Small diameter cartridge design for a surgical stapling instrument
First Claim
1. An end effector comprising:
- a first jaw including a sled;
a second jaw including an anvil, the first and second jaws movable relative to one another; and
a cartridge disposed on the first jaw and having staples, the sled configured to directly engage at least one staple to eject the at least one staple from the cartridge as the sled translates longitudinally through the cartridge, wherein the cartridge defines a plurality of vertical slots and a first vertical channel and the first jaw defines a longitudinal axis, the first vertical channel parallel to the longitudinal axis and passing through each vertical slot of a first line of the plurality of vertical slots.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An end effector includes a first jaw, a second jaw, and a cartridge. The first cartridge includes a sled and the second jaw includes an anvil. The first and second jaws are moveable relative to one another. The cartridge is disposed on the first jaw and has a plurality of staples. The sled is configured to engage each staple to the plurality of staples to eject the plurality of staples from the cartridge as the sled is longitudinally translated through the cartridge. A loading unit is also disclosed including an elongated body and an end effector that is articulable relative to the end effector. The end effector and the elongated body of the loading unit are configured to pass or fit through a 5 mm opening.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. An end effector comprising:
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a first jaw including a sled; a second jaw including an anvil, the first and second jaws movable relative to one another; and a cartridge disposed on the first jaw and having staples, the sled configured to directly engage at least one staple to eject the at least one staple from the cartridge as the sled translates longitudinally through the cartridge, wherein the cartridge defines a plurality of vertical slots and a first vertical channel and the first jaw defines a longitudinal axis, the first vertical channel parallel to the longitudinal axis and passing through each vertical slot of a first line of the plurality of vertical slots. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A loading unit comprising:
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an elongated body having proximal and distal ends; and an end effector disposed at the distal end of elongated body, the end effector including; a first jaw including a sled; a second jaw including an anvil, the first and second jaws movable relative to one another; and a cartridge disposed on the first jaw and having staples, the sled configured to directly engage at least one staple to eject the at least one staple from the cartridge as the sled translates longitudinally through the cartridge, the cartridge defining a plurality of vertical slots and a first vertical channel, the first vertical channel parallel to a longitudinal axis of the first jaw and passing through at least two vertical slots of a first line of the plurality of vertical slots. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A method of joining tissue, the method comprising:
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clamping tissue between first and second jaws of a surgical instrument; and translating a sled through a cartridge of the first jaw, the sled directly contacting a staple to eject the staple from the cartridge towards the second jaw, wherein the sled translates through a sled channel defined by the first jaw and the cartridge such that a first fin extending from an upper surface of the sled directly contacts the staple and the first fin translates through a vertical channel and a first line of vertical slots defined by the cartridge, the first line of vertical slots disposed along the vertical channel. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification