Flexible Staple Driver Band for Articulating Surgical Stapler
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Solution Overview
Problem
Articulating surgical staplers often experience bowing or buckling of the driving member at the articulation point, reducing the effectiveness or incapacitating the stapler during staple ejection.
Innovation Solution
A staple driving assembly featuring a flexible elongated band with varying heights and a compound roller mechanism that maintains constant tension, preventing the band from bowing or flexing as it passes through the articulation section, ensuring consistent staple ejection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a driving member is used to eject staples in an articulating surgical stapler, then staple ejection function is achieved, but the driving member tends to bow or buckle at the articulation point, reducing effectiveness or incapacitating the stapler
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional rigid driving member with a flexible driving band that can navigate articulation points without bowing or buckling. The flexible band maintains constant tension through its elastic properties, preventing the instability that occurs with rigid members at articulation points while still effectively ejecting staples.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the driving member from rigid to flexible, and maintains it under constant tension throughout the articulation range. This parameter change allows the driving member to adapt to the articulation geometry without experiencing the bowing or buckling that plagues rigid members, thereby maintaining staple ejection effectiveness.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the surgical stapler articulates at greater than 90 degrees, then access to difficult surgical sites is improved, but the driving member experiences increased bowing or buckling at the articulation point
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible driving band is specifically designed to maintain constant tension even when the stapler articulates at angles greater than 90 degrees. This flexibility allows the system to access difficult surgical sites while preventing the driving member from bowing or buckling, thereby maintaining reliable staple ejection across the full range of motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic system where the flexible driving band continuously adapts its configuration as the stapler articulates. The band's ability to dynamically adjust while maintaining tension allows the stapler to achieve high articulation angles without compromising driving member stability or staple ejection effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
An articulating surgical instrument is provided including a handle, an articulating portion extending distally of the handle and an end effector positioned on a distal end of the articulating portion. A flexible drive band is provided for movement through the articulating portion and end effector. The flexible drive band includes a first portion having a first height and the second portion having a second height greater than the first height. The difference in heights being sufficient to eject staples from a body portion of the end effector into an anvil member of the end effector. An actuation mechanism is provided for drawing the flexible drive band through the articulating surgical instrument.