Surgical Stapling Apparatus with Detachable Buttress Anchors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical stapling apparatuses lack a mechanism for selectively connecting and easily removing a surgical buttress from the tissue-contacting surfaces during the stapling process, particularly in endoscopic procedures where access is limited.
Innovation Solution
A surgical stapling apparatus with a cartridge and anvil assembly that includes a surgical buttress secured by anchors, where a central knife blade actuates distal knife blades to sever the anchors, allowing the buttress to be released during firing, enabling the buttress to be pre-loaded and easily detached for replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a surgical buttress is permanently attached to the cartridge and anvil assemblies, then the buttress provides continuous protection during stapling, but the apparatus cannot be easily adapted for different procedures or replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical buttress is divided into detachable segments that can be selectively attached to and removed from the cartridge and anvil assemblies. The buttress includes a first portion attachable to the cartridge assembly and a second portion attachable to the anvil assembly, allowing independent attachment and removal of each segment based on surgical needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The buttress portions are pre-formed with anchor structures that engage with corresponding features on the cartridge and anvil assemblies before the stapling procedure. This preliminary attachment ensures reliable connection while allowing controlled detachment when needed.
2Ease of operation
If the surgical buttress is securely attached during stapling, then protection is maintained, but removal of the buttress cannot be performed during the firing process
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism transitions from a static secure connection during stapling to a dynamic removable connection during firing. The knife blade is positioned to sever the anchor structures that attach the buttress portions to the cartridge and anvil assemblies, enabling controlled detachment during the firing process without compromising stapling reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a detachable buttress mechanism is added to the apparatus, then versatility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detachable buttress mechanism is merged with the existing cartridge and anvil assembly structures. The anchor structures are integrated into the buttress portions that interface with standard features on the cartridge and anvil, combining the detachment function with existing components rather than adding entirely separate mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The detachment function is extracted as a separate knife blade mechanism that can sever the anchor structures. This extracted function allows the buttress to be removed without affecting the core stapling mechanism, isolating the complexity of detachment from the primary stapling operation.
4Ease of operation
If the knife blade is positioned to sever anchors during firing, then buttress removal is enabled, but the knife blade must be precisely positioned and controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The knife blade is pre-positioned within the cartridge or anvil assembly at a location that will sever the anchor structures during the firing process. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the firing sequence occurs, the knife blade automatically engages the anchors at the correct location and orientation, reducing the need for complex real-time positioning controls.
Data Source
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AI summary
A surgical stapling apparatus, comprising: a cartridge assembly defining a tissue contacting surface and a longitudinally extending elongate slot; an anvil assembly defining a tissue contacting surface and a longitudinally extending elongate slot; a surgical buttress releasably secured to at least one of the tissue contacting surface of the cartridge assembly and the tissue contacting surface of the anvil assembly by at least one anchor; a central knife blade slidably disposable in the longitudinal extending elongate slot of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly; and a knife blade supported in a distal end portion of at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly, wherein the distal knife blade is actuatable by the central knife blade upon an actuation of the central knife blade.