user is attempting to operate the identified micro-cutting instrument outside the prescribed operational range corresponding to the identified micro-cutting instrument; and

a data entry device for entering the user-defined procedural information to the controller.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the identified micro-cutting instrument is a first micro-cutting instrument, and the controller is adapted to generate user feedback information including a suggestion of a second micro-cutting instrument suited for use outside the prescribed operational range corresponding to the first micro-cutting instrument.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller suggests the second micro-cutting instrument based on a second prescribed operational range corresponding to the second micro-cutting instrument.

4. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a display device adapted to communicate the suggestion to use the second micro-cutting instrument in response to a prompt from the controller.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user-defined procedural information includes a procedure to be performed and an anatomical location where the procedure will be performed.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes an operational limit database containing pre-set limiting values of at least one operational performance parameter for each of a plurality of procedures, and the data entry device is adapted to allow a user to indicate a selection of one of the plurality of procedures.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the controller is adapted to signal when a user is attempting to operate the identified micro-cutting instrument outside the pre-set limiting values corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of procedures.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is additionally adapted to select procedural information from the database based on the identified micro-cutting instrument.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein procedural information is for a plurality of procedures associated with the identified micro-cutting instrument, and the data entry device is adapted to allow a user to indicate a selection of one of the plurality of procedures associated with the identified micro-cutting instrument.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a display screen electrically connected to the controller, wherein the controller is adapted to prompt the display screen to present a list of anatomical regions for which the identified micro-cutting instrument is adapted for use in surgery thereon.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the data entry device is adapted to receive a user-selected anatomical region selected from the list of anatomical regions, and wherein the controller is adapted to determine a list of procedures associated with the micro-cutting instrument and the user-selected anatomical region.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the data entry device is adapted to receive a user-selected procedure selected from the list of procedures, and the controller is adapted to access the pre-set limiting values from the database corresponding to the user-selected procedure.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to compare pre-set limiting values corresponding to the user-selected procedure and to signal when the user is attempting to operate the identified micro-cutting instrument outside the pre-set limiting values corresponding to the user-selected procedure.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is adapted to prevent operation of the micro-cutting instrument outside the operational range corresponding to the identified micro-cutting instrument.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the prescribed operational range includes a prescribed speed range.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is adapted to provide pre-set limiting values of at least one operational performance parameter based on the identified micro-cutting instrument and the user-defined procedural information.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is adapted to monitor powering of the powered surgical handpiece pursuant to the pre-set limiting values and the prescribed operational range corresponding with the identified micro-cutting instrument.

18. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a display device electronically connected to the controller for displaying the selected pre-set limiting values of the at least one operational performance parameter.

19. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a display screen in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is adapted to interpret the user-defined procedural information and request additional information from a user via the display screen to determine the system configuration, and further wherein the controller is adapted to control energization of the handpiece according to the user-defined procedural information.