Surgical stapler apparatus having pivotally related staple holder and anvil
First Claim
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1. A surgical staple cartridge for use with an actuator assembly including a rigid frame having a U-shaped portion for simultaneously forming a plurality of surgical staples in body tissue comprising:
- an anvil member for clinching surgical staples driven against it;
a staple holder pivotally connected to the anvil member adjacent one end of the anvil member, the staple holder containing a plurality of surgical staples and including staple driving means for simultaneously driving all of the staples from the staple holder; and
means associated with the anvil member for allowing the cartridge to be removably mounted on the actuator frame so that the anvil member is adjacent a first leg of the U-shaped portion, so that the pivotal connection between the anvil member and the staple holder is adjacent the base of the U-shaped portion, and so that the staple holder is adjacent a second leg of the U-shaped portion, the staple holder being movable relative to the frame when the cartridge is thus mounted on the frame so that when the staple holder is pivoted away from the anvil member, the tissue to be stapled can be positioned between the anvil member and the staple holder via the open side of the U-shaped portion.
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Abstract
Surgical stapler apparatus for forming an array of surgical staples in body tissue includes an anvil member against which the staples are crimped and a staple holder pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the anvil member so that the staple holder tends to displace with any displacement of the anvil member during use to substantially reduce relative displacement of the anvil member and staple holder and thereby assure proper alignment of these two elements.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A surgical staple cartridge for use with an actuator assembly including a rigid frame having a U-shaped portion for simultaneously forming a plurality of surgical staples in body tissue comprising:
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an anvil member for clinching surgical staples driven against it; a staple holder pivotally connected to the anvil member adjacent one end of the anvil member, the staple holder containing a plurality of surgical staples and including staple driving means for simultaneously driving all of the staples from the staple holder; and means associated with the anvil member for allowing the cartridge to be removably mounted on the actuator frame so that the anvil member is adjacent a first leg of the U-shaped portion, so that the pivotal connection between the anvil member and the staple holder is adjacent the base of the U-shaped portion, and so that the staple holder is adjacent a second leg of the U-shaped portion, the staple holder being movable relative to the frame when the cartridge is thus mounted on the frame so that when the staple holder is pivoted away from the anvil member, the tissue to be stapled can be positioned between the anvil member and the staple holder via the open side of the U-shaped portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A surgical staple cartridge for use with an actuator assembly for simultaneously forming a plurality of surgical staples in body tissue comprising:
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an anvil member; a staple holder pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the anvil member, the staple holder containing a plurality of surgical staples and including staple driving means for simultaneously driving all of the staples from the staple holder; and alignment means associated with the side of the cartridge opposite the pivotal mounting for aligning the staple holder and anvil member on the associated side of the cartridge, the alignment means comprising a pin which extends into both the staple holder and the anvil member when the staple holder and anvil member are pivoted toward one another, and means for normally retracting the pin so that it normally does not extend into the area between the staple holder and the anvil member. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. A surgical stapling cartridge for use in a surgical stapler for forming a plurality of surgical staples in body tissue, the stapler including a rigid frame having a normally open peripheral portion for admitting body tissue to be stapled into an interior region of the frame, the cartridge comprising:
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a longitudinal anvil member having opposite first and second ends; a staple holder pivotally mounted on the first end of the anvil member, the staple holder containing a plurality of surgical staples and including staple driving means for driving the staples from the staple holder; and means associated with the anvil member for removably mounting the anvil member on the frame adjacent one side of the interior region of the frame with the second end of the anvil member adjacent the normally open peripheral portion, with the first end of the anvil member remote from the normally open peripheral portion, and with the staple holder adjacent the side of the interior region of the frame opposite the anvil member. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An assembly for use in a surgical stapler for simultaneously forming a plurality of surgical staples in body tissue comprising:
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a longitudinal anvil member; a staple holder pivotally mounted relative to the anvil member on a pivotal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the anvil member adjacent one end of the anvil member, the staple holder containing a plurality of surgical staples oriented so that they point toward the anvil member when the staple holder is pivoted toward the anvil member, and the staple holder including means for simultaneously driving the staples from the staple holder in the direction of the anvil member when the staple holder is pivoted toward the anvil member; an alignment pin associated with the side of the assembly opposite the pivotal axis and extendable into both the staple holder and the anvil member to align the staple holder and the anvil member on the associated side of the assembly; and means for normally retracting the alignment pin so that it does not extend into the area between the staple holder and the anvil member when not needed to align the staple holder and the anvil member. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. A surgical stapler for simultaneously forming a plurality of surgical staples in body tissue comprising:
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a rigid frame having a U-shaped portion; an anvil member mounted on a first leg of the U-shaped portion so that the anvil member is stationary relative to the frame; a staple holder disposed adjacent the second leg of the U-shaped portion and being pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the anvil member, the pivotal mounting being adjacent the base of the U-shaped portion, the staple holder containing a plurality of surgical staples and including means for simultaneously driving the staples from the staple holder; and actuator means mounted on the frame for pivoting the staple holder toward the anvil member and actuating the means for driving the staples from the staple holder. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A surgical stapling instrument comprising:
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frame means having a normally open peripheral portion for admitting tissue to be stapled into an interior region of the frame means; staple driving means for stapling tissue located in the interior region of the frame means; actuator means for causing the staple driving means to staple the tissue located in the interior region of the frame means; and means responsive to the actuator means for closing the normally open peripheral portion of the frame means to enclose the tissue to be stapled in the interior region of the frame means and thereby prevent tissue from escaping from the interior region via the normally open peripheral portion during stapling, the means for closing the normally open peripheral portion of the frame means comprising a staple holder pivotally mounted relative to the frame means at a location remote from the normally open peripheral portion and pivotally biased so that the staple holder normally does not obstruct the normally open peripheral portion, the staple holder responding to the actuator means by pivoting so that it spans the normally open peripheral portion. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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26. The apparatus defined in claim 43 wherein the staple holder includes a spacer member at a location remote from the pivotal mounting of the staple holder for contacting a portion of the frame means opposite the staple holder when the staple holder is pivoted to span the normally open peripheral portion and for maintaining a gap between the remainder of the staple holder and the portion of the frame means opposite the remainder of the staple holder.
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28. A surgical staple cartridge for use with a actuator assembly for simultaneously forming a plurality of surgical staples in body tissue comprising:
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an anvil member; and a staple holder pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the anvil member, the staple holder containing a plurality of surgical staples and including staple driving means for simultaneously driving all of the staples from the staple holder, the pivotal mounting of the staple holder comprising; pivot pin connection means between the anvil member and the staple holder; and an aperture in at least one of the anvil member and the staple holder for receiving the pivot pin connection means and having a dimension parallel to the staple driving direction larger than the corresponding dimension of the pivot pin connection means to allow some linear translation of the staple holder relative to the anvil parallel to the staple driving direction.
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29. An assembly for use in a surgical stapler for simultaneously forming a plurality of surgical staples in body tissue comprising:
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a longitudinal anvil member; and a staple holder pivotally mounted relative to the anvil member on a pivotal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the anvil member adjacent one end of the anvil member, the staple holder containing a plurality of surgical staples oriented so that they point toward the anvil member when the staple holder is pivoted toward the anvil member, and the staple holder including means for simultaneously driving the staples from the staple holder in the direction of the anvil member when the staple holder is pivoted toward the anvil member, the pivotal mounting between the anvil member and the staple holder including; pivot pin connection means between the anvil member and the staple holder; and an aperture in at least one of the anvil member and the staple holder for receiving the pivot pin connection means and having a dimension parallel to the staple driving direction larger than the corresponding dimension of the pivot pin connection means to allow some linear translation of the staple holder relative to the anvil parallel to the staple driving direction.
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30. An actuator for supporting and actuating a surgical stapling cartridge including an anvil member and a staple holder pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the anvil member and containing at least one surgical staple, the actuator comprising:
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a rigid frame including a substantially U-shaped portion having first and second legs connected by a base; first means associated with the first leg of the frame of releasably engaging and supporting the anvil member so that the anvil member is aligned with the first leg, the pivotal mounting of the staple holder is adjacent the base, and the staple holder is adjacent the second leg; second means associated with the second leg of the frame for pivoting the staple holder substantially parallel to the anvil member; and third means associated with the second leg of the frame for actuating the staple holder to drive the staples from the staple holder and against the anvil member.
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31. The method of applying a plurality of surgical staples to body tissue comprising the steps of:
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placing a disposable surgical stapling cartridge in an actuator, the cartridge including an anvil member and a staple holder pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the anvil member and containing a plurality of surgical staples, and the actuator including a frame for supporting the anvil member and means associated with the frame for pivoting the staple holder relative to the anvil member and driving the staples from the staple holder; positioning the actuator, with the staple holder pivoted away from the anvil member, relative to the body tissue to be stapled so that the body tissue is between the anvil member and the staple holder; operating the actuator to pivot the staple holder substantially parallel to the anvil member so that the body tissue is clamped between the staple holder and the anvil member; operating the actuator to drive the staples from the staple holder, through the clamped body tissue, and against the anvil member to crimp the staples and thereby staple the tissue; operating the actuator to pivot the staple holder away from the anvil member to release the stapled body tissue from the cartridge; and removing the cartridge and the actuator from the stapled tissue. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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Specification