Adjustable compression staple and method for stapling with adjustable compression

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9474525-B2
Application number	US-201414167135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2014
Priority date	Jan 12, 2007
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A method for applying and maintaining compression with a staple includes piercing a material with deformable ends of staple legs. The legs enter the material until the material applies a pre-set compressive force within a pre-defined compression range to a compression device disposed at least partly between the legs. The compression device has a compression resistor connected to a compression surface. The compression surface is movably disposed with respect to the bridge. Movement of the compression surface towards the bridge is resisted with a force imparted by the compression resistor. The legs are deformed to maintain at least some of the compressive force between the material and the compression device. Forces greater than the pre-set force are absorbed with the compression resistor. The pre-set compressive force to the material is maintained within the pre-defined compression range throughout a state change of the material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for applying and maintaining optimal compression with a staple, which comprises:
piercing a material with deformable distal ends of two staple legs, the two staple legs coupled to each other at base ends thereof by a bridge;
causing the two staple legs to enter the material until the material applies a pre-set compressive force within a pre-defined compression range to a compression device disposed at least partly between the two staple legs, the compression device having a compression resistor connected to a compression surface, the compression surface movably disposed with respect to the bridge;
resisting movement of the compression surface towards the bridge with a force imparted by the compression resistor;
deforming the two staple legs to maintain at least some of the compressive force between the material and the compression device;
absorbing forces greater than the pre-set compressive force with the compression resistor; and
maintaining the pre-set compressive force to the material within the pre-defined compression range throughout a state change of the material.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the staple legs have stapling points; and
the deforming step comprises:
bending the stapling points toward one another, thereby compressing the material between the compression surface and the stapling points; and
maintaining, with the compression resistor, the pre-set compressive force on the material within the pre-defined compression range independent of a distance between the stapling points and the bridge.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the deforming step comprises bending the distal ends of the two staple legs, thereby defining a central compression region between the compression surface and the two staple legs.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the bending step comprises bending the distal ends of the two staple legs in a staple-closing direction into the central compression region, the compression resistor resisting movement of the compression surface in the staple-closing direction with the pre-set compressive force within the pre-defined compression range.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the staple legs have stapling points; and
the deforming step comprises compressing the material between the compression surface and the stapling points.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compression resistor is operable to resist movement of the compression surface towards the bridge with one of:
a substantially constant force; and
a linearly increasing force.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compression resistor has an anti-compressive spring constant imparting a substantially constant anti-compressive force over the pre-defined compression range.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the staple legs have stapling points; and
the compression surface and the compression resistor are operable to impart the pre-set compressive force upon the material disposed between the compression surface and the stapling points when the stapling points are deformed.

9. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises:
causing the material to change from a first state to a second state, a thickness of the material in the first state being different from a thickness of the material in the second state; and
applying, with the compression device, the pre-set compressive force to the material in both the first state and the second state.

10. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises:
desiccating the material with the compression device; and
substantially maintaining the pre-set compressive force on the material after the desiccating step.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the bridge and the two staple legs define a bridge-leg plane;
the two staple legs extend from the bridge at an angle of between 80 and 100 degrees in the bridge-leg plane; and
the distal ends are capable of bending to approximately 180 degrees in the bridge-leg plane.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the compression surface defines two orifices; and
each of the two staple legs extends through one of the two orifices.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the compression resistor defines at least one orifice pair;
the compression surface defines two orifices; and
each of the two staple legs extends through one of the two orifices and one of the at least one orifice pair.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compression surface is parallel to the bridge.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the bridge and the two staple legs define a compression axis; and
the compression surface is movably disposed between the two staple legs along the compression axis.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the bridge, the two staple legs, the compression resistor, and the compression surface are integral.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compression resistor is separate from the bridge and fixed to the bridge between the two staple legs.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compression resistor is disposed between the bridge and the compression surface.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the bridge and the two staple legs define a bridge-leg plane; and
the compression resistor is one of:
sinusoidal in the bridge-leg plane; and
double-sinusoidal in the bridge-leg plane.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the compression surface is a C-beam defining two orifices;
the compression resistor is one of:
a conical spring with a lower end connected to the compression surface;
a pair of springs each surrounding a portion of a respective one of the two staple legs and each having a lower end connected to the compression surface; and
a pair of springs each having an upper end connected to the bridge and a lower end connected to the compression surface; and

each of the two staple legs slidably rests within a respective one of the two orifices.

Assignees

• Ethicon Endo Surgery Llc

Inventors

• Smith Kevin W
• Palmer Matthew A
• Kline Korey
• Deville Derek Dee

Classifications

• F16B15/0015

  Staples · CPC title

• A61B17/064 Primary

  Surgical staples, {i.e. penetrating the tissue} · CPC title

• A61B17/0644 Primary

  penetrating the tissue, deformable to closed position · CPC title

• A61B2017/0645

  being elastically deformed for insertion · CPC title