Surgical stapler
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A surgical stapler comprising:
- a handle assembly including a movable handle;
an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis;
an actuation assembly including an actuation member having teeth, a driving pawl, a locking member, and a release member, the driving pawl being operatively associated with the movable handle and movable into engagement with the actuation member to effect longitudinal movement of the actuation member, the locking member being movable into engagement with the actuation member to retain the actuation member in a longitudinally fixed position, the release member being movable to engage the locking member and move the locking member away from the actuation member;
a staple cartridge supported by the elongated body and containing a plurality of staples;
an anvil mounted adjacent the staple cartridge, the anvil having a fastener forming surface thereon, the anvil and staple cartridge being movable in relation to one another between an open and a closed position; and
an actuator operatively connected to the actuation member, the actuator being configured to move relative to the staple cartridge and anvil to effectuate sequential ejection of the staples from the staple cartridge.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical device is described herein that can be used to fire different types and sizes of disposable loading units. In a preferred embodiment, the device applies parallel rows of surgical fasteners to body tissue and concomitantly forms an incision between the rows of staples during an endoscopic or laparoscopic surgical procedure. The device can be utilized with disposable loading units configured to apply linear rows of staples measuring from about 15 mm in length to about 60 mm in length and can be used to fire disposable loading units containing surgical clips and individual staples.
118 Citations
59 Claims
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1. A surgical stapler comprising:
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a handle assembly including a movable handle;
an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis;
an actuation assembly including an actuation member having teeth, a driving pawl, a locking member, and a release member, the driving pawl being operatively associated with the movable handle and movable into engagement with the actuation member to effect longitudinal movement of the actuation member, the locking member being movable into engagement with the actuation member to retain the actuation member in a longitudinally fixed position, the release member being movable to engage the locking member and move the locking member away from the actuation member;
a staple cartridge supported by the elongated body and containing a plurality of staples;
an anvil mounted adjacent the staple cartridge, the anvil having a fastener forming surface thereon, the anvil and staple cartridge being movable in relation to one another between an open and a closed position; and
an actuator operatively connected to the actuation member, the actuator being configured to move relative to the staple cartridge and anvil to effectuate sequential ejection of the staples from the staple cartridge. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A surgical stapler, comprising:
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a handle assembly including a movable handle;
an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis;
an actuation assembly including an actuation member having teeth and a driving pawl, the driving pawl being operatively associated with the movable handle and movable into engagement with the actuation member to effect longitudinal movement of the actuation member, the driving pawl being biased away from the actuation member when the movable handle is in a first position at rest, and the driving pawl being biased toward the actuation member when the movable handle is moved to a second position;
a staple cartridge supported by the elongated body and containing a plurality of staples;
an anvil mounted adjacent the staple cartridge, the anvil having a fastener forming surface thereon, the anvil and staple cartridge being movable in relation to one another between an open and a closed position; and
an actuator operatively connected to the actuation member, the actuator being configured to move relative to the staple cartridge and anvil to effectuate sequential ejection of the staples from the staple cartridge. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A surgical stapler, comprising:
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a handle assembly including a movable handle;
an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis;
a staple cartridge supported by the elongated body and containing a plurality of staples;
an anvil mounted adjacent the staple cartridge, the anvil having a fastener forming surface thereon, the anvil and staple cartridge being movable in relation to one another between an open and a closed position;
an actuation assembly including an actuation member having teeth, a driving pawl, and a locking member, the driving pawl being operatively associated with the movable handle and movable into engagement with the actuation member to effect longitudinal movement of the actuation member, the actuation member being biased in a proximal direction, and the locking member being arranged for maintaining the position of the actuation rack;
an actuator operatively connected to the actuation member, the actuator being configured to move relative to the staple cartridge and anvil to effectuate sequential ejection of the staples from the staple cartridge. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A surgical stapler, comprising:
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a handle assembly including a movable handle;
an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis;
a staple cartridge supported by the elongated body and containing a plurality of staples;
an anvil mounted adjacent the staple cartridge, the anvil having a fastener forming surface thereon and a slot at a distal end thereof, the anvil and staple cartridge being movable in relation to one another between an open and a closed position;
an actuation assembly including an actuation member, the movable handle being arranged to effect longitudinal movement of the actuation member; and
a drive assembly arranged to be driven in a distal direction by the actuation member, the drive assembly having an upper end for engaging the anvil, the upper end dropping through the anvil slot when the upper end reaches the distal end of its travel. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A surgical stapling apparatus comprising:
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a handle assembly including a movable handle, the movable handle being movable through an actuation stroke;
an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis, the elongated body having a distal end adapted to releasably engage a plurality of loading unit types; and
an actuation member mounted for longitudinal movement in response to manipulation of the movable handle;
the loading unit types being selected from the group consisting of a first disposable loading unit having a staple cartridge and an anvil against which surgical staples contained in the staple cartridge are driven, and a second disposable loading unit having a housing, a jaw structure, and a plurality of surgical clips disposed in the housing. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A surgical stapler, comprising:
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a handle assembly including a movable handle;
an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis;
an actuation assembly including an actuation member and a rod, the movable handle being arranged to effect longitudinal movement of the actuation member and rod;
a staple cartridge supported by the elongated body and containing a plurality of staples;
an anvil mounted adjacent the staple cartridge, the anvil having a fastener forming surface thereon, the anvil and staple cartridge being movable in relation to one another between an open and a closed position;
a lockout assembly for engaging the rod, the lockout assembly having a plate with an aperture there through for receiving the control rod, and a biasing member for biasing the plate toward the rod; and
an actuator operatively connected to the actuation member, the actuator being configured to move relative to the staple cartridge and anvil to effectuate sequential ejection of the staples from the staple cartridge. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A surgical stapler, comprising:
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a handle assembly including a movable handle;
an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis, the elongated body having a distal end adapted to releasably engage a loading unit;
an actuation assembly including an actuation member and a rod, the movable handle being arranged to effect longitudinal movement of the actuation member and rod;
a loading unit having a staple cartridge containing a plurality of staples and an anvil mounted adjacent the staple cartridge, the anvil having a fastener forming surface thereon, the anvil and staple cartridge being movable in relation to one another between an open and a closed position, the loading unit having an actuator arranged for operative connection to the actuation member, the actuator being configured to move relative to the staple cartridge and anvil to effectuate sequential ejection of the staples from the staple cartridge; and
a lockout assembly for engaging the rod, the lockout assembly having a plate with an aperture there through for receiving the rod, and a biasing member for biasing the plate toward the rod. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A method of stapling tissue, comprising:
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moving a movable handle from a neutral position to an actuating position, the movable handle effecting movement of an actuation member in a longitudinal direction to a first position and effecting clamping of the tissue between a staple cartridge containing surgical staples and an anvil having a fastener forming surface thereon;
releasing the movable handle; and
moving the movable handle to the actuating position, the actuation member moving from the first position to a second position to eject at least some of the staples from the staple cartridge. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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Specification