DE102021106537A1 - Electrosurgical system, electrosurgical controller, electrosurgical instrument and method of operating an electrosurgical system - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrosurgical system is presented, comprising an electrosurgical control unit (2) and at least one electrosurgical instrument (3, 4) which can be connected to the electrosurgical control unit (2), the connection being made by two connecting elements (29, 30, 31, 32) can be produced, one of which is attached to the instrument and another to the control unit. The system is characterized in that the first of the two connecting elements (29, 30) is equipped with at least one permanent magnet (51), and the second of the two connecting elements (31, 32) is equipped with at least one sensor (53), which is arranged in such a way that it can register the at least one permanent magnet (51) arranged in the first connecting element (29, 30), and the electrosurgical control unit (2) is set up to make settings affecting the operation of the electrosurgical system at least in part on the basis of the sensor information of the sensors (53) arranged in the second connecting element (31, 32). Furthermore, an electrosurgical control unit, an electrosurgical instrument and a method for operating an electrosurgical system are presented.

Description

The invention relates to an electrosurgical system comprising an electrosurgical control unit and at least one electrosurgical instrument which can be connected to the electrosurgical control unit, the connection being established by two connecting elements, one of which is attached to the instrument and another to the control unit. Furthermore, the invention relates to an electrosurgical control device and an electrosurgical instrument of a corresponding electrosurgical system and a method for operating an electrosurgical system.

Electrosurgical systems are widely used in surgery and are used to produce different therapeutic effects. In electrosurgery in the narrower sense, the tissue to be treated is exposed directly to electrical currents, which are usually high-frequency alternating currents, using an electrosurgical instrument.

Systems are also known in which a tissue to be treated is additionally or exclusively exposed to an ultrasonic sonotrode. Here there is usually a transducer in the instrument to be used, which converts an electrical signal provided by a control unit in the form of an ultrasonic generator into ultrasonic vibrations of the sonotrode. Such ultrasonic systems are also regarded as electrosurgical systems within the meaning of the invention.

In order to be able to produce the different therapeutic effects in a targeted manner, various electrosurgical instruments are used. These can be selected by the treating doctor in terms of their dimensions or their functional equipment according to the desired effect. In addition, the currents and voltages used are coordinated in this regard. Such therapeutic effects can be, for example, coagulation or cutting of the tissue.

During a therapeutic procedure, different types of electrosurgical instruments can be operated alternately or in parallel on an electrosurgical control unit. This applies the set electrical therapy signal to the selected electrosurgical instrument in the application.

It is desired that the control device is compatible with a large number of instruments, so that it must therefore be able to provide different types of therapy currents and different current and voltage intensities. However, not every therapy current that can be output by the control unit is compatible with every selectable instrument. Since the instruments are only approved for a specific operating range, and in order not to endanger the health of the patient or the treating doctor, it must be ensured that the instrument is controlled by the control unit only using safe operating parameters.

In order to achieve this, an instrument recognition is carried out by the control unit, whereby it is determined which type of instrument is connected. The operating range within which the operating parameters can be adjusted is then limited by the controller to the extent permitted for the specific instrument. For this purpose, valid operating parameters for known instrument types can be stored in a memory area of the control device. Alternatively, the permissible operating parameters can be transmitted directly to the control unit by the instrument in the instrument recognition.

For this purpose, it is known that the instrument is equipped with a chip that can transmit information characterizing the instrument or permissible operating parameters to the control unit by cable as soon as the instrument is connected to the control unit via its supply line. There are also solutions in which such data is transmitted contact-free using an RFID tag. For this purpose, such an RFID tag can be arranged, for example, on the hand-held device or also in the instrument connector.

These variants have the disadvantage of being susceptible to damage during the radiation sterilization that is typically carried out on such instruments. However, versions of wired chips or contactless RFID tags that are resistant to gamma rays are only available from a few suppliers. This leads to high unit costs for the components and a lack of alternatives.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an electrosurgical system which is improved with regard to the problems described.

This object is achieved by an electrosurgical system comprising an electrosurgical control unit and at least one electrosurgical instrument which can be connected to the electrosurgical control unit, the connection being established by two connecting elements, one of which is a control unit side and another is attached to the instrument side, the electrosurgical system being characterized in that the first of the two connecting elements is equipped with at least one permanent magnet, the second of the two connecting elements is equipped with at least one sensor, which is arranged in such a way that it detects the im the at least one permanent magnet arranged in the first connecting element can register, and the electrosurgical control device is set up to make settings affecting the operation of the electrosurgical system at least in part on the basis of the sensor information from the sensors arranged in the second connecting element.

The system according to the invention has the advantage that the permanent magnet used is insensitive to gamma radiation. The instrument recognition is thus significantly more robust than the solutions known from the prior art. The sensor can be a reed sensor or a Hall sensor, for example.

The first of the two connecting elements is preferably but not necessarily arranged on the instrument side and the second connecting element is correspondingly arranged on the control unit side.

The electrosurgical control device can be set up, for example, to make a specific setting if the sensor in the second connection element registers a corresponding permanent magnet in the first connection element. The control unit can also be set up to make such a setting if the permanent magnet is not registered. In addition, the control unit can also make the settings partly on the basis of additional information. Such information can be derived, for example, from the type of plug connection selected. Alternatively or additionally, information can be transmitted via a data connection between the instrument and the control device.

In a possible development, the second connecting element can be equipped with two or more sensors which are arranged in such a way that at least one of these sensors can register the at least one permanent magnet arranged in the first connecting element.

In this case, the position at which a permanent magnet is mounted in the first connection element can indicate that certain adjustments are to be made, which differ from adjustments that a permanent magnet in a different position would have indicated. As a result of this characteristic, the control unit can make settings that are adapted to different instruments or different groups of instruments. This characteristic thus gives the control unit the possibility of continuing to be compatible with different instruments or instruments from different generations of development.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the first connecting element can be designed with two or more permanent magnets. These permanent magnets are preferably located at positions where they can be registered by sensors in the second connecting element.

Such an arrangement of several permanent magnets creates more possibilities for reading information about the sensors arranged in the second connecting element. For example, by combining the information from multiple sensor signals, conclusions can be drawn about settings to be made. For example, an instrument connector equipped with several permanent magnets can also be used on different control units if the position of the sensors on the control units should have changed due to the design or generation and the first connecting element should be arranged on the instrument side. Conversely, different types or generations of instruments can be operated on one control unit if the position of the sensors on the instruments should be different and the first connecting element should be arranged on the control unit side. In addition to the information which is valid per se and which is obtained from a first sensor position, there may also be additional information from other sensor positions that is independent of the information from the first sensor position. The information content can then be used individually or in combination to make operationally relevant settings.

In an additional development, the at least one sensor arranged in the second connecting element can be set up to determine a polarity of the at least one permanent magnet.

In the context of the present invention, “polarity” refers to an orientation of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet in relation to the sensor, for example whether a magnetic north pole or a magnetic south pole is facing the sensor.

Taking into account the orientation of the permanent magnets and thus the signals detectable by the sensors in turn increases the possible information content that can be transmitted via the system presented here. As a result, more different settings or sets of settings of the electrosurgical system can be maintained. Likewise, the number of mutually compatible instruments and/or control units can also be increased.

A further embodiment of the invention provides that the electrosurgical system can determine compatibility between the electrosurgical instrument and the electrosurgical control unit at least partly on the basis of the sensor information from the sensors arranged in the second connecting element.

The compatibility of an electrosurgical instrument with the electrosurgical control unit is understood to mean that at least part of the entire range of functions of the electrosurgical instrument can be operated by the electrosurgical control unit. Determining compatibility also means determining those parts of the entire range of functions of the electrosurgical instrument that can be operated with the control device. Specifically, it can be determined whether the operation of all or individual functions of the entire range of functions of the instrument can be carried out by the present combination of control unit and instrument or not.

In this case, the information content derived on the basis of the sensor information can contain, for example, an identifier that identifies the connected instrument or identifies the control units that are permitted for operating the instrument. Procedures that can be carried out using the instrument can also be derived from the sensor information.

In a further preferred embodiment, the electrosurgical control device can be set up to enable or restrict the operation of one or more functions of the electrosurgical instrument, at least in part on the basis of the sensor information from the sensors arranged in the second connecting element.

This preferably includes determining the compatibility of all or individual functions of the instrument with the control unit to which it is connected. This can be done, for example, based on the sensor information set out above. Preventing the operation of all or individual functions of the entire functional scope of the instrument or enabling the executable functions can improve the operational safety and/or increase the longevity of the equipment used.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the electrosurgical control unit can be set up to define operating parameters for the operation of the electrosurgical instrument at least in part on the basis of the sensor information from the sensors arranged in the second connecting element.

The operating parameters can be understood to mean, for example, the type of therapy current or a specific configuration of the same, such as different current and voltage intensities. The sensor information can contain instructions with regard to one or also with regard to several parameters to be set. Based on the sensor information, the control unit can, for example, directly set the respective operating parameter specifically. Likewise, the control unit can define the limits of a range within which the operating parameter can be set manually.

In a particular embodiment, the invention can provide that the arrangement of at least one of the one or more permanent magnets at a specific position in the first connecting element contains information about a specific operating parameter and that the electrosurgical control device is set up to set the operating parameter accordingly.

According to this embodiment, a single item of operationally relevant information can be read out and set independently of any other magnets or sensor information that may be present. For example, a parameter for specifying the therapy current or the information for determining monopolar or bipolar operation can be viewed separately. Further information can be processed in other magnet positions according to other schemes. This further information can be read in addition to the fixed position information or it can contain further specifying information. It is also possible that an older-type instrument only has the information at a fixed position or can read it out, while a newer instrument expands the functionality of the invention to other additional positions or sensors.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, a spatial arrangement of at least part of the permanent magnets arranged in the first connecting element can represent a code and the electrosurgical control The device may be set up to retrieve settings affecting the operation of the electrosurgical system from a database based on this code and to make the retrieved settings accordingly.

In this embodiment, the spatial arrangement of the permanent magnets indicates a specific entry in a database. In the event that the polarity of the magnets is not determined, the permanent magnets refer to the associated entry according to a binary code, a bar code or a Morse code with a variable or fixed length. In this case, the coding is formed by the presence or absence of magnets at an intended set of magnet positions. If the polarity of the permanent magnet is also taken into account, the arrangement refers to an associated database entry according to a sequence of digits, which can be formed from three different digits, for example a ternary code, of a variable or fixed length. With the latter variant, it is thus possible to refer to more entries in the database with the same number of magnet positions. Alternatively, for an identical number of database entries, a shorter coding sequence can be used from the outset than is the case when polarity is not taken into account.

The entries in the database can then in turn contain operating parameters required for the operation of the instrument. The entries can also contain additional information, for example the connected instrument can be identified. The entries in the database can also differ from one another and the information stored in the entries can be operating parameters, for example, which are of an instrument type-specific nature. The entries in the database can relate to the specific instrument or to the instrument type. The controller may also be configured to add and/or edit entries in the database based on the code. This allows entries to be created for a specific instrument, in which operating information such as operating time, number of uses or last used operating parameters can be stored. This can then be available again as information affecting the operation of the electrosurgical system the next time it is used.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by an electrosurgical control unit according to the above statements.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by an electrosurgical instrument according to the above statements.

With regard to the advantages and effects that can be achieved in this way, reference is made to the above statements.

The object is achieved according to a fourth aspect of the invention by a method for operating an electrosurgical system, according to the above statements with the steps: establishing a connection of the at least one electrosurgical instrument with the electrosurgical control unit by connecting the two connecting elements, registering at least one in the first permanent magnet arranged in the connecting element by at least one sensor arranged in the second connecting element, making settings affecting the operation of the electrosurgical system at least in part on the basis of the sensor information of the at least one sensor arranged in the second connecting element.

Insofar as these are not explicitly listed here, reference is made to the advantages and effects achieved in the above statements.

According to one possible embodiment of the invention, after a connection has been established, the following steps can also be performed: Determining the compatibility of the electrosurgical instrument with the electrosurgical control unit at least in part based on the sensor information of the at least one sensor arranged in the second connecting element by the electrosurgical control unit and enabling or restricting the operation of one or more functions of the electrosurgical instrument.

With this further development, the operational safety can be improved and/or the longevity of the equipment used can be increased. For example, functions will not be carried out for which the instrument or the control unit has not been approved and which could therefore endanger the safety or health of the patient and/or the attending physician. The operating parameters can be understood to mean, for example, the type of therapy current or a specific configuration of the same, such as different current and voltage intensities. The sensor information can contain instructions with regard to a specific parameter or also with regard to several parameters to be set. Based on the sensor information, the control device can, for example, directly set the operating current specifically. Alternatively, the controller limits the range within which can be used to set the operating parameters manually.

In a further embodiment of the method, operating parameters can be derived at least in part on the basis of the sensor information from the at least one sensor arranged in the second connecting element, with the arrangement of at least one of the one or more permanent magnets at a specific position in the first connecting element being assigned information about a specific operating parameter and the corresponding adjustment of operating parameters is performed by the electrosurgical controller.

In a preferred variant of the method, operating parameters of the electrosurgical system can be derived at least in part on the basis of the sensor information from the at least one sensor arranged in the second connecting element, based on a code formed by the spatial arrangement of at least some of the permanent magnets arranged in the first connecting element is, operating parameters are retrieved from a database and the corresponding setting of operating parameters is made by the electrosurgical control unit.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary drawings. The exemplary embodiments presented below are only intended to contribute to a better understanding of the invention, without restricting it.

• 1: ein elektrochirurgisches System;
• 2: ein erstes und ein zweites Verbindungselement eines elektrochirurgischen Systems;
• 3: ein Magnet, welcher in einem ersten Verbindungselement angeordnet ist;
• 4: ein Verfahren zum Vornehmen von Einstellungen eines elektrochirurgischen Systems;
• 5: ein weiteres Verfahren zum Vornehmen von Einstellungen eines elektrochirurgischen Systems.

Show it:

• 1 : an electrosurgical system;
• 2 : a first and a second connector of an electrosurgical system;
• 3 : a magnet arranged in a first connecting member;
• 4 : a method of making adjustments to an electrosurgical system;
• 5 : Another method of making adjustments to an electrosurgical system.

In 1 an electrosurgical system 1 is shown. This comprises an electrosurgical control unit 2 and electrosurgical instruments 3, 4. The electrosurgical control unit 2 is designed here as an electrosurgical generator, for example. In this example, two electrosurgical instruments 3, 4 are shown.

The two electrosurgical instruments 3, 4 are each connected to the electrosurgical control unit 2 by means of a group of connecting elements 5, 6.

The electrosurgical control unit 2 has a housing 11 in or on which functional elements are arranged. A controller 12 of the electrical control device 2 takes over and monitors the supply of the electrosurgical instruments 3, 4 with a therapy current. For this purpose, the controller 12 adapts the operating parameters of the therapy current accordingly. The operating parameters for setting the therapy current can also be adjusted manually via configuration elements 13 on the electrosurgical control unit.

In this example, the first electrosurgical instrument 3 is designed as a monopolar electrosurgical scalpel. It comprises a main body 15, which can serve as a handle, and an elongate shaft 16, at the distal end of which an electrode 17 is arranged.

The second electrosurgical instrument 4 is shown as a bipolar electrosurgical coagulation forceps. It also includes a main body 19 and an elongated shaft 20. Unlike the first electrosurgical instrument 3, the second electrosurgical instrument 4 has a forceps mouth 21 with movable branches 22,23. The branches 22, 23 each carry a treatment electrode 24, 25. Two handle levers 26, 27 are also arranged on the main body 19 and can be moved relative to one another in order to actuate the branches 22, 23.

Electrosurgical instruments of other or identical designs can also be connected to the electrosurgical control device 2 in alternation or simultaneously.

The two groups of connecting elements 5, 6 each consist of a first connecting element 29, 30 and a second connecting element 31, 32. In this example, the first connecting elements 29, 30 are arranged on the side of the electrosurgical instruments 3, 4 and the second connecting elements 32 , 32 are arranged on the electrosurgical controller 2 side.

As shown in the case of the first group of connecting elements 5 , the groups of connecting elements can be in contact with the electrosurgical instrument 3 via a first cable 33 and with the electrosurgical control unit 2 via a second cable 34 . In another embodiment, the group of connecting elements 6 is at least partially integrated into the housing 11 of the electrosurgical control unit 2 and connected to the electrosurgical instrument 4 by a first cable 35 . A group of connecting elements can also be in contact with the housing 11 of the electrosurgical control device 2 from the outside in a manner that is not shown, without being let into it. The group of connecting elements can also be in contact with a main body 15, 19 of the electrosurgical instruments 3, 4 or at least partially embedded in it or structurally linked to an electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 in some other way without a first cable 33 , 35 would be visible.

The electrosurgical instruments 3 , 4 are supplied with the therapy current via the groups of connecting elements 5 , 6 and the first cables 33 , 35 and the second cables 34 . This is made available by the controller 12 of the electrosurgical control device 2 .

the 2 1 shows a group of connecting elements 40 as an example of how the groups of connecting elements 5, 6 can be designed. The group of connecting elements 40 consists of a first connecting element 41 and a second connecting element 42. The first connecting element 41 is shown here with two contact pins 43, while the second connecting element 42 has two contact openings 44.

Both the contact pins 43 and the contact openings 44 have contact surfaces 45, 46 by means of which the therapy current can be transmitted. This is guided with the aid of electrical conductors 47, 48 through a first cable 33, 35 and a second cable 34, respectively. Instead of the first cable 33, 35 or the second cable 34, the first connecting element 41 or the second connecting element 42 can also be in direct contact with the housing 11 of the electrosurgical control device 2 or the main body 15, 19 of an electrosurgical instrument 3, 4. The contact pins 43 can also be arranged on the second connecting element 42 and the contact openings 44 can also be arranged on the first connecting element 41 . The contact surfaces 45, 46 can also be arranged without contact pins 43 and contact openings 44 on the first connecting element 41 and on the second connecting element 42. The therapy current can also be transmitted between the first connecting element 41 and the second connecting element 42 without contact surfaces 45, 46, for example using an inductive or capacitive method.

In the first connecting element 41, magnets 51 are introduced at a plurality of positions 50a to 50e, or magnets 51 can be introduced. In the second connecting member 42, sensors 53 are attached at a plurality of positions 52a to 52e. The sensors 53 are suitable for registering magnets 51 in the first connecting element 41 when the first connecting element 41 is brought into contact with the second connecting element 42 in the intended manner.

In a variant that is not shown, with different generations of first connecting elements 41 and second connecting elements 42, sensors 53 can also be present at such a position 52 for which it is not possible to introduce magnets 51 at a corresponding position 50 in the first connecting element 41. In a further variant, not shown, magnets 51 can be arranged in the first connecting element 41 at such a position 50 for which no sensor 53 is arranged at a corresponding position 52 in the second connecting element 42 .

Magnets 51 can be arranged in the positions 50a to 50e provided for magnets 51 in the first connecting element 41, or one or more of the positions 50a to 50e can remain without a magnet 51. A sensor 53 is set up to register a magnet 51 lying opposite it when the first connecting element 41 and the second connecting element 42 are in an intended position relative to one another. The registration of a magnet 51 of the controller 12 of the electrosurgical control unit 2 is indicated via a line 55 . If no magnet 51 is arranged in a position 50, a sensor 53 cannot register a magnetic field. This information also reaches the controller 12 of the electrosurgical control device 2 via a line 55.

The sensors 53 can also be suitable for an in 3 indicated polarity 57 of a magnet 51 in the first connecting element 41 to be determined. Sensors 53 are arranged at positions 52 in the second connecting element 42 for which magnets 51 are expected at a corresponding position 50 in the first connecting element 41 or for which magnets 51 can be introduced. A sensor 53 can also register whether a magnetic north pole 57n or a magnetic south pole 57s is facing it. However, a magnet 51 can also be arranged in a different way in the first connecting element 41 without one of the two poles 57 mentioned being aligned directly on the end face facing the sensor 53 .

The controller 12 of the electrosurgical control device 2 is set up to determine on the basis of one or more sensors 53 ten information affecting the operation of the electrosurgical system 1 settings to make. With regard to the information from a sensor 53 at a position 52a to 52e, the controller 12 can, for example, first determine the design of a connected electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 and derive settings to be made from this. A setting can relate, for example, to an intended type of therapy current or to a specific operating parameter of the same. The controller 12 can directly make a specific adjustment of the operating current. Alternatively, the controller 12 can define the limits of a range within which the operating parameters can be set manually with the aid of the configuration elements 13 . The controller 12 can also determine whether the electrosurgical instrument 3 , 4 is compatible with the electrosurgical control device 2 .

The compatibility of an electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 with the control unit 2 is understood to mean that at least part of the entire range of functions of the electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 can be operated by the electrosurgical control unit 2. The release or restriction of the operation of one or more functions of the electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 can be carried out by the controller 12 accordingly.

It is also possible for several positions of magnets 50 and sensors 53 to be related to one another via a spatial arrangement. In the combined case, the controller 12 of the electrosurgical control device 2 can combine the information from a number of sensors 53 in order, for example, to derive the above-mentioned settings to be made. The magnets 51 can represent a binary code via their spatial arrangement in at least some of the positions 50 if the polarity of the magnets 51 is not determined by the sensors 53 . Likewise, the magnets 51 can represent a ternary code if the polarity of the magnets 51 is determined by the sensors 52 and a distinction is made between two polarities. With other available types of arrangement of the magnets 51 in the first connecting element 41 and the registration of their alignment by sensors 53 in the second connecting element 42, other types of coding can also be conveyed via the arrangement of magnets. The binary code or the ternary code or the further coding can give the controller 12 of the electrosurgical control device 2 an indication of an entry in a database. Settings to be made for the electrosurgical system 1 can then be retrieved from this entry and then made.

In 4 the sequence of a method for making settings of an electrosurgical system 1 is shown.

In a first step 71, the controller 12 of the electrosurgical control unit 2 registers that an electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 has been connected to the electrosurgical control unit 2. This occurs, for example, in that an electrical contact is established by connecting the first connecting element 41 and the second connecting element 42 or a button is actuated.

In a second step 72, the controller 12 determines the manner in which magnets 53 are arranged in the first connecting element 41. For this purpose, the information from the sensors 53 is read out. This can be done, for example, in that the sensors 53 are supplied with electrical energy for the moment of reading and the measurement signal for the controller 12 contains information that can be evaluated as to whether the sensors 53 have magnets 51 opposite them. Optionally, the information can be taken from the measurement signal, which magnetic polarity 57 has the side of the magnets 51 facing the sensors 53 . The sensors 53 can also be microelectromechanical sensors, for example, which evaluate the measurement signal directly and immediately provide the controller 12 with the information as to whether there is a magnet 51 on the opposite side in the first connecting element 41 and, if so, which magnetic polarity 57 that is facing the sensor 53 Side of the magnet 51 has. Alternatively, the arrangement of the magnets 51 in the first connecting element 41 can be determined and transmitted to the controller 12 by any method.

An arrangement of a magnet 51 can mean both the presence of a magnet 51 at a position 50 and the absence of a magnet 51 at a position 50 . An arrangement of a magnet 51 can also be understood to mean its orientation at a position 50 such that a specific magnetic polarity 57 is present on the side of the magnet 51 facing the second connecting element 42 .

In an optional step 73, the controller 12 checks the compatibility of the electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 with the electrosurgical control device 2. This can be done, for example, by the controller 12 requiring a specific arrangement of a magnet 51 at a position 50 to confirm compatibility. The controller 12 can also have a com check the combination of arrangements of several magnets 51 at the positions 50.

The compatibility of an electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 with the control unit 2 is understood to mean that at least part of the entire range of functions of the electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 can be operated by the electrosurgical control unit 2. The compatibility check is also understood to mean determining which parts of the entire range of functions of the electrosurgical instrument 3 , 4 can be operated with the control device 2 .

In step 74 the controller 12 of the electrosurgical control device 2 determines the settings to be made for the operation of the electrosurgical system 1 . The settings to be made are derived from the arrangement of the magnets 51 in the first connecting element 41 . For example, a single setting or a plurality of settings to be made can be derived from the arrangement at a fixed position 50 . Likewise, one or more settings can be derived from a combination of arrangements of several magnets 51 . Such settings can relate, for example, to the type of therapy current or a specific configuration of the same, such as different current and voltage intensities. Based on the sensor information, the controller 12 can, for example, directly derive a specific setting to be made of the respective operating parameter. The controller 12 can also determine the limits of a range within which the operating parameter can be set manually. In addition, the controller 12 can also carry out the determination in part on the basis of further information. For example, the controller 12 can also be set up to combine the information from the connection of a plurality of electrosurgical instruments 3, 4. A combination of the connection of, for example, a monopolar electrosurgical instrument with a further element, for example an external neutral electrode, both of which are set up to be connected to the electrosurgical control unit 2 via a group of connecting elements 40 described above, can thus be used to create more settings overall be derived than the purpose or effect of connecting one of the electrosurgical instruments mentioned by way of example alone.

The controller 12 can also determine whether to enable or disable the operation of all or individual functions of the entire functional scope of the instrument. This is made possible in particular by checking the compatibility of the connected electrosurgical instrument 3 , 4 with the electrosurgical control unit 2 in step 73 . It is also possible to enable or prevent the operation of all or individual functions solely from the arrangement of a single magnet 51 or from the combination of the arrangement of several magnets 51 or from the combination of the connection of several instruments, they are each set up via a group of connecting elements described above 40 to be connected to the electrosurgical control unit 2 can be decided.

In step 75, the settings determined in step 74 are made by the controller 12 and/or individual functions of the electrosurgical system 1 are enabled or disabled and/or the therapy current is made available for the electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 if necessary.

In 5 the sequence of a further method for making settings of an electrosurgical system 1 is shown. In step 81, analogously to step 71 of the method explained above, the connection of an electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 is registered. 4 are arranged.

In step 83, a database is accessed. The arrangement of magnets 51 in the first connecting element 41 determined in step 82 is used at least in part. An arrangement of a magnet 51 can mean both the presence of a magnet 51 at a position 50 and the absence of a magnet 51 at a position 50 . An arrangement of a magnet 51 can also be understood to mean its orientation at a position 50 such that a specific magnetic polarity 57 is present on the side of the magnet 51 facing the second connecting element 42 . Thus, from the spatial arrangement of a plurality of magnets 51, a code can be present according to a binary code or a ternary code or according to the scheme of another code. This code indicates which database entry to call.

The database entry can contain information on the connected electrosurgical instrument 3, 4 and on settings to be made. Regarding the design of the possible settings to be made, reference is made to the explanations presented above.

In step 84 the settings retrieved in step 83 are made. This takes place analogously to step 75 of the method outlined above.

Claims (15)

Electrosurgical system, comprising - an electrosurgical control unit (2), and - at least one electrosurgical instrument (3, 4) which can be connected to the electrosurgical control unit (2), the connection being made by two connecting elements (29, 30, 31, 32) can be produced, one of which is attached to the instrument and another to the control unit, characterized in that - the first of the two connecting elements (29, 30) is equipped with at least one permanent magnet (51), and - the second of the two connecting elements (31, 32 ) is equipped with at least one sensor (53), which is arranged in such a way that it can register the at least one permanent magnet (51) arranged in the first connecting element (29, 30), and - the electrosurgical control unit (2) is set up to adjustments affecting the operation of the electrosurgical system based at least in part on the sensor information of the sensors (53) arranged in the second connecting element (31, 32). Electrosurgical system after claim 1 , characterized in that the second connecting element (31, 32) is equipped with two or more sensors (53) which are arranged in such a way that at least one of these sensors (53) can register the at least one permanent magnet (51) arranged in the first connecting element . Electrosurgical system after claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the first connecting element (29, 30) is equipped with two or more permanent magnets (51). Electrosurgical system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one sensor (53) arranged in the second connecting element (31, 32) is set up to determine a polarity of the at least one permanent magnet (57). Electrosurgical system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the electrosurgical control unit (2) is set up to determine compatibility between the electrosurgical instrument ( 3, 4) and the electrosurgical control unit (2). Electrosurgical system after claim 5 , characterized in that the electrosurgical control unit (2) is set up to release the operation of one or more functions of the electrosurgical instrument (3, 4), at least in part on the basis of the sensor information from the sensors (53) arranged in the second connecting element (31, 32). or restrict. Electrosurgical system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrosurgical control unit (2) is set up, at least in part on the basis of the sensor information from the sensors (53) arranged in the second connecting element (31, 32), operating parameters for the operation of the electrosurgical instrument ( 3, 4). Electrosurgical system after claim 7 , characterized in that - the arrangement of at least one of the one or more permanent magnets (51) at a specific position in the first connecting element (29, 30) contains information about a specific operating parameter and - the electrosurgical control unit (2) is set up in accordance with the operating parameters set. Electrosurgical system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - a spatial arrangement of at least some of the permanent magnets (51) arranged in the first connecting element (29, 30) represents a code and - the electrosurgical control unit (2) is set up on the basis of the Codes to retrieve settings affecting the operation of the electrosurgical system from a database and make them accordingly. Electrosurgical control unit of an electrosurgical system according to one of Claims 1 until 9 . Electrosurgical instrument of an electrosurgical system according to any one of Claims 1 until 9 . Method for operating an electrosurgical system according to one of Claims 1 until 9 with the steps: - Establishing a connection of the at least one electrosurgical instrument (3, 4) with the electrosurgical control unit (2) by connecting the two connecting elements (29, 30, 31, 32), - registering at least one permanent magnet (51) arranged in the first connecting element (29, 30) by at least one sensor (53) arranged in the second connecting element (31, 32), - making settings affecting the operation of the electrosurgical system at least based in part on the sensor information of the at least one sensor (53) arranged in the second connection element (31, 32). procedure after claim 12 , characterized in that after a connection has been established, the following additional steps take place: - determining the compatibility of the electrosurgical instrument (3, 4) with the electrosurgical control unit (2) at least in part on the basis of the sensor information in the second connecting element (31, 32). at least one sensor (53) by the electrosurgical controller (2); and - Enabling or restricting the operation of one or more functions of the electrosurgical instrument (3, 4). procedure after claim 12 or 13 , characterized in that - operating parameters are derived at least partly on the basis of the sensor information of the at least one sensor (53) arranged in the second connecting element (31, 32), wherein - the arrangement of at least one of the one or more permanent magnets (51) on a specific Position in the first connection element (29, 30) is associated with information about a specific operating parameter; and - the corresponding setting of operating parameters is carried out by the electrosurgical control unit (2). Procedure according to one of Claims 12 until 14 , characterized in that - operating parameters of the electrosurgical system are derived at least partly on the basis of the sensor information of the at least one sensor (51) arranged in the second connecting element (31, 32), wherein - on the basis of a code which, due to the spatial arrangement, contains at least one part of the permanent magnets (51) arranged in the first connecting element (29, 30), operating parameters are retrieved from a database and - the corresponding setting of operating parameters is carried out by the electrosurgical control unit (2).

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