LAPAROSCOPIC TISSUE THICKNESS AND CLAMP LOAD MEASURING DEVICES
First Claim
1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
- a pair of opposing jaws, wherein at least one jaw is selectively movable relative to the other jaw in response to opening and closing motions applied thereto for selectively clamping tissue therebetween;
an output generator associated with said pair of opposing jaws, said output generator generating tissue thickness data representing a thickness of the tissue clamped between said pair of opposing jaws; and
a display for displaying said tissue thickness data thereon.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical instrument having opposed jaws that can be selectively moved between open and closed positions. Various embodiments include components for measuring the thickness of tissue clamped between the opposed jaws. Some embodiments are configured to ascertain the amount of compressive force that is being applied to the tissue while the thickness of the tissue is being determined. The tissue thickness data is displayed on the instrument itself and/or on a display that is remote from the instrument. The various embodiments may comprise different types of surgical instruments such as surgical staplers and graspers. A jaw arrangement with jaws shaped to define a cradle that corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of an object is also disclosed. The components that generate the thickness data may be electrically or mechanically actuated.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
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a pair of opposing jaws, wherein at least one jaw is selectively movable relative to the other jaw in response to opening and closing motions applied thereto for selectively clamping tissue therebetween; an output generator associated with said pair of opposing jaws, said output generator generating tissue thickness data representing a thickness of the tissue clamped between said pair of opposing jaws; and a display for displaying said tissue thickness data thereon. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A surgical instrument, comprising:
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a pair of opposing jaws, wherein at least one jaw is selectively movable relative to the other jaw in response to opening and closing motions applied thereto for selectively clamping tissue therebetween; means cooperating with said pair of opposing jaws for selectively applying said open and closing motions thereto; means for generating a signal corresponding to a thickness of tissue clamped between said pair of opposing jaws; means for converting said signal to tissue thickness data corresponding to the thickness of tissue clamped between said pair of opposing jaws; and means for displaying said tissue thickness data. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A surgical instrument comprising:
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a handle assembly; an end effector for performing a surgical operation, said end effector coupled to said handle assembly and having opposed jaw members for selectively clamping tissue therebetween in response to opening and closing motions applied thereto; a closure drive supported by said handle assembly and configured to generate said opening and closing motions for selective application to said end effector; at least one signal generator in said end effector for generating signals corresponding to a thickness of the tissue clamped between said opposed jaw members. a signal processor for receiving said signals from said signal generator and calculating the thickness of the tissue; and a display communicating with said signal processor for displaying the tissue thickness thereon. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A jaw arrangement for a surgical instrument, said jaw arrangement comprising:
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a first jaw operably coupleable to the surgical instrument and having a distal end and a first clamping face and at least one first nodule formed on said first clamping face; and a second jaw having a distal end and a second clamping face and at least one second nodule formed on said second clamping faces, said second jaw operably coupleable to the surgical instrument relative to said first jaw such that said first and second distal ends of said first and second jaws, respectively may be selectively moved toward and away from each other upon application of open and closing motions to at least one of said first and second jaws from the surgical instrument such that as said first and second distal ends are moved towards each other, said first and second distal ends and said first and second nodules cooperate to define a cradle area therebetween sized to grippingly support therein an object having a specific cross-sectional shape. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A surgical instrument, comprising:
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a handle assembly; a pair of opposing jaws operably coupled to said handle assembly, said opposing jaws being selectively movable between open and closed positions for clamping tissue therebetween; a closure drive operably supported by said handle assembly for selectively applying opening and closing motions to said pair of opposing jaws; and an output generator cooperating with said closure drive to display reference indicia corresponding to a thickness of the tissue clamped between said pair of opposing jaws. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification