Surgical stapler having a powered handle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11937815-B2
Application number	US-202117337672-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2021
Priority date	Feb 27, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

A powered handle for a surgical stapler can have a drive system including an electric motor. The powered handle can include a manual articulation mechanism to articulate a jaw assembly coupled to a reload shaft connected to the handle. The manual articulation mechanism can include a ball screw mechanism that translates an articulation member responsive to rotation of an articulation knob when an instrument shaft is engaged with the handle. The articulation mechanism includes a release function that allows the jaw assembly to return to a longitudinally centered orientation. The powered handle includes a battery pack serving as a power supply for the drive system. A control system can control actuation of the motor based on user inputs and operating parameters of the stapler and can provide certain motor drive profiles for predetermined positions of the stapler. The powered handle can include a manual return mechanism.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A handle assembly for a surgical stapler, the handle assembly comprising:
a handle body, the handle body comprising a stationary handle and a trigger pivotably coupled to the handle body;
an electric motor disposed within the handle body;
a control system disposed within the handle body and coupled to the electric motor, wherein the control system is configured to control an operation of the electric motor;
an actuation shaft having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the actuation shaft is slidable within the handle body along a longitudinal axis; and
a lockout mechanism that is operably coupled to the distal end of the actuation shaft, wherein the lockout mechanism has at least one notch corresponding to a lockout region,
wherein the control system comprises computer-readable memory that configures the control system to:
monitor a position of the actuation shaft,
monitor a current draw from the electric motor,
calculate a rate of change of the current draw from the electric motor, and
adjust an operation of the electric motor based on the monitored position and the calculated rate of change of the current draw, wherein the electric motor is depowered when the position of the actuation shaft is at a predetermined location and the calculated rate of change of the current draw is equal to or exceeds a predetermined threshold, and

wherein a lockout condition associated with the lockout mechanism is detected after calculating the rate of change of the current draw a pre-determined number of times consecutively, and wherein an average of each of the consecutively calculated rate of changes of the current draw fall within a predetermined range.

2. The handle of claim 1 further comprising a battery supply, and wherein the control system further monitors a remaining battery life of the battery supply to further adjust the operation of the electric motor based on the monitored remaining battery life.

3. The handle of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring of the position of the actuation shaft is with respect to the at least one notch associated with the lockout region, and wherein the at least one notch corresponds to the predetermined location.

4. The handle of claim 1 further comprising a dedicated haptic feedback generator that generates feedback for a user regarding a status of the electric motor.

5. The handle of claim 1 , wherein the actuation shaft comprises a rack formed near a proximal end of the actuation shaft, the rack configured to engage with the electric motor to facilitate in the sliding of the actuation shaft along the longitudinal axis within the handle body.

6. The handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rate of change of the current draw from the electric motor is calculated using a pre-determined number of consecutive measurements.

7. The handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring of the current draw from the electric motor comprises detecting whether the current draw exceeds a pre-determined current threshold.

8. The handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring of the current draw from the electric motor comprises monitoring the current draw with respect to one or more current thresholds, and wherein at least one of the one or more current thresholds is dependent on the position of the actuation shaft.

9. The handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable memory is removable from the surgical stapler upon completion of a surgical procedure.

10. The handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable memory further configures the control system to generate a feedback for the user regarding a status of the surgical stapler based on the detecting of the lockout condition, and wherein the feedback that is generated comprises at least one of a color-based feedback indicia or haptic feedback.

11. The handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable memory configures the control system to further detect the lockout condition for the electric motor when the current draw from the electric motor exceeds a predetermined current threshold while the electric motor is in a duty cycle ramp up.

12. The handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable memory configures the control system to further detect the lockout condition for the electric motor when a power system driving the electric motor is in a transition period after a duty cycle ramp up.

13. The handle assembly of claim 12 , wherein the computer-readable memory configures the control system to further detect the lockout condition for the electric motor in a duty cycle ramp down where the current draw from the electric motor does not decrease over a plurality of consecutive monitored events.

14. The handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable memory configures the control system to further detect the lockout condition for the electric motor when the electric motor is driven over a predetermined range of actuation shaft positions following the transition period after a duty cycle ramp up.

15. The handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable memory configures the control system to further detect the lockout condition for the electric motor based on detecting the current draw from the electric motor at a predetermined position of the actuation shaft.

Assignees

• Applied Med Resources

Inventors

• Nelson Erik D
• Nash Jonathan R
• Hopkins Timothy M
• Hudson Kevin
• Pham Andy
• Gyugyi Zachary W
• Spalding Joshua A
• Halvorsen Christian A

Classifications

• A61B2017/2927

  the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft · CPC title

• A61B2017/00115

  with audible or visual output · CPC title

• A61B2017/00734

  battery operated · CPC title

• A61B2017/0046

  with a releasable handle; with handle and operating part separable · CPC title

• A61B2017/00407

  Ratchet means · CPC title