IES950055A2 - Improvements in and relating to surgical instruments - Google Patents

Abstract

The surgical instrument (1) of the invention includes a handle (2) with a trigger (3), an elongate shaft and a detachable instrumentation head (5). The shaft (4) and the head (5) are detachably connected together by attachment means (6). The head (5) is larger in size than the diameter of the shaft (4) and is connected thereto inside the body cavity of the patient. Fig.1

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS The present invention concerns improvements in and relating to surgical instruments.

When surgery is being performed, the surgeon generally relies on a trocar and trocar sleeve to give access to the abdominal cavity while maintaining pneumoperitoneum. The trocar must be sharp to cut through and separate the muscle and facia surrounding the abdominal cavity. The trocar sleeve allows entry and exit of instruments therethrough while sealing the pneumoperitoneum. A valve is included at the entry of the trocar sleeve which opens to allow a surgical instrument such as a dissecting scissors, a stapling instrument, forceps and such like to pass through the valve and be moved through the trocar 15 sleeve into the abdominal cavity where the instruments are manipulated by the surgeon. The valve closes when the instrument is withdrawn.

Clearly, the dimensions of the surgical instruments must be sized so that those instruments can fit through the trocar sleeve.

Known devices suffer from the disadvantage that when the surgeon wishes to use a different instrument which is larger than the internal diameter of the trocar, he must make an incision in the patient to gain access to the tissue or organ or remove the tissue or portion of say the bowel through the incision to work on it. Such an incision will lose the pneumoperitoneum.

The present invention seeks to alleviate the disadvantages of the prior art.

OPEN TO PUBLIC INSPECTION UNDER SECTION 28 AND RULE 23 JNL. No..J..?.3£......OF BfT «Ι K) 6/ R J?/ $5 00fi 5 The present invention accordingly provides a surgical instrument comprising an elongate shaft, the dimensions of which are appropriately sized so as to enable the shaft to be inserted and retracted through a trocar sleeve, a detachable instrumentation head and means for detachably connecting the instrumentation head to the shaft whereby the shaft can be moved through the trocar sleeve without the instrumentation head being connected thereto and the instrumentation head can be detachably connected to the shaft within abdominal cavity of a patient.

Advantageously, the detachable head does not need to be of a size necessary to enable it to pass through the trocar sleeve. The detachable instrumentation head can be carried into the abdominal cavity in the surgeon's hand. This is envisaged both in the situation where the surgery is being carried out by minimally invasive surgery and where surgery is by open surgery. In the case of minimally invasive surgery, devices are described in applicants' co-pending applications which enable a surgeon's hand to enter the abdominal cavity for surgery. The detachable instrumentation head can be carried into the abdominal cavity in the surgeon's hand.

In use, the surgeon can attach the instrumentation head to the shaft inside the abdominal cavity. This has the advantage that the instrument does not have to be withdrawn from the abdominal cavity via the trocar sleeve and a different instrument inserted.

The invention will now be described more particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings in which are shown, by way of example only, one example of a surgical instrument according to the present invention. 950055 - 3 In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of the surgical instrument with the detachable instrumentation head shown in a detached position in which it is separated from the shaft of the surgical instrument; and Figure 2 is a side view of a trocar sleeve.

Referring to the drawings, the surgical instrument of the present invention is indicated generally by reference numeral 1 and includes a handle 2 provided with a trigger 3 which is pivotally connected to the handle 2. The instrument 1 also includes an elongate shaft 4 and a detachable instrumentation head 5. The shaft 4 and instrumentation head are detachably connectable together by attachment means 6. As shown In the drawings, the instrumentation head 5 is provided with a stapling device. Obviously, any particular alternative surgical instrument such as a forceps, for instance, may be provided on the instrumentation head 5.

In use, the shaft 4 of the surgical instrument 1 is inserted into the valve (not shown) on the trocar sleeve which is indicated generally by reference numeral 10 on Figure 2. The shaft 4 is pushed through the barrel 11 of the trocar sleeve 10 which is of approximately from 3mm to 6mm internal diameter. In the prior art, the internal diameter of the trocar barrell and the shaft 4 is typically up to 15mm in diameter so as to accommodate an instrument head of that size.

In use, the detachable instrumentation head 5 is held in the hand of the surgeon and the appropriate instrumentation head 5 provided with the required 950οςΒ - 4 instrument is connected to the shaft 4 by the attachment means 6. The trigger 3 is operated by the surgeon so as to control and manipulate the stapling device provided on the datachable instrumentation head 5.

It is to be understood that the attachment means 6 is variable as are the dimensions of the instrumentation head 5 since the latter is not restricted by the dimensions of the trocar sleeve 11.

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details described herein, which are given by way of example only, and that various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the invention.

MACLACHLAN & DONALDSON, Applicants' Agents, Merrion Square,

Claims (5)

CLAIMS : 1. - 1 ABSTRACT IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS

1. A surgical instrument comprising an elongate shaft, the dimensions of which are appropriately sized so as to enable the shaft to be inserted and retracted through a trocar sleeve, a detachable instrumentation head and means for detachably connecting the instrumentation head to the shaft, whereby the shaft can be moved through the trocar _sleeve without the instrumentation head being connected thereto and the instrumentation head can be detachably connected to the shaft within the abdominal cavity of a patient.

2. A surgical instrument as claimed in Claim 1, in which the detachable head is of a larger size than the diameter of the trocar sleeve through which the shaft is inserted in use.

3. A surgical instrument as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the instrument head comprises a stapling device.

4. A surgical instrument, substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings. MACLACHLAN & DONALDSON, Applicants' Agents, 47 Merrion Square, DUBLIN 2. Ρ6532.ΙΈ^ Λ r -*50055*

5. The surgical instrument (1) of the invention includes a handle (2) with a trigger (3), an elongate shaft and a detachable instrumentation head (5). The shaft (4) and the head (5) are detachably connected together by attachment means (6). The head (5) is larger in size than the diameter of the shaft (4) and is connected thereto inside the body cavity of the patient.