SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH AUTOMATICALLY RECONFIGURABLE ARTICULATING END EFFECTOR

• US 20090289096A1
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Shelton, Frederick E. IV, Smith, Richard C., Yates, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,922,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 227/180.100
• 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 2017/0003 of parts of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00039 Electric or electromagnetic phenomena other than conductivity, e.g. capacity, inductivity, Hall effect
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00539 hydraulically
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2927 the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/067 for measuring angles

Abstract

A surgical instrument, such as a surgical cutting and fastening instrument, with an automatically articulatable end effector. The surgical instrument may comprise an end effector, a shaft, and an articulatable joint assembly connected between the end effector and the shaft. The joint assembly comprises at least one motor for articulating the end effector relative to the shaft. The joint assembly comprises at least one articulation sensor for sensing articulation of the end effector relative to the shaft. The instrument further comprises a control unit in communication with the articulation sensor and the motor. The control unit comprises at least one memory unit for storing articulation data from the at least one articulation sensor. When activated, the control unit sends control signals to the motor of the joint assembly to articulate automatically the end effector to a desired position based on the articulation data from the articulation sensor that is stored in the memory unit of the control unit.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument comprising:

an end effector;

a shaft;

an articulatable joint assembly joint assembly connected between the end effector and the shaft for articulating the end effector relative to the shaft, wherein the automatically articulatable joint assembly comprises;

at least one articulation sensor for sensing articulation of the automatically articulatable joint assembly; and

at least one motor for automatically articulating the end effector relative to the shaft;

a control unit in communication with the at least one articulation sensor, wherein the control unit comprises at least one memory unit for storing articulation data from the at least one articulation sensor, and wherein the control unit is in communication with the at least one motor of the articulatable joint assembly.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the control unit is for controlling the at least one motor in the articulatable joint assembly to cause the motor to articulate the end effector to a position based on the articulation data stored in the at least one memory unit.

3. The surgical instrument of claim 2, wherein the at least one motor comprises an electric motor.

4. The surgical instrument of claim 2, wherein the at least one motor comprises a hydraulic motor.

5. The surgical instrument of claim 2, further comprising a handle connected to the shaft, wherein the control unit is in the handle.

6. The surgical instrument of claim 2, wherein the end effector comprises:

a first jaw member; and

a second jaw member pivotably connected to the first jaw member.

7. The surgical instrument of claim 6, wherein the control unit comprises a processor in communication with the at least one memory unit.

8. The surgical instrument of claim 7, further comprising at least one user input device in communication with the control unit, which, when activated a first time, causes the control unit to control the motor of the articulatable joint assembly to cause the articulatable joint assembly to articulate to an articulation state based on articulation data stored in the at least one memory unit of the control unit.

9. The surgical instrument of claim 8, wherein the at least one user input device is positioned on the handle.

10. The surgical instrument of claim 8, wherein, when the user input device is activated a second time, the control unit causes the motor of the articulatable joint assembly to cause the articulatable joint assembly to articulate to an unarticulated state.

11. The surgical instrument of claim 8, wherein the articulation state is based on the articulation of the end effector at a prior time.

12. The surgical instrument of claim 11, wherein the prior time comprises a time at which the instrument was previously fired.

13. A surgical cutting and fastening instrument comprising:

an end effector comprising;

a moveable cutting instrument for cutting an object positioned in the end effector;

a first jaw member comprising an elongate channel for carrying the cutting instrument; and

a second jaw member pivotably connected to and opposing the first jaw member;

a shaft;

an articulatable joint assembly joint assembly connected between the end effector and the shaft for articulating the end effector relative to the shaft, wherein the automatically articulatable joint assembly comprises;

at least one articulation sensor for sensing articulation of the automatically articulatable joint assembly; and

at least one motor for automatically articulating the end effector relative to the shaft;

a handle connected to the shaft, wherein the handle comprises;

a control unit in communication with the at least one articulation sensor, wherein the control unit comprises at least one memory unit for storing articulation data from the at least one articulation sensor, and wherein the control unit is in communication with the at least one motor of the articulatable joint assembly for controlling the at least one motor to cause the motor to articulate the end effector to a position based on the articulation data stored in the at least one memory unit; and

at least one user input device in communication with the control unit, which, when activated a first time, causes the control unit to control the motor of the articulatable joint assembly to cause the articulatable joint assembly to articulate to an articulation state based on articulation data stored in the at least one memory unit of the control unit.

14. The surgical instrument of claim 13, wherein, when the user input device is activated a second time, the control unit causes the motor of the articulatable joint assembly to cause the articulatable joint assembly to articulate to an unarticulated state.

15. The surgical instrument of claim 13, wherein the articulation state is based on the articulation of the end effector at a prior time.

16. The surgical instrument of claim 13, wherein the prior time comprises a time at which the instrument was previously fired.

17. A method of performing a medical procedure on a patient, the method comprising:

(a) inserting an articulatable end effector of a surgical cutting and fastening instrument into the patient through a cannula, wherein the end effector is in a first articulation state when the end effector is inserted through the cannula;

(b) after step (a), activating an input device on the surgical cutting and fastening instrument to cause the end effector to automatically articulate to a second articulation state that is different from the first articulation state;

(c) after step (b), firing the surgical cutting and fastening instrument to sever and fasten tissue clamped in the end effector;

(d) after step (c), activating the input device to cause the end effector to automatically articulate to the first articulation state; and

(e) after step (d), withdrawing the end effector from the patient through the cannula.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

(f) after step (e), replacing a staple cartridge on the end effector; and

(g) repeating steps (a) through (e).

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising, prior to step (a):

(h) inserting the articulatable end effector into the patient through the cannula, wherein the end effector is in the first articulation state when the end effector is inserted through the cannula;

(i) after step (h), manually articulating the end effector to the second articulation state;

(j) after step (i), firing the surgical cutting and fastening instrument to sever and fasten tissue clamped in the end effector;

(k) after step (j), activating the input device to cause the end effector to automatically articulate to the first articulation state; and

(l) after step (k), withdrawing the end effector from the patient through the cannula

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising;

(m) after step (e), replacing a staple cartridge on the end effector; and

(n) repeating steps (a) through (e).