Laparoscopic tissue thickness and clamp load measuring devices
First Claim
1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
- a pair of opposing jaws, wherein at least one jaw is selectively movable relative to the other jaw in response to opening and closing motions applied to at least one of said opposing jaws for selectively clamping tissue therebetween;
an output generator associated with said pair of opposing jaws, said output generator generating tissue thickness data representing thicknesses of the tissue clamped between said pair of opposing jaws when said opposing jaws are in a plurality of positions between opened and closed;
a probe operably interfacing with said output generator, wherein said probe is configured to operably contact both of the jaws when said pair of opposing jaws are in said plurality of positions such that at said plurality of positions said probe causes said output generator to generate said tissue thickness data; and
a display for displaying said tissue thickness data thereon.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical instrument having opposed jaws that can be selectively moved between open and closed positions. Various embodiments include components for measuring the thickness of tissue clamped between the opposed jaws. Some embodiments are configured to ascertain the amount of compressive force that is being applied to the tissue while the thickness of the tissue is being determined. The tissue thickness data is displayed on the instrument itself and/or on a display that is remote from the instrument. The various embodiments may comprise different types of surgical instruments such as surgical staplers and graspers. A jaw arrangement with jaws shaped to define a cradle that corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of an object is also disclosed. The components that generate the thickness data may be electrically or mechanically actuated.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
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a pair of opposing jaws, wherein at least one jaw is selectively movable relative to the other jaw in response to opening and closing motions applied to at least one of said opposing jaws for selectively clamping tissue therebetween; an output generator associated with said pair of opposing jaws, said output generator generating tissue thickness data representing thicknesses of the tissue clamped between said pair of opposing jaws when said opposing jaws are in a plurality of positions between opened and closed; a probe operably interfacing with said output generator, wherein said probe is configured to operably contact both of the jaws when said pair of opposing jaws are in said plurality of positions such that at said plurality of positions said probe causes said output generator to generate said tissue thickness data; and a display for displaying said tissue thickness data thereon. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A surgical instrument comprising:
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a handle assembly; an end effector for performing a surgical operation, said end effector coupled to said handle assembly and having opposed jaw members for selectively clamping tissue therebetween in response to opening and closing motions applied to at least one of said opposing jaw members; a first signal generator in said end effector for generating first signals corresponding to a thickness of the tissue clamped between said opposed jaw members; a nodule oriented on said end effector such that said nodule is aligned with the first signal generator; a probe configured to operably contact both of the jaw members when said pair of opposed jaw members are in a plurality of positions between opened and closed such that at said plurality of positions said probe causes a second signal generator operably interfacing with said probe to generate second tissue thickness signals; a signal processor for receiving said first and second signals from said first signal generator and said second signal generator and calculating the thickness of the tissue clamped between said opposed jaw members; and a display communicating with said signal processor for displaying the tissue thickness thereon. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification