Coating suitable for surgical instruments

Abstract

An improved coating and devices using said coating are disclosed The coating is applied in a liquid form and then dried or otherwise cured to form a durable adherent coating resistant to high temperatures and in at least one embodiment possessing hydrophobic properties. In one aspect of the invention the coating formulation contains at least in part an aqueous formulation of silica, such as colloidal silica, and one or more fillers, such as inorganic fillers, and sufficient base, such as potassium hydroxide, to have a pH exceeding about 10.5 during at least part of the formulation process. In another aspect of the invention the coating formulation contains one or more substances that affect its surface free energy such as by reducing the surface free energy to make the cured coating hydrophobic, such surface free energy altering compounds include silanes containing halogens such as fluorine or chlorine and in particular silanes containing one or more hydrolyzable groups attached to at least one silicon atom and a group containing one or more halogens such as chlorine or fluorine. In another aspect of the invention is a surgical instrument at least partially covered by a coating using the formulation of the present invention at least part of such instrument powered by electricity to produce a predetermined surgical effect.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 762,375 filed Jan. 25, 2006, entitled “IMPROVED COATING FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RELATED METHODS AND APPARATUS”. The foregoing patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirely.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to materials' coatings and using coatings to protect and affect the surface properties of products or apparatus at least partially covered with such coatings, such as instruments used during surgical procedures. The invention may be used in applications where coatings are useful and more particularly for applications benefitting from containing one or components containing materials benefitting from protecting the component from the use environment or the use environment from the component. Examples of such protection are protecting components from high temperatures, liquids or vapors, such as moi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a coating formulation, method for preparing the coating formulation, and method for applying the coating formulation to a surgical instrument powered by electrosurgical energy that results in reduced eschar accumulation.

[0021] In short, the present inventors have recognized that a durable coating is needed to improve the performance of apparatus, such as to prevent or reduce the formation or accumulation of the deposits that form on material surfaces such as the surfaces of surgical instruments powered by electrosurgical energy. The present invention comprises a coating formulation that includes colloidal silica, a strong base, one or more fillers, and optionally formulated with one or more substances that produce non-stick properties to the coating. Such substance that produce non-stick properties include alkoxy silanes, including alkoxy silanes having one or more chains containing at least some halogens such as chlorine or fluorine. The present invention further includes applying such coating formulations to surfaces to produce a coating on materials, including materials with organic or inorganic surfaces, including plastic, glass, and metallic surfaces, that is adherent, resistant to high temperatures, and non-stick. The present invention further comprises such metallic surfaces when they are at least part of a medical instrument, such as an electrosurgical instrument.

Problems solved by technology

The process of applying RF electrical power causes high temperatures to occur in the tissue and on at least part of the surgical instrument.

The result of these high temperatures is the formation of tissue fragments and other substances that often accumulate and form deposits on surgical instruments.

Eschar frequently accumulates in such amounts that it interferes with surgical procedures.

These compounds suffer from not having high temperature durability.

Materials capable of withstanding high temperatures, such as ceramics, do not confer adequate non-stick properties when used as coatings.

When contacting tissue the hot surfaces damage tissue.

Typical coatings cannot withstand the high temperatures in regions directly adjacent to where RF electrical power transfers to tissue.

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