SURGICAL DEVICES INCORPORATING LIQUID JET ASSISTED TISSUE MANIPULATION AND METHODS FOR THEIR USE

摘要

Surgical instruments are disclosed that utilize high-pressure liquid jets to perform a variety of useful functions. In certain embodiments, surgical instruments are described incorporating one or more liquid jets utilized to contact tissue excised by a non-liquid jet tissue-cutting component of the surgical instrument for the purpose of further cutting the excised tissue and/or fragmenting and/or disaggregating at least a portion of the excised tissue into a plurality of small particles and/or facilitating or assisting removal of excised tissue from a surgical site without the need to remove th e instrument from the surgical site. In certain embodiments, a liquid jet of a surgical instrument can be utilized for the purpose of excising tissue of a patient immobilized and/or manipulated by the surgical instrument. Also described are surgical devices of the type characterized by curettes, rongeurs, bone punches, bone cutting forceps, morcellators, surgical micrograspers, with functionality and performance supplemented by the integration of a liquid jet.