SURGICAL CLIP APPLIER RATCHET MECHANISM

• US 20060235440A1
• Filed: 04/14/2005
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Huitema, Thomas W., Koch, Robert L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,686,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/142
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/10 for applying or removing wound clamps, e.g. containing only one clamp or staple A61B17/076 takes precedence; containing multiple wound clamps A61B17/068; Wound clamp magazines containers, packaging elements or packages specially adapted for particular articles or with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00, B65D85/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00407 Ratchet means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2923 Toothed members, e.g. rack and pinion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/032 pressure limiting, e.g. hydrostatic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0811 for the position of a particular part of an instrument with respect to the rest of the instrument, e.g. position of the anvil of a stapling instrument
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 227/901 Surgical clip appliers

Abstract

A surgical clip applier and methods for applying surgical clips to a vessel, duct, shunt, etc., during a surgical procedure are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a surgical clip applier is provided having a housing with a trigger movably coupled thereto and an elongate shaft extending therefrom with opposed jaws formed on a distal end thereof. The trigger is adapted to advance a clip to position the clip between the jaws, and to move the jaws from an open position to a closed position to crimp the clip positioned therebetween.

Claims

1. A surgical clip applier, comprising:

a handle housing having a trigger movable in a first direction from an open position to a closed position, and a second direction from the closed position to the open position, the trigger including a partially closed position located between the open and closed positions;

an elongate shaft extending from the handle housing and having opposed jaws formed at a distal end thereof, the trigger being effective to move the opposed jaws between an open position and a closed position; and

a trigger control mechanism disposed within the handle housing and adapted to limit movement of the trigger to the first direction when the trigger is positioned between the open position and the partially closed position, and adapted to allow free movement of the trigger in the first and second directions between the partially closed position and the closed position.

2. The surgical clip applier of claim 1, wherein the trigger control mechanism comprises a ratchet mechanism.

3. The surgical clip applier of claim 2, wherein the ratchet mechanism includes a series of teeth formed on a trigger insert pivotally disposed within the handle housing, and a pawl rotatably disposed within the handle housing and adapted to engage the series of teeth formed on the ratchet.

4. The surgical clip applier 3, wherein the series of teeth comprises a first set of teeth adapted to limit movement of the trigger to the first direction when the trigger is positioned between the open position and the partially closed position, and an end tooth adapted to allow free movement of the trigger in the first and second directions when the trigger is positioned between the partially closed position and the closed position.

5. The surgical clip applier of claim 4, wherein the first set of teeth are adapted to prevent rotation of the pawl relative thereto, and the end tooth is adapted to allow rotation of the pawl relative thereto.

6. The surgical clip applier of claim 4, wherein the first set of teeth have a size that is less than a size of the end tooth.

7. The surgical clip applier of claim 4, wherein an audible sound is emitted upon engagement of the pawl and the first set of teeth, and wherein a different audible sound is emitted upon engagement of the pawl and the end tooth.

8. A ratchet mechanism for controlling movement of a trigger on a surgical clip applier, the ratchet mechanism comprising:

a pawl rotatably disposed within a handle housing; and

a trigger insert pivotally disposed within the handle housing and coupled to a trigger, the trigger insert including a first set of teeth adapted to ensure a full range of motion of the trigger from an open position to a partially closed position when the first set of teeth are engaged by the pawl, and an end tooth adapted to allow free movement of the trigger between the partially closed position and the fully closed position when the end tooth is engaged by the pawl.

9. The ratchet mechanism of claim 8, wherein the first set of teeth are adapted to limit rotation of the pawl relative thereto, and wherein the end tooth is adapted to allow free rotation of the pawl relative thereto.

10. The ratchet mechanism of claim 8, wherein the first set of teeth have a size that is less than a size of the end tooth.

11. The ratchet mechanism of claim 8, wherein an audible sound is emitted upon engagement of the pawl and the first set of teeth, and wherein a different audible sound is emitted upon engagement of the pawl and the end tooth.

12. A method for applying a surgical clip, comprising:

moving a trigger pivotally coupled to a handle housing in a first direction from an open position to a partially closed position, thereby partially closing a surgical clip positioned between opposed jaws formed on a distal end of a shaft extending from the handle housing; and

selectively moving the trigger from the partially closed position to one of a fully closed position, in which the partially closed surgical clip positioned between the opposed jaws is fully closed, and the open position, in which the partially closed surgical clip positioned between the opposed jaws is released.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the handle housing includes a ratchet mechanism disposed therein and adapted to control movement of the trigger between the open position, the partially closed position, and the fully closed position.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the ratchet mechanism is adapted to limit movement of the trigger to a single direction when the trigger is moved between the open position and the partially closed position.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the ratchet mechanism comprises a pawl rotatably disposed within the handle housing, and a series of teeth formed on a trigger insert pivotally disposed within the handle housing and coupled to the trigger.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the series of teeth comprise a first set of teeth adapted to prevent rotation of the pawl when the pawl is engaged therewith, and an end tooth adapted to allow free rotation of the pawl when the pawl is engaged therewith.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first set of teeth have a size that is less than a size of the end tooth.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein an audible sound is emitted upon engagement of the pawl and the first set of teeth, and wherein a different audible sound is emitted upon engagement of the pawl and the end tooth.