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Surgical stapler with mechanisms for reducing the firing force

  • US 5,535,935 A
  • Filed: 06/01/1995
  • Issued: 07/16/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A surgical stapler for applying staples to compressed tissue comprising:

  • a handle portion having surfaces adapted to be manually grasped by a surgeon;

    a cartridge retention portion and an anvil retention portion, said anvil retention portion including an anvil having a plurality of specially shaped surfaces,approximation means for mounting said cartridge retention portion and said anvil retention portion for relative movement between a closed position in which said cartridge retention portion and said anvil retention portion are in closely spaced relationship for clamping tissue to be stapled therebetween and an open position in which said cartridge retention portion and said anvil retention portion are spaced farther from each other than in the closed position,said cartridge retention portion having a staple housing for enclosing a plurality of staples in substantially parallel, linear rows, said staple housing being elongate to define a longitudinal axis, a tissue engagement surface, said staple housing having proximal and distal end portions,a firing means movable in a firing direction between pre-fired and fired positions to substantially sequentially eject the staples in a row from the staple housing and press the ejected staples against the specially shaped surfaces of the anvil to engage, form and close staples in tissue clamped between the staple housing and the anvil,a firing handle and a firing rod operatively associated with said firing means for movement between the pre-fired and fired positions,a knife for cutting tissue,means, operatively associated with the firing means and mounting said knife, for movement between a prefired position in which the knife is located in the proximal portion of the staple housing and a fired position in which the knife is located in the distal portion of the staple housing, andtrapping means for trapping the knife in the distal end portion of said staple housing in the fired position and for restricting return movement of the knife from said fired toward said pre-fired position once the firing means has been moved from the pre-fired to the fired position.

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