Surgical stapler
AssigneeUnited States Surgical Corporation
InventorsDominick L. Mastri, Frank J. Viola, Thomas W. Alesi, Jr., Robert J. Geiste
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Abstract
A surgical device is described herein that can be used to fire different types and sizes of disposable loading units. In a preferred embodiment, the device applies parallel rows of surgical fasteners to body tissue and concomitantly forms an incision between the rows of staples during an endoscopic or laparoscopic surgical procedure. The device can be utilized with disposable loading units configured to apply linear rows of staples measuring from about 15 mm in length to about 60 mm in length and can be used to fire disposable loading units containing surgical clips and individual staples.
Claims23
A surgical stapler comprising:
- a) a handle assembly including a housing and an actuation handle movable through an actuating stroke;
- b) an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly housing and defining a longitudinal axis;
- c) an elongated actuation shaft supported at least in part within the handle assembly housing and having a particular linear dimension, the actuation handle interacting with the actuation shaft such that manipulation of the actuation handle through a complete actuating stroke causes the actuation shaft to translate through a predetermined linear distance;
- and
- d) a disposable loading unit operatively engaged in a distal portion of the elongated body and including a staple cartridge containing a plurality of staples, an actuator movable through the staple cartridge for ejecting the staples therefrom, and an anvil against which the staples are driven when ejected from the staple cartridge to form a staple line having a particular linear dimension, the linear dimension of the staple line corresponding to the distance through which the actuation shaft translates in response to manipulation of the actuation handle through a particular number of complete actuation strokes numbering more than one.
A surgical stapler as recited in claim 5, wherein an engagement hook is mounted within the handle assembly housing to selectively maintain the actuation shaft in a particular position after traveling through the clamping distance.
A surgical stapler as recited in claim 14, wherein the disposable loading unit further comprises a carrier having a proximal portion adapted for releasable engagement within the distal end portion of the elongated body.
A surgical stapler which comprises, a handle portion, an elongated body portion extending distally from the handle portion, a coupling at a distal end of the elongated body portion for releasably engaging a disposable loading unit configured to clamp body tissue and a apply a plurality of surgical staples thereto, and an actuation assembly supported within the handle portion;
- the actuation assembly being configured to actuate the disposable loading unit releasably engaged in the coupling at the distal end of the body portion, wherein the actuation assembly includes an actuation handle being movable through at least one actuation stroke to actuate the disposable loading unit;
- the disposable loading unit having a plurality of surgical staples arranged in at least one linear row, wherein the actuation assembly can actuate a first disposable loading unit having a linear staple row of a first length and subsequently actuate a second disposable loading unit having a linear staple row of a second length, the first length being different than the second length;
- and
- wherein the number of strokes of the actuation handle required to actuate the disposable loading unit is dependent upon a length of the linear staple row disposed within the disposable loading unit.
A surgical stapler comprising, a handle portion, an elongated body portion extending distally from the handle portion, a coupling at a distal end of the elongated body portion for releasably engaging a disposable loading unit configured to clamp body tissue and apply at least one linear row of surgical staples thereto, an actuation assembly supported within the handle portion, the actuation assembly being configured to actuate the disposable loading unit releasably engaged in the coupling at the distal end of the body portion, and an actuation handle associated with the actuation assembly wherein a complete actuation of the disposable loading unit having at least one linear row of surgical staples requires more than one complete stroke of the actuation handle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.