Self-contained powered surgical apparatus

• US 5,628,446 A
• Filed: 05/06/1996
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Geiste, Robert J., Mastri, Dominick L., DeFonzo, Stephan A., Young, Wayne P., Mililli, Carlo A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US08/643,396
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 227/19, 227/175.1, 227/176.1, 227/178.1, 227/179.1, 227/177.1
• US Class Current: 227/175.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0684 having a forming anvil staying above the tissue during stapling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00398 using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2905 flexible
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2936 Pins in guiding slots

Abstract

A self-contained powered surgical apparatus is provided which includes an elongate body defining a longitudinal axis and housing a plurality of surgical fasteners disposed within a feed track, an anvil positioned at a distal end of the elongate body adjacent a terminal end of the feed path for forming surgical fasteners, a fastener pusher mounted for longitudinal movement within the elongate body to individually urge surgical fasteners toward the anvil, a barrel cam assembly disposed within the elongate body for effectuating reciprocatory longitudinal movement of the fastener pusher, a motor assembly disposed within the elongate body for driving the barrel cam assembly, and a power source disposed within the elongate body for energizing the motor assembly.

Claims

1. A self-contained powered surgical apparatus for applying surgical fasteners to body tissue comprising:

a) an elongate body defining a longitudinal axis and configured to house a plurality of surgical fasteners;

b) a stationary anvil positioned adjacent a distal end of the elongate body for forming surgical fasteners;

c) a fastener pusher mounted for longitudinal movement within the elongate body to individually urge surgical fasteners in a longitudinal direction toward the anvil;

d) a barrel cam assembly disposed within the elongate body and configured to effect continuous uniform reciprocatory longitudinal movement of the fastener pusher;

e) a motor assembly disposed within the elongate body for driving the barrel cam assembly; and

f) a power source disposed within the elongate body for energizing the motor assembly.

2. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the barrel cam assembly includes a rotating inner barrel member and a longitudinally translating outer sleeve member mounted coaxial with the inner barrel member and having a fixed angular orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body.

3. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein a continuous cam channel is defined about the periphery of the inner barrel member and a cam follower depends radially inwardly from the outer sleeve member to engage the cam channel.

4. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the rotating inner barrel member is operatively connected to a drive shaft of the motor assembly and the outer sleeve member is operatively connected to a proximal end of the fastener pusher.

5. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising an actuator for selectively controlling the operation of the motor assembly.

6. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the actuator is disposed at a location proximate an intermediate portion of the elongate body.

7. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the actuator is wrapped around a circumference of the elongate body.

8. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 7, further comprising a conductive strip extending in the elongate body to electrically connect the actuator to the motor assembly and power source.

9. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of surgical fasteners are disposed within a feed track in the elongate body and a constant force spring biases the surgical fasteners distally within the feed track.

10. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising an ejection spring disposed adjacent the anvil for ejecting a formed surgical fastener from a distal end of the apparatus.

11. A self-contained powered surgical apparatus for applying surgical fasteners to body tissue comprising:

a) an elongate body defining a longitudinal axis and housing a plurality of surgical fasteners disposed within a feed track;

b) an anvil positioned at a distal end of the elongate body adjacent a terminal end of the feed path for forming the surgical fasteners;

c) a constant force spring for biasing the surgical fasteners toward the terminal end of the feed track;

d) a fastener pusher mounted for longitudinal movement within the elongate body to individually urge the surgical fasteners toward the anvil;

e) a barrel cam assembly disposed within the elongate body and including a linearly translating member operatively connected to the fastener pusher, and an axially rotating member mounted coaxial with the linearly translating member for effectuating the translation thereof;

f) a motor assembly disposed within the elongate body and having a rotating drive shaft for driving the rotating member of the barrel cam assembly, the linearly translating member moving both in a distal direction and a proximal direction in response to the rotating member rotating in only one axial direction; and

g) a power source disposed within the elongate body for energizing the motor assembly.

12. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein a portion of the feed track defines a curved transition path within which the surgical fasteners are transferred from a first position disposed within a first plane to a second position disposed within a second plane.

13. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the rotating member of the barrel cam assembly is a cylindrical cam member having at least one continuous cam channel defined about the periphery thereof.

14. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the linearly translating member is a cylindrical drive sleeve surrounding the cylindrical cam member and having at least one cam follower depending radially inwardly therefrom to engage the continuous cam channel, the drive sleeve having a fixed angular orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body.

15. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising an actuator switch for selectively controlling the operation of the motor assembly.

16. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the actuator switch is disposed at a location proximate an intermediate portion of the elongate body and is wrapped around a circumference of the elongate body.

17. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 16, further comprising an actuator switch disposed intermediate the elongate body for selectively controlling the operation of the motor assembly.

18. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising an ejection spring disposed adjacent the anvil for ejecting a formed surgical fastener from a distal end of the apparatus.

19. A self-contained powered surgical apparatus for applying surgical fasteners to body tissue comprising:

a) an elongate body defining a longitudinal axis and configured to house a plurality of surgical fasteners;

b) an anvil positioned adjacent a distal end of the elongate body for forming surgical fasteners;

c) a fastener pusher mounted for longitudinal movement within the elongate body to individually urge surgical fasteners toward the anvil;

d) a barrel cam assembly disposed within the elongate body for effectuating continuous uniform reciprocatory longitudinal movement of the fastener pusher;

e) a motor assembly disposed within the elongate body for driving the barrel cam assembly;

f) a power source disposed within the elongate body for energizing the motor assembly; and

g) an actuator disposed at a location proximate an intermediate portion of the elongate body and wrapped substantially around a circumference thereof for selectively controlling the operation of the motor assembly.

20. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 19, further comprising a conductive strip extending within the elongate body to electrically connect the actuator to the motor assembly and power source.