US 7,913,891 B2Granted

Disposable loading unit with user feedback features and surgical instrument for use therewith

AssigneeEthicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.

InventorsKevin R. Doll, Joshua R. Uth, Charles J. Scheib, Geoffrey C. Hueil, Mark S. Ortiz, Douglas B. Hoffman, Patrick A. Weizman, Dean B. Bruewer, Gregory B. Blair, Frederick E. Shelton, IV

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Abstract

A disposable loading unit for operable attachment to a surgical stapling apparatus. The disposable loading unit may have a spent cartridge indication system for providing an indication of whether the loading unit has been previously fired. Other embodiments are disclosed that employ a blade monitoring system for providing feedback to the user concerning the amount of strain being experienced by the blade during cutting and stapling.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A disposable loading unit for attachment to a surgical stapling apparatus, said disposable loading unit comprising:

a tool assembly comprising:
a carrier;
an anvil assembly movably coupled to said carrier for selective movable travel between open and closed positions relative to said carrier;
a staple cartridge supported in said carrier, said staple cartridge operably supporting a plurality of staples therein;
and
an actuator member movably supported within said tool assembly and configured to drive said plurality of staples out of said staple cartridge as said actuator member is driven from a starting position to an end position within said tool assembly;
an axial drive assembly having a distal end portion constructed to move through said tool assembly and drive said actuator member from said starting to end position in response to a drive motion imparted to said axial drive assembly from the surgical stapling apparatus;
and
a spent cartridge indication system operably supported in said tool assembly and cooperating with said actuator member to provide an indication when at least some of the staples have been driven out of said staple cartridge, said spent cartridge system comprising an indicator pin supported within a distal end of said staple cartridge and being movable from a first unfired position to a fired position in response to movement of said actuator member, said indicator pin being configured to be locked in a protruding position when said actuator member has reached said end position.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/031,624Filed 14 Feb 2008
Published: US 2009/0206144 A120 Aug 2009
Granted: 29 Mar 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

A61B 17/07207
For applying a row of staples in a single action, e.g. the staples being applied simultaneously: the staples being applied sequentially
A61B 2017/0023
Surgical instruments, devices or methods: disposable
A61B 2017/00473
With a releasable handle; with handle and operating part separable: distal part, e.g. tip or head
A61B 2017/07271
Stapler heads: characterised by its cartridge