Surgical clip applying apparatus having fixed jaws

• US 4,492,232 A
• Filed: 09/30/1982
• Issued: 01/08/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Green, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thaler, Michael H.
• Application Number:
  US06/429,249
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 128/322, 128/346, 128/325, 128/326, 128/337, 227/DIG. 1, 29/243.56, 72/410, 24/255 SL, 206/339, 206/340, 251/10
• US Class Current: 606/143
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/122 Clamps or clips , e.g. for the umbilical cord for the vas deferens A61F6/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/128 for applying or removing clamps or clips

Abstract

Surgical clip applying apparatus having a pair of laterally spaced fixed jaws with opposing clip forming surfaces which are inclined toward one another in the direction in which a clip is pushed into the jaws. Tissue to be clipped is positioned between the jaws. A clip is pushed into the jaws so that the free end of each arm of the clip contacts a respective one of the clip forming surfaces, and so that the clip forming surfaces cooperate to force the arms of the clip together on opposite sides of the tissue to produce hemostasis of the tissue. Various means can be included in the apparatus for feeding a plurality of clips to the jaws one at a time in succession. The clips can be made of metal or of plastic. Plastic clips can be either biologically absorbable or nonabsorbable.

Claims

1. Apparatus for applying a surgical clip to body tissue to produce hemostatis of the tissue comprising:

a clip having a proximal base and two arms extending distally from respective opposite ends of the base, each arm including (a) a substantially longitudinal inner surface portion intermediate the base and the distal end of the arm and (b) an outer surface portion which is inclined toward the longitudinal inner surface portion in the distal direction, the longitudinal inner surface portions of the arms initially diverging from one another in the distal direction;

a longitudinal jaw member having proximal and distal end portions;

a pair of laterally spaced, relatively fixed jaws mounted on the distal end of the jaw member, each jaw having a clip forming surface which converges in the distal direction toward the clip forming surface of the other jaw;

channel means aligned with the jaw member for guiding the clip from a proximal portion of the jaw member to the jaws with the diverging ends of the arms oriented toward the jaws; and

pusher means for pushing the clip through the channel means and into the jaws so that the outer surface portion of each arm contacts a respective one of the clip forming surfaces and the clip forming surfaces cooperate with the outer surface portions to force the longitudinal inner surface portions of the arms together and substantially parallel to one another with the tissue compressed between the longitudinal inner surface portions;

wherein the clips are releasably coupled to one another in a linear array such that each clip in the array is pulled along by the preceding clip in the array when the preceding clip moves toward the jaws, the array being disposed in and aligned with the channel means, and wherein the pusher means contacts the distal-most clip in the array to push that clip into the jaws and to advance all the other clips in the array toward the jaws.

2. Apparatus for applying a succession of surgical clips to body tissue to produce hemostasis of the tissue, each clip having a base and two arms extending from respective opposite ends of the base and diverging from one another in the direction away from the base, comprising:

a longitudinal jaw member having proximal and distal end portions;

a pair of laterally spaced, relatively fixed jaws mounted on the distal end of the jaw member, each jaw having a clip forming surface which converges in the distal direction toward the clip forming surface of the other jaw;

channel means aligned with the jaw member for guiding the clips one at a time in succession from a proximal portion of the jaw member to the jaws with the diverging ends of the arms oriented toward the jaws; and

pusher means for pushing the clips one at a time in succession through the channel means and into the jaws so that each arm of the clip being pushed contacts a respective one of the clip forming surfaces and the clip forming surfaces force the arms of the clip together;

wherein the clips are releasably coupled to one another in a linear array such that each clip in the array is pulled along by the preceding clip in the array when the preceding clip moves toward the jaws, the array being disposed in and aligned with the channel means;

wherein the pusher means contacts the distal-most clip in the array to push that clip into the jaws and to advance all the other clips in the array toward the jaws;

wherein a clip can be uncoupled from the succeeding clip in the array by squeezing the arms of the clip together; and

wherein the jaws include clip uncoupling surface means for squeezing the arms of the distal-most clip together to uncouple that clip from the succeeding clip as the distal-most clip enters the jaws.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 further comprising means for releasably retarding the distal motion of the next-to-distal-most clip when the distal-most clip is to be uncoupled.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the means for releasably retarding the distal motion of the next-to-distal-most clip comprises detent means for contacting the next-to-distal-most clip when the distal-most clip is to be uncoupled.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 2 further comprising:

actuator means for reciprocating the pusher means in the channel means between (1) a proximal-most position in which the distal end of the pusher means is intermediate the distal-most clip in the array and the next-to-distal-most clip in the array, and (2) a distal-most position in which the arms of the distal-most clip have been forced together by the jaws.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5 further comprising pawl means for substantially preventing the array of clips from moving in the proximal direction in the channel means.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein the pawl means comprises a leaf spring disposed in the channel means and aligned with the channel means, the proximal end of the leaf spring being fixedly attached to the apparatus, and the distal end of the leaf spring resiliently projecting into the channel means so that clips can move in the distal direction past the leaf spring by depressing the distal end of the leaf spring, but so that a clip moving in the proximal direction toward the leaf spring is stopped by contact with the distal end of the leaf spring.

8. Apparatus for applying a plurality of surgical clips to body tissue one at a time in succession to produce hemostasis of the tissue comprising:

a plurality of surgical clips in a longitudinal array, each clip having (a) a proximal base, (b) two arms extending distally from respective opposite ends of the base, each arm including (i) a substantially longitudinal inner surface portion intermediate the base and the distal end of the arm and (ii) an outer surface portion which is inclined toward the longitudinal inner surface portion in the distal direction, the longitudinal inner surface portions of the arms initially diverging from one another in the distal direction, and (c) first and second complementary surface portions, the first surface portion of each clip releasably interfitting with the second surface portion of the preceding clip so that the clip is pulled in the distal direction when the preceding clip moves in that direction;

a longitudinal jaw member having proximal and distal end portions;

a pair of laterally spaced relatively fixed jaws mounted on the distal end of the jaw member, each jaw having a clip forming surface which converges in the distal direction toward the clip forming surface of the other jaw;

channel means aligned with the jaw member for guiding the distal-most clip in the array from a proximal portion of the jaw member to the jaws with the diverging ends of the arms of the clip oriented toward the jaws; and

pusher means for contacting the distal-most clip in the array and for pushing that clip through the channel means and into the jaws so that the outer surface portion of each arm contacts a respective one of the clip forming surfaces and the clip forming surfaces cooperate with the outer surface portions to disengage the distal-most clip from the succeeding clip and to force the longitudinal surface portions of the arms of the distal-most clip together and substantially parallel to one another with the tissue compressed between the longitudinal inner surface portions.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein the portion of the pusher means which contacts the clip and the portion of the clip contacted by the pusher means include cooperating clip stabilizing means for substantially preventing the clip from rotating about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the jaw member during the clip pushing stroke of the pusher means.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 9 wherein the clip stabilizing means comprises two laterally spaced proximally extending projections on the portion of the clip contacted by the pusher means, the distal end of the pusher means being received between the projections.

11. Apparatus for applying a plurality of surgical clips to body tissue one at a time in succession comprising:

a plurality of surgical clips in a linear array, each clip including first and second coupling means for respectively releasably interfitting with the second coupling means of the preceding clip and releasably interfitting with the first coupling means of the succeeding clip so that each clip pulls along the succeeding clip when advanced in the direction away from the succeeding clip;

third means disposed adjacent to, but just beyond the forwardmost clip in the array for closing a clip pushed into the third means, the third means comprising a pair of laterally spaced fixed jaws having opposing surfaces which incline toward one another in the direction away from the array of clips for closing the forwardmost clip as it is pushed into the third means; and

fourth means for engaging the forwardmost clip, pushing the forwardmost clip into the third means, and uncoupling the forwardmost clip from the succeeding clip as the forwardmost clip enters the third means.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein each clip comprises a base adjacent the succeeding clip and two arms attached to opposite ends of the base and extending in the direction of the preceding clip, the free ends of the arms remote from the base being resiliently biased apart, and the base and arms of all of the clips lying in a common geometric surface.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein the first coupling means is disposed on the inner surface of the arms and the second coupling means is disposed on the outer surface of the clip.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein the clips are made of plastic material and wherein the end portions of the arms remote from the base include sixth means for causing the end portions of the arms to interlock when the clip is closed by the third means.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 wherein the clips are made of a biologically absorbable material.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 11 further comprising means for limiting the travel of the fourth means between (1) a rearwardmost position in which the portion of the fourth means which engages the forwardmost clip is between the forwardmost clip and the next-to-forwardmost clip in the array where the array is positioned after the previously forwardmost clip was uncoupled from the array, and (2) a forwardmost position in which the forwardmost clip has been fully pushed into the third means.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 11 further comprising means for allowing the array of clips to move substantially only in the forward direction.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein each clip and the portion of the fourth means which engages the forwardmost clip include cooperating clip stabilizing means for substantially preventing the clip engaged by the fourth means from rotating about an axis perpendicular to the axis along which the clip is pushed.

19. Apparatus for applying a plurality of surgical clips to body tissue one at a time in succession comprising:

a plurality of surgical clips in a linear array, each clip including (a) a base adjacent the succeeding clip, (b) two arms attached to opposite ends of the base and extending in the direction of the preceding clip, the free ends of the arms remote from the base being resiliently biased apart, and (c) first and second coupling means for respectively releasably coupling the clip to the second coupling means of the preceding clip and to the first coupling means of the succeeding clip in the array so that each clip pulls along the succeeding clip when advanced in the direction away from the succeeding clip, the first coupling means being disposed on the inner surface of the arms and the second coupling means being disposed on the outer surface of the clip;

third means disposed adjacent to, but just beyond the forwardmost clip in the array for closing a clip pushed into the third means, the third means comprising a pair of laterally spaced fixed jaws having opposing surfaces which inclined toward one another in the direction away from the array of clips for closing the forwardmost clip as it is pushed into the third means; and

fourth means for engaging the forwardmost clip, pushing the forwardmost clip into the thid means, and uncoupling the forwardmost clip from the succeeding clip as the forwardmost clip enters the third means, the fourth means including fifth means for deflecting the arms of the forwardmost clip toward one another to uncouple the forwardmost clip from the succeeding clip.