Modular battery powered handheld surgical instrument and methods therefor
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instruments struggle with the inability to fully control and customize cutting and coagulation functions, particularly in ultrasonic and electrosurgical systems, leading to inefficiencies in surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A modular battery-powered handheld surgical instrument equipped with a battery, user input sensor, controller, RF drive circuit, ultrasonic transducer, and end effector, which allows for controlling RF and ultrasonic signals based on tissue parameters to enhance precision and customization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional surgical instruments are used for cutting and coagulation, then basic surgical functions can be performed, but the ability to control and customize cutting and coagulation functions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into modular components including a handle assembly, shaft assembly, and end effector assembly that can be independently configured and combined. This segmentation allows customization of cutting and coagulation functions by selecting different end effectors and energy delivery systems while maintaining a standardized base platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument integrates multiple energy delivery systems (ultrasonic and electrosurgical) within a single platform, enabling both cutting and coagulation functions to be performed by the same device. The controller can selectively activate different energy modes based on surgical requirements, providing versatility without requiring multiple separate instruments.
2Manufacturing precision
If ultrasonic energy is used for cutting and coagulation, then precise tissue treatment can be achieved, but the ability to adapt to different tissue types is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument employs a controller that dynamically adjusts operational parameters such as power level, duty cycle, and energy delivery pattern based on real-time feedback from tissue interaction. This dynamic control allows the same ultrasonic blade to adapt its cutting and coagulation performance to different tissue types including soft tissue, blood vessels, and connective tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables modification of key operational parameters including ultrasonic power, frequency modulation, and coagulation energy levels to optimize performance for different tissue characteristics. The controller can adjust these parameters in real-time based on tissue impedance, thermal feedback, and surgeon input, allowing precise adaptation to varying tissue types.
3Reliability
If electrosurgical energy is used for tissue treatment, then hemostatic sealing can be achieved, but control over energy delivery to different tissue types is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor tissue impedance, power consumption, and thermal effects during electrosurgical operation. The controller uses this feedback to automatically adjust energy delivery parameters, ensuring reliable hemostatic sealing while adapting to different tissue types such as blood vessels of varying diameters and wall thicknesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrosurgical energy delivery is implemented using pulsed or cyclic energy patterns rather than continuous delivery. This periodic action allows thermal diffusion between pulses, preventing excessive heat buildup while maintaining effective coagulation, and enables adaptation to different tissue types by adjusting pulse duration, frequency, and duty cycle.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The instrument provides enhanced control over cutting and coagulation functions, improving surgical precision and efficiency by adapting to tissue characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
Vibrating at high frequencies (e.g., 55,500 times per second), the ultrasonic blade denatures protein in the tissue to form a sticky coagulum
Implementation Method 2
RF energy is a form of electrical energy that may be in the frequency range of 200 kilohertz (kHz) to 1 megahertz (MHz). In application, an electrosurgical instrument can transmit low frequency RF energy through tissue, which causes ionic agitation, or friction, in effect resistive heating, thereby increasing the temperature of the tissue
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method of controlling a modular battery powered handheld surgical instrument. The surgical instrument including a battery, a user input sensor, a controller, a radio frequency (RF) drive circuit, an ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic transducer drive circuit, and an end effector. The end effector including an electrode electrically coupled to RF drive circuit, an ultrasonic blade acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, and a sensor to measure tissue parameters. The method includes applying an RF current drive signal to the electrode by the RF drive circuit; applying an ultrasonic drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer by the ultrasonic transducer drive circuit to acoustically excite the ultrasonic blade; controlling intensity, wave shape, and/or frequency of the RF current drive signal and the ultrasonic drive signal on a sensed measure of a tissue or user parameter.