Surgical instruments employing sensors
US8579177B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 10, 2012 |
| Grant date | Nov 12, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 10, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2090/0811
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical instrument for operating on tissue is provided. The surgical instrument includes an end effector including a first tissue engaging member and a second tissue engaging member in juxtaposed relation to the first tissue engaging member; a gap determination element operatively associated with each of the first tissue engaging member and the second tissue engaging member for measuring a gap distance between the first tissue engaging member and the second tissue engaging member; and a tissue contact determining element operatively associated with a respective tissue contacting surface of at least one of the first tissue engaging member and the second tissue engaging member. The present disclosure also relates to methods of using the surgical instrument.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.