Surgical stapler with alignment pin locking mechanism
AssigneeUnited States Surgical Corporation
InventorsAlan K. Plyley, Claude A. Vidal, Russell J. Redmond
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A surgical stapler having a supporting frame, including a stationary jaw having an anvil, a movable jaw, a replaceable staple cartridge carried by the movable jaw, a mechanism for approximating the cartridge relative to the anvil, and a mechanism for firing the device so as to crimp the staples against the anvil in a manner to enable the surgeon to substantially simultaneously place one or more rows of surgical staples in organs or tissues. The device includes interrelated, cooperating first and second locking mechanisms for positively preventing refiring if the staple cartridge is spent and for providing a tactile sensation to the surgeon to indicate that a spent staple cartridge is present within the instrument.
Claims37
An apparatus for applying surgical staples comprising:
- a frame including a stationary jaw;
- a movable jaw supported on the frame, the movable jaw being movable into approximation with the stationary jaw;
- a cartridge containing a plurality of staples supported on one of the stationary jaw and the movable jaw and an anvil supported on the other of the stationary jaw and the movable jaw;
- a guide member movably supported on the frame, the guide member movable from a retracted position to an advanced position to maintain the relative alignment of the stationary jaw and the movable jaw;
- a first locking mechanism operatively associated with the guide member, the first locking mechanism being movable to a position preventing movement of the guide member to the advanced position;
- an operating member supported within the apparatus, the operating member being movable from a proximal position to a distal position to effect ejection of the plurality of staples;
- and
- a second locking mechanism operatively associated with the operating member, the second locking mechanism being movable from a first position to a second position to prevent movement of the operating member from the proximal position to the distal position.
An apparatus for applying surgical staples comprising:
- a frame including a stationary jaw;
- a movable jaw supported on the frame, the movable jaw being movable into approximation with the stationary jaw;
- a cartridge containing a plurality of staples supported on one of the stationary jaw and the movable jaw and an anvil supported on the other of the stationary jaw and the movable jaw;
- a guide member movably supported on the frame from a retracted position to an advanced position to maintain the relative alignment of the stationary jaw and the movable jaw;
- a first locking mechanism operatively associated with the guide member, the first locking mechanism being movable to a position to prevent movement of the guide member to the advanced position;
- and
- an operating member supported within the apparatus, the operating member being movable from a proximal position to a distal position to effect ejection of the plurality of staples.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.