U.S. patent application number 14/053354 was filed with the patent office on 2014-02-13 for stapler cartridge with staples frangibly affixed thereto.
This patent application is currently assigned to CARDICA, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is CARDICA, INC.. Invention is credited to Bryan D. Knodel.
Application Number | 20140041191 14/053354 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46760567 |
Filed Date | 2014-02-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140041191 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Knodel; Bryan D. |
February 13, 2014 |
STAPLER CARTRIDGE WITH STAPLES FRANGIBLY AFFIXED THERETO
Abstract
A surgical apparatus may include a cartridge, and surgical
staples affixed to and frangibly separable from that cartridge. A
method for surgical stapling utilizing that apparatus may include
providing at least one wedge; and moving at least one wedge into
the cartridge, where that moving deforms and then shears from the
cartridge at least one staple. A method of manufacturing an
apparatus for use with a surgical stapler may include fabricating a
cartridge configured to be received by the surgical stapler;
fabricating staples; and fixing the staples to the cartridge.
Inventors: |
Knodel; Bryan D.;
(Flagstaff, AZ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CARDICA, INC. |
Redwood City |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
CARDICA, INC.
Redwood City
CA
|
Family ID: |
46760567 |
Appl. No.: |
14/053354 |
Filed: |
October 14, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13571319 |
Aug 9, 2012 |
8556153 |
|
|
14053354 |
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12683382 |
Jan 6, 2010 |
8261958 |
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13571319 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
29/428 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 17/07207 20130101;
A61B 2017/07271 20130101; A61B 2090/037 20160201; A61B 17/064
20130101; Y10T 29/49826 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
29/428 |
International
Class: |
A61B 17/064 20060101
A61B017/064 |
Claims
1. A method of manufacturing a staple cartridge for use with a
surgical stapler, comprising: fabricating an upper surface of the
staple cartridge with at least one opening for deployment of at
least one staple there-through; attaching at least one
longitudinal-extending rail member within a body of the staple
cartridge with a vertical space or gap between a bottom of the
upper surface of the staple cartridge and a top of the
longitudinal-extending rail member; and coupling a least one staple
along the rail member at a position or location that allows the
staple to be deployed through the opening of the upper surface of
the staple cartridge.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the staple is coupled to the top
of the longitudinal-extending rail member.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the staple is coupled to the
longitudinal-extending rail member through a stem member or a stem
portion of the staple.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the thickness of the stem member
or the stem portion of the staple is the same or less than the
vertical space or gap between the bottom of the upper surface of
the staple cartridge and the top of the longitudinal-extending rail
member.
5. The method of claim 3 further comprising pinning the stem member
or the stem portion of the staple to the rail member.
6. A method of manufacturing a staple cartridge for use with a
surgical stapler, comprising: fabricating an upper surface of the
staple cartridge with at least one opening for deployment of at
least one staple there-through; coupling a least one staple along a
bottom of the upper surface of the staple cartridge at a position
or location that allows the staple to be deployed through the
opening of the upper surface of the staple cartridge.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the staple is coupled to the
bottom of the upper surface of the staple cartridge through a stem
member or a stem portion of the staple.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/571,319 (attorney docket no. 350), filed
Aug. 9, 2012, which, in turn, is a divisional of U.S. patent
application No. 12/683,382 (attorney docket no. 292), filed Jan. 6,
2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,261,958, issued Sep. 11, 2012, both of
which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention generally relates to surgical staplers and
stapling.
BACKGROUND
[0003] An endocutter is a surgical tool that staples and cuts
tissue to transect that tissue while leaving the cut ends
hemostatic. An endocutter is small enough in diameter for use in
minimally invasive surgery, where access to a surgical site is
obtained through a trocar, port, or small incision in the body. A
linear cutter is a larger version of an endocutter, and is used to
transect portions of the gastrointestinal tract. A typical
endocutter receives at its distal end a disposable single-use
cartridge with several rows of staples, and includes an anvil
opposed to the cartridge. The staples may be held in individual
pockets, with staple drivers underneath each staple. As a wedge
advances into the cartridge, that wedge sequentially pushes a
number of staple drivers upward, and the staple drivers in turn
both linearly push each corresponding staple upward out of its
pocket, deforming it against an anvil. The manufacturing process
required to place those small individual staples and staple drivers
in the corresponding small pockets is difficult, and the number of
parts involved complicates the system and requires a minimum size
of cartridge that may be larger than optimally desired.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary cartridge and
exemplary wedge assembly.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a top cutaway view of the exemplary cartridge of
FIG. 1.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a perspective cutaway view of the exemplary
cartridge of FIG. 1.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a side cross-section view of the exemplary
cartridge of FIG. 1, with staples omitted for clarity.
[0008] The use of the same reference symbols in different figures
indicates similar or identical items.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/400,790, filed on Mar.
9, 2009 (the "Feeder Belt Document"), is hereby incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety. The Feeder Belt Document
describes exemplary feeder belts used in a surgical stapler, to
which a plurality of staples are frangibly connected. Because new
staples are fed to an end effector of a surgical stapler by the
feeder belts for sequential deployment, the surgical stapler of the
Feeder Belt Document does not need or utilize a plurality of
single-use cartridges in order to deploy multiple sets of
staples.
[0010] As is commonly used in the medical device industry,
particularly in the surgical stapler business, the term "cartridge"
means, and is expressly defined in this document to mean, a portion
of a surgical stapler that holds at least one staple, and that is
insertable within and releasably connected to a remainder of the
surgical stapler. Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary cartridge 2 is
shown, along with an exemplary wedge assembly 4 and knife 6. The
cartridge 2 may be utilized in conjunction with any surgical
stapler that is capable of receiving it, and that includes at least
a wedge assembly 4 capable of moving into the cartridge 2 to deploy
staples (as described in greater detail below) and then moving out
of the cartridge 2 to allow the spent cartridge 2 to be removed
from the surgical stapler. The cartridge 2 may be received in a
remainder of a surgical stapler in any suitable manner, such as by
a pressure fit or interference fit; passively or affirmatively; or
in any other suitable manner. The cartridge 2 may be received at
the distal end of a remainder of the surgical stapler, and/or along
the side of a remainder of the surgical stapler. The cartridge 2
may be useful in conjunction with an articulated surgical stapler
having an articulation proximal to the location at which the
cartridge is attached to the stapler. Such an articulation may be,
for example, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/400,760, filed on Mar. 9, 2009, or in U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 12/612,614, filed on Nov. 4, 2009, both of which are
hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
[0011] The cartridge 2 may be shaped in any suitable manner. As one
example, the cartridge 2 may include an upper surface 8. The upper
surface 8 may be generally flat, and generally rectangular.
However, the upper surface 8 need not be generally flat along all
or part of its area, and may be shaped in a manner other than
rectangular. Further, the upper surface 8 need not be a discrete
part of the cartridge 2, and instead simply may be a portion of a
larger surface or area of the cartridge 2. The upper surface 8 of
the cartridge 2 may include a plurality of openings 10 defined
completely therethrough. As described in greater detail below, each
opening 10 may be aligned with a corresponding staple, such that a
staple may be deployed through each opening 10. Each opening 10 may
be generally longitudinally-oriented, and generally rectangular in
shape. Alternately, the orientation and/or shape of at least one
opening 10 may be different. The openings 10 may be organized into
one or more generally-longitudinally-oriented rows, corresponding
to the locations of staples in the cartridge 2. As another example,
the openings 10 may be interconnected to form one or more larger
openings, such that more than one staple may be deployed through a
single opening 10. Alternately, the upper surface 8 may be omitted
altogether, thereby rendering openings 10 superfluous.
[0012] Referring also to FIGS. 2-4, the cartridge 2 also may
include one or more rails 12. The rails 12 may be oriented
generally longitudinally, and may be shaped generally as
rectangular solids. At least one rail 12 may be dimensioned greater
in lateral width than in vertical height, as seen most clearly in
FIG. 3. As another example, at least one rail 12 may be oriented
and/or shaped in any other suitable manner. The rails 12 may be
spaced laterally apart from one another. The rails 12 may be
fabricated from any suitable material, and in any suitable manner.
At least one rail 12 may be vertically spaced apart from the upper
surface 8 of the cartridge 2 by a gap 14. One or more pins 17 may
extend from at least one rail 12 across the gap 14 to the upper
surface 8. The pins 17 may be fabricated integrally with the
corresponding rail 12 and/or upper surface 8, or may be fabricated
separately and later connected thereto. At least one pin 17 may be
generally cylindrical in shape. However, at least one pin 17 may be
shaped differently. The pins 17 advantageously are shaped the same
as one another, but at least one pin 17 may be shaped differently
than at least one other pin 17.
[0013] A plurality of staples 16 may be affixed to and frangibly
separable from the cartridge 2. The staples 16 may be shaped
substantially in the same manner as the staples described in the
Feeder Belt Document, or may be shaped in any other suitable
manner. Each staple 16 may have a free end 18, and an opposite end
20 that is connected to a stem 22. The portion of the staple 16
between the free end 18 and the opposite end 20 may be referred to
as the tine 24. The stem 22 of at least one staple 16 may be
substantially perpendicular to the tine 24 of that staple 16. As
another example, the stem 22 and tine 24 of a staple 16 may be
oriented at a different angle to one another. The stem 22 may be
substantially planar and rectangular, but may be shaped differently
if desired. Each tine 24 may be fixed to the corresponding stem 22.
Advantageously, the tine 24 and corresponding stem 22 are integral,
and may be fabricated by stamping a piece of flat sheet metal, then
bending the tine 24 and the stem 22 to the desired angle relative
to one another. Advantageously, each staple 16 is positioned on a
corresponding rail 12, such that the stem 22 is positioned on top
of that rail 12. The thickness of the stem 22 may be substantially
the same as the height of the gap 14 between each rail 12 and the
upper surface 8. Alternately, the thickness of at least one stem 22
may be less than the height of the gap 14 between each rail 12 and
the upper surface 8. Each staple 16 may be fixed to the upper
surface 8 of the cartridge and/or to a rail 12, in any suitable
manner. As one example, at least one stem 22 may include at least
one aperture 26 defined therethrough. That aperture 26 may receive
a corresponding pin 17 that extends from the upper surface 8 to a
rail 12. As another example, at least one stem 22 may be welded to
the top of a corresponding rail 12 and/or to the bottom of the
upper surface 8. As another example, at least one stem may be
affixed to the top of a corresponding rail 12 and/or to the bottom
of the upper surface 8 by adhesive. As another example, at least
one stem 22 may be pressure-fit between the upper surface 8 and the
corresponding rail 12. As another example, at least one stem 22 may
be fixed to a corresponding rail 12 and/or the upper surface 8 in
two or more ways, such as, for example, by welding and by receiving
a pin 17 through an aperture 26 in the stem 22. At least one staple
16 may be fabricated separately from a remainder of the cartridge
2, then affixed to the cartridge 2 as set forth above. Alternately,
at least one staple 16 may be integral with a remainder of the
cartridge 2.
[0014] The staples 16 may be arranged in the cartridge 2 in any
suitable manner. As one example, one or more staples 16 may be
arranged against a corresponding rail 12, with each stem 22 fixed
to the corresponding rail 12. The staples 16 may be arranged
relative to the rail 12 and to one another such that the tine 24
extending from a particular staple 16 is positioned on one lateral
side of the rail 12, and the tine 24 extending from each
longitudinally-adjacent staple 16 is positioned on the other
lateral side of the rail 12. In this way, the tines 24 alternate
sides relative to the rail 12 longitudinally along the rail 12, as
seen most clearly in FIGS. 2-3. As another example, each staple 16
may include a single stem 22, with two tines 24 extending from it.
Each tine 24 may extend from a lateral side opposed to the other.
The stem 22 may be positioned on top of a rail 12, with each stem
22 fixed to the corresponding rail 12, and with each tine 24
positioned on a different lateral side of the corresponding rail
12. One tine 24 may be positioned longitudinally distal to the
other tine 24 extending from the same stem 22. Such staples 16 may
be arranged relative to the rail 12 such that the tines 24
alternate sides relative to the rail 12 longitudinally along the
rail 12. As another example, at least one staple 16 is integral
with the upper surface 8, and is affixed to a remainder of the
upper surface 8 at the end 20 of the tine 24. In such a
configuration, the staple 16 may be fabricated by punching,
stamping, or otherwise dislodging it from the upper surface 8, such
that the staple 16 extends from one end of a corresponding opening
10 in the upper surface 8, and the opening 10 results from the
fabrication of the staple 16 associated with it. Further, in such a
configuration, the stem 22 may be omitted from the staple 16.
Regardless of the particular configuration of the staples 16, each
tine 24 may be positioned adjacent to a corresponding opening 10 in
the upper surface 8, and/or may be affixed to the upper surface 8
in proximity to the corresponding opening 10.
[0015] At least part of each staple 16 may be frangibly affixed to
a remainder of the cartridge 2. "Frangibly affixed" is defined to
mean that at least part of each staple 16 is fixed to a remainder
of the cartridge 2 in such a manner that it must be sheared or
otherwise broken off from a remainder of the cartridge 2 to be
removed therefrom. As one example, at least one staple 16 may be
frangible at the junction between the stem 22 and the tine 24. Such
a junction may have a weakened area to facilitate frangibility. As
another example, at least one staple 16 may remain intact during
deployment, and the stem 22 of the staple 16 is frangible from the
corresponding rail 12 and/or the upper surface 8. As another
example, where the tine 24 is integral with the upper surface 8,
the tine 24 may be frangible at the junction between the tine 24
and the upper surface 8.
[0016] The cartridge 2 may be actuated, and the staples 16
deployed, substantially as set forth in the Feeder Belt Document,
with the following general differences. The wedge assembly 4
includes one or more wedges 30 configured generally as set forth in
the Feeder Belt Document. Initially, the wedge or wedges 30 may be
positioned proximal to the cartridge 2. In this way, the wedge or
wedges 30 do not interfere with the insertion of the cartridge 2
into a remainder of the surgical stapler. The cartridge 2 may be
inserted into the stapler, or may already be present in the
stapler, prior to actuation of the stapler. The wedge assembly 4 is
moved distally, advantageously by sliding. As the wedge assembly 4
moves distally, it slides the wedge or wedges 30 distally as well.
Advantageously, one wedge 30 slides along a corresponding row of
staples 16 to sequentially deform staples 16 outward through the
corresponding openings 10 in the upper surface 8, and then break
staples 16 from the cartridge 2. Such deformation and later
breakage of the staple may be as set forth generally in the Feeder
Belt Document. As one example, the stem 22 of one or more staples
16 is held substantially in place by its affixation to a
corresponding rail 12 and/or to the upper surface 8, as set forth
above. As a wedge 30 slides distally relative to the staple 16, the
wedge 30 first engages the tine 24 of that staple 16, causing the
tine 24 to move upward and to rotate about the junction between the
tine 24 and the stem 22. Rotation of the tine 24 upward causes the
tine 24 to move up through a corresponding opening 10 in the upper
surface 8, through tissue, and then move into contact with an anvil
(not shown), such as set forth in the Feeder Belt Document. Contact
between the tine 24 and the anvil deforms the tine 24 to its closed
configuration. As the wedge 30 continues to move distally relative
to the staple 16, both the wedge 30 and the tine 24 may be shaped
such that the wedge 30 may continue to contact and exert force on
the tine 24 after the tine 24 has been deformed. This force
increases until the tine 24 is broken, sheared or otherwise
separated from the stem 22. As another example, this force
increases until the stem 22 is broken, sheared or otherwise
separated from a remainder of the cartridge 2, such as from a
corresponding rail 12 and/or the upper surface 8 of the cartridge
2. The wedge 30 thereby may sequentially separate the frangible
staples 16 from a remainder of the cartridge 2.
[0017] A knife 6 also may be connected to the wedge assembly 4, and
may slide upward through the corresponding knife slot 32 in the
upper surface 8 as the wedge assembly 4 moves distally through the
cartridge 2. The knife 6 may be actuated, and may cut tissue,
substantially as set forth in the Feeder Belt Document. Optionally,
the knife 6 may be omitted from the wedge assembly 4, if desired.
The knife 6 may be configured to move into the cartridge 2, then
move upward through and out of the knife slot 32, then slide along
the knife slot 32, then move downward through the knife slot 32. In
this way, the knife 6 may be held in a position in which it does
not extend through the knife slot 32 both before and after it has
cut tissue, in order to enhance safety for the user and the
patient.
[0018] After the wedge assembly 4 has been actuated to deploy one
or more of the staples 16, the cartridge 2 is spent. The wedge
assembly 4 then may be retracted proximally through and then out of
the proximal end of the cartridge 2. The spent cartridge 2 then may
be removed from a remainder of the surgical stapler. If desired, a
new cartridge 2 may then be inserted into the surgical stapler in
place of the previous, spent cartridge 2. The new cartridge 2 may
be actuated substantially as described above.
[0019] While the invention has been described in detail, it will be
apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and
modifications can be made and equivalents employed, without
departing from the present invention. It is to be understood that
the invention is not limited to the details of construction, the
arrangements of components, and/or the method set forth in the
above description or illustrated in the drawings. Statements in the
abstract of this document, and any summary statements in this
document, are merely exemplary; they are not, and cannot be
interpreted as, limiting the scope of the claims. Further, the
figures are merely exemplary and not limiting. Topical headings and
subheadings are for the convenience of the reader only. They should
not and cannot be construed to have any substantive significance,
meaning or interpretation, and should not and cannot be deemed to
indicate that all of the information relating to any particular
topic is to be found under or limited to any particular heading or
subheading. Therefore, the invention is not to be restricted or
limited except in accordance with the following claims and their
legal equivalents.
* * * * *