Patent Application
20240325008
The present disclosure relates to the field of surgical instruments. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a device for minimally invasive surgeries that includes functionalities of grasping, suturing, knotting, knot tightening, cutting and cautery during surgeries.
Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
One of the most important advances in surgical technology in the last two decades of the twentieth century is represented by the introduction of minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS).
Minimally Invasive Surgery, commonly known as Laparoscopic or Endoscopic surgery, is performed by making 4 to 5 small incisions of 5-12 mm size on the abdomen of the patient for inserting different devices/instruments and accessing the point of surgery. Entire surgical procedures are performed by manipulating the tool handles from outside the patient's body, without direct contact with the diseased tissue or direct vision of the operative site. The operative field is viewed by a laparoscope(miniature camera) also inserted into the abdominal cavity through one of the incisions in the abdominal wall. The laparoscopic view of the operative site is captured by a miniature camera in the laparoscope and displayed on a 2-D video monitor for the operating surgeon.
With the gradual replacement of the conventional open-cut approach surgery with the MIS techniques patient benefits like smaller tissue trauma, smaller scar, minimal blood loss, less pain, faster recovery time, and early hospital discharge has remained a consistent finding. Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has become commonplace for an ever-growing number of surgical procedures and can replace almost all open abdominal surgical procedures.
Laparoscopy is a technological marvel which resolved all the patient concerns but raised the demands placed on surgeons without the necessary instruments required to do it. Despite advancements in surgical techniques and the availability of newer surgical tools, the complexity of laparoscopic suturing and knotting continues to be a barrier to greater adoption of MIS procedures, which deprives the patients of potential benefits of laparoscopy.
During MIS, a surgeon is confronted with the technical challenge of performing all maneuvers using long rigid instruments. For each use, the surgeon has to use a specific instrument and has to keep interchanging the instruments during the whole surgical procedure. For grasping laparoscopic graspers are used, for cutting tissue laparoscopic scissors are used, for cauterization of tissue surgeon has to insert cautery and use a foot paddle to operate the cautery. For intracorporeal suturing surgeons has to insert a needle inside the abdomen first and then use laparoscopic graspers and needle holder to complete the suturing. Due to this all of the surgeon's hands and feet are occupied by different instruments.
Most of the surgical time is spent interchanging various instruments which affects the surgeon's focus as they have to continuously change instruments. This increase in the operating time increases the use of anesthesia on the patient, thus making him prone to complications due to prolonged anesthesia.
Also, the tissue is not in direct contact with the surgeon's hands, and because of 2D vision surgeons lack the perception of the depth and the thickness of tissue. Without necessary experience, the increased force can result in tissue crush injuries.
Laparoscopic intracorporeal suturing means tissue approximation within the body using suture material. One laparoscopic needle holder & grasper and a needle with suture thread are used to tie a series of knots inside the body. This technique requires the skill to manipulate the needle, pass it from 1 needle holder to the next, and execute a series of knots.
Laparoscopic intracorporeal suturing is the preferred method because it is highly adaptable, flexible, economical, and uses commercially available instruments. Although Laparoscopic suturing is the most basic but most challenging to perform and learn. It is considered a significant barrier to the broader adoption of laparoscopic surgery. It is done using a suture needle, laparoscopic needle holder, and grasper.
Intracorporeal suturing is viewed as a recurring cycle of events: starting with grasping the tissue using graspers, grasping the suture needle with a needleholder, driving the needle across the anastomosis edge of the tissue, re-adjusting the needle holder, grasping the other edge of tissue driving the needle across the other anastomosis edge, tying three knots, pulling both the ends of the suture thread to tighten the knot and ending with thread cutting.
Ideally, the needle should be oriented such that the directions of (1) the needle tip and (2) the needle-driving force must be identical; the optimal direction for both is 90°, head-on against tissue resistance. Tissue should be grasped before the suturing to create tension in tissue so the needle can pierce easily without much resistance. If tissue is not grasped and the needle is pierced it may result in tissue tear and the path of the needle can change.
Intracorporeal suturing requires repetitive dual-hand-coordinated movements in an environment with a limited degree of freedom for each step of suturing. During suturing, the surgeon needs to constantly change the orientation of the needle to find the appropriate pose. To align the needle accurately successive grasp and release operation is required. Due to the structure of the standard needle holder, the orientation of the needle during the intracorporeal suturing is not completely controllable and multiple grasps and release movements are required to position the needle before the execution of each stitch. This requires training and can result in extended surgical time. Without necessary experience and practice, these constraints increase the surgeons' effort which leads to physical fatigue resulting in an increased level of errors and poor suturing quality, while mental stress results in increased operating time and anesthesia used. These factors make laparoscopy ergonomically more demanding.
Currently, there is no device in the market that can assist surgeons with all of the aforementioned functions using a single instrument.
One promising solution is Single-incision laparoscopy surgery (SILS), which is a type of minimally invasive surgical procedure where only 1 incision is made and multiple instruments are inserted through this single incision. This development was mainly done to reduce the number of incisions on the abdomen and for early recovery. Despite this development, SILS is not commonly performed because it adds to the complexity of the surgery as the surgeon has to insert all the instruments through a single port and repetitively interchange them for the desired function. In view of the above, the conventional devices are outdated and inefficient because the endpoint of the instrument moves in the opposite direction of the surgeon's hands, leading to very tiring manipulation since the surgeon has to do needle positioning and orientation under conditions of poor needle control and a limited degree of freedom. The limitations make the process very tedious and exhaustive process requiring a steep learning curve.
Therefore, there is a requirement for an improved laparoscopic surgical device that can facilitate grasping, cutting, cauterizing, suturing, and knotting, among others, during laparoscopic surgery overcoming the limitations of conventional laparoscopic surgical devices.
All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all Markush groups used in the appended claims.
A general object of the present disclosure is to overcome limitations of the conventional surgical devices.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a single device for laparoscopic surgery that facilitates grasping, cutting, cauterizing, suturing, knotting and knot tightening, among others, during laparoscopic surgery.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a laparoscopic surgical device that can perform most laparoscopic functions using a single instrument, thereby eliminating the need to switch instruments for each function.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a laparoscopic surgical device that includes feedback-based grasping of tissues allowing control of grasping force.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a laparoscopic surgical device that includes mechanism for detecting the presence of a blood vessel in the grasped tissues to prevent accidental damage to the blood vessel.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a laparoscopic surgical device that incorporates 6 degrees of freedom in space for movements of a head assembly.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a laparoscopic surgical device that automates the whole process of intracorporeal suturing, knotting, and knot tightening into a single process.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a laparoscopic surgical device that avoids multiple grasps and release movements of a needle during the process of intracorporeal suturing.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a laparoscopic surgical device that can be easily incorporated with surgical robotics systems.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a laparoscopic device which can assist the surgeons in single incision laparoscopic surgeries.
The other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated for illustration of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a surgical instrument. In particular, it relates to a device minimally invasive surgery (also referred to as a laparoscopic surgical device, hereinafter), incorporating the functions/mechanisms of grasping, suturing, knotting, knot tightening, tissue cutting, and cauterization.
In an embodiment, the proposed device for minimally invasive surgery includes a handle; a shaft coupled to a distal end of the handle, and a multifunctional head assembly configured at the distal end of the shaft through an articulation joint such that the articulation joint allows the head assembly to pivotally move relative to the shaft in two degrees of freedom. The head assembly includes a suturing unit and a pair of grasper units comprising an upper grasper unit located in a plane above the suturing unit, and a lower grasper unit located in a plane below the suturing unit. Each of the upper and lower grasper units comprises a pair of graspers that are configured to pivotally move in the plane of the corresponding grasper unit to grasp tissues or a suturing thread, as well as to move pivotally perpendicular to the plane of the grasper unit to pull the grasped suturing thread for knot tightening.
The graspers of at least one of the upper and lower grasper units can include a cutting blade configured within the grasper for sliding movement such that in an actuated position, a cutting edge of the cutting blade projects out of a slit on a grasping face of the grasper for use of the grasper unit as scissors.
The shaft may include an outer tubular casing and an inner tube coupled to the head assembly through the articulation joint. The inner tube may be coupled to a rotating knob located at a distal end of the handle such that the rotation of the rotating knob by a user results in rotation of the head assembly about a longitudinal axis of the shaft.
The articulation joint may be coupled to a manipulator provided on the handle through a pair of manipulator ropes. The manipulator may be located on the handle such that a joystick of the manipulator is operable by a thumb of a user. Movement of the joystick laterally and in up and down direction results in the articulation joint pivotally moving the head assembly about the two mutually perpendicular axes, each perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, thereby providing three degrees of rotational freedom to the head assembly.
The manipulator may include an upper gimbal and a lower gimbal placed over one another and coupled with a joystick for pivotal motion about two mutually perpendicular axes. Each gimbal may be coupled to a pulley to pull respective manipulator ropes that couple the manipulator to the articulation joint.
The manipulator may include a lock button that is configured in combination with the joystick to press a set of stoppers against the gimbals to force the gimbals against each other to lock the manipulator in any position. Pressing the lock button again separates the stoppers from the gimbals to allow movement of the gimbals for manipulating the articulation joint.
Each of the graspers may include a front body and a rear body. The front body may be pivotally coupled to the rear body for rotation about an axis that is parallel to the plane of the corresponding grasper unit. The rear body may be coupled to a pinion such that rotation of the pinion results in pivotal movement of the grasper about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the corresponding grasper unit,
Each of the grasper units may include a rack in engagement with the pinions of the corresponding graspers such that pulling of the rack towards the proximal side results in the two graspers to move towards each other for grasping a tissue or a suturing thread. The racks of each of the grasper units may be coupled to a corresponding pulley in the handle by a grasper rope such that rotation of the pulley causes the grasper rope to be pulled to move the graspers to grasp a tissue or a suturing thread. The movement of the rack may be controlled based on feedback such that force of closing of graspers is controlled.
The pulleys may be coupled to a corresponding bevel gear and a grasper activation knob, wherein the grasper activation knobs have a cam mechanism such that a first pressing of the grasper activation knob causes the corresponding bevel gear to move inwards to engage with the input bevel gear coupled to a motor, and a second pressing of the grasper activation knob results in the bevel gear to move outwards to disengage from the input bevel gear.
The grasper activation knobs may include an inbuilt locking mechanism to lock the corresponding pulley, and thereby the corresponding grasper unit in an actuated position, and wherein the locking mechanism is configured such that, pulling the grasper activation knob outwards unlocks the pulley and the grasper unit to return the graspers to an open position under a biasing force.
In another embodiment of the multifunctional device for minimally invasive surgery, the device includes a handle, a shaft coupled to a distal end of the handle, and a head assembly configured at a distal end of the shaft. The head assembly includes at least one grasper unit having a pair of graspers to grasp at least a tissue. Each of the graspers of the at least one grasper unit includes a cutting blade configured within the grasper for sliding movement such that in an actuated position a cutting edge of the cutting blade projects out of a slit on a grasping face of the grasper for use of the grasper unit as a scissors. The blades may be configured to get flow of any of a direct and alternating current for the blades to function as cautery.
In another embodiment of the multifunctional device for minimally invasive surgery, the device includes a handle, a shaft coupled to a distal end of the handle and a head assembly configured at the distal end of the shaft. The head assembly includes at least one grasper unit, the grasper unit having a pair of graspers to grasp at least a tissue. The grasper units include a set of infrared sensors and pressure sensors configured on the graspers to provide feedback on the thickness of the tissue being grasped and pressure applied on the tissue during grasping to control the actuation of the grasper units to prevent crushing of the grasped tissue.
In another embodiment of the multifunctional device for minimally invasive surgery, the device includes a handle, a shaft coupled to a distal end of the handle and a head assembly configured at the distal end of the shaft. The head assembly includes at least one grasper unit, the grasper unit having a pair of graspers to grasp at least a tissue. The at least one grasper unit includes a set of infrared sensors configured on the graspers, and the device includes a controller to detect the presence of a blood vessel in the grasped tissue based on pulsation in the signal from the infrared sensors, the signal being indicative of presence of blood vessel in the grasped tissue. The controller is further configured to issue a warning to a user of the device if a blood vessel is detected.
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for suturing, knotting and knot tightening a tissue during a minimally invasive surgery, the method including the steps of: providing a device for minimally invasive surgery, the device having: a suturing unit; an upper grasper unit located in a plane above the suturing unit; and a lower grasper unit located in a plane below the suturing unit. Graspers of each of the upper and lower grasper units are configured to pivotally move in the plane of the corresponding grasper unit, as well as to move pivotally perpendicular to the plane of the grasper unit to move away from the suturing unit. The method further includes the steps of: grasping the tissue by an upper grasper unit and a lower grasper unit by moving the corresponding graspers in the planes of the respective grasper unit; biting the grasped tissue by a needle of the suturing unit to cause a suturing thread fixed to the suturing needle to penetrate and cross the tissue; releasing the grasped tissue; grasping a free end portion of the suturing thread by one of the upper or lower grasper units such that the free end portion of the suturing thread is located within a circular zone defined by movement of the needle; moving the needle at least by 360 degrees to wind the suturing thread around the free end portion of the suturing thread to take one loop and repeat according to type of knot; grasping a needle side portion of the suturing thread by other of the upper and lower grasper units; and moving the graspers of the upper and lower grasper units perpendicular to the plane of the respective grasper units to tighten a knot.
In still another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a suturing unit for minimally invasive surgery, having a housing having a pair of more than half circle tracks comprising an upper track and a lower track, and a needle track; a suturing needle positioned in the needle track for movement along the needle track; and a puck in engagement with the upper track or the lower track at a given time. The puck, when in engagement with the lower track presses against the suturing needle such that movement of the puck results in movement of the suturing needle, and when in engagement with the upper track, the puck is lifted off the suturing needle and moves without imparting movement to the suturing needle. The suturing unit further includes a driving mechanism to move the puck along the upper track and the lower track. The upper track and the lower track are connected to each other at their two ends such that when the puck is moved to the end of the lower track, the puck shifts upward to get engaged to the upper track, and when the puck is moved in reverse direction to the end of the upper track the puck shifts downward to get engaged to the lower track.
The driving mechanism of the suturing unit can be a scotch yoke mechanism, and the upper track, lower track and the needle track may be configured on any of an inner periphery and an outer periphery of the housing.
In another embodiment of the suturing unit for minimally invasive surgery, the suturing unit includes a housing having a needle track configured on an outer periphery of the housing; a suturing needle positioned in the needle track for movement along the needle track; and a belt configured around the outer periphery of the housing such that the belt presses against the suturing needle to move the needle along the needle track as the belt moves. A plurality of pulleys are arranged to move the belt around the outer periphery of the housing. One of the plurality of pulleys is coupled to a motor by a flexible rotary shaft for driving the belt.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Each of the appended claims defines a separate invention, which for infringement purposes is recognized as including equivalents to the various elements or limitations specified in the claims. Depending on the context, all references below to the “invention” may in some cases refer to certain specific embodiments only. In other cases, it will be recognized that references to the “invention” will refer to subject matter recited in one or more, but not necessarily all, of the claims.
Various terms are used herein. To the extent a term used in a claim is not defined, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have given that term as reflected in printed publications and issued patents at the time of filing.
Embodiments described herein relate to a device for minimally invasive surgeries that is multifunctional having capability to carry out grasping, cutting, cauterizing, suturing, knotting and knot tightening. The device is based on a unique multifunctional head assembly that includes a suturing unit and a pair of grasper units, comprising an upper grasper unit located in a plane above the suturing unit, and a lower grasper unit located in a plane below the suturing unit. Each of the grasper units includes a pair of graspers that have capability to pivotally move about two different axes, one in the plane of the grasper unit for movement of the graspers perpendicular to the plane, and other axis that is perpendicular to the plane for pivotal rotation of the grasper perpendicular to the plane of the grasper unit.
Movement of the graspers in the plane of the grasper unit enables grasping of tissues and suturing thread, and movement perpendicular to the plane of the grasper unit enable pulling of the grasped thread for knot tightening.
It is to be appreciated that though the disclosed device has been described with a number of structural features and functionalities, it is possible to configure the device in different configurations having different combinations of the features and functionalities depending on necessity and application, and all such variations are well within the scope of the present disclosure without any limitations whatsoever.
Referring now to
The articulation joint 800 can allow the head assembly 300 to be pivotally moved, using the manipulator 900 provided on the handle 200, about two mutually perpendicular axes, each axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the shaft 700. The head assembly can also be rotated about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 700 by rotating a rotating knob 206 provided on the handle 200. Thus the head assembly has 3 degrees of rotational freedom to help a surgeon to manipulate the head assembly 300 remotely, by using the manipulator 900 and the rotating knob 206, during laparoscopic surgery.
The diameter of the head assembly 300, the articulation joint 800 and the shaft 700 can be in the range of 8-12 mm, and the length of the device can be in the range of 250 mm to 400 mm, to be selected depending on nature of the surgery, thereby being suitable for all types of minimally invasive surgical procedures. It can also be used in other types of surgical procedures with suitable modifications that would be obvious to those skilled in the art.
The head assembly 300 incorporates a suturing unit, an upper grasper unit located in a plane above the suturing unit; and a lower grasper unit located in a plane below the suturing unit, as shown in
The device also provides the surgeon easier access to reach complex anatomical location by 6 degrees of freedom (DoF), which include three DoF as described above plus longitudinal linear movement of the shaft 700 and two linear movements, including lateral and up—down movements of the head assembly 300 by manipulation of the complete device 100. The surgeon can pivotally move the head assembly using a joystick 908 of the manipulator 900 on the handle. The joystick 908 can be moved in 4 directions i.e., right, left, up, and down in the corresponding slots. When the joystick 908 is moved to the right, the head assembly 300 moves to the right and vice versa. Similarly, when the joystick 908 is moved upwards the head assembly 300 moves upward and vice versa. The joystick 909 is positioned such that it can be accessed by a thumb of the surgeon. The rotating knob 206 can rotate the head assembly to 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 700.
The back surface of the handle 200 joining the top surface contains the joystick 908 of the manipulator 900 for manipulating the head assembly 300 by pivotally moving the head assembly 300 up-down and left-right. The manipulator 900 includes a locking mechanism to lock the head assembly 300 at desired orientation. The location of joystick 908 is designed ergonomically in such a way that that surgeons can easily use it using thumb and lock it with just by releasing the joystick 908.
The bottom surface of the handle 200 contains two gun type triggers, i.e., one main trigger 208 and one small trigger 210. The main trigger can be used to drive a needle of a suturing unit incorporated in the head assembly 300, and the small trigger 210 can be used for any one of grasping, cutting, cauterization and knot tightening, after the function shifter button 204 has been moved to the appropriate position.
The right surface of the handle 200 can include a scissors activation button 222 (refer to
The left surface of the handle 200 incorporates a grasper activation knob 212L for lower grasper unit and the right surface of the handle 200 includes a grasper activation knob 212R for upper grasper unit. The grasper activation knobs 212L and 212R are configured as toggle buttons, wherein a first pressing of the grasper activation knob 212L/212R (individually/collectively referred to as grasper activation knob(s) 212) engages a driving means, such as a motor 218, to the corresponding grasper unit and second pressing of the grasper activation knob 212 disengages the motor 218 from the corresponding grasper unit. The grasper activation knobs 212 can also be rotated manually to fine tune the grasping force. When the motor is engaged to the selected grasper unit and the function shifter button 204 has been moved to the grasping position, pressing of small trigger shall actuate the corresponding grasper unit to grasp the tissue or thread as the case may be.
The grasper activation knobs 212 have an inbuilt locking mechanism to retain the corresponding grasper unit in the grasping position, and pulling the grasper activation knob 212 out unlocks the corresponding grasper unit and the graspers release the grasped tissue or the suturing thread by moving to open position under biasing force on the graspers of the grasper unit.
The top surface of the handle 200 includes a knot tightening activation knob 214 that functions in same manner as the grasper activation knob 212. Specifically, when the knot tightening activation knob 214 is pressed, the motor 218 gets coupled to both upper and lower grasper units to move both the graspers of both the grasper units perpendicular to the planes of the grasper units to pull the grasped threads for tightening the knot.
As shown in
The main trigger 208 can be coupled to a suturing pulley 216 such that when the main trigger 208 is pressed, the suturing pulley 216 rotates to pull a suturing rope 220 wound around the suturing pulley 216. The suturing rope 220 can be coupled to a driving mechanism of the suturing unit of the head assembly 300. The main trigger 208, the suturing pulley 216 and the driving mechanism of the suturing unit can be configured such that one full pressing of the main trigger 208 results in 180 degree turn of the suturing needle of the suturing unit. A second pressing of the main trigger 208, after it has been released from the first pressing to come back to the starting/released position, can make the needle turn by additional 180 degrees, making a full turn of the needle. In different embodiments, it is possible to provide mechanized means for actuating the suturing unit, wherein motor 218 can be used to drive a pulley to pull the suturing rope 220 in the same manner as for the grasping units.
In accordance with an embodiment, each of the grasper units 400 can include a double sided rack 410. The two sides of the rack can be in engagement with the pinions 408 of the two graspers 402 of the grasper unit 400 such that pulling of the rack 410 towards the proximal side results in the two graspers 402 to move towards each other for grasping a tissue 450, as shown in
The racks 410 of each of the grasper units can be coupled to the corresponding first pulleys 1006-1 and 1006-2 of the motor and gear drive mechanism 1000 (refer
In accordance with an embodiment, the front bodies 404 of the two graspers of each of the grasper units 400 can be coupled to a second pulley 1006-3 (refer
In accordance with an embodiment, the graspers unit 400 can include a set of infrared sensors 452 and pressure sensors 454 located on the grasping surface of the graspers 402 as shown in
Furthermore, the pressure sensors 454 can be provided at tip of the graspers 402, on the front body 404 of the graspers 402 to be precise, to give feedback to the controller while the grasper unit 400 is being actuated. To be specific, the controller can stop further rotation of the motor 218 when the sensed pressure exceeds a predefined pressure value. This can prevent damage to the grasped tissue 450 during grasping due to crushing. However, if, for any reason, the user feels that the tissue needs to be grasped with a higher pressure, he can rotate the corresponding grasper activation knob 212 to increase the grasping pressure on the grasped tissue 450.
In accordance with an embodiment, the infrared sensors 452 can also be used to detect presence of a blood vessel in the grasped tissue. This can be of importance when the grasper unit 400 is being used as a scissors or cautery. The controller, coupled to the infrared sensors 452, can be configured to detect flow of blood in the grasped tissue 450. Pulsation in the determined blood flow value can be interpreted as presence of a blood vessel. The controller, on detection of a blood vessel, can issue a warning to the user, such as by a buzzer. The arrangement of the infrared sensors 452 can also be used to differentiate between a normal tissue and a diseased tissue in which there is decreased perfusion of blood.
The cams 552 can be coupled to the scissors activation button 222 on the handle 200 through one or more scissors ropes 508, shown in
In accordance with an embodiment, the blades 506 can also be connected to a current source for the grasper unit 400 to work as a cautery. The functionality can be activated by shifting the function shifter button 204 to the cautery mode, after which when the small trigger 210 is pressed, the controller completes a circuit through the blades 506 of the grasper unit 400 for an AC or DC current to pass through the tissue held therebetween.
As shown in
The manipulator includes a lock button 910 coupled to the joystick 908 telescopically. A lower end of the lock button that projects out of the joystick 908 includes a stopper 914 that rests against the lower gimbal 902. A lower end of the joystick 908 also carries a stopper that engages with the upper gimbal 902. The lock button is biased in upward direction, which causes the two stoppers 914 to press the gimbals 902 against each other to lock the gimbals, and thereby the manipulator, in any position. Pressing of the lock button 910 causes the stoppers 914 to move away from the gimbals 902 thereby allowing the gimbals 902 to move relative to each other. Movement of the gimbals 902 is transferred to the respective pulleys 912 through the respective gears 904.
The suturing unit 1100 can further include a puck 312 in engagement with one of the upper track 304 and the lower track 306 at any given time. The puck 312, when in engagement with the lower track 306, can be in engagement with, and press against, the suturing needle 1200 such that movement of the puck 312 results in movement of the suturing needle 1200 along the needle track 310, and when the puck 312 is in engagement with the upper track 304, the puck 312 is lifted off the suturing needle 1200 and moves without imparting movement to the suturing needle 1200.
The suturing unit 1100 can further include a driving mechanism, such as driving mechanism 350 shown in
The upper track 304 and the lower track 306 can be connected to each other at their two ends through a slanted track, such as the slanted track 308 shown in
In an embodiment, the driving mechanism 350 can be a Scotch yoke mechanism, shown in
In an alternative embodiment of the suturing unit shown in
Step 1608 of the method 1600 can be to release the grasped tissue 450, and step 1610 can be to grasp a free end portion of the suturing thread 1202 by one of the upper and lower grasper units 400 such that the free end portion of the suturing thread is located within a circular zone defined by the movement of the needle 1200.
Step 1612 of the method 1600 can be to move the needle 1200, as shown in
Thus the present disclosure provides a multifunctional device 100 for minimally invasive surgery that includes functionalities of grasping, cutting, cauterizing, suturing, knotting and knot tightening, among others, during laparoscopic surgery. Thus the disclosed device 100 overcomes drawbacks of the conventional procedures for minimally invasive surgery that require multiple devices, and thereby eliminating need for multiple instruments and multiple grasps and release movements during the process. As various functionalities are mechanized, i.e., motor driven, device can be modified for integration with surgical robotics as well after modifications that would be obvious to those skilled in the art.
While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.
The present disclosure provides an improved laparoscopic surgical device that overcomes the limitations of conventional methodologies for grasping suturing, knotting &knot tightening during minimally invasive surgeries.
The present disclosure provides a single device for laparoscopic surgery that facilitates grasping, cutting, cauterizing, suturing, knotting and knot tightening, among others, during laparoscopic surgery.
The present disclosure provides a laparoscopic surgical device that can perform most laparoscopic functions using a single instrument, thereby eliminating the need to switch instruments for each function.
The present disclosure provides a laparoscopic surgical device that includes feedback mechanism during grasping of tissues for control of force.
The present disclosure provides a laparoscopic surgical device that includes mechanism for detecting presence of a blood vessel in the grasped tissues to prevent accidental damage to the blood vessel.
The present disclosure provides a laparoscopic surgical device that incorporates 6 degrees of freedom in space for movements of a head assembly.
The present disclosure provides a laparoscopic surgical device that automates the whole process of intracorporeal suturing, knotting, and knot tightening into a single process.
The present disclosure provides a laparoscopic surgical device that avoids multiple grasps and release movements during the process of intracorporeal suturing.
The present disclosure provides a laparoscopic surgical device that can be easily incorporated with surgical robotics systems.
The present disclosure provides a laparoscopic device which can assist the surgeons in single incision laparoscopic surgeries.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202121046917 | Oct 2021 | IN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IN2022/050917 | 10/14/2022 | WO |
