EP0552423A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Self contained gas powered surgical apparatus
Assignee: United States Surgical Corp
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Filing: 1992-10-16
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2012-10-16
Abstract
Abstract A self contained gas powered endoscopic surgical apparatus 50 is provided for placing lateral lines of surgical fasteners into body tissue. The apparatus includes an anvil member 56 and a surgical fastener cartridge member 58 mounted to the distal end of an elongated endoscopic portion 54. A tubular collar 220 of the endoscopic portion moves distally to engage the anvil member and bias the anvil member and the cartridge member into cooperative alignment, thereby clamping body tissue to be fastened between the anvil member and the cartridge member. A self contained pneumatic system 68 is disposed in the surgical apparatus and is actuable to eject and/or form the surgical fasteners in the clamped body tissue. The apparatus further comprises a locking means for preventing firing of the instrument after it has been fired a predetermined number of times. A counter (400-406) for displaying the number of times the apparatus has been fired may be provided. A firing interlock (408-414) is also shown which prevents accidental actuation of the firing trigger. A clamping interlock (430-434) is shown which prevents approximation of the jaws when the jaws are either misaligned or improperly inserted into the instrument.
Inventors
- 👤 David T. Green
- 👤 Henry Bolanos
- 👤 Keith Ratcliff
- 👤 Jeffrey J. Blewett
- 👤 Randolph F. Lehn
- 👤 Charles R. Sherts
- 👤 Graham W. Bryan
- 👤 Salvatore Castro
- 👤 Gary S. Kappel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 14:48
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/068; A61B17/072; A61B17/07207; A61B17/00234; A61B2017/0023; A61B2017/00535; A61B2017/00544; A61B17/28; A61B17/29; A61B2017/2926; A61B2017/2927; A61B2017/2929; A61B90/00; A61B90/03; A61B2090/038; A61B90/08; A61B2090/0803; A61B2090/0804
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 40
Claim 1
Independent Claim
239 words
A self contained gas powered surgical apparatus for driving surgical fasteners into body tissue comprising: a) a frame; b) an endoscopic portion defining a longitudinal axis and extending distally from said frame, said endoscopic portion including: i) an elongated housing having a distal member for mounting a cartridge assembly, said cartridge assembly having a proximal and a distal end portion and including a plurality of surgical fasteners slidably mounted therein, and having a tissue engaging surface; ii) an anvil member having a fastener forming surface, said anvil member having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion and being mounted with respect to said elongated housing such that at least said distal end portion of said anvil member is movable between an open position spaced from said housing and a closed position wherein said fastener forming surface is in close cooperative alignment with said tissue engaging surface of said cartridge assembly; iii) means for moving said anvil member between said open position and said closed position; iv) means for ejecting said surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly, whereby said fasteners engage said fastener forming surface; v) sealing means for inhibiting the escape of gas to said frame; and c) a pneumatic system disposed in said frame and including a self contained supply of pressurized gas and a pneumatic actuator mechanism associated with said gas supply, said pneumatic system adapted to actuate said means for ejecting said surgical fasteners.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
301 words
A self contained gas powered surgical apparatus for driving surgical fasteners into body tissue comprising: a) a frame having clamping means; and b) an endoscopic portion defining a longitudinal axis and extending distally from the frame, said endoscopic portion including: i) an extension tube having a distal end mounted collar tube, the extension tube rotatably connected to the clamping means of the frame for rotatable and longitudinal movement through the endoscopic portion between a first open position and a second closed position; ii) a cover tube mounted to the frame for rotational movement about a longitudinal axis; iii) an elongated support fixed to the cover tube, said elongated support retaining a cartridge assembly including a plurality of surgical fasteners slidably mounted therein and having a tissue engaging surface and said elongated support further retaining an anvil member having a fastener forming surface, the anvil member being movable between an open position corresponding to the first position of the extension tube and a closed position of the extension tube wherein the fastener forming surface is in close cooperative alignment with the tissue engaging surface of the cartridge assembly; iv) means for ejecting said surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly, whereby said fasteners engage said fastener forming surface; v) sealing means for inhibiting the flow of gas from the distal to the proximal ends of said endoscopic portion; and c) a self contained pneumatic system mounted in said frame and including a supply of low pressure gas and a pneumatic actuator mechanism associated with said gas supply, said pneumatic actuator mechanism being adapted to cooperate with said means for ejecting said surgical fasteners to fire said surgical fasteners against said fastener forming surface, and locking means for preventing actuation of said pneumatic actuator mechanism after a predetermined number of firings of the apparatus.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
261 words
A self contained gas powered endoscopic surgical apparatus for driving surgical fasteners into body tissue comprising: a) a handle; b) a pneumatic system disposed in said handle including a supply of pressurized gas pneumatically connected to a pneumatic actuator means; c) an endoscopic portion defining a longitudinal axis and extending distally from said handle, said endoscopic portion including: i) an elongated housing having a distal portion which comprises means to support a plurality of surgical fasteners for slidable movement generally transverse to said longitudinal axis, said distal portion having a tissue engaging surface for supporting tissue to be fastened; ii) an anvil member having a fastener forming surface and a distal end and a proximal end, said anvil member being mounted with respect to said elongated housing such that at least the distal end of said anvil member is movable in directions generally transverse to said longitudinal axis between an open position spaced from said tissue engaging surface and a closed position wherein said fastener forming surface is in close cooperative alignment with said tissue engaging surface; iii) means for moving said anvil member between said open position and said closed position, and iv) means for ejecting said surgical fasteners from said fastener support means, whereby said fasteners engage tissue positionable between said tissue engaging surface and said forming surface; d) linkage means for connecting said pneumatic actuator means to said means for ejecting said surgical fasteners such that said means for ejecting said surgical fasteners is pneumatically driven; and e) safety means for preventing accidental actuation of said pneumatic system.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
264 words
A self contained gas powered surgical apparatus for emplacing surgical fasteners into body tissue comprising: a) a frame; b) an intermediate portion defining a longitudinal axis and extending distally from said frame, said intermediate portion including mounting means for mounting a cartridge assembly having a plurality of surgical fasteners slidably mounted therein, said cartridge assembly having a proximal and distal end portion and a tissue engaging surface, an anvil member mounted in said intermediate portion, said anvil member having proximal and distal end portions and a fastener closing surface, said anvil member and said cartridge assembly being disposed such that at least a distal end portion of the anvil member is movable between an open position wherein said fastener closing surface is spaced from said tissue engaging surface of said cartridge assembly and a closed position wherein said fastener closing surface is in close cooperative alignment with said tissue engaging surface of said cartridge assembly, means for moving said anvil member between said open position and said closed position, and means for ejecting said surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly, whereby said fasteners engage said fastener closing surface; c) a pneumatic system disposed in said frame and including a self contained supply of pressurized gas and a pneumatic actuator mechanism associated with said supply of pressurized gas, said pneumatic system adapted to at least actuate said means for ejecting said surgical fasteners; d) safety means for preventing accidental actuation of said pneumatic system; and e) locking means associated with said pneumatic system to prevent firing of said apparatus after a predetermined number of firings.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
358 words
A self contained gas powered surgical apparatus for driving surgical fasteners into body tissue comprising: a) a frame having clamping means and b) an elongated portion defining a longitudinal axis and extending distally from the frame, said elongated portion including: i) an extension tube having a distal end mounted collar tube, the extension tube rotatably connected to the clamping means of the frame for rotatable and longitudinal movement through the elongated portion between a first open position and a second closed position; ii) a cover tube mounted to the frame for rotational movement about a longitudinal axis; iii) an elongated support fixed to the cover tube, said elongated support retaining a cartridge assembly including a plurality of surgical fasteners slidably mounted therein and having a tissue engaging surface and said elongated support retaining an anvil member having a fastener forming surface, the anvil member being movable between an open position corresponding to the first position of the extension tube wherein the fastener forming surface is in close cooperative alignment with the tissue engaging surface of the cartridge assembly; and iv) means for ejecting said surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly, said means including a channel and a cam bar adapter mounting at least one cam bar for ejecting surgical fasteners, said channel adapted for longitudinal movement within the elongated support and rotational movement with the endoscopic portion, c) a self contained pneumatic system mounted in said frame and including a supply of low pressure gas and a pneumatic actuator mechanism associated with said gas supply, said pneumatic actuator mechanism including a piston connected to said channel, a cylinder and a firing mechanism such that when said firing mechanism is activated, gas from said gas supply passes into said cylinder to drive said piston and channel in a longitudinally distal direction to cause said channel to move said cam bar distally to eject said surgical fasteners; d) clamp lockout means associated with said clamping means for preventing approximation of said anvil and cartridge unless both are in alignment; and e) locking means associated with said pneumatic system for preventing firing of said apparatus after a predetermined number of firings.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
171 words
A surgical apparatus for driving surgical fasteners into body tissue comprising: a) a frame; b) a housing having a distal member for mounting a cartridge assembly, said cartridge assembly having a tissue engaging surface and including a plurality of surgical fasteners slidably mounted therein for sequential firing; c) an anvil member having a fastener forming surface, said anvil member having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion and being positioned with respect to said housing such that at least said distal portion of said anvil member is movable between an open and closed position wherein said fastener forming surface is in close cooperative alignment with said tissue engaging surface of said cartridge assembly; d) means associated with said housing for moving said anvil member between said open position and said closed position; e) means for ejecting said surgical fasteners from said cartridge assembly, whereby said fasteners engage said fastener forming surface; and f) safety means for disabling said apparatus after at least a plurality of firings of said apparatus.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
139 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including means for moving an anvil member between said open position and said closed position comprises: a tubular collar disposed around at least a portion of said housing and said anvil, said tubular collar having a distal camming surface and being movable between a first position in which said camming surface is located proximally to the proximal end of said anvil member, and a second position in which said camming surface is located distally to the proximal end portion of said anvil member, said tubular collar cooperating with said anvil member such that when the collar is moved from said first position to said second position, said anvil member is urged to said closed position, and means for moving said collar between said first position and said second position.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which an endoscopic portion is rotatable around said longitudinal axis.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims of which an (or said) elongate housing has a cartridge assembly removable distally mounted thereto.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 which includes an anvil member movable between an open position and a closed position substantially parallel to a tissue engaging surface of said cartridge assembly.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
46 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or 10 wherein means for ejecting said surgical fastener (when present) further comprises pusher elements and at least one cam bar for actuating said pusher elements to drive said surgical fasteners as said cam bar longitudinally traverses said cartridge assembly.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein a (or said) anvil member is removable.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and further comprising a pneumatic system which includes a pneumatic actuator mechanism associated with a gas supply, said pneumatic system adapted to actuate said means for ejecting said surgical fasteners.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and further comprising safety means for preventing accidental actuation of said pneumatic system.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
51 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said pneumatic system further comprises pressure sensing means disposed between said gas supply and said pneumatic actuator mechanism to prevent firing of said surgical apparatus unless a sufficient volume of pressurized gas is available for a complete cycle of firing.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising adjusting means for selectively adjusting the longitudinal travel of means (if present) for ejecting said surgical fasteners.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising locking means for preventing firing of said apparatus after a predetermined number of firings.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising counter means for recording the number of times the apparatus has been fired.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising display means for displaying an indication of the firing status of the apparatus.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising safety means for preventing accidental actuation of said pneumatic system.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 20 wherein said safety means comprises structure for preventing movement of a trigger adapted to actuate said pneumatic system.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
39 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 21 wherein said safety means comprises structure pivotally mounted to said trigger and movable between a first position preventing actuation of said pneumatic system and a second position wherein the pneumatic system is actuable.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein said structure comprises a rotatable wheel normally biased in said first position.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
46 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein a proximal end portion of said anvil member (if present) is angled with respect to a longitudinal plane of the anvil member to permit a wider opening of the anvil member in the open position.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 24 wherein said proximal end portion of said anvil member is angled between about 0 to 30 degree from the longitudinal plane of the anvil member.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
32 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising clamp lockout means for preventing approximation of anvil and cartridge when said cartridge or said anvil is not correctly positioned.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising interlock means for preventing actuation of the actuator mechanism when a (or said) clamping means is not in a closed position.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 27 wherein said interlock means comprises a linkage engagable with said clamping means and movable between a first locked out position when said clamping means is in an open unclamped position and a second disengaged firing position when said clamping means is in a closed clamped position.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising gas sealing means to substantially atmospherically isolate an endoscopic portion of the apparatus from a more proximal part.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or any one of claims 12 to 29 as dependent on claim 11 wherein the plurality of cam bars are adapted for a single distal pass through the longitudinal slots.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 30 wherein the cam bars are detached from a cam bar adapter after a single distal pass through the longitudinal slots and are retained therein to disable the cartridge assembly.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 31 further comprising a knife adapted for longitudinal motion through the cartridge.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including a trigger mechanism and activatable to move through a complete cycle on a single touch of the trigger mechanism.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 33 including safety means to block movement of said trigger mechanism to prevent accidental actuation of said pneumatic system.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus in accordance with any one of the preceding claims and including means for ejecting surgical fasteners adapted to sequentially engage and drive substantially parallel longitudinal rows of said surgical fasteners from a (or said) cartridge assembly into engagement with a (or said) fastener closing surface of a (or said) anvil member.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
47 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 7 or any one of claims 8 to 35 as dependent on claim 7 wherein said means for moving said collar between said first position and said second position comprises a manually operated handle and linkage assembly connected to said tubular collar.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said cartridge assembly when present is removably mounted the apparatus.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said surgical fasteners are staples and a fastener closing surface of an anvil of the apparatus includes a plurality of staple forming cups disposed therein for closing said surgical staples.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and including an anvil of which the proximal end is formed at an angle to a longitudinal plane of said anvil.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and including a housing which defines an endoscopic portion itself defining a longitudinal axis and extending distally from a frame.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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