U.S. patent number 3,589,589 [Application Number 04/760,417] was granted by the patent office on 1971-06-29 for surgical instrument for stitching tissues by means of staples.
Invention is credited to Ernest Mikhailovich Akopov.
United States Patent |
3,589,589 |
Akopov |
June 29, 1971 |
SURGICAL INSTRUMENT FOR STITCHING TISSUES BY MEANS OF STAPLES
Abstract
A surgical instrument comprises a support body with an open
longitudinal channel, in which are respectively superposed the rod
of a pusher member and the rod of a staple housing. A replaceable
magazine with staples is secured to a head of the staple housing
and drives are provided for moving the staple housing and pusher
conjointly to clamp the tissue between the magazine and a jaw on
the support body and for thereafter displacing the pusher relative
to the staple housing to force staples from the magazine into the
tissue.
Inventors: |
Akopov; Ernest Mikhailovich
(Moscow, SU) |
Family
ID: |
25713546 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/760,417 |
Filed: |
September 18, 1968 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 19, 1967 [SU] |
|
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1184885 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
227/153;
227/19 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B
17/072 (20130101); A61B 2017/07214 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61B
17/068 (20060101); A61B 17/072 (20060101); B25c
005/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;227/19 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Custer, Jr.; Granville Y.
Claims
What I claim is:
1. A surgical instrument for stitching tissues by means of staples,
comprising a support body with an open longitudinal channel; a jaw
on said support body; a staple housing with a head, said staple
housing being mounted in said longitudinal channel for longitudinal
displacement therein, a pusher with a head, said pusher also being
mounted in said longitudinal channel for displacement therein, said
staple housing and said pusher being superposed with one thereof
placed at the bottom of said channel, said staple housing and
pusher being separable in transverse direction; a replaceable
magazine with staples secured to the head of said staple housing,
first drive means for moving said staple housing and said pusher to
clamp tissue between said jaw and said magazine on the head of the
staple housing, and second drive means for displacing the pusher
relative to the staple housing to force the staples from said
magazine into the tissue, said first and second drive means
respectively including screw mechanisms arranged parallel to one
another, one of said drive means including a handle movably and
permanently connected to the rotary component of its screw
mechanism.
2. A surgical instrument as claimed in claim 1, comprising means
mounting the magazine on the pusher head to prevent relative
transverse displacement therebetween and on the staple housing so
that relative movement between the magazine and the staple housing
is prevented.
3. A surgical instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein the staple
housing and pusher include respective rods having rectangular cross
sections and contacting the walls of the longitudinal channel of
the support body.
4. A surgical instrument as claimed in claim 1, in which the head
of the staple housing is provided with an open slot, said head of
the pusher being slidably inserted into said slot.
5. A surgical instrument as claimed in claim 3, in which the
support body and the rods of the staple housing and the pusher
arranged in said longitudinal channel thereof include longitudinal
guides whose length is approximately equal to the relative
displacement of the rods in a working stroke.
6. A surgical instrument as claimed in claim 1, in which the rotary
component of the second drive means comprises a fixing device
preventing turning of said rotary component when the pusher is in
an initial inoperative position.
7. A surgical instrument as claimed in claim 3, comprising a handle
for holding the instrument secured to the rod of said pusher.
8. A surgical instrument as claimed in claim 7, in which said
handle of said one drive means is pivotally connected to the rotary
component of its screw mechanism, said handle for holding the
instrument having a recess in which the handle of said one drive
means is engaged, in an initial inoperative position of the pusher,
to prevent turning of the rotary element of the screw mechanism
associated with said one drive means.
Description
The present invention relates to surgical instruments for stitching
tissues by means of staples, and is designed for momentary suturing
of tissues and organs with lateral and longitudinal disposition of
the stitches e.g. when stitching a bronchial stump, lungs or other
organs and tissues during surgical operations.
Instruments for stitching tissues by means of staples are known in
the prior art (see, for example, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,080,564).
These instruments usually comprise a support body with a
longitudinal slot; a perforated jaw for deforming staples; the said
jaw being mounted on the said support body; a staple housing having
a head and a rod (the rod is provided with a longitudinal aperture
and mounted in the longitudinal slot of the support body); a
replaceable magazine loaded with staples and mounted in the head of
the staple housing; the said magazine being fixed against
displacement in the lateral and longitudinal directions; a pusher
with a head for forcing out the staples from the magazine and with
a rod which is placed into a longitudinal guide aperture of the
staple housing rod at the side of the staple housing head; a screw
drive of the staple housing and a lever drive of the pusher
provided with a stop spring; a fixing device preventing accidental
rejection of the staples from the magazine; and a handle for
holding the instrument.
The principle of stitching tissues by this instrument consists in
that the staples charged into the magazine are forced out by the
pusher and after piercing the tissues converted into stitches of a
surgical suture with the aid of a perforated jaw.
However, the prior art instruments are complicated in assembling
and disassembling. During the assembling, for example, the pusher
rod is to be introduced through the head of the staple housing into
the elongated longitudinal guide aperture in the staple housing rod
having a small cross section and a length which considerably
exceeds the working stroke of the pusher. Thereafter, the staple
housing is mounted in the longitudinal slot of the supporting body,
then the staple housing and pusher must be coupled with the movable
component of the pusher drive (for example, with a movable hand of
a lever drive), for which purpose the working end of the handle
must be introduced into the aperture of the pusher rod through a
small hole provided in the staple housing. Thereupon the movable
handle is fixed in the initial position by turning the stop
abutment. (Disassembling of the instruments is carried out in
reverse sequence).
The presence of deep and blind holes and slots in the components of
the known instruments, for example, in the staple housing or the
handles of the pusher lever drive is disadvantageous in that the
cleaning and sterilizating of the instruments is rendered
inconvenient and difficult. These deep and blind holes result in a
considerable complication of the process of manufacture of the
components of the instruments, thus increasing the cost of
production.
Moreover, the prior art instruments with a constant pusher need
individual adjustment of the replaceable magazines because of
considerable errors in the mutual positioning of the magazine and
the pusher head in the lateral direction due to the fact that the
magazine and pusher are mounted in the staple housing independently
of each other. Such an arrangement precludes the possibility of
using single-use plastic magazines and increases the cost of
production.
The prior art instruments are also inconvenient in handling because
they need a special fixing device to stop the pusher mechanism. For
example, if the movable handle of the pusher lever drive used for
holding the instrument is not stopped in the initial position
during the operation it may turn relative to the stationary handle
of the instrument and actuate the pusher to reject the staples into
the incision.
Furthermore, the instruments heretofore known have components
subject to failure and breakdown, for example, small members of the
fixing device and flat springs.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a
medical instrument, simple in construction and reliable in
operation, for stitching tissues by means of staples which can be
quickly assembled and disassembled through simple and convenient
manipulations. The components of the instrument do not have deep
and blind holes and slots. The fitting of the magazine in the
instrument with a constant pusher provides for the possibility of
using replaceable magazines.
According to this and other objects, the invention contemplates
application of a surgical instrument for stitching tissues by means
of staples, which instrument incorporates a support body with an
open-type longitudinal channel; a jaw secured to the support body;
a staple housing and a pusher mounted in the above-mentioned
channel for displacement; a magazine with staples secured to a head
of the staple housing; drives for actuating the staple housing and
pusher for clamping the tissues to be stitched and for forcing out
the staples from the magazine and, wherein, according to the
invention, the staple housing and the pusher are superposed, one
being mounted at the bottom of the channel, the other being placed
thereabove, the aforesaid components being adaptable for separation
in the lateral direction.
In order to provide interchangeability of the magazines, it is
advisable to mount the magazine on the pusher head to prevent
lateral displacements of the magazine and on the staple housing
head to prevent relative longitudinal displacements.
The staple housing and the pusher are preferably provided with rods
shaped as bars of a rectangular cross section, which bars are in
contact with the sidewalls of the longitudinal channel in the
support body.
The head of the staple housing is preferably provided with a slot
whose opening receives the pusher.
The support body and the upper rod mounted on the lower rod and
entering the slot of the supporting body are preferably provided
with common longitudinal guides whose length is approximately equal
to the working stroke of the upper rod.
It is expedient to use screw mechanisms with parallel axes as
drives of the staple housing and pusher, a handle of the pusher
drive being movably connected to its rotary component.
Given hereinbelow is a detailed description of an embodiment of the
present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the instrument according to
the invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the instrument according to the
invention;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the instrument according to the
invention with a stitcher unit for suturing organs with a lateral
arrangement of stitches;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the instrument according to the
invention taken on the line IV-IV, of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the staple groove and
the pusher plate, according to the invention;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the instrument according to the
invention, taken on the line VI-VI of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the instrument according to the
invention, taken on the line VII-VII of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the instrument according to the
invention, taken on the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the instrument according to the
invention, taken on the line IX-IX of FIG. 3;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the stitcher unit of the instrument
according to the invention for suturing organs in a double-row
longitudinal arrangement of the stitches;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the instrument, according to the
invention, taken on the line XI-XI of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a rear view of the magazine of the instrument, according
to the invention, with a double-row longitudinal arrangement of the
staple grooves;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the instrument, according to the
invention, taken on the line XIII- XIII of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a plan view of the pusher comb of the stitcher unit of
the instrument according to the invention, for suturing organs with
a longitudinal arrangement of the stitches;
FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the magazine and the
pusher plates of the stitcher unit for suturing organs in a
double-row longitudinal arrangement of the stitches, according to
the invention; and
FIG. 16 shows an exploded view of the instrument according to the
invention .
Due to the fact that instruments of this type are basically
employed for making sutures of two types, i.e. with a longitudinal
or lateral arrangement of stitches, two modifications of stitcher
units of the instrument have been proposed. The difference between
these modifications, however, is not significant to the principal
concept of the invention.
The surgical instrument for stitching tissues by means of staples
(FIG. 1) comprises a supporting body 1, a perforated jaw 2 secured
to the supporting body, a staple magazine 3, reciprocably movable
staple housing 4, a pusher 5, a nut 6 for a screw drive of the
staple housing, a nut 7, a handle 8 for holding the instrument and
a limiter 9 for fixing the tissues to be stapled between the jaw 2
and magazine 3 during their clamping.
The support body 1 has an open longitudinal channel 10 with a
bottom 11 and sidewalls 12. The pusher 5 is installed on the bottom
11 of the channel 10, the staple housing 4 being mounted above the
pusher 5. The bottom 11 has an opening 13 at the rear portion of
the supporting body 1 for passage of handle 8 for holding the
instrument. The sidewalls 12 of the channel 10 of the support body
have pairs of longitudinal guide grooves 14 and 15 whose length is
approximately equal to the working stroke of the staple housing 4
which, in turn, corresponds to the distance between the two
positions of the staple housing 4 within the supporting body 1. The
first, initial working position is defined by the gap between the
jaw 2 and the magazine 3 suitable for receiving the tissues or
organs to be stitched between the jaw and the magazine prior to the
clamping of these tissues or organs. The second, final working
position of the staple housing 4 in the supporting body 1 is
defined by a minimum stitching gap between the jaw 2 and the
magazine 3 corresponding to the least possible thickness of the
clamped tissues. The guide grooves 15 have lateral walls 16 (FIGS.
1, 2) for limiting the stroke of the staple housing 4 upon reaching
the minimum stitching gap.
In the rear portion, the support body 1 is limited by a lateral
wall 17 having an open slot 18 into which is inserted the nut 6 of
the drive of the staple housing 4.
The staple housing 4 includes a head 19, a rod 20 and a screw 21
rigidly connected together, the axis of the screw 21 being parallel
to that of the rod 20. The housing 4 further includes a yoke 22
with lugs 23 facing the pusher 5 and two pairs of guide projections
24 and 25.
The head 19 of the staple housing 4 has a through slot 26 open both
at the side of the magazine 3 and at the side of the pusher 5. The
pusher 5 is introduced into the lower portion 26' of slot 26 from
below. Cheeks 27 of the head 19 of the staple housing 4 are
provided with L-shaped slots 28 (FIG. 1) for holding the magazine 3
in the longitudinal direction. The cheeks 27 also have longitudinal
slots 29 (FIG. 4) for holding the limiter 9.
The rod 20 of the staple housing 4 is a solid bar with a
rectangular cross section. It has a transverse window 30 with a
wall 31 for limiting the stroke of the pusher 5 and a pin 32 with a
head. The limiter 9 is guided by engagement in the slots 29 in the
head 19 of the staple housing 4 and by engagement with the head of
pin 32.
The staple housing 4 is placed together with the pusher 5 and the
nut 6 and inserted into the supporting body 1, the guide
projections 24, 25 being opposite the slots 14 and 15 of the
supporting body 1 in this position. The connection of the
supporting body 1 and the staple housing 4 and pusher 5 is made
nondetachable in the direction of the longitudinal channel 10 of
the supporting body 1, by displacing the staple housing 4 a small
distance from the initial position to advance the projections 24,
25 into the grooves 14, 15 of the supporting body 1. In this case,
the projections 24, 25 of the staple housing 4 enter the guide
grooves 14, 15 of the supporting body 1 and secure the staple
housing 4 and pusher 5 between the upper surfaces 33, 34 of the
grooves 14, 15 and the bottom 11 of the longitudinal channel
10.
The guide projections 25 of the staple housing 4 limit the stroke
of the staple housing 4 by bearing against the lateral walls 16 of
the guide grooves 15 in the supporting body 1.
The pusher 5 comprises a head 35 and a rod 36 rigidly connected
together. The rod 36 is rigidly connected to the handle 8 which
carries a screw 37 having an axis parallel to that of the screw 21
of the staple housing 4. An abutment 38 is secured to rod 36 and is
engaged in window 30 of housing 4 to limit the extreme working
position of the pusher 5 by engagement with the wall 31 of the
window 30.
The head 35 is made in the form of a monolithic plate with a solid
working face 39 for the simultaneous expulsion of all the staples
from the magazine when the instrument if to be used for stitching
tissues with a lateral arrangement of the stitches.
The rod 36 of the pusher has a square cross section and its width
is equal to the width of the rod 20 of the staple housing 4, said
width being equal to the width of the channel 10 in the supporting
body 1 so that the rod 36 and the rod 20 contact the walls 12 of
the channel 10 and are guided by these walls in a horizontal plane.
The bottom 11 of the channel 10 and the lower surface of the rod 20
guide the pusher 5 in a vertical plane when the pusher moves along
the channel 10 to force the staples out of the magazine 3.
The nut 6 of the drive of the staple housing 4 is screwed on the
screw 21 and an annular groove 40 in nut 6 is engaged in slot 18 in
lateral wall 17 of the supporting body 1. Such a position of the
nut 6 ensures the provision of a gap 41 in the longitudinal
direction between the cheeks 27 of the head 19 of the staple
housing 4 and the supporting body 1. This gap compensates for
possible manufacturing errors of the nut 6, support body 1 and
staple housing 4.
The nut 7 of the pusher drive is screwed on the screw 37, the lugs
23 of the yoke 22 of the staple housing entering the annular groove
of the nut 7 from above.
The nut 7 of the drive of the pusher 5 is pivotally connected by an
axle 43 to the handle 44 of the drive of the pusher 5. In the
nonoperating position, the handle 44 is positioned as shown in
solid lines in FIG. 3 and this allows for compact arrangement of
the drives of the staple housing 4 and pusher 5 and convenient
control of these drives in parallel disposition of the screw
mechanisms of the instrument.
In order to prevent an accidental ejection of the staples from the
magazine 3, the nut 7 of the pusher drive is locked so as to
prevent turning. The movable handle 44 of the nut 7 of the drive of
the pusher 5 is used for this purpose. When depressed, the handle
44 enters a recess 45 in the handle 8 and the walls of the recess
prevent the handle 44 from turning about the axis of the screw
mechanism of the pusher 5. The use of the handle 44 and nut 7 for
fixing the pusher 5 against accidental displacements precludes the
need of a special locking device as used in the known
instruments.
In the fixed position of the handle 44, a space 46 is formed
between the face of the nut 7 and the flange of the screw 37, and a
space 47 is formed between the head 35 of the pusher 5 and the head
19 of the staple housing 4. These spaces are provided to compensate
for possible error that may occur in manufacturing the staple
housing 4, the pusher 5, and the nut 7 of the pusher 5 in the
longitudinal direction. This makes it possible to manufacture the
nut 7 as an interchangeable component and to lower the requirements
of the accuracy of manufacture of the staple housing 4 and the
pusher 5.
The operating position of the handle 44 is shown in FIG. 3 in
dotted lines. The handle is fixed in this position by the wall 48
of the slot 49 of the nut 7, whereas in the initial position it is
fixed by the inclined walls 50 of the slot 49.
The magazine 3 for suturing tissues with a lateral arrangement of
stitches is designed in the form of a frame with apertures 51
(FIGS. 3, 4) and the magazine is fitted to the head 35 of the
pusher 5, for which purpose the depth of the magazine 3 exceeds the
depth of the staples charged into the magazine. Therefore, a
projecting portion of the magazine 3 at the rearward end serves for
fitting the magazine 3 on head 35 to fix the magazine 3 in the
lateral direction. In order to provide quick and convenient removal
of the magazine 3 from the head 35, the magazine 3 has a bevel 52
and a projection 53 on the upper lateral wall of the aperture
51.
For fixing the magazine 3 in the longitudinal direction, lugs 54
are provided on the magazine for entering the L-shaped slots 28 in
the cheeks 27 of the head 19 of the staple housing 4. Constructive
gaps are provided between the lugs 54 of the magazine 3 and the
slots 28, while between the lateral walls of the magazine 3 and the
cheeks 27 of the head of the staple housing there are provided gaps
56 compensating for the errors of the mutual disposition of the
pusher head and the head of the staple housing in the transverse
direction.
The legs of the staples (not shown on the drawings) are inserted
into the paired grooves 57 (FIG. 5) of the open staple slots in the
opposite longitudinal walls of the magazine 3, the backs of the
staples being in the plane of the apertures 51 in the magazine
3.
In order to ensure the reliable fixing of the magazine 3 relative
to the jaw 2, the magazine 3 is provided in the lateral direction
with open-type staple slots whose longitudinal walls 58 are not
solid but provided with additional windows 59, whereas the pusher
head is equipped with plates 60 whose thickness exceeds the width
of the staple slots. The plates 60 enter the windows 59.
In the case of a lateral arrangement of the staple slots in the
magazine, the additional windows 59 are combined into a single
through port 51 common for all the slots of the magazine (FIG. 4),
whereas the separate plates 60 (FIG. 5) of the pusher are combined
into the single monolithic head 35 of the pusher 5 (FIG. 3) with
the solid flat working face 39. Such a construction of the magazine
3 and head 35 as well as the reliability of fixing the magazine 3
relative to the jaw 2 and of forcing out the staples from the
magazine make it possible to eliminate any unfavorable effect of
errors due to the incorrect mutual disposition of the slots and
plates in the case of separate plates, corresponding to each staple
slot, upon the interchangeability of the magazines.
The stitcher unit of an instrument for suturing tissues with a
double-row longitudinal arrangement of stitches with the rows
displaced, comprises a jaw 61 (FIG. 10, 11), a magazine 62 and a
pusher head 63 which are somewhat modified as compared with the
above-described construction due to the specific features of the
double-row arrangement of the staple slots. However, the
construction of the magazine installed on the pusher head as well
as that of the whole instrument is substantially the same.
Staple slots 64 in the magazine 62 are of open type similar to
those in the magazine 3 (FIG. 3) in their lateral arrangement. The
rear part of the magazine 62 is provided with a special aperture 65
for fitting the magazine on the pusher head 63 (FIG. 10). The walls
66, 67 (FIGS. 12, 13) of the magazine aperture are in the same
plane as the external walls of the auxiliary windows of the extreme
staple slots 64 and serve as guides when mounting the magazine on
the plates 68 of combs 69 of the pusher head 63.
The pusher head 63 is rigidly connected to the pusher rod 36 and
consists of a holder 70 which is rigidly secured to two combs 69
having an identical construction but reversed relative to each
other in accordance with the disposition of the staple slots 64 in
the magazine. The plates 68 of the combs 69 have a rectangular
cross section and correspond to the auxiliary windows of the staple
slots overlapping the latter by the thickness. In order to
eliminate the effect of the errors, caused by incorrect mutual
disposition of the magazine slots and the plates of the pusher
head, upon the interchangeability of the magazines it is advisable
to provide constructive gaps 72 between the walls of the auxiliary
windows 71 of the magazine slots and the plates 68 which do not lay
in a common plane with the basic matched walls 66 and 67 of the
magazine aperture. To provide convenient removal of the magazine 62
from the pusher head, the magazine 62 is equipped with a bevel 73
and a projection 74 on the upper lateral wall of the aperture 65
(FIG. 10).
The limiter 9 is made in the form of a bent strip with a through
slot 75 and a hole 76 corresponding to the size of the head of the
guide pin 32 of the staple housing 4. It is slidably mounted on the
staple housing 4 and its front end 77 is fixed in the lateral
directions by the slots 29 of the staple housing head and by the
slot 75 is fixed by the head of guide pin 32 (FIG. 3). The front
end 77 of the limiter 9 is provided with a recess 78, while the
other end 79 of the limiter 9 is upwardly bent for providing
convenient movement of the limiter 9 along the staple housing 4. In
the initial position, the limiter 9 occupies the extreme right-hand
position in FIGS. 1 and 2 while in the working position, it
occupies the extreme left-hand position as shown in FIG. 3.
The operation of the instrument, its assembly and disassembly are
described below in conformity with the stitcher unit for suturing
tissues with the lateral arrangement of the stitches. All these
operations may also be related to the instruments with a stitcher
unit for suturing tissues with longitudinal arrangement of the
stitches.
The instrument operates as follows:
The tissues to be stitched are placed between the jaw 2 and the
magazine 3 and are clamped in this space by moving the limiter 9
with the aid of the bent end 79 in the direction of the jaw 2. On
turning the nut 6, the staple housing 4 with the magazine 3 and the
pusher 5 is moved towards the jaw 2 and a stitching gap
corresponding to the thickness of the tissues to be stitched is
formed between the jaw 2 and the magazine 3.
Thereafter, the handle 44 of the drive of the pusher 5 is moved to
the working position by turning it about the axle 43 until it bears
against the wall 48 of the slot 49 of the nut 7. The pusher 5 is
moved towards the jaw 2 upon turning of the handle 44 about the
axis of the nut 7 up to the rest. The head 35 of the pusher 5
forces the staples out from the magazine 3 (the staples are not
shown in the drawings). The staples pierce the tissues and with the
help of the perforations of the jaw 2 are crimped into stitches of
a surgical suture.
After the stitching operation, the limiter 9 is moved rearwardly to
its initial position and the movable handle 44 is depressed. To
remove the instrument from the stitched tissues, the magazine 3 is
withdrawn from the jaw, for which purpose the nut 6 is rotated in
the direction opposite to the working direction.
DISASSEMBLY OF THE INSTRUMENTS
During disassembly, the nuts 6, 7 are set to their initial
positions by rotating them up to the rest in the direction opposite
to the working stroke, the handle 44 of the pusher drive being
introduced into the slot 45 of the handle 8 for holding the
instrument, and the limiter 9 being displaced to its initial
position. Then, the head 19 of the staple housing is engaged by two
fingers of one hand and the projection 53 of the magazine 3 is
forced downwardly and forward with the forefinger of the other
hand, the lugs 54 of the magazine 3 being withdrawn from the
L-shaped slots 28 of the head 19 of the staple housing 4, and the
magazine 3 is removed from the instrument. Thereafter, the staple
housing 4 and the pusher 5 are removed from the open channel 10 of
the supporting body 1 and the nuts 6 and 7 are unscrewed, the
handle 44 being first disengaged from the handle 8.
By displacing the limiter 9 forwards, the opening 76 is coincided
with the head of the guide pin 32 of the staple housing and, by
lifting the bent end 79, the limiter 9 is disconnected from the
guide pin 32, whereas displacement of the limiter in the rearward
direction removes it from the grooves 29 of the head of the staple
housing.
ASSEMBLY OF THE INSTRUMENT
The assembly of the staple housing 4 with the nut 6 and limiter 9
as well as of the pusher 5 with the nut 7 is effected in the
reverse sequence of disassembly. The pusher 5 is then applied
against the staple housing 4 and positioned between the cheeks of
the head 19 of the staple housing 4, whereas the annular groove 42
of the nut 7 of the pusher drive enters the yoke 22 of the staple
housing 4, and the housing 4 and pusher 5 are together inserted
into the open channel 10 of the supporting body 1, the annular
groove 40 of the nut 6 being engaged in slot 18 in the wall of the
support body 1. Thereafter, the magazine 3, by its fitting aperture
51, is installed on the head 35 of the pusher 5. In this case, the
head 19 of the staple housing 4 is somewhat removed from the head
35 of the pusher 5 in the direction towards the channel 10 and is
closed by the L-shaped slots 28 of the head 19 of the staple
housing 4, which operation is effected automatically during the
lowering of the head 19 of the staple housing 4. By rotating the
nut 6 one turn, the lugs 24, 25 are engaged in the guide grooves
14, 15 of the support body 1. Now the instrument is ready for
operation.
The advantages of the present invention consist in simple
construction of the instrument and reliability in operation. The
instrument is very simple to control as well as in assembly and
disassembly which operations are carried out through simple
manipulations. Therefore, it can easily be serviced by medical
personnel having no special technical training. The instrument
ensures interchangeability of the magazines and this makes it
possible to use both the permanent metal magazines and plastic
magazines suitable only for single use. The components of the
instrument have no blind, nor inaccessible slots and apertures.
This provides for convenience and simplicity in cleaning and
sterilizing the instrument, improved technology of its manufacture,
and reduce the cost of production. The instrument has no tiny (easy
to lose) and breakable members so that it provides for a long
service life.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes
and modifications may be made in the invention without departing
from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore the invention is
not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in
the specification.
These changes and modifications are considered to fall within the
scope of the present invention as defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *