Surgical clip applier

• US 5,591,178 A
• Filed: 09/13/1995
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LeMaitre Vascular, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Bolanos, Henry, Toso, Kenneth E., Alesi, Daniel E., Green, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US08/527,698
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 606/143, 606/142, 606/139, 606/1, 606/151, 227/901, 227/19, 227/175.1-182, 29/243.56
• US Class Current: 606/143
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1285 for minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1107 for blood vessels

Abstract

A surgical clip applicator comprising a housing, a pair of handles pivotally connected to opposite sides of said housing, and a jaw blade assembly fixedly connected to the housing. The jaw blade assembly includes a pair of jaws for receiving and deforming a clip therebetween and a clip carrier for supplying a series of clips to said jaws. A channel assembly is slidably mounted in the housing and envelops said jaw blade assembly. A forming cam is connected between and to said handles and said channel assembly for sliding said channel assembly in a distal direction in response to dosing of said handles together to move said jaws towards each other. A feed cam bar slidably mounted in said channel assembly in overlying relation to said clip carrier, said bar having a nose at its distal end. A pusher bar slidably mounted in said channel assembly for advancing clips along said clip carrier. A first spring means connected between said cam bar and said forming cam for sliding said cam bar in a proximal direction in response to closing of said handles together and further biasing said channel assembly in a proximal direction. Second spring means biasing said pusher bar in a distal direction to push a foremost clip in said clip carrier between said jaws in response to opening of said handles from each other. A clip retainer for preventing movement of said spring biased pusher bar is also provided.

Claims

1. A surgical clip applicator comprising:

a housing defining a proximal end and a distal end;

a pair of handles pivotally connected to said proximal end of said housing and being actuable in a tweezer like manner, each of said handles extending from said proximal end of said housing towards said distal end of said housing;

a jaw assembly defining a pair of jaws extending from said housing for receiving and deforming a clip therebetween, said jaw assembly including a clip carrier portion;

a cover means extending from said housing and positioned and said clip carrier portion in overlying relation for holding a series of clips therebetween;

a channel assembly slidably mounted in said housing and substantially enclosing said jaw assembly and said cover means, said channel assembly terminating adjacent said pair of jaws;

camming means operatively connected to a proximal end of said channel assembly for sliding said channel assembly in a distal direction in response to closing of said handles to move said jaws towards each other to deform a clip positioned therebetween;

feed bar means slidably mounted in said channel assembly in overlying relation to said carrier portion for feeding said clips into said jaws, said feed bar means including a camming portion at a proximal end thereof;

a pusher bar slidably mounted in said channel assembly for advancing said series of clips along said clip carrier portion;

first spring means connected between said camming means and said feed bar means for biasing said feed bar means in a distal direction and for further biasing said channel assembly in a proximal direction;

second spring means biasing said pusher bar in a distal direction to push a foremost clip from said plurality of clips to position a distalmost clip between said jaws in response to opening of said handles; and

clip retaining means for preventing movement of said plurality of clips into said jaws and being movable between a fist position which prevents movement of said clips and a second position which permits said clips to advance distally, said retaining means being movable from said first to said second position by engagement with said feed bar means;

wherein said handles are connected to said camming means to effect distal movement of said channel assembly, and further are engagable with said camming portion of said feed bar means to effect substantially simultaneous proximal movement of said feed bar means upon closing of said handles.

2. A surgical clip applicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first spring means biases said handles into an opened position.

3. A surgical clip applier as set forth in claim 1 wherein said distal end of said pusher bar has a rounded distal end portion with a pair of prongs for engaging the proximal-most clip of said plurality of clips.

4. A surgical clip applicator comprising:

a housing having a proximal end and a distal end;

a pair of handle members pivotably connected at a common pivot point to said proximal end of said housing;

a jaw assembly fixedly secured to said distal end of said housing and extending in a distal direction therefrom, said jaw assembly including a pair of jaw members at a distal end for receiving and deforming a clip disposed therebetween and an elongated clip carrier portion;

a plurality of clips positioned on said clip carrier portion of said jaw assembly;

a channel assembly enclosing said clip carrier portion of said jaw assembly and being mounted to said distal end of said housing for slidable movement with respect to said housing and said jaw assembly, a distal end of said channel assembly being positioned adjacent said pair of jaw members for engagement with said jaw members upon distal sliding movement of said channel assembly to cam said jaw members together to crimp a clip positioned therebetween;

a clip feed member mounted to said distal end of said housing for slidable movement with respect to said housing, said clip feed member extending through said channel assembly and being positioned on said clip carrier portion of said jaw assembly in overlying relation with respect to said plurality of clips;

a spring member for biasing said handle members away from said housing and for biasing said channel assembly in a proximal direction, and said spring member further biasing said clip feed member in a distal direction when said applicator is in an at rest condition; and

camming means operatively associated with said handle members, said channel assembly and said clip feed member, said camming means translating pivoting movement of said handle members at said distal end of said housing into movement of said channel assembly in distal direction and substantially simultaneous movement of said clip feed member in a proximal direction, said distal movement of said channel assembly camming said jaw members together to crimp a clip positioned therebetween, and said proximal movement of said clip feed member positioning a distal end of said clip feed member behind a distalmost clip of said plurality of clips for subsequent feeding to said jaw members upon release of said handle members.

5. A surgical clip applicator according to claim 4, further comprising a pusher bar member for urging said plurality of clips in a distal direction towards said jaw members, said pusher bar member being biased by a second spring member in said distal direction.

6. A surgical clip applicator according to claim 5, further comprising a clip retainer member positioned adjacent said distal end of said channel assembly for retaining said plurality of clips, said retainer member being movable between a retaining position and a release position, said plurality of clips being permitted to advance in said distal direction when said retainer member is in said release position.

7. A surgical clip applicator according to claim 6, wherein said clip feed member contacts said retainer member upon pivoting movement of said handle members as said clip feed member moves in said proximal direction to move said retainer member to said release position.

8. A surgical clip applicator according to claim 4, wherein said camming means comprises a post member connected to each of said handle members, said post members engaging camming surfaces disposed on said channel assembly and said clip feed member to effect relative movement of each upon pivoting movement of said handle members.

9. A surgical clip applicator according to claim 8, wherein said handle members include a gripping portion, said gripping portion being positioned adjacent said distal end of said housing.