Variable Geometry Anvil Slot for Surgical Stapler Jaw Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical stapling instruments face challenges in effectively stapling and cutting tissue with varying thicknesses, as existing anvil jaw designs do not adequately control the tissue gap and staple formation height, leading to inconsistent staple formation and potential malformation due to lateral misalignment of jaws.
Innovation Solution
The design introduces a two-piece anvil jaw construction with a variable geometry anvil slot, featuring elongate flanges with varying thickness and width along the slot's length, which guides the firing member to control the tissue gap and promote proper lateral alignment between the anvil and cartridge jaws, ensuring consistent staple formation across varying tissue thicknesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a traditional single-piece anvil jaw design is used, then the device complexity is low, but the manufacturing precision of staple formation is insufficient due to inadequate control of tissue gap and lateral alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The anvil jaw is divided into multiple segments including a first anvil jaw portion, a second anvil jaw portion, and a firing member slot assembly. This segmentation allows each portion to be independently configured with specific geometries (e.g., varying thicknesses, widths, and contours) to control tissue gap and lateral alignment, thereby improving staple formation consistency without requiring complete redesign of the entire anvil jaw as a single complex piece.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the anvil jaw are given different local geometries and properties. The first anvil jaw portion has a first thickness and contour, while the second anvil jaw portion has a second thickness and contour. The firing member slot assembly includes flanges with varying thicknesses and widths at different locations. These local variations enable precise control of tissue gap and lateral alignment at specific regions, improving overall manufacturing precision of staple formation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the anvil jaw is designed to accommodate varying tissue thicknesses, then the adaptability increases, but the lateral alignment between jaws becomes inconsistent leading to staple malformation
Solution Approach 1:
The firing member slot assembly includes flanges with varying thicknesses and widths along the longitudinal axis. These dimensional parameters are specifically configured to maintain consistent lateral alignment between the anvil jaw and cartridge jaw regardless of tissue thickness variations. The contoured surfaces and varying geometries of the flanges compensate for tissue thickness changes, ensuring that the jaws remain properly aligned during stapling of tissues with alternating thicknesses.
3Manufacturing precision
If a simple firing member slot is used, then the ease of manufacture is high, but the control over tissue gap and staple formation height is inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The firing member slot assembly is configured with flanges that have varying local properties including different thicknesses, widths, and contours at different positions along the slot. These localized geometric variations provide precise control over tissue gap and staple formation height while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be manufactured using conventional techniques. The contoured surfaces of the flanges guide the firing member to achieve consistent tissue compression and staple formation.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a jaw body configured to couple with an end effector portion of a surgical stapler and cooperate with an opposing jaw to compress, staple, and cut tissue. An anvil surface of the jaw body has a plurality of staple forming pockets configured to form a plurality of staples. An elongate slot extends through the anvil surface from a proximal slot end at a proximal end of the staple forming pockets to a distal slot end at a distal end of the staple forming pockets. A first slot portion is configured to slidably receive a first portion of a firing member, and a second slot portion opens to the anvil surface and is configured to slidably receive a second portion of the firing member. A dimension of the second slot portion varies along the longitudinal axis between the proximal slot end and the distal slot end.