US20090012519A1 - Electro-Surgical Bipolar Forceps - Google Patents

Abstract

An electro-surgical bipolar forceps includes a first tip and a second tip, each having a body. The body has a distal end and a proximal end. The body has a first groove having a substantially planar base proximate the proximal end. A substantially planar face is proximate to the distal end of the tip body. The base and the face on each tip define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other. A tip assembly includes a tip and an engagement plug. When making the tip assembly, a planar surface on the engagement plug is aligned with the planar base of the groove in the tip. Then the tip is connected to the engagement plug.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates to an electro-surgical bipolar forceps, and more particularly, to electro-surgical bipolar forceps that have replaceable tip assemblies.
• 2. Discussion of Related Art
• Electro-surgical bipolar forceps are known in the art, and are commonly used in surgical procedures to grasp, dissect seal and clamp tissue. Bipolar forceps comprise a pair of tips, and each tip comprises an electrode in communication with a source of electrical power. In most cases, the tips are fixedly attached to the handles. Therefore, to reuse these types of bipolar forceps, the bipolar forceps must be sterilized between each use. In addition, after multiple uses the tips of the forceps often become misaligned thereby requiring returning the forceps to the manufacturer for realignment, if possible.
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,996 to Schmaltz et al. discloses a bipolar electro-surgical instrument that has replaceable electrodes. But these replaceable electrodes do not permit the tip assembly to vary in shape and size. In addition, these replaceable electrodes do not address the problem of correcting misaligned jaws. Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for electro-surgical bipolar forceps that have replaceable tip assemblies. Thus, the tips would no longer be subject to a sterilization process as they can simply be disposed of and replaced with a new pair of tips. In addition, the new tip assembly includes at least one groove in a proximal end of a tip to aid in the manufacturing process to ensure that the distal portion (or face at the distal end) of the tip assembly will automatically align in the proper orientation with a mating distal portion of the other tip assembly in the bipolar electro-surgical instrument.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the present invention includes a tip for use with an electro-surgical medical device. The tip has a body. The body has a distal end and a proximal end. The body has a first groove having a substantially planar base proximate the proximal end. A substantially planar face is proximate to the distal end of the tip body. The base and the face on the tip define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other.
• In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the present invention includes an electro-surgical bipolar forceps includes a first tip and a second tip, each having a body. The body has a distal end and a proximal end. The body has a first groove having a substantially planar base proximate the proximal end. A substantially planar face is proximate to the distal end of the tip body. The base and the face on each tip define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other.
• In accordance with other exemplary embodiment, the present invention includes a tip assembly, which includes a tip and an engagement plug. When making the tip assembly, a planar surface on the engagement plug is aligned with a planar base of a groove in the tip. Then the tip is connected to the engagement plug.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components, and wherein:
• FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the electro-surgical bipolar forceps in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 2 is a top view of the electro-surgical bipolar forceps ofFIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the tip assembly and insert tube of the electro-surgical bipolar forceps ofFIG. 1;
• FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tip assembly taken along line4-4 ofFIG. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;
• FIG. 4A is an enlarged partial top view showing the circle labeled asFIG. 4A inFIG. 4, and showing the bipolar forceps in the closed position;
• FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the tip assembly being selectively engaged with the insert tube;
• FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line6-6 ofFIG. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows;
• FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line6-6 ofFIG. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows;
• FIG. 8 is a side view of the tip;
• FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the tip; and
• FIG. 10 is a side view of the tip assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENTLY PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT
• Referring now toFIGS. 1 though10, an electro-surgicalbipolar forceps10, in accordance with the present invention, is illustrated.Forceps10 include afirst member12 and asecond member14, which are connected together by aconnector16. Eachmember12,14 is electrically insulated from the other member withinconnector housing16 and is connected to acorresponding contact pin18,20. Contactpins18,20 are configured to be connected to a power source, in a manner known to those skilled in the art.First member12 has afirst insert tube22 disposed at a distal end thereof and ahandle24 disposed at a proximal end thereof. Likewise,second member14 has asecond insert tube26 disposed at a distal end thereof and ahandle28 disposed at a proximal end thereof.
• Insert tubes22,26 are illustrated as being cylindrical in shape, but are not to be limited to this shape. Of course,insert tubes22,26 can be of other closed or even open shapes, such as, for example, square, rectangular, and other polygonal or other irregular shapes.
• Forceps10 also include afirst tip assembly30 that is selectively engageable with eitherfirst insert tube22 or second insert tube26 (in the illustration,first tip assembly30 is shown selectively engaged with the first insert tube22). Asecond tip assembly32 is selectively engageable either withfirst insert tube22 orsecond insert tube26. Eachtip assembly30,32 has aproximal end34 and adistal end36, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 10. The proximal end of the tip assembly is preferably selectively engageable with eitherinsert tube22,26. Eachtip assembly30,32 include anengagement plug38, anoversheath sleeve40, an electricallyconductive tip42, and adistal seal43. In addition, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,929,645 and 6,860,882, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, each tip assembly may include a spacer sleeve so that the length of the tip assembly can vary. Further, the shapes of the tips can vary depending upon the needs of the surgeon. Additionally, a heat pipe is preferably disposed within theoversheath sleeve40 and between theengagement plug38 andtip36. Heat pipe is totally enclosed in scaled chamber and is effective to remove heat from thetip42. The use of a heat pipe in bipolar forceps is known from the teaching of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,929,645, 6,860,882, 6,074,389 and 6,206,876, the disclosures of these patents are each hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
• Eachmember12,14 includes arelease button50 that is connected to inserttube22,26 by apivot pin connection52. As illustrated inFIGS. 3,5 and10, engagement plug38 has arecess54.Recess54 is shaped to receive a lockingshoulder56 disposed at one end of therelease button50.Release button50 has arelease tab58 disposed at an opposite end from lockingshoulder56. Aspring60 is connected tomember12,14 at one end and to releasebutton50 at an opposite end.Spring60 normally biases releasesbutton50 into the locked position shown inFIG. 3. The release button is moveable from the locked position to the unlocked position by the application of an external force in the direction indicated by arrow A inFIG. 5. For example, a surgeon may depressrelease tab58 in the direction indicated by arrow A to thereby move lockingshoulder56 away fromrecess54 in theengagement plug38. Oncerelease tab58 is sufficiently depressed, the surgeon may thereafter grasp the tip assembly and remove theentire tip assembly30,32 from therespective insert tube22,26. During insertion of atip assembly30,32 into therespective insert tube22,26, the operator can manually insert thetip assembly30,32 such that the proximal end, orengagement plug38, is received within theinsert tube22,26. Theextreme end62 ofengagement plug38 may have a keyed shape in cross-section, such as a square as shown inFIG. 7, to be matingly received within a correspondingly-shaped socket within the insert tube to ensure that the tip assembly is aligned in the proper orientation with respect to the other tip assembly. Thus,extreme end62 has four planar surfaces.
• Referring now toFIGS. 8-10, eachtip36 has an elongatedbody70 having adistal end72 and aproximal end74.Body70 has afirst groove76 and asecond groove78, each being disposed proximate toproximal end74. Eachgroove76,78 has a substantiallyplanar base80,82, respectively. Eachgroove76,78 preferably has an approximately rectangular shape in cross-section, as shown inFIGS. 8 and 10.Body70 has a substantiallyplanar face84 proximatedistal end72.Tip body70 extends axially fromproximal end74 todistal end72. In a currently preferredexemplary embodiment grooves76,78 are disposed in approximately the same axial position alongbody70, as shown inFIG. 8.Bases80,82 and face84 define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other. In a currently preferred exemplary embodiment, face84 has a length B of no greater than about 0.09 in and a width C of no greater than about 0.05 in. By using the software UNIGRAPHICS®, which is commercially available from Unigraphics Solutions Inc. of Cypress, Calif., one skilled in the art can calculate thatface84 has a surface area of no greater than about 0.004 inches².
• 13. In a currently preferred exemplary embodiment, to manufacture thetip assembly30,32,rectangular grooves76,78 are used as positional geometry in the fixturing process to provide positive alignment features, which result in repeatability due to assembling off of two flat surfaces rather than one. In contrast, in conventional assembly processes, manufacturers may fixture off of thetip face84, which adds potential for damages to be incurred at the tip's coagulating surface that can result in impaired performance during use and a diminished surface finish.Grooves76,78 are thus used to fix the position oftip36, and face84 may then be machined to be precisely perpendicular to the planar base surfaces80,82, ofgrooves76,78, respectively.Tip36 is then connected to oversheathsleeve40, which optionally contains a heat pipe, by usinggrooves76,78 to once again fix the position oftip36. Thereafter, the connected tip and sleeve are held bygrooves76,78 and are connected to engagement plug38 such that the planar surfaces ofextreme end62 are aligned precisely perpendicular to two of the four planar surfaces and, of course, parallel to the other two of the four planar surfaces. Thus, when the tip assemblies are inserted in the handle'sinsert tubes22,26, in the closed position, theface84 of the one tip body mates with theface84 of the other tip body with essentially no overlap, despite the relatively small dimensions offace84. In other words, thefaces84 essentially align perfectly with one another.
• As shown inFIGS. 1,4 and4A,release tab58 is disposed on a “lower” end of theforceps10. Thus, during use, a surgeon can look down the “upper” portion of the forceps with an unobstructed view of the surgical site. This is especially true with the relatively small faces84 oftips36 in accordance with the present invention. Such a geometry provides precision to the surgeon through visualization. The contoured design of the tip body also permits a surgeon to glide along delicate anatomy such as arteries, nerves and other delicate tissue.
• Eachinsert tube12,14 has aninner surface64.Inner surface64 is preferably covered or coated with an electrically insulated material. Thereafter, a portion of that coating or covering is removed at the distal end of the inner surface of the insert tube so that this portion of the inner surface of the insert tube is electrically conductive. The electrically conductive inner surface portion of the insert tube, in a selectively engaged position of the tip assembly within the insert tube, is located distally with respect to a proximal seal. Thus, only the predetermined portion of the inner surface of the insert tube has the insulating material removed therefrom.
• The current path from contact pins18,20 to thetips36 extends frompin18,20, through thehandle24,28 (of course, the outer portion of the handle, insert tube and most of the tip assembly can be covered with an insulating material to electrically isolate the member and tip assemblies from each other and from the user), to theinsert tube22,26, to theoversheath sleeve40 where they contact the insert tube in the predetermined area, to the heat pipe46 to thetip36.Tips36 are preferably made of copper and coated with gold or other biocompatible material. In use, fluid may collect in and aroundbutton50 and on the proximal side of engagement plug38 with respect to the proximal seal, but because all of these surfaces are insulated, there is no or at least very minimal risk of an electrical short. The handles are preferably made of stainless steel or titanium. The tip assembly includesengagement plug38 that is preferably made of cooper or plastic. Oversheath sleeve and spacer sleeve are preferably made of stainless steel or titanium. Proximal and distal seals are preferably made of silicone.
• Having described the presently preferred exemplary embodiment of an electro-surgical bipolar forceps in accordance with the present invention, it is believed that other modifications, variations and changes will be suggested to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings set forth herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that all such modifications, variations, and changes are believed to fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. All publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims (30)

1. A tip for use with an electro-surgical medical device, said tip comprising:

a body having a distal end and a proximal end, said body having a first groove proximate said proximal end, said first groove having a substantially planar base, said body having a substantially planar face proximate said distal end; and

wherein said base and said face define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other.

2. The tip according toclaim 1, wherein said first groove is approximately rectangular in cross-section.

3. The tip according toclaim 1, wherein said body has a second groove proximate said proximal end.

4. The tip according toclaim 3, wherein said second groove is approximately rectangular in cross-section.

5. The tip according toclaim 4, wherein said second groove has a substantially planar base, wherein said base of said second groove and said face define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other.

6. The tip according toclaim 2, wherein said body is elongated.

7. The tip according toclaim 6, wherein said body is made of an electrically conductive material.

8. The tip according toclaim 5, wherein said body is elongated.

9. The tip according toclaim 8, wherein said body is made of an electrically conductive material.

10. An electro-surgical bipolar forceps comprising:

a first tip having a body, said body having a distal end and a proximal end, said body having a first groove proximate said proximal end, said first groove having a substantially planar base, said body having a substantially planar face proximate said distal end; and

wherein said base and said face define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other.

11. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 10, further comprising a second tip having a body, said second tip body having a distal end and a proximal end, said second tip body having a first groove proximate said proximal end, said first groove of said second tip body having a substantially planar base, said second tip body having a substantially planar face proximate said distal end; and

wherein said base and said face of said second tip body define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other.

12. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 11, wherein said first groove in each of said first tip and said second tip is approximately rectangular in cross-section.

13. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 11, wherein said first tip body has a second groove proximate said proximal end, and said second tip body has a second groove proximate said proximal end.

14. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 13, wherein said second groove in each of said first tip and said second tip is approximately rectangular in cross-section.

15. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 14, wherein said second groove in said first tip has a substantially planar base, wherein said base of said second groove in first tip and said face in said first tip define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other, and said second groove in said second tip has a substantially planar base, wherein said base of said second groove in second tip and said face in said second tip define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other.

16. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 12, wherein said body of said first tip is elongated, and said body of said second tip is elongated.

17. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 16, wherein said body of said first tip is made of an electrically conductive material, and said body of said second tip is made of an electrically conductive material.

18. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 15, wherein said body of said first tip is elongated, and said body of said second tip is elongated.

19. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 18, wherein said body of said first tip is made of an electrically conductive material, and said body of said second tip is made of an electrically conductive material.

20. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps according toclaim 11, wherein in the closed position, the face of the first tip body mates with the face of said second tip body with essentially no overlap.

21. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps ofclaim 20, wherein the face has a surface area of no greater than about 0.004 in².

22. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps ofclaim 20, wherein the face has a length of no greater than about 0.09 inches and a width of no greater than about 0.05 inches.

23. The tip according toclaim 3, wherein said tip body extending axially from said proximal end to said distal end, said first groove and said second groove being disposed in approximately the same axial position along said body.

24. The electro-surgical bipolar forceps ofclaim 13, wherein said first tip body extending axially from said proximal end to said distal end, said first groove and said second groove in said first tip body being disposed in approximately the same axial position along said first tip body, said second tip body extending axially from said proximal end to said distal end, said first groove and said second groove in said second tip body being disposed in approximately the same axial position along said second tip body.

25. A method of assembling a multi-part tip assembly for use in an electro-surgical medical device, said multi-part tip including an engagement plug and a tip, said tip having a body having a distal end and a proximal end, said body having a first groove proximate said proximal end, said first groove having a substantially planar base, a substantially planar face proximate said distal end, said engagement plug having a planar surface, wherein said method comprising the steps of:

aligning the engagement plug planar surface with the first groove planar base surface; and

connecting the tip to the engagement plug.

26. A method of assembling a multi-part tip assembly for use in an electro-surgical bipolar forceps, said multi-part tip including an engagement plug and a tip, said tip having a body having a distal end and a proximal end, said body having a first groove proximate said proximal end, said first groove having a substantially planar base, said body having a second groove proximate said proximal end, said second groove having a substantially planar base, a substantially planar face proximate said distal end, said engagement plug having a planar surface, wherein said method comprising the steps of:

aligning the engagement plug planar surface with the first groove planar base surface and the second groove planar base surface; and

connecting the tip to the engagement plug.

27. A method of manufacturing a tip for use in an electro-surgical medical device, said tip having a body having a distal end and a proximal end, said body having a first groove proximate said proximal end, said first groove having a substantially planar base, wherein said method comprising the steps of:

maintaining the position of the tip body by grasping the planar base of the first groove; and

machining a substantially planar face in said tip body proximate its distal end while the position of said tip body is being maintained.

28. The method according toclaim 27, wherein in said machining step, said planar face and said planar base define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other.

29. A method of manufacturing a tip for use in an electro-surgical medical device, said tip having a body having a distal end and a proximal end, said body having a first groove and a second groove proximate said proximal end, said first groove and said second groove each having a substantially planar base, wherein said method comprising the steps of:

maintaining the position of the tip body by grasping the planar base of the first groove and the planar base of the second groove; and

machining a substantially planar face in said tip body proximate its distal end while the position of said tip body is being maintained.

30. The method according toclaim 29, wherein in said machining step, said planar face and said planar base of the first groove define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other, and said planar face and said planar base of the second groove define planes that are approximately perpendicular with respect to each other.

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