Grasper with magnetically-controlled positioning

Inventors

Rodriguez-Navarro, Alberto • Loomas, Bryan

Assignees

Levita Magnetics International Corp

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for providing remote traction to tissue may include a grasper and a control element. The grasper may have a first jaw, a second jaw, a main body, and a first magnetic element. The control element may include a second magnetic element. The first and second magnetic elements may attract the grasper to the control element such that the grasper is oriented parallel, perpendicularly, or at an angle between parallel and perpendicular with respect to the control element and/or a body. In some instances, the grasper may include first and second magnetic elements and the control element may include third and fourth magnetic elements.

Core Innovation

A remotely controlled surgical grasper system performs a surgical procedure by grasping tissue in a grasper and controlling the grasper across an abdominal wall using a control element. The system magnetically repulses the grasper away from the control element across the abdominal wall, and repositions grasped tissue by manipulating a magnetic element of the control element.

The grasper includes jaws in an open configuration and a closed configuration to grasp tissue, and the proximal end and/or distal end includes magnetic elements arranged on or within the proximal and/or distal ends. Multiple magnets with opposite polarities can be included, and the magnetic interaction can orient the longitudinal axis of the grasper relative to an abdominal wall or cavity wall, including transverse orientations and substantially parallel orientations, including angled orientations between.

Magnetic repulsion and attraction can be applied to different portions of the grasper, including the proximal end and the distal end, and can also be applied to jaws. The disclosure further includes control-element designs that enable repositioning and rotation, and grasper constructions using non-magnetic and diamagnetic materials and coatings to reduce unintended instrument attraction.

Claims Coverage

The disclosed independent claims are directed to methods for performing a surgical procedure with magnetically controlled grasping and tissue repositioning across an abdominal wall, using a control element and manipulating magnetic elements. Across the independent claims, the inventive features focus on magnetically repulsing and attracting different portions of the grasper, including proximal and distal ends, with polarity-defined control of the grasper.

Overall claim coverage centers on magnetically controlled grasper operation across an abdominal wall, including magnetic repulsion away from a control element, magnetic attraction and repulsion of different grasper portions to reposition grasped tissue, and polarity-specific control using first and second magnetic portions at the proximal and distal ends.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications