CLIP ADVANCER MECHANISM WITH ALIGNMENT FEATURES

• US 20060235444A1
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• 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 H., Molitor, Nicholas G., Fuchs, Richard P., Koch, Robert L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,523,882 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 2090/032 pressure limiting, e.g. hydrostatic

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 a 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. The surgical clip applier can include a variety of features to facilitate use of the device, including features to align a clip with the jaws, features to prevent unintentional migration of a clip, and features to prevent clip fallout during formation.

Claims

1. A surgical clip applier, comprising:

a shaft having proximal and distal ends;

opposed jaws formed on the distal end of the shaft; and

a guide member coupled to the jaws and having an alignment mechanism formed thereon and adapted to guide a clip into the opposed jaws and to maintain the clip in alignment with the opposed jaws as opposed legs of the clip are closed.

2. The surgical clip applier of claim 1, wherein the alignment mechanism is adapted to abut against an inferior surface of a clip being formed between the opposed jaws to prevent the clip from pivoting vertically.

3. The surgical clip applier of claim 1, wherein the guide member comprises a tissue stop having a distal end with a recess formed therein for seating a vessel.

4. The surgical clip applier of claim 3, wherein the alignment mechanism comprises a ramped member protruding from a superior surface of the tissue stop.

5. The surgical clip applier of claim 4, wherein the ramped member increases in height from a proximal end to a distal end of the tissue stop.

6. The surgical clip applier of claim 1, further comprising an advancer movably coupled to the shaft and adapted to advance a clip over the alignment mechanism on the guide member to position the clip between the opposed jaws.

7. A surgical clip applier, comprising:

a shaft;

opposed jaws formed on a distal end of the shaft and adapted to close together to approximate tissues to be clipped;

a clip advancing assembly movably coupled to the shaft and adapted to advance a clip into the opposed jaws; and

an advancer guide disposed just proximal to the opposed jaws and adapted to guide a clip being advanced by the clip advancing assembly into the opposed jaws.

8. The surgical clip applier of claim 7, wherein the advancer guide is adapted to align the clip with the opposed jaws.

9. The surgical clip applier of claim 7, wherein the advancer guide is formed on a tissue stop coupled to the opposed jaws.

10. The surgical clip applier of claim 9, wherein the tissue stop includes a recess formed in a distal tip thereof and adapted to receive tissue therein.

11. The surgical clip applier of claim 9, wherein the advancer guide comprises a ramped member protruding above a proximal surface of the tissue stop.

12. An improved endoscopic surgical clip applier having jaws which close together to approximate tissues to be clipped and a clip advancing assembly adapted to sequentially advance a plurality of clips into the jaws, the improvement comprising:

a ramped guide member positioned just proximal to the opposed jaws and adapted to align and guide a clip being advanced by the clip advancing assembly into the opposed jaws, and to prevent vertical movement of the clip as the clip is being formed between the opposed jaws.

13. The surgical clip applier of claim 12, wherein the ramped guide member is formed on a tissue stop coupled to the opposed jaws, the tissue stop including a distal tip adapted to receive tissue therein to align the jaws with tissue to be clipped.

14. The surgical clip applier of claim 12, wherein the ramped guide member increases in height from a proximal end to a distal end thereof.

15. The surgical clip applier of claim 12, wherein the ramped guide member has a maximum height of about 0.025″

.

16. The surgical clip applier of claim 12, wherein the ramped guide member is inclined at an angle in the range of about 5°

to 45°

.