US-20260123978-A1 - LIGHTED ELECTROCAUTERY BLADE ASSEMBLY FOR HANDHELD ELECTROSURGICAL INSTRUMENT

Abstract

A lighted electrocautery blade adapter for attachment to a handheld electrosurgical instrument includes a housing having an upper planar surface portion defined thereon to provide or otherwise facilitate an unobstructed line of site for viewing a surgical site, an LED light assembly at a distal end of the housing for illuminating the surgical site, a reception portion provided at the distal end of the housing for receiving an electrocautery blade, and a proximal connector portion provided at a proximal end of the housing, for electrically coupling with an electrosurgical instrument.

Inventors

• Gennady Kleyman
• Mikiya Silver
• Vinod V. Pathy

Assignees

• PATHY MEDICAL, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251229

Claims (17)

1. 1 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter for attachment to a handheld electrosurgical instrument, comprising: a housing having an upper planar surface portion defined thereon to provide an unobstructed line of site for viewing a surgical site; an LED light assembly at a distal end of the housing for illuminating the surgical site; a reception portion provided at the distal end of the housing for receiving an electrocautery blade; and a proximal connector portion provided at a proximal end of the housing, for electrically coupling with an electrosurgical instrument.
2. 2 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 1 , wherein the LED light assembly is powered by a source of electrical power located within the housing.
3. 3 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 2 , further comprising a switch operatively associated with the housing and connected to the source of electrical power, wherein the switch includes a push button actuation switch extending axially from the proximal end of the housing configured to be actuated by the electrosurgical instrument to automatically activate the LED light assembly with connection of the housing to the electrosurgical instrument.
4. 4 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 2 , further comprising a sensor operatively associated with the housing and connected to the source of electrical power, wherein the sensor is configured to control the source of electrical power to automatically activate the plurality of LED light sources upon activation of the electrosurgical instrument.
5. 5 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 2 , wherein the source of electrical power is at least one battery cell.
6. 6 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 1 , wherein the LED light assembly includes a plurality of LED light sources supported on a printed circuit board.
7. 7 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 6 , wherein a lens is positioned in front of each LED light source.
8. 8 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 1 , wherein the reception portion is arranged axially off-center.
9. 9 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 8 , wherein the reception portion is arranged adjacent the upper planar surface of the housing.
10. 10 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 1 , wherein the reception portion extends from the distal end of the housing.
11. 11 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 1 , wherein the proximal connector portion extends from the proximal end of the housing.
12. 12 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 1 , further comprising the electrocautery blade.
13. 13 . A lighted electrocautery blade adapter as recited in claim 1 , wherein the reception portion and the proximal connector portion are provided as part of an electrode adapter operatively associated with the housing, and wherein a flange surrounds the medial body portion of the electrode adapter for engaging a complementary recess formed within the proximal end of the housing for mounting the electrode adapter within the housing.
14. 14 . A kit for performing a surgical procedure, comprising: a) a packaging enclosure; and b) a lighted electrocautery blade adapter within the packaging enclosure for attachment to a handheld electrosurgical instrument, the lighted electrocautery blade adapter having a housing having an upper planar surface portion defined thereon to provide an unobstructed line of site for viewing a surgical site, an LED light assembly at a distal end of the housing for illuminating the surgical site, a reception portion provided at the distal end of the housing for receiving an electrocautery blade, and a proximal connector portion provided at a proximal end of the housing, for electrically coupling with an electrosurgical instrument.
15. 15 . A kit for performing a surgical procedure as recited in claim 14 , further comprising the handheld electrosurgical instrument within the packaging enclosure and configured for connection to a source of RF energy.
16. 16 . A kit for performing a surgical procedure as recited in claim 14 , further comprising at least one electrocautery blade adapted for use with the lighted electrocautery blade adapter.
17. 17 . A kit for performing a surgical procedure as recited in claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of electrocautery blades adapted for use with the lighted electrocautery blade adapter.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/748,528, filed Jun. 20, 2024, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/739,374, filed Jan. 10, 2020. The entire contents of each of the foregoing are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The subject invention is directed to surgical instrumentation, and more particularly, to a lighted electrocautery blade assembly for use with a handheld electrosurgical instrument. 2. Description of Related Art In medical practice, lighting devices are used to direct light at a specific area being operated on or examined by a surgeon. For example, lighting devices can be used in conjunction with a handheld electrosurgical device, such as a BOVIE® pencil, which is typically used to incise tissue during a surgical procedure. Some instruments known in the art include an integral light source, but these devices are generally expensive and relatively bulky. Cordless and corded lighting devices for surgical tools are also known in the art, but these can also add bulk, preventing a user from manipulating the tool with precision or in confined spaces. Additionally, many lighting devices, especially corded devices and overhead lights, require constant repositioning, are assistant-dependent to hold or re-position, and can be disruptive to a surgical field. Furthermore, corded lighting devices, as well as light sources that are integrated into a tool can become hot, burning the user and/or patient, and possibly even causing a fire. Headlights can be used as an alternative to a lighting device during a surgical procedure. However, similar to lighting devices, headlights are bulky, commonly require cables to connect to a power source, require constant readjustment, and can pose a potential safety hazard. Moreover, being worn on the head of the surgeon, they are at a distance from the surgical field, decreasing their effectiveness, and they can cause fatigue and strain if worn for an extended period of time. It is known that when handheld lighting devices, overhead lights and/or headlamps are employed during a surgical procedure, the hands/tools of the surgeon can block the light and cast a shadow on the surgical site, which is undesirable. Those shadows require the user to reposition the lighting sources regularly, and can even require the surgeon to move their head to try to angle the headlamp towards the surgical site differently. A particularly useful battery powered lighting device designed for attachment to a handheld electrosurgical device, and in particular, for use with an electrocautery pencil, is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 9,851,060, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. This device overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art lighting devices described above. However, there is still room in this art for improvement, and the subject invention is directed to several of those improvements, including a lighted electrocautery blade assembly for use with a handheld electrosurgical instrument. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The subject invention is directed to new and useful lighting devices for installation on a handheld surgical instrument, and preferably, for releasable attachment to a handheld electrosurgical instrument. More particularly, the subject invention is directed to a lighted electrocautery blade assembly for releasable attachment to a handheld electrosurgical instrument. One embodiment of the subject invention is directed to a lighted electrocautery blade assembly that includes an elongated housing having an LED light assembly at a distal end thereof for illuminating a surgical site, and an electrode that extends through and is mounted within the elongated housing such that a distal end portion of the electrode extends from the distal end of the elongated housing to define an electrocautery blade and a proximal end portion of the electrode extends from the proximal end of the elongated housing to define a connector for electrically coupling with an electrosurgical instrument. The LED light assembly preferably surrounds the electrocautery blade and is powered by a first energy source, and the electrode is powered by a second energy source that is separate and distinct from the first energy source. The first energy source consists of at least one battery cell supported within the elongated housing and the second energy source is a source of RF energy that is connected to the electrosurgical instrument. Preferably, the first energy source is defined by a plurality of battery cells that are supported within the elongated housing. It is envisioned hat the first energy source could be charged by the second energy source. The first energy source can be an external source of electrical power to which the LED light assembly is connected by way of a power cord. Prefera