Adjustable compression staple and method for stapling with adjustable compression

• US 8,679,154 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Smith, Kevin W., Palmer, Matthew A., Kline, Korey Robert, Deville, Derek Dee
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAUER, CHRISTINA C
• Application Number:
  US11/971,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,266 Days
• Field of Search: 606/219, 411/457, 411/464, 411/475, 227/175.1
• US Class Current: 606/219
• 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 compression-self-adjusting staple includes a substantially U-shaped staple body and a compression device. The staple body has a bridge and two legs extending from the bridge at an angle thereto. Each of the legs has a base end integral with the bridge and a deformable distal end defining a stapling point shaped to pierce material to be stapled. The compression device is at least partly disposed between the legs and has a bias portion with a compression surface movably disposed between the legs and a compression resistor connected to the bridge and to the compression surface and formed to resist movement of the compression surface towards the bridge with a force.

Claims

1. A compression-self-adjusting staple, comprising:

a substantially U-shaped staple body having;

a bridge; and

two legs extending from said bridge at an angle thereto, each of said legs having;

a base end integral with said bridge; and

a deformable distal end defining a stapling point shaped to pierce material to be stapled;

a compression device;

at least partly disposed between said legs; and

having a bias portion with;

a compression surface movably disposed between said legs; and

a compression resistor;

connected to said bridge and to said compression surface; and

being formed to resist movement of said compression surface towards said bridge with a pre-set compressive force that ensures stapling within an optimal tissue compression range upon application of a stapling force and, after stapling, maintains the pre-set compressive force within the optimal tissue compression range; and

having a variation in cross-section including at least one of a variation in cross-section shape and a variation in cross-section thickness.

2. The staple according to claim 1, wherein:

said bridge is substantially rod-shaped with ends; and

said base end of each said legs is integral with a respective one of said ends.

3. The staple according to claim 1, wherein:

said bridge and legs define a bridge-leg plane; and

said legs extend from said bridge at an angle of between 80 and 100 degrees in said bridge-leg plane.

4. The staple according to claim 1, wherein:

said bridge and legs define a bridge-leg plane; and

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

5. The staple according to claim 1, wherein:

said compression surface defines two orifices; and

each of said legs extends through one of said two orifices.

6. The staple according to claim 1, wherein:

said compression resistor defines at least one orifice pair;

said compression surface defines two orifices; and

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

7. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression surface is at a distance from said bridge.

8. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression surface is parallel to said bridge.

9. The staple according to claim 1, wherein:

said bridge and said legs define a compression axis; and

said compression surface is movably disposed between said legs along said compression axis.

10. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression device is connected to said bridge.

11. The staple according to claim 10, wherein said compression resistor connects said bridge to said compression surface.

12. The staple according to claim 10, wherein said bridge, said legs, said compression resistor, and said compression surface are integrally formed as a one-piece construction.

13. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression resistor is at least partly disposed between said legs.

14. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression resistor is disposed between said bridge and said compression surface.

15. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression resistor is formed to resist movement of said compression surface towards said bridge with the pre-set compressive force, the pre-set compressive force being at least partially dependent upon the variation in cross-section.

16. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression resistor is formed to resist movement of said compression surface towards said bridge with a substantially constant force, the substantially constant force being at least partially dependent upon the variation in cross-section.

17. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression resistor is formed to resist movement of said compression surface towards said bridge with a linearly increasing force, the linearly increasing force being at least partially dependent upon the variation in cross-section.

18. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression resistor has an anti-compressive spring constant imparting a substantially constant anti-compressive force over the optimal tissue compression range, the anti-compressive spring constant and the anti-compressive force being at least partially dependent upon the variation in cross-section.

19. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said staple body and said compression device are of a biocompatible material.

20. The staple according to claim 19, wherein said material is at least one of titanium, a titanium alloy, nitinol, and stainless steel.

21. The staple according to claim 1, wherein:

said compression surface and said legs define a central compression region in which is to be disposed a material to be compressed between said compression surface and said stapling points when said distal ends are deformed; and

when said distal ends are deformed in a staple closing direction into said central compression region, said bias portion resists movement of said compression surface in said staple closing direction with the pre-set compressive force, the pre-set compressive force being at least partially dependent upon the variation in cross-section.

22. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression surface and said bias portion are shaped to impart pre-set compressive force upon material disposed between said compression surface and said stapling points when said stapling points are deformed, the pre-set compressive force being at least partially dependent upon the variation in cross-section.

23. The staple according to claim 1, wherein:

when said stapling points are deformed toward one another, material disposed between said compression surface and said stapling points is compressed between said stapling points and said compression surface; and

said compression resistor maintains the pre-set compressive force on the material within the optimal tissue compression range independent of a degree of compression between said stapling points and said compression surface, the substantially constant compressive force being at least partially dependent upon the variation in cross-section.

24. The staple according to claim 1, wherein said compression resistor is sinusoidal.

25. The staple according to claim 24, wherein:

said bridge and legs define a bridge-leg plane; and

said compression resistor is sinusoidal in said bridge-leg plane.

26. The staple according to claim 24, wherein:

said bridge and legs define a bridge-leg plane; and

said compression resistor is double-sinusoidal in said bridge-leg plane.

27. The staple according to claim 24, wherein said compression resistor has a first portion and a second portion and said second portion is a minor image of said first portion.