Patent ID: 8449569

Claim:
An apparatus for manipulation of an implantable medical device, comprising: a surgical tool, the surgical tool comprising: a mechanical interface that enables a surgical instrument to hold and position the surgical tool in conjunction with a surgical procedure; an electrical drive mechanism with a drive shaft, the electrical drive mechanism for selectively controlling bidirectional rotation of the drive shaft; and a grasping mechanism operationally coupled to the drive shaft such that rotation of the grasping mechanism is driven by the drive shaft, the grasping mechanism for releasably grasping the implantable medical device; a controller, comprising: a first control device in operative communication with the electrical drive mechanism, wherein an implant activation of the first control device controls the electrical drive mechanism to rotate the grasping mechanism in a first direction and a removal activation of the first control device controls the electrical drive mechanism to rotate the grasping mechanism in a second direction opposite the first direction the grasping mechanism comprising: a plurality of jaws resiliently biased to a normally closed position for releasably grasping the implantable medical device; and the surgical tool, further comprising: an actuator operationally coupled to the plurality of laws for selectively controlling the plurality of jaws between the normally closed position and an open position; wherein the actuator is configured to engage the drive shaft to enable rotational movement of the grasping mechanism when the jaws are in the closed position and to disengage the drive shaft to disable rotational movement of the grasping mechanism when the jaws are not in the closed position.