Surgical anvil arrangements

• US 10,856,869 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2017
• Issued: 12/08/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon, LLC (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Shelton, IV, Frederick E., Morgan, Jerome R., Harris, Jason L., Bakos, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kinsaul, Anna K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seif, Dariush
• Application Number:
  US15/634,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20180368842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 2271761, 2271751-1821, 606 75, 606219, 606220
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/07207 the staples being applied sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00022 Sensing or detecting at the treatment site
• 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 2017/00464 for use with different instruments with hole for different instruments A61B2017/22072
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00526 Methods of manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00845 of moving parts with respect to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00862 elastic or resilient for sutures A61B2017/0618
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07235 containing different staples, e.g. staples of different shapes, sizes or materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07242 achieving different staple heights during the same shot, e.g. using an anvil anvil having different heights or staples of different sizes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0725 with settable gap between anvil and cartridge, e.g. for different staple heights at different shots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07257 characterised by its anvil
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07264 characterised by its staple forming cavities, e.g. geometry or material
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07271 characterised by its cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07278 characterised by its sled or its staple holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/07285 characterised by its cutter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2927 the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2933 camming or guiding means

Abstract

A surgical stapling anvil is disclosed comprising an anvil body comprising a longitudinal slot configured to receive a firing member therethrough and a tissue-facing surface comprising a plurality of staple-forming pockets defined therein. The anvil further comprises an anvil cap and a plurality of welds welding the anvil cap and the anvil body together. The welds comprise a shallow-welded zone comprising a first weld depth and a deep-welded zone comprising a second weld depth which is different than the first weld depth, wherein the shallow-welded zone and the deep-welded zone are configured to increase overall weld depth of the plurality of welds.

Claims

1. A surgical stapling anvil, comprising:

an anvil body, comprising;

a longitudinal slot configured to receive a firing member therethrough; and

a tissue-facing surface comprising a plurality of staple-forming pockets defined therein;

an anvil cap comprising an outer surface; and

a plurality of welds welding said anvil cap and said anvil body together, wherein said welds comprise;

a first weld comprising a first weld root, wherein said first weld is in a shallow-welded zone comprising a first weld depth, wherein said first weld depth extends from said outer surface of said anvil cap to said first weld root; and

a second weld comprising a second weld root, wherein said second weld is in a deep-welded zone comprising a second weld depth which is different than said first weld depth, wherein said second weld depth extends from said outer surface of said anvil cap to said second weld root, and wherein said shallow-welded zone and said deep-welded zone are configured to increase the net weld depth of said plurality of welds.

2. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 1, wherein said anvil cap and said anvil body comprise corresponding alignment features configured to aid in aligning said anvil body and said anvil cap for welding.

3. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 2, wherein said corresponding alignment features comprise a first alignment feature on a first side of said longitudinal slot positioned a first distance from said tissue-facing surface and a second alignment feature on a second side of said longitudinal slot positioned a second distance from said tissue-facing surface, and wherein said first distance and said second distance are different.

4. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 1, wherein said deep-welded zone comprises a first longitudinal length, wherein said shallow-welded zone comprises a second longitudinal length, and wherein said first longitudinal length and said second longitudinal length are different.

5. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 1, wherein said deep-welded zone comprises a first longitudinal length, wherein said shallow-welded zone comprises a second longitudinal length, and wherein said first longitudinal length and said second longitudinal length overlap each other along a length of the surgical stapling anvil.

6. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 1, wherein said deep-welded zone comprises a welder access region.

7. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 6, wherein said welder access region comprises a filler weld.

8. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 1, wherein said shallow-welded zone comprises a first stiffness, wherein said deep-welded zone comprises a second stiffness, and wherein said first stiffness and said second stiffness are different.

9. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 1, wherein said anvil body and said anvil cap are manufactured using a metal injection molding process.

10. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 1, wherein said first weld root is a portion of said first weld positioned closest to said tissue-facing surface, and wherein said second weld root is a portion of said second weld positioned closest to said tissue-facing surface.

11. A surgical stapling anvil, comprising:

an anvil body, comprising;

a longitudinal slot configured to receive a firing member therethrough; and

a tissue-facing surface comprising a plurality of staple-forming pockets defined therein;

an anvil cap; and

a plurality of welds welding said anvil cap and said anvil body together, wherein said welds comprise;

a first weld comprising a first weld root, wherein said first weld root extends to a first distance from said tissue-facing surface of said anvil body; and

a second weld comprising a second weld root, wherein said second weld root extends to a second distance from said tissue-facing surface of said anvil body, and wherein said first distance is different than said second distance.

12. The surgical stapling anvil of claim 11, wherein said first weld root is a portion of said first weld positioned closest to said tissue-facing surface, and wherein said second weld root is a portion of said second weld positioned closest to said tissue-facing surface.