Classification of Organs Using Impedance of Ultrasonic Surgical Knife to improve Surgical Efficiency

Ultrasonic shears is currently in wide use as an energy device for minimal invasive surgery. There is an advantage of minimizing the carbonization behavior of the tissue due to the vibrational energy transfer system of the transducer by applying a piezoelectric ceramic. However, the vibrational energy transfer system has a pitfall in energy consumption. When the movement of the forceps is interrupted by the tissue, the horn which transfers the vibrational energy of the transducer will be affected. A study was performed to recognize different tissues by measuring the impedance of the transducer of the ultrasonic shears in order to find the factor of energy consumption according to the tissue. In the first stage of the study, the voltage and current of the transducer connecting portion were measured, along with the phase changes. Subsequently, in the second stage, the impedance of the transducer was directly measured. In the final stage, using the handpiece, we grasped the tissue and observed the impedance differences appeared in the transducer To verify the proposed tissue distinguishing method, we used the handpiece to apply a force between 5N and 10N to pork while increasing the value of the impedance of the transducer from 400 ${\Omega}$.. It was found that fat and skin tissue, tendon, liver and protein all have different impedance values of 420 ${\Omega}$, 490 ${\Omega}$, 530 ${\Omega}$, and 580 ${\Omega}$, respectively. Thus, the impedance value can be used to distinguish the type of tissues grasped by the forceps. In the future study, this relationship will be used to improve the energy efficiency of ultrasonic shears.