Surgical stapler apparatus with curved shaft

• US 4,576,167 A
• Filed: 09/03/1981
• Issued: 03/18/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Noiles, Douglas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thaler, Michael H.
• Application Number:
  US06/299,106
• Time in Patent Office: 1,657 Days
• Field of Search: 128/334 R, 128/334 C, 128/305, 128/772, 128/4, 128/5, 128/DIG. 9, 227/19, 227/DIG. 1, 74/501 P
• US Class Current: 227/179.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/115 Staplers for performing anastomosis in a single operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1155 Circular staplers comprising a plurality of staples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2902 characterized by features of the actuating rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2904 curved, but rigid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2905 flexible

Abstract

A surgical stapler including a stapling assembly, an actuator assembly remote from the stapling assembly, and a longitudinal shaft assembly having a longitudinally curved section for connecting the actuator assembly to the stapling assembly and for transmitting the forces and motions required to operate the stapling assembly from the actuator assembly to the stapling assembly.

Claims

1. Apparatus for applying surgical staples to body tissue comprising:

an anvil assembly;

a staple holding assembly containing a plurality of surgical staples and including (a) a first body, (b) anvil support means for supporting the anvil assembly for motion relative to the first body to allow the tissue to be stapled to be clamped between the anvil assembly and the first body, and (c) pusher means movably mounted relative to the first body for driving the staples from the staple holding assembly through the clamped tissue and against the anvil assembly;

an actuator assembly remote from the staple holding assembly and including (a) a second body, (b) first actuator means movably mounted on the second body for controlling the anvil support means, and (c) second actuator meaans movably mounted on the second body for controlling the pusher means; and

a longitudinal shaft assembly including (a) a rigid longitudinal shaft member connected at one end to the first body and at the other end to the second body, the shaft member being a hollow tube having a longitudinally curved section intermediate its ends, at least a portion of the curved section having uniform radius, the shaft member also including a longitudinally straight section substantially tangent to one end of the portion of uniform radius, (b) a longitudinal tension member disposed in the shaft member for longitudinal motion relative to the shaft member for transmitting longitudinal tension force and longitudinal motion from the first actuator means to the anvil support means to pull the anvil assembly toward the first body to clamp the tissue and to resist the force of the staples being driven through the tissue and against the anvil assembly, the tension member being longitudinally flexible and longitudinally inextensible and incompressible, (c) a longitudinal compression member disposed in the shaft member for longitudinal motion relative to the shaft member for transmitting longitudinal compression force and longitudinal motion from the second actuator means to the pusher means to cause the pusher means to drive the staples, the compression member being a longitudinally inextensible and incompressible hollow tube concentric with the shaft member tube, the compression member tube being articulated adjacent the point of tangency of the straight section of the shaft assembly to permit some relative longitudinal motion between the tubes without binding of the tubes relative to one another, the tension member being disposed in the interior of the compression member tube, and (d) means associated with the curved section of the shaft assembly for maintaining each of the tension member and the compression member coaxial with respective predetermined longitudinal axes in the shaft member while allowing the tension member and the compression member to move longitudinally relative to one another and relative to the shaft member, the means for maintaining comprising spacer means between the concave side of the tension member and the opposite inner surface of the compression member tube in the curved section of the shaft assembly.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the compression member tube is articulated by means of opposing transverse notches in the concave and convex sides of the tube.

3. Apparatus for joining two hollow organ sections with an annular array of surgical staples around a hollow lumen between the organ sections comprising:

an anvil assembly;

a staple holding assembly including (a) a housing containing a plurality of surgical staples in an annular array, (b) a rod passing through the interior of the annular array for supporting the anvil assembly for motion relative to the staple holding assembly to allow the tissue of the organ sections to be stapled to be clamped between the anvil assembly and the housing, and (c) pusher means movably mounted in the housing for driving the staples from the housing through the clamped tissue and against the anvil assembly to clinch the staples and staple the tissue;

an actuator assembly remote from the staple holding assembly and including (a) a main body, (b) a first actuator movably mounted on the main body for controlling the motion of the rod, (c) a second actuator movably mounted on the main body for controlling the motion of the pusher means, and (d) indicator means movably mounted on the main body and operated by the first actuator for providing an indication of the spacing between the anvil assembly and the housing by means of the relative positions of the indicator means and the main body;

a longitudinal hollow tubular shaft for supporting the housing relative to the main body, the shaft being substantially rigid and having a longitudinally curved section intermediate the main body and the housing, at least a portion of the curved section of the shaft having uniform radius, the shaft also including a straight section tangent to one end of the portion of uniform radius;

a longitudinally flexible tension member disposed in the shaft for transmitting longitudinal tension force and longitudinal motion relative to the shaft from the first actuator to the rod to pull the anvil assembly toward the housing to clamp the tissue and to resist the force of the staples being driven through the tissue and against the anvil assembly, the tension member being longitudinally inextensible;

a longitudinal compression member disposed in the shaft around the tension member for transmitting longitudinal compression force and longitudinal motion relative to both the tension member and the shaft from the second actuator to the pusher means to drive the staples, the compression member being a longitudinally incompressible hollow tube concentric with the shaft, the tube being articulated adjacent the point of tangency of the straight section to facilitate relative longitudinal motion of the tube and the shaft; and

means disposed in the shaft for maintaining the tension member and the compression member coaxial with respective predetermined longitudinal axis in the shaft while llowing relative longitudinal motion of the tension member and the compression member so that motion of the first actuator relative to the main body produces corresponding motion of the anvil assembly relative to the housing so that the indicator means provides an accurate indication of the spacing between the anvil assembly and the housing, the means for maintaining comprising spacer means between the concve side of the tension member and the opposite inner surface of the tube.