Dissecting surgical jaws

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017056038-A1
Application number	US-201514836244-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 26, 2015
Priority date	Aug 26, 2015
Publication date	Mar 2, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Jaw assemblies for use in medical devices and systems to enable the performance of multiple modes of dissection using a single jaw assembly are provided. The jaw assembly can include a variety of features to enable this versatility. For example, the jaws can be designed to have particular curvatures that are conducive to performing particular dissection steps. Further, the jaws can have different thicknesses and widths across a length of one or more jaws to also enable particular dissection steps to be more easily performed. Still further, ridges can be formed on both inner and outer surfaces of the jaws to provide additional dissection capabilities. In some embodiments, the jaw assemblies include more than two jaws, with the timing and rate of the jaws deployment being varied for at least two of the jaws. Additional systems, devices, and methods are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . Jaws for a surgical device comprising:
a first jaw having a length, a width, and a thickness, the length being greater than the width, and the first jaw including a tissue-facing surface and an outer surface, with the thickness being part of the outer surface; a second jaw, opposed to and pivotally connected to the first jaw, the second jaw having a length, a width, and a thickness, the length being greater than the width, and the second jaw including a tissue-facing surface and an outer surface, the tissue-facing surface of the second jaw facing the tissue-facing surface of the first jaw, and the thickness of the second jaw being part of the outer surface of the second jaw, wherein the tissue-facing surfaces of the first and second jaws each include a plurality of ridges, the ridges extending along a substantial portion of the width of the respective jaws, and wherein the outer surfaces of the first and second jaws each include a plurality of ridges, the ridges extending along a substantial portion of the width of the respective jaws, and the plurality of ridges of at least one of the outer surfaces of the first and second jaws extending onto a portion of the outer surface that defines the thickness for that jaw.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein one or more ridges of the plurality of ridges on the outer surface of the first jaw is aligned with one or more ridges of the plurality of ridges on the outer surface of the second jaw such that when the first and second jaws are in a closed configuration, the aligned one or more ridges of the first and second jaws form one or more continuous ridges across the first and second jaws.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the outer surface of the first or second jaw that is opposed to the portion of the outer surface that defines the thickness for that jaw on which the plurality of ridges extend does not include the plurality of ridges formed thereon.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a first side surface of the first jaw has a radius of curvature that is different from a radius of curvature of an opposed second side surface of the first jaw when the jaw is viewed from a top view, looking directly onto the outer surface of the first jaw from above, the first and second side surfaces being part of the outer surface of the first jaw.

5 . The device of claim 4 ,
wherein the radius of curvature of the first side surface is substantially the same along a majority of the length of the first jaw, and wherein the radius of curvature of the second side surface changes along the length of the second jaw.

6 . The device of claim 4 , wherein a distal end of the second side surface is convex and an intermediate portion of the second side surface is concave.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a width at a distal end of the first jaw is greater than a width at an intermediate portion along the length of the first jaw.

8 . The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the first jaw has a thickness, the thickness being part of the outer surface of the first jaw, and wherein a thickness of the first jaw at a distal end of the first jaw is greater than a thickness of the first jaw at an intermediate portion along the length of the first jaw.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first jaw has a distal end that is bulbous.

10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a distal end of one of the first and second jaws includes a tissue-grasping groove formed in the tissue-facing surface, the groove being substantially perpendicular to the plurality of ridges of the tissue-facing surface, and a distal end of the other of the first and second jaws includes a tissue-grasping tooth disposed on the tissue-facing surface, the tooth being substantially perpendicular to the plurality of ridges of the tissue-facing surface and being complimentary to the tissue-grasping groove of the other jaw.

11 . An endoscopic device, comprising:
an actuator; and a jaw assembly operably coupled to the actuator such that operation of the actuator is configured to open and close opposed jaws of the jaw assembly, the jaw assembly having a length, a width, and a thickness, the length being longer than the width and the thickness being defined by a distance between top surfaces of the opposed jaws, wherein a width of a distal end of the jaw assembly is greater than a width of an intermediate portion along the length of the jaw assembly.

12 . The endoscopic device of claim 11 , wherein a width at a proximal end of the jaw assembly is greater than a width at the intermediate portion along the length of the jaw assembly.

13 . The endoscopic device of claim 11 , wherein a thickness of the distal end of the jaw assembly is greater than a thickness at the intermediate portion along the length of the jaw assembly.

14 . The endoscopic device of claim 11 , wherein a plurality of ridges are formed on outer surfaces of each of the opposed jaws of the jaw assembly.

15 . The endoscopic device of claim 11 , wherein, when viewing the jaw assembly from a top view, looking directly onto the top surface of one of the jaws of the jaw assembly, a first side surface of the distal end of the jaw assembly is concave while an opposed second side surface of the distal end of the jaw assembly is convex.

16 . A surgical method, comprising:
performing at least one of the following steps:
grasping tissue between the first and second jaws of the jaw assembly; and
moving first and second jaws of the jaw assembly with respect to each other to spread tissue apart; and
dragging an outer surface of a jaw assembly against tissue to form abrasions in the tissue, wherein the jaw assembly used to perform either or both of the grasping and moving steps is the same jaw assembly used to perform the dragging step.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein an outer surface of at least one of the first and second jaws includes a plurality of ridges formed thereon, the method further comprising:
identifying a particular portion of the outer surface of at least one of the first and second jaws to be used in performing either the dragging step or the moving step; and using the identified particular region to perform either the dragging step or the moving step.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the identified particular region includes a distal tip of at least one of the first and second jaws, the distal tip having a thickness and a width that is greater than a thickness and a width of an intermediate portion of the same jaw, respectively.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein a portion of an outer edge of at least one of the first and second jaws has multiple radii of curvature such that the identified particular region is identified based on the radius of curvature at a particular location along the outer edge.

20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein an outer surface of at least one of the first and second jaws includes a plurality of ridges formed thereon, the ridges extending along a substantial portion of a width of the at least one of the first and second jaws, and the ridges further extending onto a side portion of the outer surface.

Assignees

• Ethicon Endo Surgery Llc

Inventors

• Hess Christopher J
• Shelton Iv Frederick E
• Savage Jeffrey L
• Gates Craig T
• Withers Douglas E

Classifications

• A61B17/295 Primary

  combined with cutting implements · CPC title

• A61B2017/2945

  Curved jaws · CPC title

• A61B2017/2926

  Details of heads or jaws · CPC title

• A61B2017/320044

  Blunt dissectors · CPC title

• A61B17/29

  Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery · CPC title