Thermal cautery surgical forceps

Abstract

A portable, thermal cauterizing forceps device for use in surgery. The device incorporates a pair of ceramic heater elements mounted within the tips of the tines of a forceps. The forceps is used to grasp tissue or blood vessels and apply heat to effect cauterization. In the case of the first embodiment of the invention, the forceps instrument incorporates a battery and control electronics. The thermal-forceps is of a self-contained wireless, handheld disposable design. In a second embodiment of the invention, the forceps handpiece is connected to an external power source. Both embodiments of the forceps incorporate set of rapidly heating ceramic heater elements that may be composed of silicon nitride. An LED provides the operator feedback as to the operating level of the heaters and/or battery reserve. Enhancements to the second embodiment include a rechargeable power supply, variable control of the heater temperature, as well as a, digital display of the tip temperature.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A thermocautery surgical forceps comprising: 
 a surgical forceps body including a pair of elongate tine members extending from the forceps body to respective free end tip portions spaced from the forceps body, the tine members being mounted to the forceps body in a manner providing resilient compressible movement of the tine members between a normally open position wherein the tines are disposed in aligned, parallel, spaced-apart relationship and a squeezed closed position wherein the tip portions of the tine members are disposed in confronting abutting relationship, each tine member including a tissue contact surface defined on an inner facing surface of the tine member adjacent the tip portion and further including a heater element disposed in the tine member to effectively heat the tissue contact surface to an elevated tissue cauterizing temperature, the heater elements being connected to a power source, whereby, the tine members may be squeezed together to their squeezed closed position to grippingly, squeezably engage tissue to be cauterized between the tip portions and the tissue contact surfaces thereof may be heated to a tissue cauterizing temperature to effectively thermocauterize the gripped tissue.    
     
     
         2 . A thermocautery surgical forceps as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the tine members comprise a ceramic material.  
     
     
         3 . A thermocautery surgical forceps as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the tine members comprise silicon nitride.  
     
     
         4 . A thermocautery surgical forceps as defined in  claim 1 , further including a switch operationally electrically connected to the ceramic heater elements which is effective to automatically turn the ceramic heater elements on to heat the tissue contact surfaces to elevated tissue cauterizing temperature as the tines are moved from the normally open position to the squeezed closed position.  
     
     
         5 . A thermocautery surgical forceps as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said power source comprises a battery.  
     
     
         6 . A thermocautery surgical forceps as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said power source comprises a battery mounted in the forceps body.  
     
     
         7 . A thermocautery surgical forceps as defined in  claim 1 , which is sterilized and intended for one time disposable use.  
     
     
         8 . A thermocautery surgical forceps as defined in  claim 6 , which is sterilized and intended for one time disposable use.  
     
     
         9 . A thermocautery surgical forceps as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said power source comprises a 110 v AC power supply.  
     
     
         10 . A method for thermocautery tissue, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a thermocautery surgical forceps including a pair of spaced and opposed tine members having tip portions with tissue contact surfaces and ceramic heating elements disposed in a position to heat the tissue contact surfaces to a tissue cauterizing temperature;    squeezably grippingly engaging tissue to be cauterized between the tip portions so that the tissue is in contact with the tissue contact surfaces; and    activating the ceramic heater elements to heat the tissue contact surfaces to tissue cauterizing temperature, thereby cauterizing the gripped tissue.