Reusable surgical instrument for minimally invasive procedures

Inventors

Beira, Ricardo Daniel Rita

Assignees

Distalmotion SA

Abstract

Disclosed is a reusable surgical instrument (1) with an articulated end-effector (3), such as a dissector, scissor or grasper, to enhance a surgeon's performance during various surgical procedures. The longitudinal axis of the instrument is defined by a shaft (2), comprising an internal structural element (2″) covered by an external tube (2′), which may be inserted through a surgical incision into the body of a patient, optionally through a trocar. The articulated end-effector (3) is mounted on the distal extremity of the shaft's internal structural element and comprises a plurality of links interconnected by a plurality of joints, whose movements are remotely actuated by the surgeon's hands. This remote actuation is accomplished via mechanical transmission (5, 6, 7), mainly composed of flexible elements, which are able to deliver motion from a set of actuation elements, placed at a proximal extremity of the shaft (2), to the instrument's articulated end-effector (3). The external tube (2′) can be easily and individually detached from the shaft (2) after each procedure, so that the instrument (1) can be more effectively cleaned and sterilized.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a reusable minimally invasive articulated surgical instrument having a distal link-based end-effector driven by proximal mechanical transmission elements through a shaft with an internal structural element and a detachable external tube. The distal end-effector is articulated by distal end-effector links and joints, and the proximal transmission is coupled to proximal joints and rotating elements via an axis of rotation. The mechanical transmission elements include flexible elements such as ropes to transmit motion to the end-effector.

An external tube of the shaft is individually detachable from over one or more internal structural elements via threaded surfaces. Detaching the external tube exposes internal mechanical transmission elements from the threaded surfaces to a distal end of the shaft, with sealing and transversal components on the internal structural element to maintain air-tightness. This air-tightness supports maintaining insufflation gas in a body cavity when the external tube is re-attached.

The instrument is configured so that tension on transmission ropes can be released to facilitate cleaning and sterilization. The configuration supports sterilizing the reusable surgical instrument while the external tube is detached, and then re-attaching the external tube to over the internal structural elements for performing an additional surgery. The detachable tube and associated sealing elements and transversal components are used to protect internal structural elements and prevent air passage to maintain insufflation during re-attachment.

Claims Coverage

One independent claim is explicitly provided. The independent claim covers a reusable articulated end-effector surgical instrument used in surgery, with detachment and re-attachment of an external tube via threaded surfaces, sterilization while detached, and additional surgery after re-attachment, with dependent features refining transmission, sealing, air-tightness, and tension release.

The claim set covers a reusable articulated surgical instrument with mechanical actuation through shaft internal structural elements, detachable exposure of transmission elements using threaded-surface detachment of an external tube, sterilization while detached, and re-attachment for additional surgery. Dependent refinements include sealing and air-tightness features to maintain insufflation during re-attachment and tension release on mechanical transmission elements to facilitate cleaning and sterilization.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications