Apparatus for supplying surgical staple line reinforcement

• US 20090095791A1
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates (W.L. Gore & Associates)
• Original Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates (W.L. Gore & Associates)
• Inventors: DiPietro, Joseph J. JR., Winterling, Michael, Russell, Mary Jo, Eskaros, Sherif
• Granted Patent: US 8,453,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 227/175.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/072 for applying a row of staples in a single action , e.g. the staples being applied simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/07292 Reinforcements for staple line, e.g. pledgets
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

An apparatus for supplying surgical buttress material to a surgical stapler is provided. The apparatus has a pivotable area for attaching surgical buttress material. The apparatus may also have an adhesive and a release liner disposed over the buttress material.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a body having a first portion and a second portion;

said first portion being pivotable to said second portion; and

a surgical buttress material disposed over said first portion and secured to said second portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a touch-up pad attached to said second portion of said body.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a securement for temporarily fixing a surgical buttress material to said second portion of said body.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising an adhesive disposed over said surgical buttress material.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 further comprising a release liner disposed over said adhesive.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the buttress material is a synthetic buttress material.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the synthetic buttress material is bioabsorbable.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the adhesive is preapplied in an essentially uniform layer over the surgical buttress material.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the buttress material is less than 0.5 millimeter thick.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a body having a first portion and a second portion;

said first portion being pivotable to said second portion;

a surgical buttress material disposed over said first portion and secured to said second portion;

wherein said body has a first side and a second side and is configured to be reversible with respect to said first and second sides.

12. An apparatus comprising a body having a synthetic buttress material attached to a portion of said body, a pressure sensitive adhesive uniformly distributed over the surgical buttress material with respect to said body, a release liner disposed over said pressure sensitive adhesive, the portion of the said body having the buttress material thereon and being pivotable with respect to the remainder of said body, wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive is of a form suitable for use upon removal of said release liner.

13. A kit comprising:

a) an apparatus;

said apparatus comprising a body having a first portion and a second portion;

said first portion being pivotable to said second portion;

b) a surgical buttress material disposed over said first portion and secured to said second portion;

c) a surgical stapler;

d) instructions for releasably affixing said buttress material on said surgical stapler.

14. The kit of claim 13 further comprising a touch-up pad.

15. A method for releasably affixing surgical buttress material to a surgical stapler comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining an apparatus;

said apparatus comprising a body having a first portion and a second portion;

said first portion being pivotable to said second portion; and

wherein said first portion has a buttress material thereon;

b) inserting the apparatus between open stapler arms;

c) orienting the stapler arms so that the buttress material is in position to be applied to the arms of the stapler upon contact there between;

d) closing stapler arms upon the buttress material

e) moving the pivotable region of the body away from the plane of the remainder of the body

f) opening the stapler arms; and

g) removing the body of the apparatus from contact with the stapler arms.

16. A method for releasably affixing surgical buttress material to a surgical stapler comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining an apparatus;

said apparatus comprising a body having a first portion and a second portion;

said first portion being pivotable to said second portion; and

wherein said first portion has a buttress material thereon;

b) inserting the apparatus between open stapler arms;

c) orienting the stapler arms so that the buttress material is in position to be applied to the arms of the stapler upon contact there between;

d) removing a release liner from the apparatus to expose a ready to use pressure sensitive adhesive on the outermost surface of the buttress material;

e) closing the stapler arms upon the buttress material;

f) moving the pivotable region of the body away from the plane of the remainder of the body

g) opening the stapler arms; and

h) removing the body of the apparatus from contact with the stapler arms so that the buttress material is adhered onto the stapler arms.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a body having a first portion and a second portion;

said first portion being pivotable to said second portion;

a touch up pad; and

a surgical buttress material disposed over said first portion and secured to said second portion.