Embodiments of the invention relate to a plug system for surgical devices.
In surgery, electrosurgery devices to which electrosurgical instruments can be connected are used. It is typical to connect different instruments to the same electrosurgery device or to connect the same instrument to different electrosurgery devices. Generally, the electrosurgical instruments can be connected to the electrosurgery device via electrical cables simultaneously or one after the other. The electrosurgery device generates electrical voltages or currents for monopolar, bipolar or multipolar cutting and/or coagulation of biological tissue by means of the electrosurgical instruments.
Typically, different surgical device plug systems are used to accommodate the connecting cables that are arranged between the electrosurgery device and the instrument. A large number of such plug systems have become available on the market.
To be able to connect the large number of electrosurgical instruments available on the market to the same electrosurgery device, various connecting sockets are provided, depending on the design of the electrosurgery device. For example, to connect an instrument with a monopolar connecting cable to an electrosurgery device, a monopolar connecting socket is used, but if an instrument with a bipolar connecting cable is to be connected to the electrosurgery device, a bipolar connecting socket must be available at the electrosurgery device. This results in a plurality of connecting sockets at the electrosurgery device with the consequence that, particularly in the hectic atmosphere of an operating room, electrosurgical instruments are often plugged into the wrong sockets. This, in turn, means that a certain amount of time passes before the incorrect insertion is noticed and the instrument is plugged into the correct connecting socket. It is even possible, as consequence of incorrect insertion, for the electrosurgical instrument to become damaged, which can have serious results for the patient being operated on.
It is an object of the claimed invention to provide a simplified plug system for surgical devices that prevents incorrect connection of an electrosurgical instrument to an electrosurgery device.
In particular, this object is achieved with a plug system for surgical devices comprising a plurality of sockets into which connecting plugs of surgical instruments can be inserted, a switching matrix comprising a plurality of switches, for connecting at least one of the sockets to at least two different outputs or inputs of an electrosurgery device, and a control system having a preselection device for controlling the switching matrix such that the switching matrix connects predetermined sockets to predetermined inputs or outputs, depending on data input into the preselection device.
A key aspect of the claimed invention is that the plug system for surgical devices is used for a plurality of different electrosurgical instruments and electrosurgery devices, wherein, following input of a code, a switching matrix that identifies the electrosurgical instrument to be connected, is configured such that predetermined sockets are connected to predetermined inputs or outputs of the electrosurgery device. This reduces the number of sockets needed and enhances reliability.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the preselection device comprises a releasable connecting device, by which a connection can be made to the electrosurgical instrument for inputting data. A connecting device of this type simplifies the transmission of the data.
Preferably, the connecting device comprises a decoding socket into which a coding plug of the surgical instrument can be inserted, said coding plug being separate from the connecting plugs. The configuration of the coding plug separately from the connecting plugs enables conventional connecting plugs to continue to be used.
Preferably, the electrosurgery device is a high frequency (HF) surgery device. Particularly in the field of HF electrosurgery, the number of different instruments is large and the disclosed plug system is therefore particularly useful.
The control system preferably comprises a storage element for storing a basic configuration of a connection of sockets to inputs or outputs of the electrosurgery device. The basic configuration enables an instrument that is frequently used to be correctly connected to the electrosurgery device, even if no data is input into the preselection device.
Alternatively, in the basic configuration, all the switches of the switching matrix can be opened, ensuring that no false connections are made during the insertion of the connecting plug of the electrosurgical instrument.
In a further alternative, the storage element stores the last determined connection configuration in each case. This is particularly advantageous if a particular electrosurgical instrument is used rather frequently with the same electrosurgery device, so that if the coding plug is defective, a connection configuration suitable for the particular instrument is retrieved from the storage element.
Preferably, the data can be input manually into the preselection device. This is particularly advantageous if no coding plug is provided for a particular electrosurgical instrument or if the coding plug fails. In this case, the data which may be, for example, printed on the connecting plug, can be read and input manually into the preselection device, so that the electrosurgical instrument can be used.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings, in which:
In the following description, the same reference signs are used for the same or similarly acting parts.
The plug system for surgical devices 1 shown in
In the embodiment according to
In an alternative embodiment, it is also conceivable that the coding plug 60 is mounted on the electrosurgical instrument spatially separated from the connecting plug 20. Also—as shown in
The control system 40 comprises a storage element 43 for storing at least one configuration of the switching matrix 20. In the exemplary embodiment of
It should be appreciated that transmission of the data from the electrosurgical instrument to the control system 40 can also be performed wirelessly. For such wireless transmission of data, a coding device (not shown in the drawings), having the corresponding function to the coding plug 60, can be mounted at an arbitrary site of the electrosurgical instrument, and a decoding device, having the corresponding function to the decoding socket 50, can be mounted at an arbitrary site of the control system 40 or the electrosurgery device 30.
It is evident from the above that the embodiments of the invention concern not only a plug system for surgical devices 1, but also a method for setting a plug system for surgical devices 1.
Particularly advantageous is the use of the disclosed plug system in HF surgery, since a particularly large number of different electrosurgical instruments come into use for this type of surgery.
It should be noted that all of the parts described above are claimed as being essential to the invention both alone and in any combination, particularly the details shown in the drawings. Modifications thereof are the common practice of persons skilled in the art.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2007 061 483 | Dec 2007 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2008/010555 | 12/11/2008 | WO | 00 | 11/4/2010 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2009/080221 | 7/2/2009 | WO | A |
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