Surgical fasteners for articulating surgical instruments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12245765-B2
Application number	US-202418602564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2024
Priority date	Jan 10, 2018
Publication date	Mar 11, 2025
Grant date	Mar 11, 2025

Abstract

Surgical fasteners for use with articulating surgical instruments are disclosed. In one embodiment, a surgical fastener may include a head, a shaft extending distally from the head, and a through bore extending through the shaft from a proximal surface of the head to a distal end of the shaft. A fastener carrier of a surgical instrument may be slidably received in the through bore, and the through bore may be sized and shaped to have two or fewer contact points with the fastener carrier when the fastener carrier is in a fully articulated configuration. In another embodiment, a fastener may include a head, a shaft extending distally from the head and including a distal tip, a sloped surface sloping toward the distal tip, and a through bore passing through the head, shaft, and sloped surface. The sloped surface may terminate at two shoulders located on opposing sides of the through bore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a surgical instrument, the method comprising:
moving a fastener carrier from a non-articulated configuration to a fully articulated configuration, wherein the fastener carrier extends distally from a handle of a surgical instrument, wherein a fastener is provided on the fastener carrier, the fastener including a head, a shaft extending distally from the head, and a through bore extending through the shaft from a proximal surface of the head to a distal end of the shaft, and wherein the fastener carrier is slidably received in the through bore; and
contacting the through bore with the fastener carrier at two or fewer contact points when the fastener carrier is in the fully articulated configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when the fastener carrier is in the fully articulated configuration, a distal end of the fastener carrier is articulated at an angle of at least 45 degrees relative to the non-articulated configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when the fastener carrier is in the fully articulated configuration, a portion of the fastener carrier within the through bore has a radius of curvature of at least 30 mm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the through bore has a transverse dimension d and a longitudinal dimension l, and, when the fastener carrier is in the fully articulated configuration, a radius of curvature of a portion of the fastener carrier within the through bore is greater than

d
2

+

l
2

8
⁢
d

.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first opening at a distal end of the through bore has a first transverse dimension that is larger than a second transverse dimension of a second opening at a proximal end of the through bore, and wherein the first opening is angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the through bore.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the through bore tapers from the distal end of the through bore to the proximal end of the through bore.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fastener includes a recess formed in the proximal surface of the head and radially offset from a central axis of the through bore, and wherein the recess is constructed and arranged to receive a distal tip of an adjacent fastener.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the recess is radially offset relative to the through bore.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fastener further includes a sloped surface sloping toward a distal tip of the shaft, and wherein the distal tip is radially offset relative to the through bore.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sloped surface is curved.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sloped surface is linear.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sloped surface extends from an outer surface of a barb towards the distal tip.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sloped surface terminates at two shoulders located on opposing sides of the through bore on the distal portion of the sloped surface, wherein the distal tip extends distally away from the two shoulders of the sloped surface, and wherein the shoulders are located on a planar surface adjacent the distal tip, and wherein the distal tip extends distally from the planar surface.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the planar surface extends at least partially around the distal tip.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein a transverse dimension of the sloped surface at the two shoulders is greater than or equal to about 0.05 mm.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein a transverse dimension of the shaft is between or equal to about 0.25 mm and about 0.75 mm.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving at least one shaft in which the fastener carrier is disposed from a non-articulated configuration to a fully articulated configuration.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein moving the at least one shaft from the non-articulated configuration to the fully articulated configuration comprises moving a first shaft and a second shaft from the non-articulated configuration to the fully articulated configuration by displacing a proximal portion of the first shaft in a first direction and displacing a proximal portion of the second shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction, wherein each of the first shaft and the second shaft has a respective articulable portion, and wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are axially fixed to one another at a point located distally relative to the articulable portions.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displacing the fastener along an articulated portion of the fastener carrier when the fastener carrier is in the fully articulated configuration.

Assignees

• Bard Inc C R

Inventors

• Cauldwell Nathan Stewart
• Felix Augustus
• Affonce Derek
• Ranucci Kevin J

Classifications

• A61B17/8872

  Instruments for putting said fixation devices against or away from the bone (A61B17/7074, A61B17/808 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B2017/00327

  with actuating members moving in opposite directions · CPC title

• A61B17/068 Primary

  Surgical staplers {, e.g. containing multiple staples or clamps}({staplers containing only one staple A61B17/10; magazines or containers for staples A61B17/105;} for performing anastomosis A61B17/115; {staplers in general B25C5/00}) · CPC title

• A61B17/846

  Nails or pins, i.e. anchors without movable parts, holding by friction only, with or without structured surface (A61B17/72, A61B17/86 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B2017/003

  Steerable · CPC title