Surgical Stapler Jaw Clamping for Cannula Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopic surgical stapling devices often fail to move to a fully clamped position during insertion through a cannula, preventing their entry, which is necessary for effective use.
Innovation Solution
A surgical stapling device with a drive assembly featuring a clamp member that includes vertically aligned first and second beams, with an extension on the second beam, which engages the cartridge assembly to pivot it into a clamped position, minimizing the device's diameter for insertion and maintaining a predetermined tissue gap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the tool assembly is designed to maintain a tissue gap between anvil and cartridge assemblies, then stapling function is improved, but the device diameter increases preventing insertion through small cannulas
Solution Approach 1:
The tool assembly is designed to dynamically change its configuration between open and clamped positions. The pivot member enables the anvil and cartridge assemblies to move relative to each other, allowing the device to transition from a state with a tissue gap (for stapling) to a fully clamped state (for insertion through small cannulas).
2Ease of operation
If the clamp member is designed to pivot the cartridge assembly to minimize device diameter, then insertion through cannula is facilitated, but the tissue gap may become inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The extension on the clamp member is designed to preliminarily position the cartridge assembly in the correct orientation before the actual stapling operation. By engaging the cartridge assembly and pivoting it to a predetermined position, the extension ensures that the tissue gap is consistently maintained without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms during insertion.
3Device complexity
If the anvil and cartridge assemblies are kept in fixed positions, then structural simplicity is maintained, but the device cannot achieve fully clamped position for cannula insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The tool assembly is segmented into movable components (anvil assembly, cartridge assembly) connected by a pivot member. This segmentation allows each component to move independently to achieve the fully clamped position for cannula insertion, while maintaining relative simplicity through the use of a single pivot mechanism rather than complex multi-component systems.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~2A
Figure 3
AI summary
A surgical stapling device (10) includes a drive assembly (70) and a tool assembly (16). The tool assembly (16) has a pair of jaws (29,31) supporting a cartridge assembly (32) and an anvil (30). The drive assembly (70) has a clamping member (74) that is movable through the tool assembly (16) to eject staples from the cartridge assembly (32) into the anvil (30) and to dissect tissue. The clamp member (74) includes an extension (84) that engages one of the jaws (29,31) to urge the distal end of the engaged jaw (29) in relation to the other jaw (31) to urge the tool assembly (16) towards an insertion position to minimize the diameter of the tool assembly (16) at a distal end of the tool assembly (16).