Surgical stapling apparatus and method
First Claim
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1. A method of adjusting a staple gap in a surgical stapling apparatus comprising the steps of:
- inserting a gauging element into a staple gap defined between the forward portions of a respective first and second jaw structure, the first and second jaw structures being operably coupled to one another;
adjusting the size of the staple gap by manipulating a gap adjustment member disposed between the first and second jaw structures to approximate the size of the staple gap to the size of the gauging element; and
locking the gap adjustment member into position.
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Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to staple-gap adjustment members for use in surgical stapling apparatus and methods. A gap adjustment member includes one or more bearing portions sharing a common rotational axis and one or more cam surface portions having a periphery with at least two different points along the periphery, with each point along the periphery having a different radius from the rotational axis. The one or more cam surface portions can have a central axis parallel to and spaced a distance from the rotational axis of the one or more bearing portions.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A method of adjusting a staple gap in a surgical stapling apparatus comprising the steps of:
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inserting a gauging element into a staple gap defined between the forward portions of a respective first and second jaw structure, the first and second jaw structures being operably coupled to one another;
adjusting the size of the staple gap by manipulating a gap adjustment member disposed between the first and second jaw structures to approximate the size of the staple gap to the size of the gauging element; and
locking the gap adjustment member into position. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A method of adjusting a staple gap in a surgical stapling apparatus comprising the steps of:
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providing a surgical stapling apparatus having a pair of jaw structures operably coupled with one another, the pair of jaw structures defining a staple gap between opposed distal surfaces thereof;
providing a gap adjustment member between the pair of jaw structures, the gap adjustment member including one or more bearing portions sharing a common rotational axis and one or more cam surface portions having a periphery with at least two different points along the periphery, with each point along the periphery having a different radius from the rotational axis;
inserting a gauging element into the staple gap;
manipulating the gap adjustment member in order to adjust the size of the staple gap; and
locking the gap adjustment member into position. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5)
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6. A method of adjusting a staple gap in a surgical stapling apparatus, comprising:
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providing a surgical stapling apparatus having a jaw structure with an anvil receiving portion and a jaw structure with a cartridge receiving portion, the jaw structures being operatively couplable to one another to provide a staple gap between a respective forward portion of the anvil and cartridge receiving portions, one of the jaw structures having a pair of mounting members thereon for mounting the other of the jaw structures thereon;
positioning a gap adjustment member on the mounting members between the jaw structures to provide a desired gap between the forward portions of the anvil and cartridge receiving portions; and
locking the gap adjustment member to the mounting members to provide the desired staple gap. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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Specification