Surgical apparatus

• US 5,478,003 A
• Filed: 10/08/1993
• Issued: 12/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Milliman, Keith L., Palmer, Mitchell J., McClure, Richard C., Green, David T., Heaton, Lisa W., Savage, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US08/133,549
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 227/19, 227/8, 227/175, 227/176, 227/177, 227/178, 227/179, 227/180
• US Class Current: 227/176.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00234 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/07207 the staples being applied sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00535 pneumatically or hydraulically operated A61B2017/22051, A61B2090/401 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00544 pneumatically
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00548 Gas cartridges therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07214 Stapler heads
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07278 characterised by its sled or its staple holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2926 Details of heads or jaws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2927 the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2929 with a head rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2936 Pins in guiding slots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/038 during shipment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0803 Counting the number of times an instrument is used

Abstract

A self contained gas powered endoscopic surgical apparatus is provided for placing lateral lines of surgical fasteners into body tissue. The apparatus includes a frame portion, an elongated portion extending from the frame portion, and an articulating fastener applying assembly associated with a distal end of the elongated portion. The fastener applying assembly includes a base portion, a staple cartridge housing, and an anvil member which has a forming surface thereon against which surgical fasteners are driven as they are ejected from the cartridge housing. A self contained pneumatic system is associated with the frame portion and is actuable to eject the surgical fasteners from the cartridge assembly. A first mechanism is provided for effectuating the rotation of the fastener applying assembly about an axis defined by the body portion, a second mechanism is provided for effectuating the articulation of the fastener applying assembly, and a third mechanism is provided for independently rotating the cartridge housing and anvil member relative to a longitudinal axis defined by the base position to increase the range of operability of the apparatus.

Claims

1. A surgical apparatus for driving surgical fasteners comprising:

a) a frame portion;

b) an elongated body portion extending distally from said frame portion and defining a first longitudinal axis;

c) a fastener applying assembly associated with a distal end portion of said body portion, said fastener applying assembly including;

i) a base portion pivotably connected to said body portion and defining a second longitudinal axis extending therethrough;

ii) a cartridge assembly mounted to said base portion, said cartridge assembly defining a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, and having a tissue engaging surface thereon, said cartridge assembly having a plurality of surgical fasteners contained therein; and

iii) an anvil member mounted to said base portion and having a fastener forming surface thereon, said anvil member and said cartridge assembly being relatively movable between an open position wherein said fastener forming surface is spaced from said tissue engaging surface and a closed position wherein said fastener forming surface is in close cooperative alignment with said tissue engaging surface;

d) means associated with said fastener applying assembly and actuable from said frame portion for effecting the relative movement of said anvil member and said cartridge assembly between said open and closed positions; and

e) means movable through said cartridge assembly from said distal end portion thereof toward said proximal end portion thereof and actuable from said frame portion for ejecting said plurality of surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly.

2. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for effecting the relative movement of said anvil member and said cartridge assembly comprises a rotary cam member pivotably mounted to at least one of said anvil member and said cartridge member and connected to an actuation mechanism which extends through said body portion to said frame portion.

3. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said rotary cam member defines a non-linear cam slot configured to cooperate with a cam pin mounted in at least one of said anvil member and said cartridge assembly.

4. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for ejecting surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly comprises a camming sled including a base portion and a plurality of upstanding spaced apart cam plates depending from said base portion.

5. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said means for sequentially ejecting surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly further comprises a drive assembly including means disposed at a distal end thereof for releasably engaging said base portion of said camming sled.

6. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said fastener applying assembly further comprises a knife member configured for movement through said cartridge assembly in conjunction with said camming sled.

7. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said knife member is frangibly mounted adjacent said distal end portion of said cartridge assembly and includes means for engaging said camming sled as said camming sled moves towards said proximal end portion of said cartridge assembly.

8. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a pneumatic actuation system disposed within said frame portion and operatively connected to said means for sequentially ejecting surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly.

9. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said pneumatic actuation system includes a container of compressed gas, a valve member operatively associated with said container, a compression chamber defined in said frame portion and communicating with said container, and a piston movable through said compression chamber from a distal end thereof toward a proximal end thereof in response to a release of compressed gas from said container.

10. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said container of compressed gas has a fixed longitudinal orientation with respect to said frame portion and said compression chamber has an elliptical cross-section and each define respective axial centerlines.

11. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the axial centerline of said container of compressed gas and the axial centerline of said compression chamber are disposed at an angle with respect to one another.

12. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the axial centerline of said container of compressed gas and the axial centerline of said compression chamber are in parallel alignment with one another.

13. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising counter means for indicating the number of times said pneumatic actuation system may be operated.

14. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said counter means comprises a ratchet assembly including a linear rack member and a reciprocating ratchet shaft.

15. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 13, further comprising disabling means operatively associated with said counter means for rendering said surgical apparatus inoperative after the performance of a predetermined number of operations.

16. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein said disabling means comprises a linkage mechanism operatively associated with said ratchet shaft and said pneumatic actuation system.

17. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising means for inhibiting operation of said pneumatic actuation system prior to said anvil member and said cartridge assembly being moved into said closed position.

18. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein said inhibiting means comprises a spring biased blocking member disposed in said frame portion for selectively interfering with an actuation trigger.

19. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said cartridge assembly includes a cartridge housing and a cartridge member removable from said cartridge housing, said cartridge member containing said plurality of surgical fasteners.

20. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for articulating said fastener applying assembly between a first position substantially parallel to said first longitudinal axis and a second position disposed at an angle to said first longitudinal axis.

21. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein said means for articulating said fastener applying assembly comprises a reciprocating shaft extending through said body portion to said base portion and a rotatable drive mechanism operatively associated with said reciprocating shaft for effecting longitudinal movement thereof.

22. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for rotating said faster applying assembly about said first longitudinal axis relative to said frame portion.

23. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein said means for rotating said faster applying assembly comprises a rotatable drive assembly extending through said body portion to said base portion.

24. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 23, wherein said rotatable drive assembly includes a first pinon gear set disposed adjacent a proximal end portion of said body portion and a second pinon gear set adjacent a distal end portion of said body portion, said first and second pinion gear sets being interconnected by an elongated transition shaft.

25. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for rotating said cartridge assembly and said anvil member about said second longitudinal axis relative to said base portion.

26. A surgical apparatus for driving surgical fasteners comprising:

a) a frame portion defining an elongated barrel section and a stationary hand grip section which depends angularly from said barrel section;

b) a body portion extending distally from said barrel section of said frame portion and defining a first longitudinal axis;

c) a fastener applying assembly associated with a distal end portion of said body portion, said fastener applying assembly including;

i) a base portion pivotably connected to said body portion and defining a second longitudinal axis extending therethrough;

ii) a cartridge assembly mounted to said base portion and including a replaceable cartridge having a tissue engaging surface thereon and a plurality of surgical fasteners contained therein; and

iii) an anvil member mounted to said base portion and having a fastener forming surface thereon, said anvil member and said cartridge assembly being relatively movable between an open position wherein said fastener forming surface is spaced from said tissue engaging surface and a closed position wherein said fastener forming surface is in close cooperative alignment with said tissue engaging surface;

d) approximation means operatively associated with said fastener applying assembly and actuable from said frame portion for effecting the relative movement of said anvil member and said cartridge assembly between said open and closed positions;

e) fastener ejection means movable through said cartridge assembly and actuable from said frame portion for sequentially ejecting said plurality of surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly;

e) a pneumatic actuation system disposed within said frame portion and operatively associated with said means for sequentially ejecting surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly;

f) means for articulating said fastener applying assembly between a first position substantially parallel to said first longitudinal axis and a second position disposed at an angle to said first longitudinal axis;

g) means for rotating said fastener applying assembly about said first longitudinal axis relative to said frame portion; and

h) means for rotating said cartridge assembly and said anvil member about said second longitudinal axis relative to said base portion of said fastener applying assembly.

27. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said pneumatic actuation system comprises a canister of compressed gas disposed within said angularly depending stationary hand grip section of said frame portion, a valve member disposed adjacent said canister of compressed gas, and a compression chamber defined within said barrel section of said frame portion for housing a piston which is movable through said compression chamber in response to a release of gas from said canister.

28. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 27, wherein said canister has a fixed longitudinal orientation with respect to said frame portion and said valve member is movable relative to said canister for releasing compressed gas therefrom.

29. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 28, wherein an actuation trigger is operatively associated with said stationary hand grip section of said frame portion for moving said valve member toward said canister of compressed gas.

30. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 29, further comprising means operatively associated with said frame portion for selectively inhibiting movement of said actuation trigger while maintaining said actuation trigger in a position wherein access thereto is precluded.

31. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said frame portion includes a pivoting handle operatively configured for movement toward and away from said stationary hand grip section to actuate said approximation means.

32. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said fastener ejection means is configured to translate through said cartridge assembly from a distal end portion thereof to a proximal end portion thereof to sequentially eject said plurality of surgical fasteners therefrom.

33. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein said fastener ejection means includes a camming sled including a base portion and a plurality of upstanding spaced apart cam plates depending from said base portion.

34. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 26, further comprising counter means for indicating the number of times said pneumatic actuation system may be operated.

35. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 34, wherein said counter means comprises a ratchet assembly including a linear rack member and a reciprocating ratchet shaft.

36. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 35, further comprising disabling means operatively associated with said counter means for rendering said surgical apparatus inoperative after the performance of a predetermined number of operations.

37. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 36, wherein said disabling means comprises a linkage mechanism operatively associated with said ratchet shaft and said pneumatic actuation system.

38. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said means for articulating said fastener applying assembly comprises a reciprocating shaft extending through said body portion to said base portion and a rotatable drive mechanism operatively associated with said reciprocating shaft for effecting longitudinal movement thereof.

39. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said means for rotating said cartridge assembly and said anvil member relative to said base portion comprises a rotatable gear driven assembly extending through said body portion to said base portion.