EP0033548A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Surgical stapling instrument
Assignee: United States Surgical Corp
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Filing: 1981-02-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2001-02-05
Abstract
Abstract A surgical stapling instrument has upper and lower elongate jaws for receiving a staple cartridge and an anvil respectively. A pusher bar and knife assembly including a pair of pusher bars and a central knife carrier moves longitudinally relative to the jaws to eject staples sequentially from the magazine and form laterally spaced staple rows in tissue gripped between the jaws whilethe knife cuts thetissue along a line between the staple rows. The instrument includes means for locally supporting the jaws in the region of the pusher bar cams and knife blade as these elements move along the jaws to resist forces created during staple ejection and shaping which tend to vertically separate and/or laterally distort the jaws.
Inventors
- 👤 David Thomas Green
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 17:54
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/068; A61B17/072; A61B17/07207; A61B17/28; A61B17/2812; A61B17/282; A61B2017/2825
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
187 words
In a surgical stapling instrument having first and second cooperating frames each provided with an elongate jaw, one of said jaws being adapted to receive at least two laterally spaced longitudinal rows of staples, an elongate pusher bar and knife assembly slidable longitudinally relative to said jaws for sequentially ejecting staples from said one of said jaws and shaping the staples against anvil means provided on the other of said jaws to form a pair of laterally spaced staple rows in tissue gripped between said jaws and for cutting the tissue along a line between said staple rows, said assembly including a pair of laterally spaced pusher bars each having a forward end portion including a pusher bar cam and a knife carrier having a knife blade located between said pusher bars, the improvement comprising cooperative support means associated with said pusher bar and knife assembly and with said jaws respectively for locally supporting said jaws in the region of said pusher bar cams as said cams move along said jaws thereby resisting forces tending to deflect said jaws during ejection and shaping of the individual staples.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
187 words
In a surgical stapling instrument having first and second cooperating frames each provided with an elongate jaw, one of said jaws being adapted to receive at least two laterally spaced longitudinal rows of staples, an elongate pusher bar and knife assembly slidable longitudinally relative to said jaws for sequentially ejecting staples from said one of said jaws and shaping the staples against anvil means provided on the other of said jaws to form a pair of laterally spaced staple rows in tissue gripped between said jaws and for cutting the tissue along a line between said staple rows, said assembly including a pair of laterally spaced pusher bars each having a forward end portion including a pusher bar cam and a knife carrier having a knife blade located between said pusher bars, the improvement comprising cooperative support means associated with said pusher bar and knife assembly and with said jaws respectively for locally supporting said jaws in the region of said pusher bar cams as said cams move along said jaws thereby resisting forces tending to deflect said jaws during ejection and shaping of the individual staples.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein said support means includes means for resisting forces tending to laterally distort said jaws.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein said support means includes means for resisting forces tending to vertically separate said jaws.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein said support means includes means for resisting forces tending to laterally distort said jaws and forces tending to vertically separate said jaws.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
64 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein said support means includes means defining a longitudinal passageway in each of said jaws and upper and lower shoes carried by said pusher bar and knife assembly in the region of said pusher bar cams, said shoes fitting in said passageways and travelling therealong during longitudinal movement of said assembly to provide said local support for said jaws.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The improvement of claim 5 wherein said passageways and shoes have complimentary cross-sectional shapes resisting localized lateral misalignment of the jaws and resisting vertical separation of the jaws.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The improvement of claim 6 wherein at least one of said shoes and the corresponding jaw passageway have complimentary substantially T-shaped cross-sectional profiles.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The improvement of claim 5 wherein said knife carrier includes upper and lower portions projecting forwardly of said knife and wherein said shoes are disposed on the projecting portions above and below the level of said pusher bar cans respectively.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein said jaws are made of light-weight disposable plastics material and said knife carrier is made of relatively rigid material whereby said shoes provide support to the jaws resisting said jaw deflecting forces.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
53 words
The improvement of claim 1 including a staple cartridge for mounting on said one of said jaws to provide said rows of staples, said cartridge comprising a pair of longitudinally extending staple-carrying elements defining a slit therebetween for passage of said knife carrier when said cartridge is mounted on one of said jaws.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
ll. The improvement of claim 10 wherein said cartridge has a common nose portion and said staple-carrying elements each extend rearwardly from said nose portion.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
39 words
The improvement of claim 1 including anvil means comprising a pair of elongate anvil members and means for mounting said anvil members on the other of said jaws to define a slit therebetween for passage of said knife carrier.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
45 words
The improvement of claim 12 wherein each of said anvil members is substantially channel-shaped in cross section and said other of said jaws includes opposed inwardly directed longitudinal shoulders defining said anvil mounting means, said anvil members seating on said shoulders with a friction fit.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
53 words
The improvement of claim 1 including means for pivotally connecting said frames together at the rear ends of said frames and a locking handle means pivotally connected to one of said frames and cooperating with locking formations associated with the other of said frames for moving said jaws between open and closed conditions.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
133 words
A surgical instrument for use in fastening living tissue comprising upper and lower cooperating elongated jaws movable between open and closed positions, whereby tissue to be fastened may be gripped between said jaws when said jaws are in the closed position, means associated with one of said jaws for mounting a tissue fastening means, a pusher means movable longitudinally relative to said jaws when said jaws are in said closed position for forceably expelling said fastening means from said one jaw and causing said fastening means to penetrate tissue gripped between the jaws and jaw support means carried by said pusher means, said jaw support means cooperating with said jaws during movement of the pusher means along the jaws for resisting forces tending to separate said jaws during expulsion of said fastening means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
133 words
A surgical instrument for use in fastening living tissue comprising upper and lower cooperating elongated jaws movable between open and closed positions, whereby tissue to be fastened may be gripped between said jaws when said jaws are in the closed position, means associated with one of said jaws for mounting a tissue fastening means, a pusher means movable longitudinally relative to said jaws when said jaws are in said closed position for forceably expelling said fastening means from said one jaw and causing said fastening means to penetrate tissue gripped between the jaws and jaw support means carried by said pusher means, said jaw support means cooperating with said jaws during movement of the pusher means along the jaws for resisting forces tending to separate said jaws during expulsion of said fastening means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
30 words
A surgical instrument as defined in claim 15 wherein said jaw support means includes means for resisting forces tending to laterally separate said jaws during expulsion of said fastening means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
A surgical instrument as defined in claim 15 or claim 16 wherein said support means includes means for resisting forces tending to vertically separate said jaws during expulsion of said fastening means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
65 words
A surgical instrument as defined in claim 15 wherein said support means includes upper and lower support shoes carried by said pusher means and wherein each of said jaws includes a longitudinal passageway for receiving the respective shoes, said shoes travelling in said passageways during movement of said pusher means along said jaws and locally supporting said jaws in the region of the respective shoes.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
85 words
A staple cartridge for use with a surgical stapling instrument, said cartridge comprising a nose portion, a pair of substantially parallel elongate limbs extending from said nose portion, said limbs defining an uninterrupted slit therebetween extending the entire length and height of said limbs, seating means in each of said limbs for at least one longitudinally extending row of surgical staples and longitudinal passage means in each of said limbs for receiving a travelling pusher means operative sequentially to expell staples from said seating means.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
85 words
A staple cartridge for use with a surgical stapling instrument, said cartridge comprising a nose portion, a pair of substantially parallel elongate limbs extending from said nose portion, said limbs defining an uninterrupted slit therebetween extending the entire length and height of said limbs, seating means in each of said limbs for at least one longitudinally extending row of surgical staples and longitudinal passage means in each of said limbs for receiving a travelling pusher means operative sequentially to expell staples from said seating means.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
40 words
A staple cartridge as defined in claim 19 including a series of individual staple pushers in each of said passage means, said staple pushers having camming surfaces for cooperating with said pusher means to expell staples from said seating means.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
27 words
A staple cartridge as defined in claim 19 wherein said seating means in each of said limbs includes means for accommodating two mutually staggered rows of staples.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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