Surgical stapler with mechanisms for reducing the firing force

• US 5,816,471 A
• Filed: 06/01/1995
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Minck, John L. Jr., Vidal, Claude A., Plyley, Alan K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US08/456,555
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 227/19, 227/175, 227/176, 227/178, 227/179
• US Class Current: 227/178.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/064 Surgical staples, i.e. penetrating the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/07207 the staples being applied sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07214 Stapler heads
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07228 Arrangement of the staples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07278 characterised by its sled or its staple holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07285 characterised by its cutter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2911 rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2912 transmission of forces to actuating rod or piston
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2913 cams or guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2916 pins in guiding slots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2924 Translation movement of handle without rotating movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0801 Prevention of accidental cutting or pricking

Abstract

Surgical staplers for use during open and/or laparoscopic surgical procedures are disclosed. Novel firing device trapping assemblies, pushers, staple lines and firing handles are described. Many of the novel devices reduce the overall firing force experienced by the surgeon.

Claims

1. A surgical stapler for applying staples to compressed tissue comprising:

proximal and distal portions, said distal portion having an anvil retention portion and a cartridge retention portion, said anvil retention portion having an anvil with specially shaped surfaces,

said cartridge retention portion having a staple housing enclosing a plurality of staples, staple drivers adjacent staples, and a plurality of pushers each having a cam surface, said staple housing being elongate to define a longitudinal axis,

said staple housing having a plurality of longitudinally extending pusher slots adapted to receive said pushers to afford movement of said pushers in a firing direction, and a plurality of driver channels for receiving said staple drivers to afford movement of said staple drivers in a staple driving direction between pre-eject and ejected positions;

each of said staple drivers having a cam follower surface for engaging the cam surface of a pusher to move the staple driver from the pre-eject toward the ejected position 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,

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 proximal portion comprising first and second sides, top and bottom portions, a firing handle channel extending between said sides to define a space between said top and bottom portions, and finger engagement surfaces that are sized and shaped to be engaged by the fingers of a stapler firing hand of a surgeon,

a firing handle mounted in said firing handle channel for movement in said firing direction between pre-fired and fired positions, said firing handle having digit engagement surfaces dimensioned and shaped to be receive a digit such as the thumb of the firing hand of a surgeon;

said firing handle channel being sized and shaped to afford passage of at least one digit of the surgeon'"'"'s hand from one of said first and second sides, through said space, to the other of said first and second sides to afford grasping of the firing handle;

a firing rod between said firing handle and said pushers, said firing rod having proximal and distal portions for transmitting a firing force from said firing handle to said pushers to move the pushers in the firing direction, said proximal portion of said firing rod defining a proximal portion firing axis substantially parallel to the firing direction; and

wherein the firing handle and proximal portion of said firing rod are constructed and arranged to afford transmission of a force directly along the proximal portion firing axis so that the proximal portion of said firing rod may remain substantially free of a moment caused by the surgeon pressing on the firing handle to move the firing handle from the pre-fired toward the fired position.