Patent ID: 8475436

Claim:
A steerable surgical instrument provides a steerable tip which may be inserted through tissue during a surgical procedure in an intentionally linear or non-linear pathway, said steerable surgical instrument comprising: a handle providing a vertical shaft with a lower grip portion and a horizontal shaft defining a pivotal aperture and a slide channel mounting section along a linear axis; a base anchor assembly bracket defining an inner surface including a cylindrical pivotal extension emanating lateral from said inner surface, said cylindrical pivotal extension having a threaded bore and inserted within an outer aperture ring further inserted within said pivotal aperture, with an anchor base screw engaging said threaded bore through a washer through said handle, said base anchor assembly further defining a rear surface and a mounting tab slot; a trigger mechanism attached to said rear surface of said base anchor assembly bracket by removable screws; a slide channel bracket defining a horizontal slide channel attached to said slide channel mounting section; an upper resilient member defining a first end having a flat mounting tab, a lowered transitional angled section, an extended flexible shaft having a lower surface and a second end and a lower resilient member defining a first end having a flat mounting tab, a raised transitional angled section, an extended flexible shaft having an upper surface and a second end, said flat mounting tabs held apart by a wedged separation member defining a front wedged-shaped portion and further secured within said mounting tab slot by an upper base screw and a lower base screw secured within said base anchor assembly bracket, with said lowered transitional angled section and said raised transitional angled section merging at said front wedged-shaped portion placing in contact the upper surface of the extended flexible shaft of the lower resilient member and the lower surface of the upper resilient member, said extended flexible shafts extending through said slide channel and slidably retained within said slide channel by a slide channel plate attached through said slide channel bracket into said slide channel mounting section of said handle, said extended flexible shafts surrounded by tubing from said slide channel bracket to said second ends, with said second ends of said upper and lower resilient members attaching to form an operational end attaching a surgical tool, wherein said trigger mechanism is rotated, a relative curvature relative to said linear axis is applied to said extended flexible shafts through said tubing, causing said operational end raised or lowered in relation to force applied to said trigger mechanism.