Reloadable Surgical Stapler Cartridge Assembly

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Solution Overview

Problem

Surgical staplers often require removal and reloading during procedures, disrupting the surgical flow and increasing operation time as the loading unit is typically designed for single use and must be replaced.

Innovation Solution

A surgical stapling apparatus with a reloadable end effector that allows continuous use without removal from the surgical site, featuring a housing with passageways and a lumen, a cartridge with retention slots, and a drive member that translates through the cartridge to engage pushers and guide fasteners for stapling, enabling multiple firing cycles without disassembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the loading unit is designed for single use, then the device is simpler to manufacture and dispose, but the surgical procedure is interrupted when reloading is needed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous stapling operationVSAvoidreloadable loading unit

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The loading unit is divided into separable components: a reusable handle assembly and replaceable cartridge assemblies. Each cartridge contains multiple rows of staples and can be independently replaced when depleted, allowing continuous operation without removing the entire stapler from the surgical site

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cartridge assembly is designed to be discarded after single-use depletion of staples, while the handle assembly is recovered and reused. This allows the expensive handle to be reused multiple times while only the consumable cartridge is replaced, enabling continuous surgical procedures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

2Loss of time

If the surgeon must remove and reload the stapler, then the loading unit can be replaced, but the surgical time increases and attention is diverted from the procedure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurgical operation timeVSAvoidreloading operation

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple cartridge assemblies are prepared in advance with staples pre-loaded in multiple rows. When one cartridge is depleted, a pre-prepared cartridge is immediately swapped in, eliminating the need to stop the surgical procedure for reloading operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The handle assembly serves as an intermediary that can accept different cartridge assemblies. This mediator allows the surgical procedure to continue uninterrupted by facilitating quick exchange of depleted cartridges with fresh ones while keeping the handle and firing mechanism in place

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11504120B2Staple feeding and forming apparatus

Publication Date: 2022.11.22 COVIDIEN LP

AI summary

Disclosed is a surgical stapling apparatus and method of use that includes a cartridge assembly which is capable of being reloaded during a surgical procedure without being removed from the surgical site. This allows a surgeon to continue a surgical operation without withdrawing or removing the surgical stapler for reloading and thus reduces the length of the surgery while allowing the physician to concentrate solely on the surgical procedure rather than dividing attention between the surgical procedure and reloading of the surgical stapler. The surgical stapling apparatus includes an elongate member having a plurality of fasteners arranged in a plurality of longitudinally extending rows which is longitudinally translatable through the cartridge to position the plurality of fasteners relative to a plurality of retention slots extending through an upper surface of the cartridge.