Surgical stapling instrument with staple height adjusting mechanism
First Claim
1. A surgical stapling instrument, comprising:
- first and second cooperating elongate jaw members, one of said jaw members including staple carrying means adapted to receive a plurality of staples arranged in at least one row, and said other jaw member including anvil means adapted to form said staples,means for driving the staples from said staple carrying means into tissue gripped between said jaw members and forming the staples against said anvil means to produce at least one row of staples in the tissue,means for latching said jaw members together with the tissue located between said staple carring means and said anvil means, andadjusting means operable without unlatching said jaw members for varying the gap between said jaw members to adjust the spacing of said staple carrying means and said anvil means to select different staple heights to be produced when the staples are formed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical stapling instrument suitable for performing a gastrointestinal anastomosis is provided. The stapling instrument incorporates a staple height adjusting mechanism which enables the gap between its jaw members to be adjusted to select different staple heights to be produced when the staples are formed. Preferably, the stapling instrument includes a pair of elongate jaw members, one of which supports a staple cartridge adapted to receive at least two laterally spaced longitudinal rows of staples, and the other provided with an anvil adapted to form the staples. A pusher bar and knife assembly slidable longitudinally relative to the jaw members sequentially drives the staples from the cartridge and forms the staples against the anvil to produce a pair of laterally spaced rows in the tissue. The pusher bar and knife assembly includes a knife blade for cutting the tissue along a line between the longitudinal staple rows. A set of jaw support members is carried by the knife blade which travel along the elongate jaw members as the pusher bar and knife assembly is advanced to provide local support to the jaw members. The angular orientation of the knife blade relative to the jaw members is adjustable by the staple height adjusting mechanism to vary the vertical spacing between the jaw support members as the gap between the jaw members is varied.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A surgical stapling instrument, comprising:
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first and second cooperating elongate jaw members, one of said jaw members including staple carrying means adapted to receive a plurality of staples arranged in at least one row, and said other jaw member including anvil means adapted to form said staples, means for driving the staples from said staple carrying means into tissue gripped between said jaw members and forming the staples against said anvil means to produce at least one row of staples in the tissue, means for latching said jaw members together with the tissue located between said staple carring means and said anvil means, and adjusting means operable without unlatching said jaw members for varying the gap between said jaw members to adjust the spacing of said staple carrying means and said anvil means to select different staple heights to be produced when the staples are formed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A surgical stapling instrument, comprising:
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first and second cooperating elongate jaw members, one of said jaw members including staple carrying means adapted to receive at least two laterally spaced longitudinal rows of staples, and said other jaw member including anvil means adapted to form said staples, a pusher bar and knife assembly slidable longitudinally relative to said elongate jaw members, said assembly including cam means for driving the staples from said staple carrying means into tissue gripped between said jaw members and forming the staples against said anvil means to produce a pair of laterally spaced staple rows in the tissue, and knife means for cutting the tissue gripped between said jaw members along a line between said staple rows. means for latching said jaw members together with the tissue located between said staple carrying means and said anvil means, and adjusting means operable without unlatching said jaw members for varying the vertical spacing between said jaw members to adjust the spacing of said staple carrying means and said anvil means to select different closed staple heights to be produced when the staples are formed. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A surgical stapling instrument comprising:
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first and second cooperating elongate jaw members, one of said jaw members including a staple cartridge adapted to receive at least two laterally spaced longitudinal rows of staples and provided with staple drivers for driving the staples from said cartridge, and said other jaw member including an anvil adapted to form said staples, a pusher block slidably mounted for longitudinal movement along one of said jaw members and provided with a pair of staple pusher bars including cam surfaces engageable with said staple drivers for sequentially driving the staples from said cartridge and forming the staples against said anvil to produce a pair of laterally spaced staple rows in the tissue, a knife blade adjustably connected to said pusher block, said knife having a cutting edge oriented at an angle relative to said elongate jaw members, first and second jaw support members mounted on said knife blade for engaging said elongate jaw members as said pusher block is advanced to provide local support to said jaw members, and adjusting means for varying the vertical spacing between said jaw members and for adjusting the angular orientation of said knife blade to vary the vertical spacing of said jaw support members to select different closed staple heights to be produced when the staples are formed. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification