Pressure sensitive and working-gap controlled surgical stapling instrument
First Claim
1. In a surgical stapling instrument of the type having a fixed jaw with an anvil surface thereon with staple clinching grooves therein, a movable jaw shiftable toward and away from said fixed jaw and carrying a plurality of staples and a driver therefor, means to shift said movable jaw, a staple driver actuator shiftable between a retracted position and an advanced position wherein it actuates said staple driver to cause said staples to pass through tissue located between said fixed jaw and said movable jaw and to be clinched by said anvil surface, and means to shift said staple driver actuator, said surgical stapling instrument having a working gap comprising a range of distances between said fixed jaw and said movable jaw throughout which said staples can be properly implanted and clinched, the improvement comprising latch means permitting shifting of said staple driver
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical stapling instrument for suturing tissues or organs. The instrument is of the type having a fixed anvil jaw, a movable staple cartridge-carrying jaw shiftable toward and away from the anvil jaw, and a staple driver actuator shiftable to actuate the staple driver of the staple cartridge to implant the staples of the cartridge in the tissue or organ located between the anvil jaw and the staple cartridge-carrying jaw. The instrument is provided with a clutch to control the gap between the fixed anvil jaw and the staple cartridge in response to the pressure being applied to the organ or tissue therebetween to preclude over-compression or under-compression thereof. The instrument is also provided with a latch to preclude shifting of the staple driver actuator to actuate the staple driver when the gap determined by the clutch is not within the limits of the proper working gap of the instrument required by the forming limits of the staples. The latch means further assures proper sequential operation of the instrument by the surgeon.
1530 Citations
25 Claims
- 1. In a surgical stapling instrument of the type having a fixed jaw with an anvil surface thereon with staple clinching grooves therein, a movable jaw shiftable toward and away from said fixed jaw and carrying a plurality of staples and a driver therefor, means to shift said movable jaw, a staple driver actuator shiftable between a retracted position and an advanced position wherein it actuates said staple driver to cause said staples to pass through tissue located between said fixed jaw and said movable jaw and to be clinched by said anvil surface, and means to shift said staple driver actuator, said surgical stapling instrument having a working gap comprising a range of distances between said fixed jaw and said movable jaw throughout which said staples can be properly implanted and clinched, the improvement comprising latch means permitting shifting of said staple driver
- 6. In a surgical stapling instrument of the type having a fixed jaw with an anvil surface thereon with staple clinching grooves therein, a movable jaw shiftable toward and away from said fixed jaw and carrying a plurality of staples and a driver therefor, means to shift said movable jaw, a staple driver actuator shiftable between a retracted position and an advanced position wherein it actuates said staple driver to cause said staples to pass through tissue located between said fixed jaw and said movable jaw and to be clinched by said anvil grooves, and means to shift said staple driver actuator, said surgical stapling instrument having a working gap comprising a range of distances between said fixed jaw and said movable jaw throughout which said staples can be properly implanted and clinched, the improvement comprising means operatively connecting said movable jaw and said movable jaw shifting means to shift said movable jaw away from said fixed jaw and to advance said movable jaw toward said fixed jaw to establish a gap therebetween in accordance with a predetermined pressure applied by said jaws to said tissue therebetween, and latch means permitting shifting of said staple driver actuator by said staple driver actuator shifting means only when said established gap falls within said working gap of said instrument.
- 18. In a surgical stapling instrument of the type having a fixed jaw with an anvil surface thereon with staple clinching grooves therein, a movable jaw shiftable toward and away from said fixed jaw and carrying a plurality of staples and a driver therefor, means to shift said movable jaw, a staple driver actuator shiftable between a retracted position and an advanced position wherein it actuates said staple driver to cause said staples to pass through tissue located between said fixed jaw and said movable jaw and to be clinched by said anvil grooves, and means to shift said staple driver actuator, the improvement comprising clutch means operatively connecting said movable jaw and said movable jaw shifting means to shift said movable jaw away from said fixed jaw and to advance said movable jaw toward said fixed jaw to establish a gap therebetween in accordance with a predetermined pressure applied by said jaws to said tissue therebetween.
Specification