Surgical instruments facilitating replacement of disposable components and/or sterilization of reusable components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11207127-B2
Application number	US-201415508962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2014
Priority date	Sep 25, 2014
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A surgical end effector assembly includes a pair of jaw members, a knife defining a longitudinal slot, a pivot pin coupling the jaw members to one another, and a drive member including a drive pin that is engaged to the jaw members. The pivot pin and/or the drive pin extends through the longitudinal slot of the knife to couple the knife to the jaw members and/or the drive member. The end effector assembly is transitionable between a use position, wherein the knife and drive member are generally aligned with one another to facilitate releasable engagement of the end effector assembly with a surgical instrument, and a cleaning position, wherein the jaw members, knife, and drive member are fanned apart from one another to facilitate cleaning of the end effector assembly. Methods of disengaging and sterilizing end effector assemblies for reuse are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An end effector assembly for a surgical instrument, comprising:
first and second jaw members, each jaw member defining a jaw body and a jaw flange extending proximally from the jaw body;
a knife defining a longitudinal slot;
a pivot pin coupled to the jaw flanges to couple the first and second jaw members to one another; and
a drive member including a first drive plate and a second drive plate separate from the first drive plate, the drive member including a drive pin coupled to a distal end of the drive member, the drive pin engaged to the jaw flanges to couple the first drive plate and the second drive plate of the drive member to the first and second jaw members, the pivot pin and the drive pin each extending through the longitudinal slot of the knife to couple the knife to at least one of the first and second jaw members and the first and second drive plates of the drive member, the drive member having a proximal end positioned distal of a proximal end of the knife when the drive member is in use,
wherein the end effector assembly is transitionable between a use position, wherein the knife and the drive member are generally aligned with one another to facilitate releasable engagement of the end effector assembly with a surgical instrument, and a cleaning position, wherein each of the first and second jaw members, the knife, and the first and second drive plates of the drive member are radially fanned apart from one another about at least one of the pivot pin or the drive pin to facilitate cleaning of the end effector assembly.

2. The end effector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, in the cleaning position, exposed surface areas of the jaw members, the knife, and the first and second drive plates of the drive member are maximized.

3. The end effector assembly according to claim 1 , further including at least one jaw support, the pivot pin coupled to the at least one jaw support, wherein, in the use position, the at least one jaw support is generally aligned with the knife and the first and second drive plates of the drive member, and wherein, in the cleaning position, each of the at least one jaw support, the first and second jaw members, the knife, and the first and second drive plates of the drive member are radially fanned apart from one another about at least one of the pivot pin or the drive pin.

4. The end effector assembly according to claim 1 , further including a shaft portion, the pivot pin coupled to the shaft portion, wherein, in the use position, the shaft portion is generally aligned with the knife and the first and second drive plates of the drive member, and wherein, the cleaning position, each of the shaft portion, the first and second jaw members, the knife, and the first and second drive plates of the drive member are radially fanned apart from one another about at least one of the pivot pin or the drive pin.

5. The end effector assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the shaft portion includes a first engagement feature configured to releasably engage a shaft of a surgical instrument.

6. The end effector assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the drive member includes a second engagement feature configured to releasably engage a drive bar of a surgical instrument.

7. The end effector assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the knife includes a third engagement feature configured to releasably engage a knife bar of a surgical instrument.

8. The end effector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second jaw members are configured to pivot relative to one another between a spaced-apart position and an approximated position for grasping tissue therebetween.

9. The end effector assembly according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first or second jaw members includes an electrically-conductive surface adapted to connect to a source or energy for supplying energy to tissue grasped between the first and second jaw members to treat tissue.

10. The end effector assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the knife is selectively translatable relative to the first and second jaw members between a retracted position, wherein the knife is disposed proximally of the jaw bodies of the first and second jaw members, and an extended position, wherein the knife extends at least partially between the first and second jaw members to cut tissue grasped therebetween.

11. A method, comprising:
disengaging an end effector assembly from a surgical instrument;
transitioning the end effector assembly from a use position, wherein components thereof are disposed in general alignment with one another, to a cleaning position, the end effector assembly including:
a knife defining a longitudinal slot, first and second jaw members and a drive member including a first drive plate and a second drive plate separate from the first drive plate, the first and second jaw members coupled to one another via a pivot pin, the first and second drive plates of the drive member coupled to the first and second jaw members via a drive pin, wherein the pivot pin and the drive pin each extend through the longitudinal slot of the knife, the drive member having a proximal end positioned distal of a proximal end of the knife;

fanning each of the first and second jaw members and the first and second drive plates of the drive member radially apart from one another about the pivot pin and or the drive pin to transition the end effector assembly to the cleaning position; and
returning the end effector assembly to the use position in which the proximal end of the drive member is positioned distal of the proximal end of the knife.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further including sterilizing the end effector assembly with the end effector assembly disposed in the cleaning position.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the method includes translating a drive bar of the surgical instrument to thereby translate the first and second drive plates of the drive member to pivot the first and second jaw members from a spaced-apart position to an approximated position to grasp tissue therebetween.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the method includes disengaging the end effector assembly by disengaging the drive member from the drive bar of the surgical instrument.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the method includes supplying energy, via wires of the surgical instrument and first and second leads of the respective first and second jaw members, to the first and second jaw members to treat tissue grasped therebetween.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the method includes disengaging the end effector assembly by decoupling the first and second electrical leads of the first and second jaw members from the wires of the surgical instrument.

17. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the method includes translating a knife bar of the surgical instrument to advance the knife between the first and second jaw members to cut tissue grasped therebetween.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein disengaging the end effector assembly includes disengaging the knife from the knife bar of the surgical instrument.

Assignees

• Covidien Lp

Inventors

• Ding Weijiang
• Liu Kai

Classifications

• A61B2018/00607

  Coagulation and cutting with the same instrument · CPC title

• A61B34/76

  Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback · CPC title

• A61B2018/00875

  Resistance or impedance · CPC title

• A61B18/1445 Primary

  at the distal end of a shaft, e.g. forceps or scissors at the end of a rigid rod · CPC title

• A61B2018/00184

  Moving parts · CPC title