Linear Staple Cartridge Structure for Low-Force Tissue Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing linear surgical staplers face challenges in effectively clamping, cutting, and stapling tissue layers during gastrointestinal anastomosis procedures, particularly in ensuring proper staple formation and reducing user input force during firing.
Innovation Solution
The linear surgical stapler features a cartridge half and an anvil half that clamp together to secure tissue, with a firing assembly that simultaneously cuts and drives staples, and a staple cartridge with 3D staple formation and tissue gripping features to enhance hemostasis and reduce user input force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the stapler uses conventional clamping and firing mechanisms, then the basic cutting and stapling function is achieved, but proper staple formation and reduced user input force are not ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The anvil surface is designed with localized staple forming features at specific positions to ensure proper staple formation. The tissue gripping features are strategically placed to provide enhanced hemostasis at critical locations, thereby improving staple formation quality without requiring excessive user input force throughout the entire stapling area.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp lever is configured to preliminarily clamp and position the tissue layers before the firing assembly acts. This preliminary clamping ensures proper tissue alignment and compression, which facilitates subsequent staple formation and reduces the force required during the firing stroke.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the stapler halves are clamped together to secure tissue, then tissue stabilization is achieved, but the complexity of the clamping mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp lever integrates multiple functions into a single component: it provides clamping force to stabilize tissue, guides the firing assembly during the firing stroke, and maintains alignment between the stapler halves. This merging of functions achieves effective tissue stabilization without proportionally increasing mechanism complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp lever serves as a multi-functional element that performs clamping, guiding, and alignment tasks throughout the surgical stapling process. This universal design allows the same component to address multiple requirements, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining tissue stabilization.
3Productivity
If the firing assembly simultaneously cuts and drives staples, then surgical efficiency is improved, but the precision of staple formation may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp lever performs preliminary clamping and positioning of the tissue layers before the firing assembly simultaneously executes cutting and stapling. This preliminary action ensures that the tissue is properly aligned and compressed, which enables the firing assembly to form staples with high precision while maintaining surgical efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The anvil surface incorporates localized staple forming features at specific positions to ensure precise staple formation during the simultaneous firing process. These localized features guide the staple drivers and ensure proper staple geometry even when cutting and stapling occur simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A staple cartridge configured for use with a surgical stapler includes a cartridge body, a deck defined configured to compress tissue against an anvil of the surgical stapler, and a plurality of staple openings formed in the deck. A plurality of staples is disposed within the staple openings, with each staple having a pair of legs. A plurality of staple drivers is also disposed within the staple openings, with the staple drivers being actuatable to drive the staples through tissue and against the anvil to form the legs. Each of the staple drivers includes a driver body, a first pocket disposed on a first lateral side of the driver body, and a second pocket disposed on a second lateral side of the driver body. The first and second pockets are configured to receive the legs of the respective staple when the legs are formed against the anvil.