Rotation features for ultrasonic surgical instrument

Inventors

Faller, Craig N. • DeBenedictis, Elizabeth • Kelly, William D. • Lamping, Michael R. • Dietz, Timothy G. • Weizman, Patrick A. • Gee, Jacob S. • Schulte, John B. • Muhlenkamp, Tylor C. • Turner, Douglas J. • Smith, Eric B. • Conlon, Sean P. • Timm, Richard W. • Messerly, Jeffrey D. • Bertke, Brian D.

Assignees

Cilag GmbH International • Cordis Corp

Abstract

An apparatus includes a shaft assembly, an ultrasonic blade, and a clamp assembly. The shaft assembly includes an acoustic waveguide operable to transmit ultrasonic vibrations to the blade. The clamp assembly includes a clamp arm pivotable toward and away from the blade about a pivot axis, to clamp tissue between the clamp arm and the blade. A rotation feature may provide rotation of the blade relative to the clamp arm about the longitudinal axis of the waveguide. Alternatively, the rotation feature may provide rotation of the clamp arm relative to the blade about the longitudinal axis. The rotation feature may be driven based on pivotal positioning of the clamp arm relative to the blade about the pivot axis. The rotation feature may selectively lock and unlock the angular position of either the blade or the clamp arm about the longitudinal axis at any of a number of predetermined angular positions.

Core Innovation

An ultrasonic surgical instrument for operating on tissue includes an ultrasonic blade in acoustic communication with an acoustic waveguide. The acoustic waveguide defines a longitudinal axis and is operable to transmit ultrasonic vibrations to the ultrasonic blade. A clamp assembly includes a clamp arm pivotable toward and away from the ultrasonic blade about a pivot axis, thereby enabling the clamp assembly to clamp tissue relative to the ultrasonic blade.

The instrument further includes a driving element and a rotation feature so that pivotal movement of the clamp arm rotatably drives the ultrasonic blade relative to the clamp arm about the longitudinal axis. In response to pivoting of the clamp arm, the driving element engages the rotation feature, and the rotation feature is rotatably driven based on the pivotal positioning of the clamp arm relative to the ultrasonic blade about the pivot axis. This provides a clamp-and-rotation interaction in which movement about the pivot axis produces rotation about the longitudinal axis.

The described rotation features include mechanical mechanisms that couple clamp-arm pivotal positioning to blade rotation, including engagement structures such as rack and gear and pin-based mechanisms. The rotation feature may be positioned and configured to be driven by movement of a portion of the clamp arm relative to the ultrasonic blade about the pivot axis, and may be attached to either the ultrasonic blade or the acoustic waveguide. The document also describes optional sensing concepts in which sensor elements sense tissue positioning between the ultrasonic blade and the clamp arm so that the rotation feature responds to the sensed positioning.

Claims Coverage

The independent claims collectively cover an ultrasonic surgical apparatus that couples a clamp arm pivot about a pivot axis to rotational adjustment of an ultrasonic blade about the acoustic waveguide longitudinal axis using a driving element and a rotation feature. Across the independent claims, the main inventive elements are the ultrasonic waveguide/blade arrangement, the pivotable clamp arm, and the mechanically engaged rotation feature that drives blade rotation based on clamp-arm movement; dependent claim members further specify example rotation-feature mechanisms and optional sensing response.

The independent claims consistently require an acoustic waveguide transmitting ultrasonic vibrations to an ultrasonic blade and a clamp arm pivotable about a pivot axis. They further require a rotation feature that is engaged with, driven by, or positioned relative to the clamp arm (and optionally attached to either the ultrasonic blade or the acoustic waveguide) such that pivotal clamp-arm positioning relative to the ultrasonic blade produces rotation of the ultrasonic blade about the longitudinal axis.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications