DISPOSABLE LOADING UNIT WITH USER FEEDBACK FEATURES AND SURGICAL INSTRUMENT FOR USE THEREWITH

• US 20090206144A1
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Blair, Gregory B., Smith, Bret W., Ortiz, Mark S., Shelton, Frederick E. IV, Weizman, Patrick A., Hueil, Geoffrey C., Bruewer, Dean B., Kelly, William D., Hoffman, Douglas B., Doll, Kevin R., Scheib, Charles J., Uth, Joshua R., Kolata, Ronald J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,913,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 227/177.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/07207 the staples being applied sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0023 disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00473 Distal part, e.g. tip or head A61B2017/00464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07271 characterised by its cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07278 characterised by its sled or its staple holder
• 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

Abstract

A disposable loading unit for operable attachment to a surgical stapling apparatus. The disposable loading unit may have a spent cartridge indication system for providing an indication of whether the loading unit has been previously fired. Other embodiments are disclosed that employ a blade monitoring system for providing feedback to the user concerning the amount of strain being experienced by the blade during cutting and stapling.

Claims

1. A disposable loading unit for attachment to a surgical stapling apparatus, said disposable loading unit comprising:

a tool assembly comprising;

a carrier;

an anvil assembly movably coupled to said carrier for selective movable travel between open and closed positions relative to said carrier;

a staple cartridge supported in said carrier, said staple cartridge operably supporting a plurality of staples therein; and

an actuator member movably supported within said tool assembly and configured to drive said plurality of staples out of said staple cartridge as said actuator member is driven from a starting position to an end position within said tool assembly;

an axial drive assembly having a distal end portion constructed to move through said tool assembly and drive said actuator member from said starting to end position in response to a drive motion imparted to said axial drive assembly from the surgical stapling apparatus; and

a spent cartridge indication system operably supported in said tool assembly and cooperating with said actuator member to provide an indication when at least some of the staples have been driven out of said staple cartridge.

2. The disposable loading unit of claim 1 wherein said spent cartridge indication system comprises an indicator pin supported within a distal end of said staple cartridge and being movable from a first unfired position to a fired position in response to movement of said actuator member.

3. The disposable loading unit of claim 2 wherein said indicator pin is movably supported within a hole in said distal end of said staple cartridge and wherein when said indicator pin is in said first unfired position, said indicator pin does not protrude out of said hole and when at least some of said staples have been driven out of said staple cartridge, at least a portion of said indicator pin protrudes from said hole.

4. The disposable loading unit of claim 3 wherein said indicator pin is configured to be locked in a protruding position when said actuator member has reached said end position.

5. The disposable loading unit of claim 1 further comprising:

an indicator base movably supported in said tool assembly between a pre-fired position to a fired position in response to movement of said actuator member; and

an indicator pin formed on a distal end of said indicator base and received in a hole in a distal end of said staple cartridge, such that when said indicator base is moved to said fired position, at least a portion of said indicator pin protrudes from said distal end of said staple cartridge.

6. The disposable loading unit of claim 5 wherein said indicator pin is configured to be retained in said protruding orientation relative to said distal end of said staple cartridge when said indicator base has moved to said fired position.

7. The disposable loading unit of claim 6 wherein said indicator pin has a locking cone portion formed thereon configured to be lockingly seated in a portion of said hole in said distal end of said staple cartridge when said indicator base has moved to said fired position.

8. The disposable loading unit of claim 5 further comprising at least one shear stop on said actuator member and configured for driving engagement with said indicator base to impart a driving motion thereto as said actuator member is driven from said starting position to said end position and thereby drive said indicator base from said prefired position to said fired position, said shear stops further configured to permit said actuator member to move relative to said indicator base after said indicator base has been driven into said fired position.

9. The disposable loading unit of claim 1 further comprising means for measuring the elongation of a blade portion of said axial drive assembly.

10. The disposable loading unit of claim 1 further comprising means for determining a position of said distal end of said axial drive assembly as said distal end of said axial drive assembly moves through said tool assembly.

11. A method for processing an instrument for surgery, the method comprising:

obtaining the disposable loading unit of claim 1;

sterilizing the disposable loading unit; and

storing the disposable loading unit in a sterile container.

12. A disposable loading unit for use with a surgical stapling apparatus, said disposable loading unit comprising:

a carrier;

a housing coupled to said carrier and configured for operable attachment to the surgical stapling apparatus;

a staple cartridge supported in said carrier;

an anvil assembly movably coupled to said carrier for selective movable travel between open and closed positions relative to said staple cartridge;

an axial drive assembly having a distal end portion supporting a blade, said distal end portion constructed to move in a distal direction through said staple cartridge in response to a drive motion imparted to said axial drive assembly from the surgical stapling apparatus; and

a blade monitoring system operably associated with said axial drive assembly and configured to transmit data relating to strain experienced by said blade to the surgical instrument to which said disposable loading unit is attached.

13. The disposable loading unit of claim 12 wherein said blade monitoring system comprises a strain gage mounted to a portion of said axial drive assembly supporting said blade.

14. The surgical cutting and stapling apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a pair of gage leads extending from said strain gage and mounted on said axial drive assembly for sliding electrical contact with corresponding leads in said surgical instrument.

15. A surgical cutting and stapling apparatus, comprising:

a handle assembly;

a drive system supported in said handle assembly for selectively generating drive motions;

a processor operably supported in said handle assembly; and

an elongated body protruding from said handle assembly and constructed to transmit said drive motions to a disposable loading unit coupled thereto and to transmit strain data from the disposable loading unit relating to strain on a blade within the disposable loading unit to said processor.

16. The surgical cutting and stapling apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a display coupled to said processor for displaying said strain data received from the disposable loading unit.

17. The surgical cutting and stapling apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a vibrator mounted to said handle assembly and communicating with said processor such that said processor actuates said vibrator in response to said strain data received from said disposable loading unit.

18. The surgical cutting and stapling apparatus of claim 15 wherein the disposable loading unit comprises a strain gage mounted on a portion of an axial drive assembly operably supported therein.

19. The surgical cutting and stapling apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a pair of gage leads attached to said strain gage and mounted on said axial drive assembly for selective electrical contact with corresponding electrical leads in said elongated body.

20. The surgical cutting and stapling apparatus of claim 19 wherein said corresponding electrical leads are supported in a data transmission body that is rotatably supported by said handle assembly.

21. The surgical cutting and stapling apparatus of claim 20 wherein said data transmission body is coupled to a rotatable knob rotatably mounted on said handle assembly and in electrical communication with said processor.