Buttress loader for surgical staplers
AssigneeCilag GmbH International
InventorsFrederick E. Shelton, IV, Jason L. Harris, Michael J. Vendely, Prudence Vulhop
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various buttress loaders are provided for cleaning and affixing one or more buttresses to an end effector of a surgical stapler. In an exemplary embodiment, a buttress loader can be configured to clean at least one tissue-engaging surface of an end effector on a surgical stapler, and the buttress loader can be configured to attach a buttress to the at least one tissue-engaging surface of the end effector. For example, a buttress loader can have two slots configured to receive the end effector therein. One slot can be configured to clean the end effector, and the other slot can be configured to attach the buttress to the end effector.
Claims19
A buttress loader for use with a surgical stapler, comprising:
- a housing having
- a cleaning slot configured to seat a jaw of an end effector on a surgical stapler, the cleaning slot having a cleaning material and a cleaning solution disposed therein and configured to clean a tissue-facing surface of the jaw, and
- a loading slot configured to seat the jaw, the loading slot having a buttress disposed therein, the buttress being formed from a different material than the cleaning material, the loading slot being configured to release the buttress when the jaw is seated therein to thereby apply the buttress to the tissue-facing surface of the jaw;
- wherein each of the cleaning and loading slots comprises an opening extending vertically entirely through the housing that is defined on three sides by the housing.
A buttress loader for use with a surgical stapler, comprising:
- a housing with a top surface and a bottom surface having
- a cleaning slot configured to seat a jaw of an end effector on a surgical stapler, the cleaning slot having a cleaning material and a cleaning soluition disposed therein and configured to clean a tissue-facing surface of the jaw, and
- a loading slot configured to seat the jaw, the loading slot having a buttress disposed therein, the buttress being formed from a different material than the cleaning material, the loading slot being configured to release the buttress when the jaw is seated therein to thereby apply the buttress to the tissue-facing surface of the jaw,
- wherein the cleaning and loading slots are longitudinal openings that extend entirely through the housing from the top surface to the bottom surface and that are defined by the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.