SURGICAL CLIP APPLIER METHODS

• US 20080027465A1
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• 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: Koch, Robert, Davison, Mark, Huitema, Thomas, Vitali, Dario, Bertke, Brian, Molitor, Nicholas, Fuchs, Richard, Larson, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,753,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/143
• 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 17/122 Clamps or clips , e.g. for the umbilical cord for the vas deferens A61F6/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/128 for applying or removing clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/032 pressure limiting, e.g. hydrostatic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/034 abutting on parts of the device itself

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 method for advancing a surgical clip through an elongate shaft of a surgical clip applier, comprising:

distally advancing a feed bar within an elongate shaft of a surgical clip applier to drive a distal-most clip disposed within the elongate shaft into a jaw assembly, and to distally drive a feeder shoe disposed within the elongate shaft and thereby distally advance at least one additional surgical clip disposed within the elongate shaft.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the feed bar initiates advancement of the distal-most clip prior to initiating advancement of the feeder shoe.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising proximally retracting the feed bar within the elongate shaft while the feeder shoe is maintained in a substantially fixed position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of distally advancing the feed bar includes actuating a trigger coupled to a housing mated to a proximal end of the elongate shaft.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a distal end of the feed bar includes an advancer for engaging and advancing the distal-most clip into the jaw assembly.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the feeder shoe is slidably disposed within a clip track that is adapted to seat a plurality of surgical clips.