Patent ID: 9675329
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. An articulating surgical instrument for endoscopic surgical procedures, the instrument comprising: a case having a handpiece portion, the handpiece portion having handle and a trigger; an assembly including: a sheath, having a set of passageways therein, with a proximal end coupled to the case, wherein the sheath defines a longitudinal axis and the handle is mounted in fixed relation to the longitudinal axis; a flexible bending section having a proximal end coupled to a distal end of the sheath; and an end effector mounted to a distal end of the bending section; wherein the case is configured to be removably attachable, as an integral unit without need for disassembly thereof, to the assembly; a set of cables, coupled to the flexible bending section and disposed in the sheath, that control position of the distal end of the bending section; a set of at least two motors, disposed in the case, coupled to the set of cables, so as to control position of the distal end of the bending section; a user control module, coupled to the set of motors, configured to control position of the bending section and therefore of the end effector; and a flexible pushrod, disposed within the sheath and within the bending section, configured for both (i) axial motion relative to the sheath and the bending section and (ii) rotational motion within the sheath and the bending section, the pushrod having a proximal end coupled to the trigger and a distal end coupled to the end effector; wherein rotational motion of the pushrod effectuates rotation of the end effector and axial motion of the pushrod, controllable by the trigger, causes the end effector to move between an open position and a closed position.