Surgical stapling instrument

Claim 2

A manually powered surgical stapling instrument for applying sterilized staples to the disunited skin or fascia of a patient for affecting a joining of the skin or fascia, the instrument adapted to associate with a staple-carrying cartridge having anvil means at one end thereof and adapted to house a plurality of staples therein, a pusher element slidably mounted therein for advancing said staples in said cartridge, for ejecting said staples from said cartridge and for forming said staples around said anvil means, said surgical stapling instrument comprising: a main body portion; means for mounting said staple-carrying cartridge on said main body portion; pusher-activating means mounted to reciprocate in said main body portion for driving said pusher element forward to advance, eject and form said staples; trigger means for transmitting a manually applied force to said pusher-activating means to advance said pusher-activating means and thereby advance said staples; and impact means powered by said trigger means for impacting said pusher-activating means after said pusher-activating means is advanced by said manually applied force to further advance said pusher-activating means and thereby eject and form said staples.

Claim 3

The instrument defined in claim 1, wherein said impact means comprises an impact spring, a plunger acted upon by said impact spring, means for loading said impact spring in response to said manually applied force, and means for restraining said plunger until said spring is loaded and thereafter releasing said plunger to impact said pusher-activating means.

Claim 4

The instrument defined in claim 2, wherein said means for restraining said plunger comprises a latch spring and an abutment against which said latch spring abuts while said impact spring is being loaded.

Claim 5

The instrument defined in claim 3, wherein said means for releasing said plunger comprises means for camming said latch spring out of abutment with said abutment when said spring is loaded.

Claim 6

The instrument defined in claim 1, wherein said pusher-activating means comprises a thrust bar slidably mounted in said main body portion and said trigger means comprises a handle pivotally mounted to said main body portion and having a lower hand-engaging portion and an upper force-transmitting portion associated with said thrust bar.

Claim 7

The instrument defined in claim 5, wherein said instrument further comprises collar means housed in said main body portion for transmitting force from said trigger means to said pusher-activating means.

Claim 8

The instrument defined in claim 1, and further comprising a nose portion and means for mounting said staple-carrying cartridge in said nose portion so that said cartridge is rotatable therewith, said pusher-activating means being housed in said nose portion and rotatable therewith.

Claim 9

The instrument defined in claim 1, wherein said instrument further comprises clutch means for preventing said pusher-activating means from activating said pusher to advance said staples in said cartridge more than once in each stapling operation.

Claim 10

The instrument defined in claim 1, wherein said pusher-activating means comprises a thrust bar slidingly mounted for reciprocative movement in said main body portion and wherein a clutch means prevents said thrust bar from returning to its initial rest position until said thrust bar has completed its forward thrust movement.

Claim 11

A manually powered surgical stapling instrument for applying sterilized staples to the disunited skin or fascia of a patient for affecting a joining of the skin or fascia, the instrument adapted to associate with a staple-carrying cartridge having anvil means at one end thereof and adapted to house a plurality of staples therein, a pusher element slidably mounted therein for advancing said staples in said cartridge, for ejecting said staples from said cartridge and for forming said staples around said anvil means, said surgical stapling instrument comprising: a main body portion; means for mounting said staple-carrying cartridge on said main body portion; pusher-activating means including a thrust bar slidably mounted in said main body portion for driving said pusher element forward to advance, eject and form said staples; trigger means for transmitting a manually applied force to said pusher-activating means to power said pusher-activating means to advance said staples, said trigger means including a handle pivotally mounted to said main body portion having a lower hand-engaging portion and an upper force-transmitting portion and collar means housed in said main body portion for transmitting force from said handle to said thrust bar, said collar means including a cylindrically-shaped body member having outwardly and radially extending flange portions at each end thereof, said upper force-transmitting portion of said trigger means being formed in the shape of a yoke and positioned around said cylindrically-shaped body member and between said flange portions of said collar means so that said collar means can rotate relative to said trigger means; and impact means powered by said trigger means for impacting said pusher-activating means and ejecting and forming said staples.

Claim 12

A manually powered surgical stapling instrument for applying sterilized staples to the disunited skin or fascia of a patient for affecting a joining of the skin or fascia, the instrument adapted to associate with a staple-carrying cartridge having anvil means at one end thereof and adapted to house a plurality of staples therein, a pusher element slidably mounted therein for advancing said staples in said cartridge, for ejecting said staples from said cartridge and for forming said staples around said anvil means, said surgical stapling instrument comprising: a main body portion; means for mounting said staple-carrying cartridge on said main body portion; pusher-activating means including a thrust bar slidably mounted in said main body portion for driving said pusher element forward to advance, eject and form said staples; trigger means for transmitting a manually applied force to said pusher-activating means to power said pusher-activating means to advance said staples, said trigger means including a handle pivotally mounted to said main body portion having a lower hand-engaging portion and an upper force-transmitting portion and collar means housed in said main body portion for transmitting force from said handle to said thrust bar, said collar means including a cylindrically-shaped body member having outwardly and radially extending flange portions at each end thereof, said upper force-transmitting portion of said trigger means being formed in the shape of a yoke and positioned around said cylindrically-shaped body member and between said flange portions of said collar means so that said collar means can rotate relative to said trigger means; and impact means powered by said trigger means for impacting said pusher-activating means and ejecting and forming said staples.

Claim 13

A manually powered surgical stapling instrument for applying sterilized staples to the disunited skin or fascia of a patient for affecting a joining of the skin or fascia, the instrument adapted to associate with a staple-carrying cartridge having anvil means at one end thereof and adapted to house a plurality of staples therein, a pusher element slidably mounted therein for advancing said staples in said cartridge, for ejecting said staples from said cartridge and for forming said staples around said anvil means, said surgical stapling instrument comprising: a main body portion; means for mounting said staple-carrying cartridge on said main body portion; pusher-activating means for driving said pusher element forward to advance, eject and form said staples; trigger means for transmitting a manually applied force to said pusher-activating means to power said pusher-activating means to advance said staples; and impact means powered by said trigger means for staples, said pusher-activating means and ejecting and forming said staple, said impact means including an impact spring, a plunger acted upon by said impact spring, means for loading said impact spring in response to said manually applied force, and means for restraining said plunger until said spring is loaded and thereafter releasing said pusher-activating means, said means for restraining said plunger including a latch spring and an abutment against which said latch spring abuts while said impact spring is being loaded.

Claim 14

A manually powered surgical stapling instrument for applying sterilized staples to the disunited skin or fascia of a patient for affecting a joining of the skin or fascia, the instrument adapted to associate with a staple-carrying cartridge having anvil means at one end thereof and adapted to house a plurality of staples therein, a pusher element slidably mounted therein for advancing said staples in said cartridge, for ejecting said staples from said cartridge and for forming said staples around said anvil means, said surgical stapling instrument comprising: a main body portion; means for mounting said staple-carrying cartridge on said main body portion; pusher-activating means for driving said pusher element forward to advance, eject and form said staples; trigger means for transmitting a manually applied force to said pusher-activating means to power said pusher-activating means to advance said staples; and impact means powered by said trigger means for staples, said pusher-activating means and ejecting and forming said staple, said impact means including an impact spring, a plunger acted upon by said impact spring, means for loading said impact spring in response to said manually applied force, and means for restraining said plunger until said spring is loaded and thereafter releasing said pusher-activating means, said means for restraining said plunger including a latch spring and an abutment against which said latch spring abuts while said impact spring is being loaded.

Claim 15

The instrument defined in claim 11, wherein said means for releasing said plunger comprises means for camming said latch spring out of abutment with said abutment when said spring is loaded.

Claim 16

A manually powered surgical stapling instrument for applying sterilized staples to the disunited skin or fascia of a patient for affecting a joining of the skin or fascia, the instrument adapted to associate with a staple-carrying cartridge having anvil means at one end thereof and adapted to house a plurality of staples therein, a pusher element slidably mounted therein for advancing said staples in said cartridge, for ejecting said staples from said cartridge and for forming said staples around said anvil means, said surgical stapling instrument comprising: a main body portion; means for mounting said staple-carrying cartridge on said main body portion; pusher-activating means including a thrust bar slidably mounted in said main body portion for driving said pusher element forward to advance, eject and form said staples; trigger means for transmitting a manually applied force to said pusher-activating means to power said pusher-activating means to advance said staples, said trigger means including a handle pivotally mounted to said main body portion having a lower hand-engaging portion and an upper force-transmitting portion, collar means housed in said main body portion and associated with said upper force-transmitting portion of said handle, and a thrust tube housed in said main body portion and coupled to said collar means, said thrust tube being associated with said thrust bar for transmitting force from said handle to said thrust bar; and impact means powered by said trigger means for impacting said pusher-activating means and ejecting and forming said staples, said impact means comprises an impact spring, a plunger acted upon by said impact spring, means for loading said impact spring in response to said manually applied force, and means for restraining said plunger until said spring is loaded and thereafter releasing said plunger to impact said pusher-activating means, said means for restraining said plunger including a latch spring and an abutment against which said latch spring abuts while said impact spring is being loaded.

Claim 17

A manually powered surgical stapling instrument for applying sterilized staples to the disunited skin or fascia of a patient for affecting a joining of the skin or fascia, the instrument adapted to associate with a staple-carrying cartridge having anvil means at one end thereof and adapted to house a plurality of staples therein, a pusher element slidably mounted therein for advancing said staples in said cartridge, for ejecting said staples from said cartridge and for forming said staples around said anvil means, said surgical stapling instrument comprising: a main body portion; means for mounting said staple-carrying cartridge on said main body portion; pusher-activating means including a thrust bar slidably mounted in said main body portion for driving said pusher element forward to advance, eject and form said staples; trigger means for transmitting a manually applied force to said pusher-activating means to power said pusher-activating means to advance said staples, said trigger means including a handle pivotally mounted to said main body portion having a lower hand-engaging portion and an upper force-transmitting portion, collar means housed in said main body portion and associated with said upper force-transmitting portion of said handle, and a thrust tube housed in said main body portion and coupled to said collar means, said thrust tube being associated with said thrust bar for transmitting force from said handle to said thrust bar; and impact means powered by said trigger means for impacting said pusher-activating means and ejecting and forming said staples, said impact means comprises an impact spring, a plunger acted upon by said impact spring, means for loading said impact spring in response to said manually applied force, and means for restraining said plunger until said spring is loaded and thereafter releasing said plunger to impact said pusher-activating means, said means for restraining said plunger including a latch spring and an abutment against which said latch spring abuts while said impact spring is being loaded.

Claim 18

The instrument defined in claim 13, wherein said means for releasing said plunger comprises means associated with said thrust tube for camming said latch spring out of abutment with said abutment when said spring is loaded.