Claims
- 1. A surgical fastening apparatus comprising:
- first and second handles;
- an anvil jaw pivotally connected to at least one of said handles and movable in response to a first movement of at least one of said handles between an open position and a closed position;
- fastener pushing means for advancing an individual fastener into contact with said anvil jaw in response to a subsequent movement of at least one of said handles;
- means for tactilely indicating to a user the termination of said first movement, said indicating means including means for providing a dwell period comprising a time during which said handles move between a position in which said anvil jaw is in said closed position and a position in which said fastener pusher means is actuated; and
- means for preventing incomplete actuation of said fastener pushing means during said subsequent movement.
- 2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising cam means for closing said anvil jaw and for actuating said fastener pushing means.
- 3. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said cam means comprises a first link member connecting said second handle to said anvil jaw, wherein said first link member includes a first camming slot cooperating with a first pin connected to said second handle and further includes a second camming slot cooperating with a second pin connected to said anvil jaw.
- 4. An apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein said second camming slot has a driving portion and a guiding portion, wherein upon partial approximation of said handles said second pin first travels in said driving portion to pivot said anvil jaw to a closed position.
- 5. An apparatus as recited in claim 4, further comprising a second link member connecting said first link member to said fastener pushing means, said second link member including a camming slot having guiding and driving portions cooperating with a linking pin connected to said first link member wherein when said linking pin first travels in said guiding portion, said fastener pushing means is not actuated and when said linking pin subsequently travels in said driving portion, said second link member actuates said fastener pushing means.
- 6. An apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein during a first movement of the apparatus wherein said handles are approximated, the linking pin connecting the first link member to the second link member begins travel in the guiding portion of the camming slot of the second link member as, simultaneously, the second pin connecting the first link member to the anvil jaw travels in the driving portion of the second camming slot of the first link member, whereby the anvil jaw pivots to a closed position.
- 7. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the dwell period is defined by the time of said range of movement between closure and actuation and corresponds to the travel of the second pin connecting the anvil jaw to the first link member and the travel of the linking pin connecting the first link member to the second link member in the guiding portions of their respective camming slots.
- 8. An apparatus as recited in claim 3, further comprising means for biasing said first link member to a distal position wherein the apparatus is biased to an open position.
- 9. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for preventing incomplete actuation of the fastener pusher means comprises a ratchet portion of the second handle having a plurality of recesses for receiving a pawl mounted on the first handle wherein the ratchet engages the pawl during the subsequent movement of the apparatus.
- 10. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said anvil jaw includes a distal end and wherein said first handle includes a distal end, said apparatus further comprising tissue gripping means located on at least one of the distal end of said first handle and the distal end of said anvil jaw.
- 11. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, additionally comprising fastener cartridge mounted on said first handle for storing a plurality of fasteners.
- 12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said fastener cartridge is removably mounted on the distal end of said first handle.
- 13. A surgical fastening apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said handles are movable in at least 3 distinct ranges of progressive approximation stages, wherein said anvil jaw is moved to said closed position during said first range of approximation, said dwell period tactilely recognizable by a user being defined by said second range of approximation wherein said handles are movable into approximation while said anvil jaw remains approximated but said fastener pusher means remains unactuated, and a third range wherein said fastener pusher means is actuated to fire said fastener.
- 14. A surgical fastening apparatus comprising first and second handles;
- an anvil jaw pivotally connected to at least one of said handles for movement between an open position and a closed position;
- fastener pusher means for advancing an individual fastener into contact with said anvil jaw;
- means for closing the anvil jaw and for actuating said fastener pusher means in a three phase movement wherein in a first relative movement of said handles said anvil jaw pivots to a closed position, in a second subsequent movement of said handles said anvil jaw remains stationary and said fastener pusher means is not yet actuated, and in a third movement of said handles said fastener pusher means is actuated; and
- means operatively associated with said handles for preventing actuation of said fastener pusher means during said third movement of said handles.
- 15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising cam means for closing said anvil jaw and for actuating said fastener pushing means.
- 16. An apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the cam means comprises a first link member connecting said second handle to said anvil jaw, wherein said first link member includes a first camming slot cooperating with a first pin connected to said second handle and further includes a second camming slot cooperating with a second pin connected to said anvil jaw.
- 17. An apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein said second camming slot has a driving portion and a guiding portion, wherein said second pin first travels in said driving portion to pivot said anvil jaw to a closed position.
- 18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising a second link member connecting said first link member to said fastener pushing means, said second link member including a camming slot having guiding and driving portions cooperating with a linking pin connected to said first link member wherein when said linking pin first travels in said guiding portion, said fastener pushing means is not actuated and when said linking pin subsequently travels in said driving portion, said second link member actuates said fastener pushing means.
- 19. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein during the first movement of the apparatus, the linking pin connecting the first link member to the second link member begins travel in the guiding portions of the respective camming slot of the second link member as, simultaneously, the second pin connecting the first link member to the anvil jaw travels in the driving portion of the second camming slot of the first link member, whereby the anvil jaw pivots to a closed position.
- 20. An apparatus as recited in claim 14 wherein said anvil jaw includes a distal end and wherein said first handle includes a distal end, said apparatus further comprising tissue gripping means located on at least one of the distal end of said first handle and the distal end of said anvil jaw.
- 21. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising a fastener cartridge for storing a plurality of fasteners.
- 22. An apparatus as recited in claim 14 wherein said first handle includes a distal end, and wherein said fastener cartridge is removably mounted on the distal end of said first handle.
- 23. A surgical fastening apparatus comprising:
- a first handle;
- a second handle pivotally mounted to said first handle;
- an anvil jaw linked to said second handle for moving said anvil jaw in response to a three phase movement of said second handle wherein in a first relative movement of said second handle said anvil jaw pivots to a closed position in which said anvil jaw contacts the distal end of said first handle causing tissue to be gripped therebetween:
- a fastener cartridge communicating with said first handle, said fastener cartridge containing at least one fastener;
- fastener pusher means linked to said first and second handles comprising a fastener pusher wherein in a second relative movement of said second handle said fastener pusher remains stationary and wherein in a third relative movement of said second handle said fastener pusher moves and contacts said fastener to thereby advance said fastener against said anvil jaw;
- camming means operatively associated with said first and second handles and with said fastener pusher means, said camming means comprising a first camming member wherein during said first relative movement of said second handle said camming means contacts said anvil jaw, during said second relative movement of said second handle said camming means does not contact said fastener pusher means, and wherein during said third relative movement of said second handle said camming means contacts said fastener pusher means: and
- means operatively associated with said handles for preventing incomplete actuation of the fastener pusher means during the third relative movement of said second handle.
- 24. An apparatus as recited in claim 23, in which said fastener is a staple.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/781,696 filed Oct. 18, 1991 and U.S. Ser. No. 07/778,785 filed Oct. 18, 1991, both abandoned, which are incorporated by reference herein.
US Referenced Citations (32)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0537757 |
Apr 1993 |
EPX |
8302247 |
Jul 1983 |
WOX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
781696 |
Oct 1991 |
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