IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,262,937
Granted Patent B2
US 12,262,937 · App. 16/887,499 · Granted Apr 1, 2025

User interface for surgical instrument with combination energy modality end-effector

Inventors: Jeffrey D. Messerly (Cincinnati, OH); Craig N. Faller (Batavia, OH); Justin S. Cramer (Loveland, OH); Steven M. Boronyak (Cincinnati, OH); Ellen E. Burkart (Liberty Township, OH); Monica L. Z. Rivard (Cincinnati, OH); Gregory J. Bakos (Mason, OH)
Assignee: Cilag GmbH International
A61B18/14A61B18/1206A61B2018/0019A61B2018/00607A61B2018/0063A61B2018/0072A61B2018/00732A61B2018/00767A61B2018/00916A61B2018/00922A61B2018/00958A61B2018/00994A61B2018/1253A61B2018/126A61B2018/1412
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,262,937
App. No.
16/887,499
Filed
May 29, 2020
Granted
Apr 1, 2025
Kind
B2
Art Unit
3794
USPC
606/50
Abstract

Disclosed is a surgical instrument having a housing, an end-effector, and a user interface. The end-effector includes a clamp arm and an ultrasonic blade configured to couple to an ultrasonic transducer and to a pole of an electrical generator. The clamp arm includes a clamp jaw pivotally movable about a pivot point, an electrode defining a surface configured to contact tissue and apply electrical energy to the tissue in contact therewith and configured to couple to an opposite pole of the electrical generator. The user interface includes a first activation button switch to activate a first energy source and a second button switch to select an energy mode for the activation button switch.

Claims (55)

1. A surgical instrument, comprising:

a housing;

an end-effector, comprising:

an ultrasonic blade configured to couple to an ultrasonic transducer and to a pole of an electrical generator; and

a clamp arm, comprising:

a clamp jaw pivotally movable about a pivot point; and

an electrode defining a surface configured to contact tissue and apply electrical energy to the tissue, wherein the electrode is configured to couple to an opposite pole of the electrical generator;

a user interface, comprising:

an indicator to display a list of the plurality of energy modes, wherein, for each of the plurality of energy modes, the electrical generator stores corresponding instructions for delivering energy to the surgical instrument according to a predefined algorithm;

a mode selection button switch actuatable to toggle through the list of the plurality of energy modes displayed by the indicator and select an energy mode from the list of the plurality of energy modes; and

a first activation button switch actuatable to cause the electrical generator to deliver energy to the surgical instrument according to the selected energy mode, wherein selecting a first energy mode of the plurality of energy modes and actuating the first activation button switch causes the electrical generator to sequentially deliver two or more energy sources to the surgical instrument; and

a circuit couplable to the electrical generator and the user interface, wherein the circuit is to:

receive the list of the plurality of energy modes from the electrical generator;

cause the indicator to display the list of the plurality of energy modes;

receive a mode selection signal from the user interface based on actuating the mode selection button switch to the selected energy mode; and

transmit a parameter adjustment signal to the generator based on receiving the mode selection signal, wherein transmitting the parameter adjustment signal causes the electrical generator to adjust parameters for delivering energy according to the selected energy mode.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the two or more energy sources sequentially delivered to the surgical instrument by selecting the first energy mode and actuating the first activation button switch comprises a first energy source and a second energy source, and wherein the user interface further comprises:

a closure trigger to operate the end-effector; and

a second activation button switch to separately activate the second energy source.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein the second activation button switch is a separate control from the closure trigger.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein the closure trigger comprises a two stage activation, wherein the second activation button switch is configured to activate in a second stage of the closure trigger.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 4 , wherein a first stage of the closure trigger is configured to actuate the clamp jaw.

6. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , further comprising a shaft coupling the end effector to the housing, wherein the user interface further comprises a rotatable knob to rotate the shaft and the end-effector coupled to the shaft.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein, for each of the plurality of energy modes, the predefined algorithm comprises an input parameter to define the corresponding energy mode.

8. The surgical instrument of claim 7 , wherein, for each of the plurality of energy modes, the input parameter is remotely configured through connection to the electrical generator or through a software update.

9. The surgical instrument of claim 7 , wherein, for a second energy mode of the plurality of energy modes, the input parameter comprises at least one of an energy type, a duty cycle, a voltage, a frequency, a pulse width, a current, an impedance limit, an activation time, or a blend of energy, or any combination thereof.

10. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the list of the plurality of energy modes from the electrical generator is selectable by a user via interaction with the electrical generator.

11. The surgical instrument of claim 7 , wherein selecting a second energy mode of the plurality of energy modes and actuating the first activation button switch causes the electrical generator to cause activation of a simultaneous blend of RF and ultrasonic energy, and wherein the input parameter comprises a duty cycle of the RF and ultrasonic energy.

12. The surgical instrument of claim 10 , wherein the number of the energy modes in the list is selectable by the user via interaction with the electrical generator.

13. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the indicator comprises a display screen disposed on the housing.

14. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , further comprising a shaft coupling the end effector to the housing, and wherein the indicator is disposed on a portion of the shaft.

15. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein the first energy source comprises at least one of an ultrasonic energy source, a bipolar radio frequency (RF) energy source, a monopolar RF energy source, a microwave energy source, or an irreversible electroporation (IRE) energy source, or any combination thereof.

16. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein selecting the first energy mode and actuating the first activation button switch causes the electrical generator to sequentially deliver the two or more energy sources to the surgical instrument based on a predefined duty cycle or a pulsed algorithm.

17. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein the two or more energy sources are selected from the group consisting of an ultrasonic energy source, a bipolar radio frequency (RF) energy source, a monopolar RF energy source, a microwave energy source, and an irreversible electroporation (IRE) energy source.

18. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein selecting a second energy mode of the plurality of energy modes and actuating the first activation button switch causes the electrical generator to simultaneously deliver a blend of the two or more energy sources, wherein the two or more energy sources are selected from the group consisting of an ultrasonic energy source, a bipolar radio frequency (RF) energy source, a monopolar RF energy source, a microwave energy source, and an irreversible electroporation (IRE) energy source.

19. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein selecting a second energy mode of the plurality of energy modes and actuating the first activation button switch causes the electrical generator to simultaneously deliver a blend of the two or more energy sources followed by sequential activation of one or more of the two or more energy sources.

20. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein selecting a second energy mode of the plurality of energy modes and actuating the first activation button switch causes the electrical generator to activate the first energy source followed by a sequential activation of a simultaneous blend of the two or more energy sources, wherein both the first energy source and the two or more energy sources are selected from the group consisting of an ultrasonic energy source, a bipolar radio frequency (RF) energy source, a monopolar RF energy source, a microwave energy source, and an irreversible electroporation (IRE) energy source.

21. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein selecting a second energy mode of the plurality of energy modes and actuating the first activation button switch causes the electrical generator to activate the first energy source based on a tissue-specific predefined algorithm.

22. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the selected energy mode is configured based on learned surgical behaviors or activities.

23. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of energy modes are made available for selection through software updates to the electrical generator.

24. A surgical instrument, comprising:

an end effector, comprising:

an ultrasonic blade configured to deliver an ultrasonic energy modality for treating tissue; and

a clamp arm comprising an electrode, wherein the electrode is configured to deliver a radio frequency (RF) energy modality for treating tissue, and wherein the ultrasonic blade and the electrode are couplable to a generator configured to drive the ultrasonic energy modality and the RF energy modality;

a housing, comprising:

a first activation switch that is actuatable to deliver the ultrasonic energy modality;

a second activation switch that is actuatable to cause the electrode to deliver the RF energy modality;

an indicator to display a list of plurality of operating modes associated with the RF energy modality, wherein, for each of the plurality of operating modes, the electrical generator stores corresponding instructions for delivering the RF energy to the surgical instrument according to a predefined algorithm; and

a mode selection switch that is actuatable to toggle through the list of the plurality of operating modes displayed by the indicator and select an operating mode from the list of the plurality of operating modes, wherein actuating the second activation switch causes the generator to deliver to the electrode the RF energy modality according to the selected operating mode, and wherein selecting a first operating mode from the plurality of operating modes and activating the second activation switch causes the generator to sequentially deliver the ultrasonic energy modality to the ultrasonic blade and the RF energy modality to the electrode;

a circuit couplable to the generator, wherein the circuit is to:

receive the list of the plurality of operating modes from the generator;

cause the indicator to display the list of the plurality of operating modes;

receive a mode selection signal based on actuating the mode selection switch to select the selected operating mode; and

transmit a parameter adjustment signal to the generator based on receiving the mode selection signal, wherein transmitting the parameter adjustment signal causes the generator to adjust parameters for delivering RF energy according to the selected operating mode; and

a shaft operably coupling the end effector to the housing.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 27, 2021
From: ETHICON LLC
To: CILAG GMBH INTERNATIONAL
Reel/Frame 056601/0339 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 30, 2020
From: MESSERLY, JEFFREY D.; FALLER, CRAIG N.; CRAMER, JUSTIN S.; BORONYAK, STEVEN M.; BURKART, ELLEN E.; RIVARD, MONICA L.Z.; BAKOS, GREGORY J.
To: ETHICON LLC
Reel/Frame 053088/0335 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62955294 · Dec 30, 2019
Related Publication 20210196345A1 · Jul 1, 2021
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