Limited use medical devices
The present disclosure is directed to a surgical system that may include an end effector assembly configured to conduct energy through tissue to treat tissue, the end effector assembly including at least one limited-use portion, the limited-use portion configured to degrade during use, and a control system configured to monitor degradation of the limited-use portion.
1. A medical device, comprising:
an end effector assembly configured to conduct energy through tissue to treat tissue, the end effector assembly including a first selectively-energizable electrode, a second selectively-energizable electrode, and an insulator configured to insulate the first and second selectively-energizable electrodes from one another, wherein the insulator is configured to degrade during use; and
a control system configured to monitor degradation of the insulator.
2. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the control system includes a sensor configured to sense at least one characteristic indicative of degradation of the insulator and to provide a signal representative of the at least one characteristic sensed.
3. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the insulator is configured to degrade as a result of energy conduction therethrough or adjacent thereto.
4. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the control system monitors the insulator such that when the insulator degrades to a predetermined threshold, the control system inhibits energy transmission to the end effector assembly.
5. The medical device of claim 4 , wherein, the predetermined threshold occurs prior to the point at which the insulator degrades sufficiently so as to short-circuit the end effector assembly.
6. A method, comprising:
conducting energy from a first selectively-energizable electrode of an end effector assembly, through tissue, to a second selectively-energizable electrode of the end effector assembly to treat the tissue, wherein the first and second selectively-energizable electrodes are separated by an insulator configured to degrade during use; and
monitoring degradation of the insulator.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein monitoring degredation further includes sensing at least one characteristic indicative of degradation of the insulator.
8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising inhibiting energy transmission to the end effector assembly when degradation of the insulator exceeds a pre-determined threshold.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined threshold occurs prior to the point at which the insulator degrades sufficiently so as to short-circuit the end effector assembly.