Adjustable compression staple and method for stapling with adjustable compression

• US 9,474,525 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Smith, Kevin W., Palmer, Matthew A., Kline, Korey, Deville, Derek Dee
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lauer, Christina
• Application Number:
  US14/167,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20140148848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/064 Surgical staples, i.e. penetrating the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0644 penetrating the tissue, deformable to closed position
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 15/0015 Staples

Abstract

A method for applying and maintaining compression with a staple includes piercing a material with deformable ends of staple legs. The legs enter the material until the material applies a pre-set compressive force within a pre-defined compression range to a compression device disposed at least partly between the legs. The compression device has a compression resistor connected to a compression surface. The compression surface is movably disposed with respect to the bridge. Movement of the compression surface towards the bridge is resisted with a force imparted by the compression resistor. The legs are deformed to maintain at least some of the compressive force between the material and the compression device. Forces greater than the pre-set force are absorbed with the compression resistor. The pre-set compressive force to the material is maintained within the pre-defined compression range throughout a state change of the material.

Claims

1. A method for applying and maintaining optimal compression with a staple, which comprises:

piercing a material with deformable distal ends of two staple legs, the two staple legs coupled to each other at base ends thereof by a bridge;

causing the two staple legs to enter the material until the material applies a pre-set compressive force within a pre-defined compression range to a compression device disposed at least partly between the two staple legs, the compression device having a compression resistor connected to a compression surface, the compression surface movably disposed with respect to the bridge;

resisting movement of the compression surface towards the bridge with a force imparted by the compression resistor;

deforming the two staple legs to maintain at least some of the compressive force between the material and the compression device;

absorbing forces greater than the pre-set compressive force with the compression resistor; and

maintaining the pre-set compressive force to the material within the pre-defined compression range throughout a state change of the material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the staple legs have stapling points; and

the deforming step comprises;

bending the stapling points toward one another, thereby compressing the material between the compression surface and the stapling points; and

maintaining, with the compression resistor, the pre-set compressive force on the material within the pre-defined compression range independent of a distance between the stapling points and the bridge.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deforming step comprises bending the distal ends of the two staple legs, thereby defining a central compression region between the compression surface and the two staple legs.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the bending step comprises bending the distal ends of the two staple legs in a staple-closing direction into the central compression region, the compression resistor resisting movement of the compression surface in the staple-closing direction with the pre-set compressive force within the pre-defined compression range.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the staple legs have stapling points; and

the deforming step comprises compressing the material between the compression surface and the stapling points.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compression resistor is operable to resist movement of the compression surface towards the bridge with one of:

a substantially constant force; and

a linearly increasing force.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compression resistor has an anti-compressive spring constant imparting a substantially constant anti-compressive force over the pre-defined compression range.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the staple legs have stapling points; and

the compression surface and the compression resistor are operable to impart the pre-set compressive force upon the material disposed between the compression surface and the stapling points when the stapling points are deformed.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

causing the material to change from a first state to a second state, a thickness of the material in the first state being different from a thickness of the material in the second state; and

applying, with the compression device, the pre-set compressive force to the material in both the first state and the second state.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

desiccating the material with the compression device; and

substantially maintaining the pre-set compressive force on the material after the desiccating step.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the bridge and the two staple legs define a bridge-leg plane;

the two staple legs extend from the bridge at an angle of between 80 and 100 degrees in the bridge-leg plane; and

the distal ends are capable of bending to approximately 180 degrees in the bridge-leg plane.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the compression surface defines two orifices; and

each of the two staple legs extends through one of the two orifices.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the compression resistor defines at least one orifice pair;

the compression surface defines two orifices; and

each of the two staple legs extends through one of the two orifices and one of the at least one orifice pair.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compression surface is parallel to the bridge.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the bridge and the two staple legs define a compression axis; and

the compression surface is movably disposed between the two staple legs along the compression axis.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bridge, the two staple legs, the compression resistor, and the compression surface are integral.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compression resistor is separate from the bridge and fixed to the bridge between the two staple legs.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compression resistor is disposed between the bridge and the compression surface.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the bridge and the two staple legs define a bridge-leg plane; and

the compression resistor is one of;

sinusoidal in the bridge-leg plane; and

double-sinusoidal in the bridge-leg plane.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the compression surface is a C-beam defining two orifices;

the compression resistor is one of;

a conical spring with a lower end connected to the compression surface;

a pair of springs each surrounding a portion of a respective one of the two staple legs and each having a lower end connected to the compression surface; and

a pair of springs each having an upper end connected to the bridge and a lower end connected to the compression surface; and

each of the two staple legs slidably rests within a respective one of the two orifices.