RATCHET-DRIVEN CARTRIDGE FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS

• US 3,638,847 A
• Filed: 07/06/1970
• Issued: 02/01/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Douglas G. Noiles, Graham W. Bryan
• Original Assignee: Douglas G. Noiles, Graham W. Bryan
• Inventors: Noiles, Douglas G., Bryan, Graham W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Custer, Jr., Granville Y.
• Application Number:
  US05/052,337
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 227/19,120,125,126,127,128,134,135,136,138
• US Class Current: 227/120
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/105 Wound clamp magazines for packaging sharps A61B50/3001

Abstract

A disposable staple-housing cartridge adapted for mounting on a surgical instrument and particularly suited for stapling skin and fascia. The cartridge comprises, basically, a stationary sawtooth staple-retaining member, a sawtooth staple-driving member mounted for reciprocating movement, an anvil, and a staple pusher. For each reciprocation of the staple-driving member, each of the staples housed in the cartridge is driven forward from one tooth to the next successive tooth of the retaining member. The pusher element controls the movement of the reciprocating drive member, advances each of the staples, ejects a staple from the cartridge and bends the ejected staple around the anvil; this occurs for each drive cycle of the pusher. The pusher is, in turn, operated by the associated surgical instrument.

Claims

1. A surgical stapling cartridge adapted to house a plurality of staples, to associate with a surgical instrument having only rectilinear thrust capabilities, and being particularly suited for stapling skin and fascia of a surgical patient, the cartridge comprising:

an elongated retaining member fixed against movement in its longitudinal direction;

an elongated driving member having a length less than the length of said retaining member, said driving member being slidably mounted with respect to said retaining member;

a plurality of staple-retaining teeth resiliently associated with said retaining member;

a plurality of staple-driving teeth resiliently associated with said driving member;

the teeth in said retaining member and the teeth in said driving member being related, when relaxed, in such a manner that the peaks of said teeth lie in a single plane;

means to drive said driving member, thereby advancing each of the staples in said cartridge toward the front thereof; and

pusher means for expelling and bending a single staple for each forward thrust thereof.

2. The cartridge recited in claim 1, wherein said retaining member and said driving member are U-shape and wherein said teeth are positioned at the extremities of the arms of the respective U-shape members.

3. The cartridge recited in claim 1, and further comprising:

ledge means defined in said cartridge and serving to support and guide said plurality of staples out of the plane of said pusher means; and

ramp means at the forwardmost region of said ledge means, and serving to move the forwardmost staple into the plane of the pusher means.

4. The cartridge recited in claim 1, wherein the stroke of said pusher means is longer than the stroke of said driving member, and further comprising:

means for releasing said driving member from said pusher means during the forward stroke of said pusher means; and

means for ensuring the engagement of said pusher means with said driving member during the rearward stroke of said pusher.

5. The cartridge recited in claim 4, wherein said driving member is released from said pusher means only after the forwardmost staple is in the plane of said pusher.

6. The cartridge recited in claim 1, wherein said retaining member and said driving member are U-shape;

wherein said driving member is slidably mounted within the arms of said retaining member; and

wherein said retaining member and said driving member are flexible so as to allow the respective teeth to move out of said single plane.

7. The cartridge recited in claim 6, wherein said plurality of staples are driven by the teeth of said driving member;

wherein the teeth oF said retaining member move out of said single plane during the forward stroke of said driving member;

wherein the teeth of said retaining member maintain the positions of said staples during the rearward stroke of said driving member; and

wherein the teeth of said driving member move out of said single plane during the rearward stroke thereof.

8. The cartridge recited in claim 7, wherein the length of the stroke of said driving member is substantially equal to the distance between successive teeth.

9. The cartridge recited in claim 7, wherein the length of the stroke of said driving member is somewhat greater than the distance between successive teeth.

10. The cartridge recited in claim 7, wherein the dimensions of the teeth in said retaining member are substantially identical to the dimensions of the teeth in said driving member.

11. The cartridge recited in claim 1, wherein the depth of the teeth in said retaining member and in said driving member is substantially equal to the diameter of said staples.