Surgical instrument with articulating portion
AssigneeEthicon, Inc.
InventorsBarry Worrell, Gregory A. Trees, William Douglas Shaw, Jr., Kevin M. Montgomery
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Surgical instruments having articulating portions or joints are described herein. In one embodiment, a surgical instrument can include a distal end effector, a proximal actuating portion, and an articulating portion disposed between the end effector and the actuating portion. The articulating portion can include an inner component formed of a first material and an outer component formed of a second material, wherein a modulus of elasticity of the first material is higher than a modulus of elasticity of the second material. Such an instrument can be less complex and less expensive than known articulation mechanisms while providing similar capabilities.
Claims20
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- a distal end effector;
- a proximal actuating portion;
- an articulating portion disposed between the end effector and the actuating portion, the articulating portion having an inner component formed of a first material and an outer component formed of a second material that surrounds the inner component such that an outer surface defining outer sidewalls of the inner component is completely enveloped by the outer component;
- and
- an articulation control element that extends through a lumen of the outer component and that does not extend through an interior of the inner component, the articulation control element being configured to be actuated using the proximal actuating portion to articulate the distal end effector,
- wherein a modulus of elasticity of the first material is higher than a modulus of elasticity of the second material.
A surgical instrument, comprising:
- an end effector;
- a shaft;
- and
- an articulating portion disposed between the end effector and the shaft, the articulating portion having an inner component formed of a first material and an outer component formed of a second material that surrounds the inner component, wherein:
- a modulus of elasticity of the first material is higher than a modulus of elasticity of the second material;
- the articulating portion includes a first lumen formed in and fully enclosed by walls of the inner component, the first lumen having a cutting element disposed therein, the cutting element being configured to move relative to the inner and outer components to cut tissue grasped by the end effector;
- and
- the articulating portion includes a second lumen extending through the outer component but not the inner component, the second lumen having an articulation control element disposed therein, the articulation control element being configured to move relative to the inner and outer components to articulate the end effector relative to the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.