Patent Publication Number: US-2021186590-A1

Title: Motor-driven, multi-output surgical pump assembly and surgical generator incorporating the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of, and priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/952,245, filed on Dec. 21, 2019, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to surgical pump assemblies and, more particularly, to a multi-output, motor-driven surgical pump assembly and surgical generator incorporating the same. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Surgical pumps are utilized for a variety of different purposes during the course of surgical procedures. For example, surgical pumps may be utilized for irrigation, aspiration, smoke evacuation, insufflation, to inflate/deflate an expandable structure, to circulate fluid in an open and/or closed loop, etc. In some surgical procedures, multiple pump activations are utilized simultaneously, consecutively, alternatingly, and/or overlapping. Often times, these multiple pump activations require different pump outputs to provide different operating parameters, e.g., flow rates, pressures, etc. 
     Surgical generators are utilized to power surgical instruments and/or provide energy to surgical instruments to enable the application of energy, e.g., electrosurgical (monopolar and/or bipolar radiofrequency (RF)) energy, ultrasonic energy, thermal energy, microwave energy, etc., from the surgical instruments to tissue. 
     SUMMARY 
     As used herein, the term “distal” refers to the portion that is described which is further from a user, while the term “proximal” refers to the portion that is being described which is closer to a user. Further, any or all of the aspects described herein, to the extent consistent, may be used in conjunction with any or all of the other aspects described herein. 
     Provided in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is a surgical pump assembly including a motor configured to provide a motor output, a transmission assembly configured to receive the motor output and provide a plurality of transmission outputs, and a plurality of pumps. Each pump of the plurality of pumps is configured to receive one of the transmission outputs of the plurality of transmission outputs. 
     In an aspect of the present disclosure, at least one of the transmission outputs of the plurality of transmission outputs is variable independent of the other transmission outputs of the plurality of transmission outputs. 
     In another aspect of the present disclosure, at least two of the transmission outputs of the plurality of transmission outputs are different from one another. 
     In another aspect of the present disclosure, the at least two different transmission outputs of the plurality of transmission outputs drive corresponding at least two pumps of the plurality of pumps in different manners. 
     In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the at least two different transmission outputs of the plurality of transmission outputs are different rotational speeds. 
     In still another aspect of the present disclosure, the transmission assembly includes a plurality of transmissions. Each transmission of the plurality of transmissions is coupled between the motor and one of the pumps of the plurality of pumps. 
     In still yet another aspect of the present disclosure, at least two transmissions of the plurality of transmissions define different input to output ratios. 
     In another aspect of the present disclosure, at least one of the transmissions of the plurality of transmissions is controllable to vary the input to output ratio thereof. In aspects, at least two of the transmissions of the plurality of transmissions are independently controllable to independently vary the input to output ratios thereof. 
     In still another aspect of the present disclosure, a controller is disposed in communication with the transmission assembly and configured to instruct the transmission assembly to independently vary at least one of the transmission outputs of the plurality of transmission outputs. 
     Also provided in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is a surgical generator. The surgical generator include the surgical pump assembly according to any of the aspects detailed above or otherwise herein. The surgical generator further includes at least one energy module configured to generate an energy-delivery signal and at least one energy port configured to connect to a surgical instrument to deliver the energy-delivery signal thereto. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar or identical elements. 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a surgical system provided in accordance with the present disclosure including a surgical generator and first and second surgical instruments selectively connectable to the surgical generator; and 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a surgical pump provided in accordance with the present disclosure and configured for use with the surgical generator of  FIG. 1 , another surgical component, or as a stand-alone device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a surgical system provided in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown generally identified by reference numeral  10  including a first surgical instrument  100 , a second surgical instrument  200 , and a surgical generator  300 . First surgical instrument  100  is shown and described herein as an ultrasonic surgical instrument incorporating a blade cooling system and second surgical instrument  200  is shown and described herein as an electrosurgical pencil incorporating a smoke evacuation system. However, surgical instruments  100 ,  200  are merely exemplary and may be configure in any suitable manner; further, additional or alternative surgical instruments, consoles, assemblies, and/or systems may be utilized with surgical generator  300  as part of surgical system  10 . 
     Surgical instrument  100  includes a handle assembly  110 , a shaft assembly  120  extending distally from handle assembly  110 , an end effector assembly  130  supported at a distal end portion of shaft assembly  120 , and a plug assembly  140  operably coupled with handle assembly  110  and extending therefrom for connection to surgical generator  300 . 
     Surgical instrument  100  further includes an activation button  150  mounted on handle assembly  110 , a clamp trigger  160  operably coupled to handle assembly  110 , and an ultrasonic transducer  170  supported within handle assembly  110 . Shaft assembly  120  includes a support sleeve that support a jaw  134  of end effector assembly  130  at a distal end thereof, and a drive sleeve that operably couples to jaw  134 . A drive assembly (not shown) couples a proximal portion of the drive sleeve to clamp trigger  160  such that clamp trigger  160  is selectively actuatable to thereby move the drive sleeve to pivot jaw  134  relative to blade  132  of end effector assembly  130  from a spaced-apart position to an approximated position for clamping tissue between jaw  134  and blade  132 . 
     A waveguide  180  is coupled to ultrasonic transducer  170  at a proximal end portion thereof and extends distally through shaft assembly  120  to define blade  132  of end effector assembly  130 . Ultrasonic motion produced by ultrasonic transducer  170  is transmitted along waveguide  180  to blade  132  for treating tissue clamped between blade  132  and jaw  134  or positioned adjacent to blade  132 . 
     Surgical instrument  100  further includes a blade cooling system including one or more fluid lines  102  coupled to one or more lumens (not explicitly shown) extending through waveguide  180  and/or blade  132  to circulate cooling fluid therethrough to cool blade  132 . The blade cooling system may further include a local, e.g., within or on handle assembly  110 , or remote fluid reservoir (not shown). As an alternative to blade cooling, fluid line(s)  102  may be utilized for aspiration and/or irrigation in a configuration where surgical instrument is an ultrasonic aspirator/irrigator. 
     Plug assembly  140  of surgical instrument  100  includes a cable  142 , an ultrasonic plug  144 , and a pump plug  146 . Ultrasonic plug  144  is configured for connection with ultrasonic plug port  330  of surgical generator  300  while pump plug  146  is configured for connection with one of the pump plug ports  350  of surgical generator  300 . Alternatively, plug assembly  140  may include a common plug (not shown) configured to act as both the ultrasonic plug  144  and the pump plug  146 . Electrical lead wires electrically coupled to ultrasonic plug  144  extend through cable  142  and into handle assembly  110  for electrical connection to ultrasonic transducer  170  and/or activation button  150  to enable the selective supply of ultrasonic drive signals from surgical generator  300  to ultrasonic transducer  170  upon activation of activation button  150 . One or more of fluid line(s)  102  are fluidly coupled to pump plug  146  and extend through cable  142  into handle assembly  110  to connect to the blade cooling system of surgical instrument  100  to enable the pumping of cooling fluid via the pump assembly  600  of surgical generator  300 . 
     Continuing with reference to  FIG. 1 , surgical instrument  200  includes a body  210  including one or more controls  212 ,  214  disposed thereon, an electrode probe  220  extending distally from body  210 , a smoke evacuation tube  230  extending distally from body  210  and surrounding electrode probe  220  along a portion of the length thereof, and first and second cables  240 ,  250 , respectively. 
     Electrode probe  220  may be configured to supply monopolar radiofrequency (RF) energy to tissue, although other suitable energies are also contemplated, e.g., bipolar RF, microwave, thermal, ultrasonic etc. Electrode probe  220  may define a sharpened, e.g., needle-shaped, distal tip, a blunt distal tip, and/or any other suitable configuration, e.g., straight, curved, angled, hook-shaped, etc. One or more of the controls  212 ,  214  control the activation, mode, and/or intensity of energy delivery to electrode probe  220 . 
     Smoke evacuation tube  230 , as noted above, surrounds electrode probe  220  along a portion of the length thereof, and defines an open distal end  232  and/or apertures  234  therethrough to facilitate suctioning of fluid, e.g., smoke, therethrough. 
     First cable  240  includes an electrosurgical plug  242  and houses electrical lead wires electrically coupled to electrosurgical plug  242  and extending through first cable  240  into body  210  to electrically connect to electrode probe  220  and/or controls  212 ,  214 . Electrosurgical plug  242  is configured to connect to electrosurgical plug port  340  of surgical generator  300  to enable the selective supply of electrosurgical energy from generator  300  to electrode probe  220 . 
     Second cable  250  includes a pump plug  252  and defines a suction tube  254  fluidly coupled to smoke evacuation tube  230 . Pump plug  252  is configured for connection with one of the pump plug ports  350  of surgical generator  300  to enable the pump assembly  600  of surgical generator  300  to apply suction through suction tube  254  and smoke evacuation tube  230  to facilitate evacuation of fluid e.g., smoke, from a surgical site. An external collection reservoir (not shown) may be coupled to smoke evacuation tube  230  and/or suction tube  254  to collect smoke and/or other fluid evacuated from the surgical site. Alternatively, first and second cables  240 ,  250  may be combined and extend to a common plug (not shown) or joined at the common plug configured to act as both the electrosurgical plug  242  and the pump plug  252 . 
     Referring still to  FIG. 1 , surgical generator  300  includes a display  310 , a plurality user interface features  320 , e.g., buttons, touch-screens, switches, etc., one or more energy ports, e.g., an ultrasonic plug port  330  and a monopolar electrosurgical plug port  340 . Other suitable energy ports, e.g., bipolar plug ports, advanced energy plug ports, microwave plug ports, etc., are also contemplated. Surgical generator  300  further includes a plurality of pump plug ports  350 . 
     Surgical generator  300  further includes a ultrasonic generator module  400  configured to generate an ultrasonic drive signal for output through ultrasonic plug port  330  and a monopolar electrosurgical module  500  configured to generate a monopolar RF signal for output through monopolar electrosurgical plug port  340 . Of course, where additional or alternate energies are provided, additional or different modules are likewise provided. Surgical generator  300  additionally includes a pump assembly  600  including a plurality of pumps  654  (e.g., first, second . . . and “n” pumps  654 ), configured to provide pump outputs through the plurality of pump plug ports  350  (e.g., first, second . . . and “n” pump plug ports  350 ). Pump assembly  600  is described in greater detail below. Further, in embodiments, one or more common plug ports configured as both a pump plug port  350  and an energy plug port (e.g., an ultrasonic plug port  330 , a monopolar electrosurgical plug port  340 , a universal smart plug port configured to receive any suitable energy plug and provide appropriate outputs thereto, or any other suitable energy plug port) may be provided. 
     With respect to control of surgical generator  300 , one or more general controllers (not explicitly shown) may be provided for control of the various modules, components, and features of surgical generator  300 . Additionally or alternatively, one or more dedicated controllers (not explicitly shown) may be provided for individually controlling one or more of the various modules, components, and features of surgical generator  300 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 2 , pump assembly  600  may be incorporated into surgical generator  300  ( FIG. 1 ) as detailed above, may be incorporated into another surgical component, e.g., instrument, console, system, etc., or may be configured as a stand-alone device. Pump assembly  600  generally includes a motor  610  having a motor output  612 , a transmission assembly  620  including a plurality of transmissions  622  (e.g., first, second . . . and “n” transmissions  622 ), each of which is coupled to motor output  612 , a plurality of pumps  630  (e.g., first, second . . . and “n” pumps  630 ) coupled to respective transmissions  620 , a plurality of pump outputs  640  (e.g., first, second . . . and “n” pump outputs  640 ) coupled between respective pumps  630  and pump plug ports  350 , and a controller  650 . 
     Motor  610  may be any suitable motor configured to provide any suitable motor output  612  to transmission assembly  620 , e.g., a rotational output, a reciprocating output, rotational and reciprocating outputs, etc. Motor  610 , more specifically, is connected to each pump  630  via a separate transmission  622  of transmission assembly  620 . Transmission assembly  620  is configured to selectively amplify, attenuate, maintain, and/or convert, if required, the motor output  612  into respective transmission outputs  624  provided to pumps  630 . In some instances, transmission assembly  620  may not convert the motor output  612  and, thus, one or more of the transmission outputs  624  may be equal to the motor output  612 . Additionally or alternatively, in some instances, transmission assembly  620  may not provide any transmission output  624  from one or more of transmissions  622  regardless of the motor output  612  received. 
     Transmission assembly  620 , as detailed below, enables a single motor, motor  610 , to independently and selectively provide different types and/or levels of output to pumps  630  such that each pump  630  may be operated in a desired manner independent of the operation of the other pumps  630   a . Further, this configuration also enables the single motor, motor  610 , to drive pumps  630  of different types and, further still, enables the motor  610  to provide a single output (rather than a variable output), although variable output motor configurations are also contemplated. One or more of the pumps  630  may be different from the other pumps  630 . Alternatively, all of the pumps  630  may be of the same type. The pumps  630 , whether the same or different, may include any suitable pump type such as, for example, centrifugal pumps, peristaltic pumps, diaphragm pumps, gear pumps, lobe pumps, roller pumps, piston pumps, screw pumps, vacuum and/or pressure pumps, hydraulic pump, etc. 
     Continuing with reference to  FIG. 2 , as noted above, transmission assembly  620  is configured to receive the motor output  612  from motor  610  and selectively provide transmission outputs  624  to pumps  630 , which may be the same or of different types and/or levels of output. Motor  610  is described hereinbelow as providing a rotational motor output  612  to transmission assembly  620 , although other suitable outputs are also contemplated. 
     Transmission assembly  620 , in embodiments, includes a common input  626  configured to receive the rotational motor output  612  from motor  610 . Common input  626  may be coupled to the motor output  612  by, for example, gearing, pulleys, cables, etc., or in any other suitable manner and may be coupled therein to provide a 1:1 input to output ratio, an attenuated output ratio, or an amplified output ratio. Common input  626 , in turn, is coupled to a plurality of transmission inputs  628  by, for example, gearing, pulleys, cables, etc., to provide the rotational motor output  612  (whether amplified, attenuated, or maintained) to each of the transmissions  622  via the transmission inputs  628 . The couplings between the common input  626  and each of the transmission inputs  628  may provide similar or different output ratios to the transmissions  622 , e.g., a 1:1 input to output ratio, an attenuated output ratio, or an amplified output ratio. 
     Each transmission  622  receives the corresponding transmission input  628  and is selectively connectable to the transmission output  624  for output to drive the corresponding pump  630  in accordance with the transmission output  624  provided thereto. For example, with respect to a rotational output, the rotational speed of the transmission output  624  may be set by the transmission  622 , regardless of the motor output  612 , to drive the pumps  630  in a desired manner, e.g., at the same or different flow rates, pressures, speeds, etc. 
     Transmissions  622  may be similar or different and may include any suitable transmission configuration(s) to enable selectively varying the transmission output relative to the transmission input. Suitable transmission configurations include continuously variable transmissions, gearbox transmissions, dual-clutch transmissions, magnetic direct-drive transmissions, and combinations thereof. Regardless of the particular configuration, transmissions  622  may also include disengagement clutches (or other suitable disengagement mechanism) to enable the selective decoupling of the input to the transmission  622  from the output of the transmission  622  to inhibit output regardless of the input. 
     Each transmission  622  is configured to selectively amplify, attenuate, or maintain, the corresponding transmission input  628  provided thereto for output via the corresponding transmission output  624  to the respective pump  630 . Transmissions  622  may additionally be configured to convert the transmission input  628  provided thereto into a different type of output, e.g., converting a rotational input into a reciprocating output or vice versa. Additionally or alternatively, transmissions  622  may be configured to selectively switch the direction of the rotational transmission input  628  compared to the direction of the rotational transmission output  624 , e.g., clockwise to counterclockwise or vice versa. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 2 , one or more transmissions  622  may be fixed, e.g., providing the same ratio of input to output, and/or one or more transmission  622  may be variable, e.g., enabling continuous or step-wise adjustment of the input to output ratio depending upon the needs of the pump  630  or instrument connected thereto. In this manner, the single motor output  612  from motor  610  may be utilized to drive pumps  630  in similar or different manners and/or at similar or different levels to meet the needs of various different instruments, systems, consoles, etc. connected to pump assembly  600 . Deactivation of one or more of the pumps  630  and/or reversal of the direction of one or more of the pumps  630  can also readily be achieved without changing the motor output  612 . 
     Controller  650  includes a processor  652  and memory  654  storing instructions to be executed by the process. Controller  650  may further include an input/output (I/O)  656  and a communication bus  658 . I/O  656  enables communication between pump assembly  600  and external modules, components, and/or devices. Communication bus  658  enables communication between, for example, controller  650  and transmissions  622  and pumps  630 . In this manner, instructions may be provided, e.g., input into generator  300  and/or received from an instrument or other device connected to one of the pump plug ports  350  (via RFID communication or other suitable detection), based upon a particular detected device connected to one of the pump plug ports  450 , to controller  650  via I/O  656  to enable controller  650  to control the configuration of transmission(s)  622 , e.g. across communication bus  658 , to provide an appropriate output to the corresponding pump(s)  630 . Controller  650  may additionally or alternatively receive feedback from pumps  630  via communication bus  658  and, based thereon, control the configuration of transmission(s)  622  to maintain appropriate parameters as part of a feedback-based control loop. 
     While several embodiments of the disclosure have been detailed above and are shown in the drawings, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description and accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.