Patent ID: 8114076
Filing Date: 2012-02-14
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An endoscopic surgical instrument comprising: an operative unit which includes a shaft having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end; and a distal end, said shaft being adapted for its distal end to be inserted into a body and placed by the surgeon at a location in an orientation to perform a local procedure, said shaft comprising an active and an inactive portion, which extend together along said axis, the active portion being reciprocable relative to the inactive portion; a first operative element pivoted to the inactive portion of the shaft and rotatably attached to the active portion of the shaft, the first operative element comprising coordinating gear teeth disposed on a surface thereof; a second operative element pivoted to the inactive portion of the shaft, the second operative element comprising coordinating gear teeth disposed on a surface thereof, the coordinating gear teeth of the second operative element engaging the coordinating gear teeth of the first operative element such that the first and second operative elements open and close in response to the relative axial movement of the active and inactive shaft portions, and wherein the first operative element and the second operative element are pivoted to the inactive shaft portion along substantially the same longitudinal axis of the surgical instrument; and a handpiece separably attachable to said operative unit, said handpiece comprising: an active and an inactive branch hinged together; means on said inactive branch for engagement with the inactive portion of said shaft, and means on said active branch for engagement with the active portion of the shaft, whereby movement of the active and inactive branches of the handpiece together or apart shifts the active portion of the shaft relative to the inactive portion of the shaft; the active branch of the handpiece being disposed forwardly of the inactive branch and engageable by the surgeons's fingers, and the inactive branch being engageable by the thumb; the shaft as a unit being rotatable relative to the handpiece, and the active portion being axially movable independently of the inactive portion.