End effectors, surgical stapling devices, and methods of using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9936953-B2
Application number	US-201515129385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2015
Priority date	Mar 29, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

An end effector for use by a surgeon to staple an anatomical structure of a patient during a minimally invasive procedure includes an anvil and a cartridge. The ends of the cartridge are coupled to the ends of the anvil. Each of the anvil and the cartridge is insertable through a trocar. The end effector is operable from outside the patient. A stapling device includes the end effector coupled to a manipulator via a shaft. The manipulator is accessible to the surgeon. The surgeon uses a clamping mechanism to selectively move the anvil and the cartridge to clamp the anatomical structure. A flexible member extends through the shaft and is coupled to at least one of the anvil and the cartridge and to the clamping mechanism. Operating the clamping mechanism withdraws the flexible member ( 46 ) from the end effector and clamps the anatomical structure between the anvil and the cartridge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An end effector for use by a surgeon to staple an anatomical structure of a patient during a minimally invasive procedure, the anatomical structure having a first side and a second side, the end effector comprising:
an anvil that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the first side of the anatomical structure;
a cartridge that is configured to house a plurality of staples and that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the second side of the anatomical structure; and
a flexible member that movably couples the first end of the anvil to the first end of the cartridge, wherein the anvil and the cartridge slidably receive the flexible member;
wherein the second end of the anvil is movably coupled to the second end of the cartridge, each of the anvil and the cartridge is insertable through a trocar and the end effector is remotely operable from outside the patient with at least a portion of one of the anvil and the cartridge being movable toward the other to clamp the end effector to the anatomical structure.

2. The end effector of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first end and the second end of the cartridge includes a cam tube, wherein the flexible member passes into the cam tube such that tensioning the flexible member pulls the anvil into the cam tube.

3. An end effector for use by a surgeon to staple an anatomical structure of a patient during a minimally invasive procedure, the anatomical structure having a first side and a second side, the end effector comprising:
an anvil that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the first side of the anatomical structure;
a cartridge that is configured to house a plurality of staples and that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the second side of the anatomical structure; and
a flexible member that movably couples the first end of the anvil to the first end of the cartridge,
wherein the second end of the anvil is movably coupled to the second end of the cartridge, each of the anvil and the cartridge is insertable through a trocar and the end effector is remotely operable from outside the patient with at least a portion of one of the anvil and the cartridge being movable toward the other to clamp the end effector to the anatomical structure, wherein at least one of the first end and the second end of the cartridge includes a cam tube, wherein the anvil includes at least one pin and the cam tube includes at least one channel to receive the at least one pin to facilitate alignment between the anvil and the cartridge when the anvil enters the cam tube.

4. An end effector for use by a surgeon to staple an anatomical structure of a patient during a minimally invasive procedure, the anatomical structure having a first side and a second side, the end effector comprising:
an anvil that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the first side of the anatomical structure;
a cartridge that is configured to house a plurality of staples and that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the second side of the anatomical structure; and
a flexible member that movably couples the first end of the anvil to the first end of the cartridge,
wherein the second end of the anvil is movably coupled to the second end of the cartridge, each of the anvil and the cartridge is insertable through a trocar and the end effector is remotely operable from outside the patient with at least a portion of one of the anvil and the cartridge being movable toward the other to clamp the end effector to the anatomical structure, wherein at least one of the first end and the second end of the cartridge includes a cam tube, wherein the anvil includes a lever and the cam tube includes a slot to receive the lever to facilitate alignment between the anvil and the cartridge when the anvil enters the cam tube.

5. An end effector for use by a surgeon to staple an anatomical structure of a patient during a minimally invasive procedure, the anatomical structure having a first side and a second side, the end effector comprising:
an anvil that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the first side of the anatomical structure;
a cartridge that is configured to house a plurality of staples and that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the second side of the anatomical structure; and
a flexible member that movably couples the first end of the anvil to the first end of the cartridge,
wherein the second end of the anvil is movably coupled to the second end of the cartridge, each of the anvil and the cartridge is insertable through a trocar and the end effector is remotely operable from outside the patient with at least a portion of one of the anvil and the cartridge being movable toward the other to clamp the end effector to the anatomical structure, wherein at least one of the first end and the second end of the cartridge includes a cam tube, further including a screw, wherein the cam tube is operably coupled to the screw and rotating the screw moves the cam tube along a longitudinal axis of the cartridge.

6. The end effector of claim 5 , wherein, when the cam tube moves along a longitudinal axis of the cartridge, a gap between the anvil and the cartridge changes.

7. An end effector for use by a surgeon to staple an anatomical structure of a patient during a minimally invasive procedure, the anatomical structure having a first side and a second side, the end effector comprising:
an anvil that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the first side of the anatomical structure;
a cartridge that is configured to house a plurality of staples and that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the second side of the anatomical structure; and
a flexible member that movably couples the first end of the anvil to the first end of the cartridge;
wherein the anvil and the cartridge slidably receive the flexible member;
wherein the second end of the anvil is movably coupled to the second end of the cartridge, each of the anvil and the cartridge is insertable through a trocar and the end effector is remotely operable from outside the patient with at least a portion of one of the anvil and the cartridge being movable toward the other to clamp the end effector to the anatomical structure, a strut mechanism that slidably cooperates with the flexible member and that includes a strut member that is coupled to one of the anvil and the cartridge between the first end and the second end thereof and is pivotal with respect thereto between a disengaged position in which the strut member is substantially parallel with the anvil and the cartridge and an engaged position in which the strut member extends transversely to the anvil and the cartridge.

8. The end effector of claim 7 , wherein a hinge pivotally couples the second end of the anvil to the second end of the cartridge, wherein one of the anvil and the cartridge further includes a stud at the first end, the flexible member being configured to couple to the stud.

9. An end effector for use by a surgeon to staple an anatomical structure of a patient during a minimally invasive procedure, the anatomical structure having a first side and a second side, the end effector comprising:
an anvil that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the first side of the anatomical structure;
a cartridge that is configured to house a plurality of staples and that includes a first end, a second end, and a face that is positionable on the second side of the anatomical st

Assignees

• Standard Bariatrics Inc

Inventors

• Thompson Jonathan
• Thompson Ben
• Nuchols Richard P
• Ortiz Mark Steven
• Wampler James

Classifications

• A61B2017/07278

  characterised by its sled or its staple holder · CPC title

• A61B2017/07285

  characterised by its cutter · CPC title

• A61B2017/0725

  with settable gap between anvil and cartridge, e.g. for different staple heights at different shots · CPC title

• A61B2017/07257

  characterised by its anvil · CPC title

• A61B2017/07214

  Stapler heads · CPC title