|
Based on the results of the investigation, it is likely the following the following led to the malfunction: 1.Due to grasping thick tissue at the distal end of the grasping section and activating the output in seal and cut mode, the probe and tissue pad came into contact at the rear end of the grasping section, leading to severe wear of the tissue pad.2.Due to wear on the tissue pad, the probe in the non insulated area of the grasping section came into contact with the probe.3.An error occurred and contact marks were produced due to the output activation in seal and cut mode while the non-insulated area of the grasping section was in contact with the probe.4.A force to activate the output in seal &cut mode or a force to grasp tissue was applied to the probe.Therefore, cracks developed at a contact mark causing a ultrasonic level error.A definitive root cause of reported issue could not be determined.A device history review revealed no issues that could have caused or contributed to the reported issue.The instruction manual contains the following descriptions, and it warns against this event.The thunderbeat instrument should be used for soft tissue.Do not activate output while grasping hard tissue such as bone or highly calcified tissue, or hard objects such as metal clips, stapler, other instruments, or forceps, and others.Otherwise, it may cause the probe tip to be scratched or come into direct contact with the metal area of the grasping section as the heat generated by the friction between the hard object and the probe tip could cause wear/deforming/split/protruding/partial separating of the tissue pad.In turn, the probe tip may break before displaying an error window or generating an alarm tone.During output, do not grasp or let the probe tip contact hard objects such as metal clips, stapler, or other instruments.Also, be careful to avoid contacting the probe tip with those accidentally.Particularly during activation, a scratch on the probe tip could occur due to ultrasonic vibration, which leads the probe tip to break and fall off into the body cavity.In addition, the high-frequency (rf bipolar) current flows through the metal and generates spark discharge, which may cause burns and decrease functionalities, which may lead to burns of the tissue by a high-frequency leak current output due to destruction of the insulation structure.Do not activate output in seal & cut mode while the grasping section is closed without contacting tissue or vessel or ensuring that tissue is transected.Otherwise, a local increase of the temperature due to a friction between the probe tip and the grasping section may result in various forms of damage in the probe tip and/or the tissue pad, such as premature wear, breakage, deformation, and/or falling off inside the body cavity and/or partial separating.When cutting and vessel sealing is performed in seal & cut mode, apply light tension on the tissue so that users can confirm that they are transected.Also, stop activation immediately after tissue is transected.Otherwise, the grasping section, the tissue pad, or the probe tip may break and fall off, and partial separating of the tissue pad may occur due to a local increase of temperature caused by the friction between tissue pad and the probe tip during activation.Should additional relevant information become available, a supplemental report will be submitted.Olympus will continue to monitor the field performance of this device.
|