SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT

• US 20100108740A1
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Bilotti, Federico, Csiky, Laszlo, Omaits, Todd Phillip, Weisenburgh, William Bruce II, Murray, Michael A., Pastorelli, Alessandro
• Granted Patent: US 8,413,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 227/178.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/068 Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clampsstaplers containing only one staple A61B17/10; magazines or containers for staples A61B17/105; for performing anastomosis A61B17/115; staplers in general B25C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/105 Wound clamp magazines for packaging sharps A61B50/3001
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1114 of the digestive tract, e.g. bowels or oesophagus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/115 Staplers for performing anastomosis in a single operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32053 Punch like cutting instruments, e.g. using a cylindrical or oval knife A61B17/326 takes precedence; trepans A61B17/1695; for use on the cornea A61F9/007

Abstract

A surgical stapling instrument (1) comprises a staple fastening assembly (4) in the distal region of said instrument, the staple fastening assembly (4) including a cartridge device (8) which comprises at least one closed row (17, 18) of staples and defines a wavy distal end surface (14), and an anvil (9) which defines a wavy proximal staple forming surface (20) substantially matching the distal end surface (14) and which is adapted to cooperate with the cartridge device (8) for forming the ends of the staples exiting from the cartridge device (8), wherein the distal end surface (14) and the staple forming surface (20) have a globally wavy shape including two opposite peaks (21) and two opposite valleys (22) angularly spaced at about 90° from the adjacent peaks (21) and in that said two-peaks-two-valleys wavy shape is formed by a stepped configuration of said surfaces (14, 20).

Claims

1. A surgical stapling instrument (1) comprising:

a frame having a body portion (2) and a handle (3),

a staple fastening assembly (4) in the distal region of said instrument, the staple fastening assembly (4) including a cartridge device (8) which comprises at least one closed row (17, 18) of staples and defines a wavy distal end surface (14), and an anvil (9) which defines a wavy proximal staple forming surface (20) substantially matching the distal end surface (14) and which is movable relative to the cartridge device (8) and adapted to cooperate with the cartridge device (8) for forming the ends of the staples exiting from the cartridge device (8),

a moving device adapted to move the anvil (9) relative to the cartridge device (8),

a staple driving device (27) adapted to drive the staples out of the cartridge device (8) towards the anvil (9),

characterized in that said distal end surface (14) and said staple forming surface (20) have a globally wavy shape including two opposite peaks (21) and two opposite valleys (22) angularly spaced at about 90°

from the adjacent peaks (21) and in that said two-peaks-two-valleys wavy shape is formed by a stepped configuration of said surfaces (14, 20).

2. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to claim 1, wherein the distal end face (14) and the staple forming surface (20) are composed of a series of lands (23;

25) and risers (24;

26), wherein the lands (23;

25) are substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis (X) of the staple fastening assembly (4) and exit openings of staple guide slots (15, 16) and staple forming grooves are formed in the lands (23;

25).

3. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein all staple guide slots (15, 16) and staples housed therein are parallel to a staple drive direction of the staple driving device (27) which coincides with a longitudinal axis (X) of the staple fastening assembly (4).

4. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the staples are arranged in the cartridge device (8) along a wavy line including two opposite peaks and two opposite valleys angularly spaced at about 90°

from the adjacent peaks and wherein the line along which the staples are arranged is substantially parallel to the distal end surface (14) of the cartridge device (8).

5. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the projections of the distal end surface (14) and the staple forming surface (20) as well as the projection of the staple line onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (X) of the staple fastening assembly (4) are circular.

6. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the maximum axial distance between the peaks (21) and the valleys (22) of the surfaces (14;

20) is less than 20 mm, preferably less than 10 mm.

7. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the external circumference of the anvil (9) is less or approximately equal to the total length of the distal end face (14) along the staple line.

8. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio of the outside circumferential length of the anvil (9) to the staple line length is comprised in the range from 0.95 to 1.02.

9. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein both opposite peaks (21) have the same axial distance from a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (X) and both opposite valleys (22) have the same axial distance from a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (X).

10. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the two-peaks-two-valleys stepped shapes of the distal end face (14) and of the staple forming surface (20) are symmetrical with respect to a first plane defined by the longitudinal axis (X) of the staple fastening assembly (4) and the two valley points (22) and with respect to a perpendicular second plane defined by said longitudinal axis (X) and the two peak points (21).

11. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the staple driving device (27) comprises a plurality of pushers (31, 32) suitable to directly contact the staples and push them distally against the anvil (9), wherein all pushers (31, 32) are parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis (X) of the staple fastening assembly (4).

12. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the length of the pushers (31, 32) is such that their distal push surfaces (33) follow the two-peaks-two-valleys wavy shape of the distal end surface (14).

13. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the push surfaces (33) are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (X).

14. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein all pushers (31, 32) are integrally formed in a single-piece structure (27).

15. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising:

a knife having a closed cutting edge, wherein said knife is arranged in the cartridge device (8) and positioned such that there is at least one closed row (18) of staples on the outside of the cutting edge;

a knife actuating device (27) adapted to move the knife distally towards the anvil (9),

wherein the line defining the cutting edge of the knife has a globally wavy shape including two opposite peaks and two opposite valleys angularly spaced at about 90°

from the adjacent peaks and in that said two-peaks-two-valleys wavy shape is obtained by a locally stepped configuration of the cutting edge.

16. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cartridge device (8) houses at least two closed rows (17, 18) of staples, wherein the staples of adjacent rows (17, 18) are staggered with respect to each other and wherein the step lands (23) defining the exit slots of the two rows are staggered with respect to each other.

17. A surgical stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the staple fastening assembly (4) is detachably mounted in the distal end region of the body portion (2).

18. A stapling instrument (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cartridge device (8) comprises a removable cartridge containing the staples.

19. Staple fastening assembly, characterized by the features of the staple fastening assembly (4) as defined in any of claims 1 to 18.

20. Cartridge device, characterized by the features of the cartridge device (8) as defined in as defined in any of claims 1 to 18.

21. Knife, characterized by the features of the knife as defined in claim 15.