Disposable surgical stapler cartridge

• US 6,315,183 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2000
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hadi A. Piraka
• Original Assignee: Hadi A. Piraka
• Inventors: Piraka, Hadi A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US09/613,363
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 227/19, 227/176, 227/1, 227/179.1, 227/180.1, 227/120, 227/156, 227/139, 227/124, 606/219, 606/139, 206/339, 206/340
• US Class Current: 227/176.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/072 for applying a row of staples in a single action , e.g. the staples being applied simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2804 with two or more pivotal connections A61B17/29 takes precedence

Abstract

A disposable surgical stapler cartridge having a pair of partially engaged staple retaining and unloading members and a plurality of staples for joining together body tissues. Each staple has a center portion and a pair of adjoining downward extending side portions. Lower portions of the side portions are modified in cross-section to provide hinge points which reduce the required force for clinching the staples. The apertures of the cartridge retaining member require higher initial forces for unloading the staples from the member. The cartridge is detachably mounted in a jaw of a stapler by a pair of rails which slidably engage channels of the jaw and a boss which forcibly engages an aperture of the jaw. During a clinching of the staples the cartridge members are fully engaged to reduce the size of the cartridge.

Claims

1. In a disposable cartridge having a plurality of staples for joining together opposite sides of an incision, the improvement comprising:

said cartridge having a pair of generally rectangular shaped members with telescopically engaging outer portions, one of said members being a staple retaining member for storing said plurality of staples and the other of said members being a staple unloading member in partial engagement with said staple retaining member for unloading said staples from said staple retaining member;

said staple retaining member having a plurality of slotted apertures for storing said staples, each of said apertures having a means for preventing a premature unloading of one of said staples from said staple retaining member during a positioning of said cartridge on said opposite sides of said incision, said means comprising said slotted apertures having upper portions which are slightly enlarged relative to lower portions to require a force for unloading said staples from said staple retaining member which is higher than a force which is required for assembling said staple retaining member to said staple unloading member.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said cartridge further comprises a sharp knife blade for separating said layers of body tissue adjacent to said row of staples.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said cartridge has at least two rows of staples in parallel relationship to each other.

4. The improvement as defined in claim 3 wherein said cartridge has an inner pair of rows of staples;

an outer pair of rows of staples and a sharp knife between each row of said inner pair of rows of staples.

5. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein one of said cartridge members has a pair of outer rails and the other of said cartridge members has a pair of outer channels for slidably engaging said rails and a projection on one of said members for forcibly engaging a jaw of a stapler to detachably mount said cartridge in said stapler.

6. In combination with a stapler having a pair of pivotally connected jaws, a disposable cartridge detachably mounted in said jaws, said cartridge comprising:

a staple retaining member mounted in one of said jaws and having a plurality of slotted apertures for storing a plurality of staples, each of said slotted apertures having a means for preventing a premature unloading of said staples from said staple retaining member;

said means comprising said slotted apertures having upper portions which are slightly enlarged relative to over lower portions to require a force for unloading said staples from said staple retaining member which is higher than a force which is required for assembling said staple retaining member to a staple unloading member;

a staple unloading member for unloading said staples from said staple retaining member;

said unloading member having a plurality of blade shaped portions in partial engagement with said plurality of slotted apertures of said staple retaining member; and

a plurality of staples stored in said slotted apertures of said retaining member, each of said staples having a center portion and a pair of adjoining downward extending side portions.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein lower end portions of each of said downward extending side portions of each of said staples has a preformed hinge portion for reducing the force which is required to clinch said end portion of said staple.

8. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein each of said slotted apertures has side portions in close fitting relationship said downward extending portions of one of said staples and a center portion in loose fitting relationship with said center portion of said staple.