DE20110156U1 - Surgical instrument - Google Patents

Description

REMA Medical Technology GmbH

In widths 10
D - 78589 Dürbheim-Tuttlingen

Surgical Instrument

The invention relates to a surgical instrument with a motor and a tool rotatably connected to the motor.

Such surgical instruments are known and available on the market in a wide variety of shapes and designs. They are primarily used to shear or peel off - or mill - pieces of tissue, which are then sucked out through the surgical instrument. In arthroscopy, such instruments are called shavers.

Tools for removing the meniscus, for example, are called blades. One such tool is known from EP 0 481 760 A1.

There are a number of motors available on the market, but only the corresponding tools from the same manufacturer or a specific manufacturer can be connected to them. However, the user often wants to be able to use the tool of a specific manufacturer that does not manufacture motors, so that the user can use any motor from another manufacturer. This is not possible to date because the connections between the tool and the motor are so different that no tool other than that of the manufacturer of the motor will fit into the motor.

The present invention is based on the object of developing a surgical instrument of the above-mentioned type, in which the user can use any motor for a tool of his choice.

To solve this problem, there is a detachable connection between the motor and the tool, which is designed to be self-locating.

This means that the user can use any motor to rotate the tool, but only needs to keep the tool in stock that he wants to use in conjunction with the motor. Since the motor usually serves as a handle, the user does not need to get used to a new handle. This means he can put together a surgical instrument exactly as he wants.

The connection between the tool and the motor has two special features. Firstly, the connection should be self-locating and secondly it should be held in place by a quick-release fastener. For the latter, a quick-release fastener is suitable, which is used in other technical areas

is known. For example, it is a spring-loaded sliding sleeve, which presses on balls with inclined surfaces, which then engage in the clear width of an insertion space for the tool. They can grip behind corresponding edges of the tool and thus fix the tool to the adapter.

For self-finding, the idea is that the motor is assigned a rod or sleeve section which has crenellated projections at the end. The tool in turn has trough-like indentations to accommodate these projections, so that when the tool is inserted into the motor, the projections slide into the troughs and this connection is designed to be self-finding.

In a preferred embodiment, an adapter should be installed between the motor and the tool, which adapter contains part of the self-finding connection and the quick release fastener.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and from the drawing, which shows in
5

Figure 1 is an exploded view of a surgical instrument according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section through an adapter according to the invention.

According to Figure 1, a surgical instrument according to the invention has a motor 1 into which an adapter 2 is inserted. This adapter 2 serves to accommodate a tool 3. For example, this tool can be a blade with which a meniscus is peeled out. In this case, the entire surgical instrument is also suitable for suctioning out excised tissue parts.

The adapter 2 has a coupling 4 for connecting to a rotary shaft (not shown in detail) in the motor 1. Furthermore, it has a part of a connection for establishing a detachable connection with the tool 3.

According to Figure 2, a rod or sleeve section 6 is located in a housing 5 of the adapter 2, which is part of the coupling 4 for connection to the rotary shaft of the motor 1. At the end of this rod section 6 within the housing 5, a part 7 of the connection to the tool 3 is assigned, whereby this connection part 7 has crenellated projections 8 at the end. In the position of use, these crenellated projections 8 engage in depressions 9, which in turn are assigned to the tool 3. In the embodiment shown, these depressions 9 are a

Sleeve section 10 is formed as a further part of the connection between adapter 2 and tool 3. The sleeve section 10 sits on an outer tube 11 of the tool 3 and is fixed there. This means that the connection between adapter 2 and tool 3 is self-locating.

Furthermore, it is provided that the tool 3 is secured in the adapter 2 by a quick-release fastener. In the embodiment shown, a sliding sleeve 12, which has an inner shoulder 13, sits on the housing 5. A helical spring 15 is supported between this inner shoulder 13 and a support ring 14, which is inserted into the housing 5. On the other side of the support ring 14, a snap ring 16 is inserted into the sliding sleeve 12, whereby the sliding sleeve 12 is held on the housing 5.

A conical surface 17 extends outwards from the inner shoulder 13. In the area of this conical surface 17 there are balls 18 in corresponding ball receptacles 19 in the housing 5.

The operation of the present invention is as follows:

The user has a motor 1 from a certain company. However, he wants to use this motor 1 to drive a tool 3 from another company. To do this, he receives an adapter 2 from the other company, which has a suitable coupling for coupling to the motor 1 and a suitable connection for securing the tool from this one manufacturer. The user now only needs to insert the adapter 2 into the motor 1, which creates the coupling 4 with the rotating shaft of the motor. He moves the sliding sleeve 12 on the adapter against the force of the coil spring 15, which creates space through the

opening conical surface 17 is released. When the tool 3 is inserted, the balls 18 are pressed into this freed space from the clear width of an interior space 20 of the housing 5. At the same time, the troughs 9 search for the crenellated projections 8, so that a connection is made between the connecting part 7 and the sleeve section 10.

If the sliding sleeve 12 is now released, it moves forward again, with the conical surface 17 pressing the balls 18 into the ball receptacles 19 so that some of the balls look into the clear width of the interior 20. The balls 18 grip behind an edge 21 of the sleeve section 10, whereby the tool 3 is caught in the interior 20 of the adapter 2.

DR. PETER WEISS & DIPL.-ING. A. BRECHT

Patent attorneys European Patent Attorney

Reference number: G 1142/DE

Date: 19.06.2001

Position number list

1 engine 34 67 2 adapter 35 68 3 Tool 36 69 4 coupling 37 70 5 Housing 38 71 6 Bar section 39 72 7 Connection
element 40 73 8th head Start 41 74 9 trough 42 75 10 Sleeve section 43 76 11 Outer tube 44 77 12 Sliding sleeve 45 78 13 Inner shoulder 46 79 14 Supporting 47 15 Coil spring 48 16 Snap ring 49 17 Conical surface 50 18 Bullet 51 19 Ball mount 52 20 inner space 53 21 edge 54 22 55 23 56 24 57 25 58 26 59 27 60 28 61 29 62 30 63 31 64 32 65 33 66

Claims (6)

1. Surgical instrument with a motor ( 1 ) and a tool ( 3 ) rotatably connected to the motor ( 1 ), characterized in that there is a detachable connection ( 7 , 10 ) between the motor ( 1 ) and the tool ( 3 ), which is designed to be self-locating. 2. Surgical instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that an adapter is arranged between the tool ( 3 ) and the motor ( 1 ), which adapter contains a part ( 7 ) of the self-finding connection with the tool ( 3 ). 3. Surgical instrument according to claim 2, characterized in that the adapter ( 2 ) has a coupling ( 4 ) which is designed for connection to different motors ( 1 ). 4. Surgical instrument according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the self-finding connection has a rod or sleeve section ( 6 ) whose end has crenellated projections ( 8 ). 5. Surgical instrument according to claim 4, characterized in that the tool ( 3 ) is assigned recesses ( 9 ) for receiving the crenellated projections ( 8 ). 6. Surgical instrument according to at least one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the tool ( 3 ) is connected to the adapter ( 2 ) via a quick-release fastener.