EP0106748A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Surgical clip applying apparatus having fixed jaws
Assignee: United States Surgical Corp
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Filing: 1983-09-28
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-09-28
Abstract
Abstract Surgical clip applying apparatus having a pair of laterally spaced fixed jaws with opposing clip forming surfaces which are inclined toward one another in the direction in which a clip is pushed into the jaws. Tissue to be clipped is positioned between the jaws. A clip is pushed into the jaws so that the free end of each arm of the clip contacts a respective one of the clip forming surfaces, and so that the clip forming surfaces cooperate to force the arms of the clip together on opposite sides of the tissue to produce hemostasis of the tissue. Various means can be included in the apparatus for feeding a plurality of clips to the jaws one at a time in succession. The clips can be made of metal or of plastic. Plastic clips can be either biologically absorbable or nonabsorbable.
Inventors
- 👤 David T. Green
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 05:36
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/12; A61B17/128; A61B17/122
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
166 words
Apparatus for applying a surgical clip to body tissue to produce hemostasis of the tissue, the clip having a base and two arms extending from respective opposite ends of the base and diverging from one another in the direction away from the base, comprising: a longitudinal jaw member having proximal and distal end portions; a pair of laterally spaced, relatively fixed jaws mounted on the distal end of the jaw member, each jaw having a clip forming surface which converges in the distal direction toward the clip forming surface of the other jaw; channel means aligned with the jaw member for guiding a clip from a proximal portion of the jaw member to the jaws with the diverging ends of the arms oriented toward the jaws; and pusher means for pushing the clip through the channel means and into the jaws so that each arm contacts a respective one of the clip forming surfaces and the clip forming surfaces force the arms of the clip together.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
166 words
Apparatus for applying a surgical clip to body tissue to produce hemostasis of the tissue, the clip having a base and two arms extending from respective opposite ends of the base and diverging from one another in the direction away from the base, comprising: a longitudinal jaw member having proximal and distal end portions; a pair of laterally spaced, relatively fixed jaws mounted on the distal end of the jaw member, each jaw having a clip forming surface which converges in the distal direction toward the clip forming surface of the other jaw; channel means aligned with the jaw member for guiding a clip from a proximal portion of the jaw member to the jaws with the diverging ends of the arms oriented toward the jaws; and pusher means for pushing the clip through the channel means and into the jaws so that each arm contacts a respective one of the clip forming surfaces and the clip forming surfaces force the arms of the clip together.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
76 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising: clip stack holding means for holding a plurality of clips in a stack having a longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the channel means; and means for urging the clips in the clip stack holding means toward the channel means so that the clips in the stack are fed to the channel means one after another as the pusher means pushes them to the jaws.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the portion of the pusher means which contacts the clip includes clip stabilizing means for cooperating with the clip to substantially prevent the clip from rotating about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the channel means as the clip is pushed through the channel means and into the jaws.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
87 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the clips are releasably coupled to one another in a linear array such that each clip in the array is pulled along by the preceding clip in the array when the preceding clip moves toward the jaws, the array being disposed in and aligned with the channel means, and wherein the pusher means contacts the distal-most clip in the array to push that clip into the jaws and to advance all the other clips in the array toward the jaws.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
59 words
The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein a clip can be uncoupled from the succeeding clip in the array by squeezing the arms of the clip together, and wherein the jaws include_clip uncoupling surface means for squeezing the arms of the distal-most clip together to uncouple that clip from the succeeding clip as the distal-most clip enters the jaws.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
68 words
The apparatus defined in claim 5 further comprising: actuator means for reciprocating the pusher means in the channel means between (1) a proximal-most position in which the distal end of the pusher means is intermediate the distal-most clip in the array and the next-to-distal-most clip in the array, and (2) a distal-most position in which the arms of the distal-most clip have been forced together by the jaws.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus defined in claim 6 further comprising pawl means for substantially preventing the array of clips from moving in the proximal direction in the channel means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
100 words
The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein the pawl means comprises a leaf spring disposed in the channel means and aligned with the channel means, the proximal end of the leaf spring being fixedly attached to the apparatus, and the distal end of the leaf spring resiliently projecting into the channel means so that clips can move in the distal direction past the leaf spring by depressing the distal end of the leaf spring, but so that a clip moving in the proximal direction toward the leaf spring is stopped by contact with the distal end of the leaf spring.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the clips are made of plastic material and wherein the end portions of the arms remote from the base include means for causing the end portions of the arms to interlock when the clip is closed by the jaws.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus defined in claim 9 wherein the clips are made of a biologically absorbable material.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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