Surgical instrument with adjustable jaws

Abstract

A surgical instrument, such as a tissue sealing instrument, is provided with an end effector having first and second movable jaws that define a gap therebetween in a closed position for gripping, sealing and / or stapling tissue. The jaws are movable relative to each other in the closed position to reduce a thickness of at least a portion of the gap. The configuration allows the jaws to move closer together to reduce the overall size of the instrument, for example, when the instrument is introduced and retracted through an opening in a patient, or manipulated within a body cavity. The surgical instrument may also have a variety of settings for different staple cartridges while still maintaining a fixed size between the two jaws for gripping, suturing and / or sealing tissue, thereby providing a more adaptable surgical instrument that allows a surgeon to use different staple cartridges without replacement of the surgical instrument.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62 / 916,860, filed October 18, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62 / 916,864, filed October 18, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference for all purposes Incorporated into this article as a whole. Background technique [0003] The field of the disclosure relates to medical devices, and more particularly, to tissue sealing devices used in surgery. Even more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a surgical stapling instrument having adjustable jaws capable of various settings between the jaws to reduce the cross-sectional size of the surgical instrument and / or to allow the surgeon Use different staple cartridges without having to change surgical instruments. [0004] Minimally invasive medical techniques aim to reduce the amount of foreign tissue that is damaged during diagnostic or surgical pro...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, a surgical instrument with a fixed jaw distance designed for, for example, a cartridge with relatively short staples cannot be used with a cartridge with taller staples without reducing the tissue gap between the jaws (or removing the gap entirely. , making the gap between the jaws zero or negative), thus affecting the surgical procedure

[0018] Therefore, while new telesurgery systems and devices have proven to be highly effective and beneficial, further improvements are still needed

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