Self-contained powered surgical apparatus for applying surgical fasteners

• US 5,954,259 A
• Filed: 06/27/1997
• Issued: 09/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Young, Wayne P., Viola, Frank J., Mastri, Dominick L., Toso, Kenneth E., Alesi, Daniel E., Granger, Richard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US08/883,790
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 227/176.1, 227/175.1, 227/178.1, 227/180.1, 227/19
• US Class Current: 227/176.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/07207 the staples being applied sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00398 using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0046 with a releasable handle; with handle and operating part separable for prosthetic joint-implanting tools A61F2/4603
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00473 Distal part, e.g. tip or head A61B2017/00464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07214 Stapler heads
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2905 flexible
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2929 with a head rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2933 camming or guiding means

Abstract

A self-contained powered surgical apparatus for applying surgical fasteners to body tissue is disclosed which includes a handle assembly, a gear motor assembly disposed within the handle assembly, a power source disposed within the handle assembly for energizing the motor assembly, an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly, a cartridge assembly detachably connected to a distal end portion of the elongated body, and an elongated drive shaft extending through the elongated body and detachably coupling the motor assembly to the cartridge assembly.

Claims

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

a) a handle assembly;

b) a motor assembly disposed within the handle assembly;

c) a power source disposed within the handle assembly for energizing the motor assembly;

d) an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly;

e) a cartridge assembly detachably connected to a distal end portion of the elongated body and including;

i) a housing supporting a plurality of surgical fasteners;

ii) an anvil associated with the housing and mounted for movement between an open position and a closed position;

iii) an actuation mechanism configured to translate relative to the housing and the anvil to progressively move the anvil from the open position to the closed position and to sequentially eject surgical fasteners from the housing to be formed against the anvil;

iv) an axial drive screw threadably associated with the actuation mechanism for effectuating the translation thereof; and

f) an elongated drive shaft extending through the elongated body and detachably coupling the axial drive screw of the cartridge assembly to the motor assembly.

2. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the handle assembly includes an elongate barrel portion within which the motor assembly is disposed, and a depending handle gripping portion within which the power source is disposed.

3. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a trigger mechanism associated with the handle assembly for selectively actuating the motor assembly.

4. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 3, further comprising a switching mechanism associated with the trigger mechanism for selectively reversing the polarity of the motor assembly.

5. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein the elongated body and cartridge assembly are rotatable with respect to the handle assembly.

6. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for preventing rotation of the elongated body and the cartridge assembly.

7. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the preventing means comprises a plurality of indentations circumferentially disposed about a distal portion of the handle assembly, and an annular collar formed of a resilient material and mounted about a proximal end portion of the elongated body, the annular collar including a pair of diametrically opposed radially inwardly extending protuberances dimensioned to normally engage the indentations formed on the handle assembly, and which are disengaged from the indentations by applying a radially inwardly directed force on the collar.

8. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the cartridge assembly is detachably mounted to the elongated body by a bayonet-type coupling arrangement.

9. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the bayonet-type coupling includes an engagement slot defined in a distal end portion of the elongated body and a corresponding engagement pin associated with a proximal end portion of the cartridge assembly.

10. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein a distal end of the elongated drive shaft is releasably coupled to a proximal end of the axial drive screw by a spring biased coupling mechanism.

11. A powered surgical apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the coupling mechanism includes a compression spring, the spring facilitating axial alignment of the proximal end of the axial drive screw and the distal end of the elongated drive shaft.

12. A power surgical apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising a shaft coupling interconnecting the elongated drive shaft and the axial drive screw, the shaft coupling being rotatably fixed but longitudinally slidable with respect to the drive shaft and being longitudinally biased into operable engagement with the axial drive screw, and a cartridge coupling operably connected to the axial drive screw, the cartridge coupling having proximally extending teeth and the shaft coupling having distally extending teeth, the shaft coupling teeth being biased into engagement with the cartridge coupling teeth.

13. A cartridge assembly for a surgical apparatus configured to sequentially apply a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue, the apparatus including an elongated body and an actuator mounted for axial rotation within the elongated body, the cartridge assembly comprising:

a) a housing supporting a plurality of surgical fasteners and configured to be detachably mounted to a distal end portion of the elongated body of the apparatus;

b) an anvil associated with the housing and mounted for movement with respect thereto between an open position and a closed position;

c) an actuation assembly configured to translate relative to the housing and the anvil to progressively move the anvil from the open position to the closed position and to concomitantly sequentially eject surgical fasteners from the housing to be formed against the anvil; and

d) an axial drive screw thredably associated with the actuation assembly for effectuating the translation thereof, a proximal end of the drive screw being configured to detachably couple with a distal end of the actuator, whereby axial rotation of the actuator causes longitudinal translation of the actuation assembly.

14. A cartridge assembly as recited in claim 13, further comprising a cutting blade configured to translate through the cartridge assembly in conjunction with the actuation assembly to form an incision in stapled body tissue.

15. A cartridge assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the anvil is normally biased into the open position.

16. A cartridge assembly as recited in claim 15, wherein the anvil includes a fastener forming surface against which fasteners are driven when ejected from the housing, and an opposed outer camming surface.

17. A cartridge assembly as recited in claim 16, wherein the actuation assembly includes a cylindrical roller cam dimensioned and configured to engage the outer camming surface of the anvil to effect the progressive closure thereof during the longitudinal translation of the actuation assembly.

18. A cartridge assembly as recited in claim 17, wherein a slot is defined in the anvil to receive the cam roller and permit the anvil to return to a normally biased open position at the conclusion of a fastening operation.

19. A surgical apparatus comprising:

a) a handle assembly;

b) an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly; and

c) a cartridge assembly detachably connected to the elongated body by a bayonet-type coupling, the cartridge assembly comprising;

i) a housing supporting a plurality of surgical fasteners;

ii) an anvil movable with respect to the housing between open and closed positions;

iii) an actuation mechanism configured to translate relative to the housing and anvil to move the anvil from the open to the closed position and to eject the surgical fasteners from the housing to be formed against the anvil; and

iv) a drive member operably associated with the handle assembly to effect translation of the actuation mechanism.

20. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein the drive member is an axial drive screw.

21. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 20, further including a motor disposed within the handle assembly and an elongated drive shaft extending through the elongated body, the elongated drive shaft coupling the axial drive screw of the cartridge assembly to the motor assembly.

22. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 21, further comprising a trigger mechanism associated with the handle assembly for selectively actuating the motor assembly.

23. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 21, further comprising a shaft coupling interconnecting the elongated drive shaft and the axial drive screw, the shaft coupling being rotatably fixed but longitudinally slidable with respect to the drive shaft and being longitudinally biased into operable engagement with the axial drive screw, and a cartridge coupling operably connected to the axial drive screw, the cartridge coupling having proximally extending teeth and the shaft coupling having distally extending teeth, the shaft coupling teeth being biased into engagement with the cartridge coupling teeth.

24. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein the handle assembly includes an elongate barrel portion within which the motor assembly is disposed, and a depending handle gripping portion within which a power source is disposed.

25. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 21, further comprising a switching mechanism associated with a trigger mechanism for selectively reversing the polarity of the motor assembly, and wherein the cartridge is detachably mounted to the elongated body by a bayonet-type coupling arrangement.

26. A surgical apparatus as recited in claim 19, further including a motor assembly and a power source disposed within the handle assembly.