Graduated anvil for surgical stapling instruments
AssigneeUnited States Surgical Corporation
InventorsHenry Bolanos, Randolph F. Lehn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An anvil is disclosed for utilization in conjunction with a surgical stapling instrument configured to apply rows of staples to body tissue. The anvil is provided with graduations to delineate the boundaries of the staple forming area defined thereby, as well as to delineate the range through which a fastener driving assembly and optional knife blade translate during a stapling operation.
Claims12
In a surgical apparatus configured to apply at least two parallel rows of staples to body tissue, the apparatus including a cartridge housing a plurality of staples, an anvil mounted adjacent the cartridge against which the staples are driven when ejected from the cartridge, and a staple driving assembly which translates through the cartridge to eject the staples therefrom, the improvement comprising:
- at least two visible spaced apart graduations provided on each of the anvil and the cartridge to delineate a range through which the staple driving assembly translates to eject staples from the cartridge.
In a surgical apparatus configured to apply at least two parallel rows of staples to body tissue, the apparatus including a staple carrying cartridge and an anvil mounted adjacent the cartridge and having a staple forming area against which staples are driven when ejected from the cartridge, the improvement comprising:
- a multiplicity of visible spaced apart graduations provided on each of the anvil and the staple carrying cartridge to delineate boundaries of the staple forming area.
In a surgical apparatus configured to apply at least two parallel rows of staples to body tissue, the apparatus including a staple carrying cartridge and an anvil mounted adjacent the cartridge and having a staple forming area against which staples are driven when ejected from the cartridge, the anvil and the staple carrying cartridge each defining a longitudinal axis in substantially parallel alignment, the improvement comprising:
- a multiplicity of visible spaced apart linear markings provided on and extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of each of the anvil and the staple carrying cartridge to delineate boundaries of the staple forming area, at least two of the linear markings on the longitudinal axis of the staple carrying cartridge corresponding to the longitudinal positions of at least two of the linear markings on the longitudinal axis of the anvil.
In a surgical apparatus configured to apply at least two parallel rows of staples to body tissue, the apparatus including a staple carrying cartridge housing a plurality of staples, an anvil mounted adjacent the cartridge against which the staples are driven when ejected from the cartridge, the anvil defining a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis defined by the cartridge, and a staple driving assembly which translates through the cartridge to eject the staples therefrom, the improvement comprising:
- at least two visible spaced apart linear markings provided on, and extending transverse to the longitudinal axis defined by, each of the anvil and the cartridge to delineate a range through which the staple driving assembly translates to eject staples from the cartridge, at least two of the linear markings on the longitudinal axis of the cartridge corresponding to the longitudinal positions of at least two of the linear markings on the longitudinal axis of the anvil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.