Apparatus for endoscopic procedures
AssigneeCovidien LP
InventorsStanislaw Kostrzewski, Ernest Aranyi, Paul Scirica
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electromechanical surgical system having an instrument housing for connecting with a shaft assembly, a shaft assembly, and an end effector. The end effector is an articulating end effector and the system includes a cable tensioning system for tensioning the articulation cables. The system includes a clutch mechanism for preventing slippage of a drive cable. The electromechanical system includes a staple cartridge that includes a knife that is movable between a raised position and a lowered position.
Claims18
A surgical stapling instrument comprising:
- a shaft assembly;
- a drive beam;
- an anvil assembly;
- a cartridge assembly comprising:
- a cartridge body having a tissue-contacting surface;
- a knife slot defined by the cartridge body;
- and
- staples supported within the cartridge body;
- an actuation sled comprising a slit;
- a knife blade comprising a blade portion, the knife blade coupled to the actuation sled, wherein the knife blade has a concealed position and a raised position, wherein:
- at a first distal position of the sled, the knife blade is in the concealed position where the blade portion is positioned below the tissue-contacting surface of the cartridge body, wherein the blade portion is submerged within the slit when in the concealed position;
- and
- at a second distal position of the sled, the knife blade is in the raised position where the blade portion is positioned above the tissue-contacting surface of the cartridge body.
An end effector for a surgical stapling instrument, the end effector comprising:
- an anvil assembly;
- a cartridge assembly comprising:
- a cartridge body having a tissue-contacting surface;
- a knife slot defined by the cartridge body;
- an actuation sled comprising a slit;
- a knife blade comprising a blade portion, the knife blade coupled to the actuation sled, wherein the knife blade has a concealed position and a raised position, wherein:
- at a first distal position of the sled, the knife blade is in the concealed position where the blade portion is positioned below the tissue-contacting surface of the cartridge body, wherein the blade portion is submerged within the slit when in the concealed position;
- and
- at a second distal position of the sled, the knife blade is in the raised position where the blade portion is positioned above the tissue-contacting surface of the cartridge body.
A surgical stapling instrument comprising:
- a shaft assembly comprising an articulating neck assembly;
- a drive member extending through the shaft assembly;
- a drive beam, wherein movement of the drive member causes distal movement of the drive beam;
- a cartridge assembly comprising:
- a cartridge body having a tissue-contacting surface;
- a knife slot defined by the cartridge body;
- staples;
- and
- staple pushers;
- an actuation sled comprising a slit;
- a knife blade comprising a blade portion, the knife blade coupled to the actuation sled, wherein the knife blade has a concealed position and a raised position, wherein:
- at a first distal position of the sled, the knife blade is in the concealed position where the blade portion is positioned below the tissue-contacting surface of the cartridge body, wherein the blade portion is submerged within the slit when the knife blade is in the concealed position;
- and
- at a second distal position of the sled, the knife blade is in the raised position where the blade portion is positioned above the tissue-contacting surface of the cartridge body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.