US 4,941,623 AGranted

Stapling process and device for use on the mesentery of the abdomen

AssigneeUnited States Surgical Corporation

InventorJ. Crayton Pruitt

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The process, stapler and stapler cartridge described herein comprise those suitable for stapling a patient's mesentery and omentum with two, three or four rows of staples, the rows being substantially parallel to each other, the staples in all the rows having the same crown size with alternate rows staggered one-fourth of the length of each crown with respect to the adjacent crown in the adjacent row or rows of staples. Advantageously the prong lengths in at least one row differ from the pront lengths in the other row or rows. Advantageously the longer prongs are 30-100 percent larger, preferably about 33-75 percent larger than the smaller prongs. This arrangement is capable of satisfactorily sealing off the variety of sizes of blood vessels and holding firmly the fatty tissue found in the mesentery and in the omentum. Other arrangements of staples have been designed to effect similar results in the mesentery in which the staples having smaller and larger prongs are arranged alternately in the same row so that the gaps between staples are covered by staples staggered one-fourth of the crown length with respect to staples in an adjacent row of staples.

In a stapling device designed for use on a patient which comprises:

(a) a handle by which the device may be held in the operator's hand;
(b) a sleeve having a forward and a rear end thereto, which sleeve is connected at a point near its rear end to said handle at an angle of about 90.degree.-100.degree., at which point said handle is slidably mounted at the interior of said sleeve, and said sleeve having a knob extending from the rear end thereof;
(c) a shaft extending lengthwise and inside said sleeve and being connected at one end to said handle adjacent to the area where said handle is slidably mounted on said sleeve;
(d) an adjusting means for advancing said shaft toward the forward end of said sleeve and for retracting said shaft toward the rear end of said sleeve, said adjustment being effected by the axial rotation of said knob extending from the rear end of said sleeve;
(e) a cartridge holding means attached to and positioned perpendicularly from the opposite end of said shaft from the end connected to said handle, said cartridge holding means being capable of being advanced and retracted with said shaft movement;
(f) a support means extending downward and forward from the front end of said sleeve;
(g) an anvil held by said support means in a position parallel to and opposite to said cartridge holding means;
the improvement whereby said stapler device is suitable for use on a patient's mesentery which comprises:
(h) a cartridge positioned on said cartridge holding means having at least two and no more than four parallel rows of staples, each staple having crown and two prongs each prong being attached to an end of said crown, each intermediate row of staples being substantially equidistant from adjacent rows, with the staples in each row having the same length of crown and each crown being staggered at the quarter point in the length of the crown of the adjacent staple in the adjacent row of staples;
whereby the ends of looped prongs are opposite the approximate mid-point of a looped prong on an adjacent row, and
(i) an anvil having grooves therein spaced from and positioned opposite to and facing the prongs of the staples in said cartridge and positioned to receive and to turn the prongs of each said staple toward each other and toward the crown of said staple.

8 more elements

Facts

Application

07/456,361Filed 26 Dec 1989 · continuation in part

Priority

19 May 1986

Granted

17 Jul 1990

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

A61B 17/072
Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clamps: for applying a row of staples in a single action, e.g. the staples being applied…
A61B 2017/07235
Stapler heads: containing different staples, e.g. staples of different shapes, sizes or materials
A61B 2017/07242
Stapler heads: achieving different staple heights during the same shot, e.g. using an anvil anvil having different heights or staples of different…
A61B 2017/0725
Stapler heads: with settable gap between anvil and cartridge, e.g. for different staple heights at different shots

Family

Serial864,336Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 19 May 1986

Serial350,758Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 12 May 1987

Serial60,469Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 Jun 1987

Serial237,433Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 26 Aug 1988

US 4,848,637 AParent of this continuation-in-part

US 4,941,623 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Abstract

Claims18