Patent Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to a surgical handpiece including an insert removably coupled to the handpiece, wherein the insert is configured to allow aspiration of fluid and tissue through the insert during a surgical procedure. Other surgical handpieces and a method for the removal of tissue during an endoscopic procedure are also disclosed.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/247,722 and U.S. Patent Application No. 61/251,381, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of Technology 
     The present disclosure relates to surgical handpieces, and specifically surgical handpieces that provide user friendly cleaning and sterilization. 
     2. Related Art 
     Surgical handpieces used to drive cutting tools during a surgical procedure, such as the handpiece and cutting tools shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,493 (&#39;493 patent), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, are currently available. These handpieces have design features that make cleaning and sterilizing of the handpiece a challenge. Specifically, the areas around the cutting tool connection and the entry to the aspiration channel are hard to access and have a potential for not being properly cleaned prior to sterilization. Therefore, handpieces that lend themselves to user-friendly cleaning and sterilization are needed. 
     SUMMARY 
     In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a surgical handpiece including an insert removably coupled to the handpiece, wherein the insert is configured to allow aspiration of fluid and tissue through the insert during a surgical procedure. In an embodiment, the handpiece includes a groove configured for housing of the insert. In another embodiment, the insert includes a distal portion and a proximal portion, wherein the proximal portion is configured for engagement with a suction device. In yet another embodiment, the insert includes at least one tab, wherein the tab is configured for disposal within an opening of the handpiece. In a further embodiment, the insert includes at least two tabs, wherein the tabs are configured for disposal within openings of the handpiece. In yet a further embodiment, the handpiece includes an aspiration channel, wherein the channel is located in-line with the groove so as to allow aspiration of the fluid and tissue through the channel and into the insert. 
     In an embodiment, the handpiece includes a valve removably coupled to the handpiece, wherein the valve is configured to be located in a first position or a second position. In another embodiment, locating the valve in the first position allows for aspiration of the fluid and tissue through the channel and the insert and locating the valve in the second position does not allow for aspiration of the fluid and tissue through the channel and the insert. In another embodiment, the handpiece includes an access port. In yet another embodiment, the handpiece includes a cover disposed within the access port. 
     In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a surgical handpiece including an insert removably coupled to the handpiece, wherein removal of the insert allows for access to an inner area of the handpiece. In an embodiment, the inner area includes a drive shaft and entry to an aspiration channel. In another embodiment, the insert is coupled to the handpiece via a snap-lock assembly. 
     In yet another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for the removal of tissue during an endoscopic procedure. The method includes providing an assembly including a surgical handpiece including an insert removably coupled to the handpiece; and a cutting tool coupled to the handpiece; and inserting the cutting tool into an area of the body to cut the tissue and remove the tissue via the assembly. 
     In an embodiment, the tissue is removed via the insert. In another embodiment, the method further includes removing the insert from the handpiece and replacing the insert with another insert. In yet another embodiment, a suction device is coupled to the insert for removal of the tissue. In a further embodiment, the method further includes removing the insert from the handpiece to allow for access to an inner area of the handpiece, the inner area including a drive shaft and an aspiration channel. In yet a further embodiment, the method further includes cleaning the inner area of the handpiece. In an embodiment, the surgical handpiece includes an access port and a cover disposed within the access port, wherein the method further includes removing the cover and cleaning an inner area of the handpiece. 
     Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the disclosure, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the written description serve to explain the principles, characteristics, and features of the disclosure. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the surgical handpiece of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the surgical handpiece of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the surgical handpiece of  FIG. 1  without the insert. 
         FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of the surgical handpiece of  FIG. 1  without the insert. 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a cutting tool for use with the surgical handpiece of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  shows a side view of a second embodiment of the surgical handpiece of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. 
       FIGS. 1-4  show a first embodiment of the surgical handpiece  10  of the present disclosure. The handpiece  10  includes a body  11  having a distal end  11   a  and a proximal end  11   b . At its distal end  11   a , the handpiece  10  includes a cylindrical bore  12  for coupling of a surgical cutting tool  20  ( FIG. 5 ). Within the bore  12  is a drive shaft  13  that is coupled to a motor  14  positioned within the handpiece  10 . The handpiece  10  includes pushbutton switches  15  that produce signals for use in controlling the motor  14 . The handpiece  10  is employed within a surgical system and method, the components and steps of which are shown and described in the &#39;493 patent. The handpiece  10  is coupled to the rest of the system by a cable  16  that is coupled to the proximal end  11   b  of the handpiece  10 . The cable  16  may be coupled via a connector, such as a threaded connector, as shown and described in the &#39;493 patent. 
     The surgical cutting tool  20 , which is further described in the &#39;493 patent, includes an inner cutting member  21  disposed within an outer cutting member  22 . The instrument  20  is coupled to the handpiece  10  to create an assembly such that the hubs  21   a , 22   a  of the members  21 , 22  are disposed within the bore  12 . The assembly is used to cut and remove tissue from an area of the body during a surgical procedure. The hub  21   a  of the inner cutting member  21  includes an opening  21   b  that permits material, such as fluid and tissue, drawn through member  21  to pass into an aspiration channel  17  of the handpiece  10 . The handpiece  10  also includes a handle  18  that controls a valve  19  and thereby controls flow through the aspiration channel  17 . The handle  18  rotates about an axis  100  that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis  200  of the handpiece  10  between a first position, wherein the handle  18  is pushed forward toward the distal end  11   a , as shown in  FIG. 1 , and a second position, wherein the handle  18  is pushed backward toward the proximal end  11   b . Having the handle  18  in the first position allows for opening of the valve  19  and having the handle  18  in the second position allows for closing of the valve  19  or vice versa. The handle  18  and valve  19  are both removably coupled to the handpiece  10  via a coupling method described in the &#39;493 patent or other method known to one of skill in the art. 
     An insert  30  is located within a groove  11   c  of the body  11  such that the insert  30  is located in-line with the aspiration channel  17 . The insert  30  includes a distal end  31 , a proximal end  32 , a cannulation  33  that extends the entire length of the insert  30 , and tabs  34  coupled to the insert  30 . The insert  30  is located within the groove  11   c  such that the tabs  34  are disposed within openings  11   d  in the body  11 . The insert  30  may be placed within the groove  11   c  by placing the distal end  31  into the groove  11   c  via the opening  11   c ′ and pushing the insert  30  longitudinally towards the distal end  11   a  of the handpiece  10  until the tabs  34  are located within the openings  11   d . During placement of the insert  30  into the groove  11   c , the tabs  34  may be reduced radially, by squeezing the tabs  34  inwardly toward the insert  30  to fit within the opening  11   c ′. For the purposes of this disclosure, there are two tabs  34  and two corresponding openings  11   d . However, there may be only one tab and one corresponding opening or more than two tabs and corresponding openings. It is also within the scope of this disclosure to not have any tabs  34  or openings  11   d . An o-ring  40  may be located on the distal end  31  of the insert  30  in order to provide a seal and substantially reduce leakage of fluid and tissue from the aspiration channel  17 , as will be further described below. 
     The proximal end  32  of the insert  30  includes a spigot  35 . During use, the spigot  35  is coupled to a source of suction (not shown), such that when the valve  19  is located in an open position, fluid and tissue are aspirated through the insert  30 . After use, the insert  30  may be removed from the groove  11   c  in order to allow access to the aspiration channel  17 , especially the portion of the aspiration channel  17  in which the valve  19  is located, thereby allowing the user to clean and sterilize these areas. Once these areas have been cleaned and sterilized, a new insert may be placed within the groove  11   c  and the old insert may be discarded. 
     Additionally, the body  11  includes an access port  50  located towards the distal end  11   a  of the body  11 . A cover  60  is located within the access port  50  to close the port  50  during use. After use, the cover  60  is removed in order to allow access to the inner area of the handpiece  10 , such as the bore  12  and the components within the bore  12 , such as the drive shaft  13 , thereby allowing the user to clean and sterilize these areas and components. After these areas are cleaned and sterilized, the cover  60  may also be cleaned and then re-inserted in the port  50 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of a second surgical handpiece  300  of the present disclosure. The handpiece  300  is similar to handpiece  10 , except for having an insert  400  removably coupled to the distal end  301   a  of the handpiece  300 . The handpiece  300  may or may not additionally have the groove  11   c  and insert  30  combination of handpiece  10 . The handpiece  300  may include a latch  310  having a tab  310   a  that engages an opening  410  of the insert  400  and acts as a snap-lock assembly to couple the insert  400  to the handpiece  300 . Similar to the cover  60  of the handpiece  10 , the insert  400  covers the inner area of the handpiece  300 , such as the bore  302  and the components within the bore  302 , such as the drive shaft and the aspiration channel (not shown). During use, the insert  400  is attached to the handpiece  300 . However, after use, the insert  400  is removed to allow the user to clean and sterilize the inner area and its components. After cleaning and sterilization, the insert  400  may also be cleaned and then re-attached to the handpiece  300 . However, the insert  400  may be disposed of and another insert may coupled to the handpiece  300 . 
     For the purposes of this disclosure, the inserts  30 ,  400  of the handpieces  10 , 300  are plastic. However, other materials could also be used. Also, the inserts  30 ,  400  may be made via a process, such as injection molding, die drawing, or any other process known to one of skill in the art. The cover  60  is made using similar materials and via similar processes. The groove  11   c , openings  11   d , and access port  50  may be made via a machining process or another process known to one of skill in the art. 
     As various modifications could be made to the exemplary embodiments, as described above with reference to the corresponding illustrations, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0