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EP-4338687-B1 - SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH LOCKOUT MECHANISM

EP4338687B1EP 4338687 B1EP4338687 B1EP 4338687B1EP-4338687-B1

Inventors

  • PATEL, ATAL C.
  • WIXEY, Matthew Aaron

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20190226

Claims (6)

  1. A surgical stapling instrument (10) comprising: an anvil jaw assembly (102); a staple jaw assembly (104) including a channel (134) configured to receive a staple cartridge (122) including a shuttle (130) , the channel (134) including two sidewalls (134a, 134b) and a bottom wall (134c), the bottom wall (134c) including a pair of openings (139); a drive member (110) configured to releasably engage and translate the shuttle in a distal direction through a staple firing stroke; and a locking member (116) pivotable between a first position permitting distal translation of the drive member (110), and a second position preventing distal translation of the drive member (110), the locking member (116) including a pair of feet (121) configured to pass through respective openings (139) in the bottom wall (134c) of the channel (134), characterised in that the feet (121) are movable from a first position preventing removal of the feet (121) from the openings (139), to a second position allowing removal of the feet (121) from the openings (139).
  2. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1, wherein the locking member (116) is generally U-shaped.
  3. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1, wherein the locking member (116) includes a pair of distally extending arms (171), the feet (121) formed on the distal portion thereof.
  4. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1, wherein the distally extending arms (171) can flex to move the feet from the first position to the second position.
  5. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1, further comprising a spring (114) configured to bias the locking member (116) towards the second position.
  6. The surgical stapling instrument of claim 1, wherein the channel (134) further includes a slot (180), the locking member (116) configured to engage the slot (180) in the second position.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to surgical stapling instruments having a locking mechanism to prevent actuation of a knife when there is a spent or previously fired cartridge in place. BACKGROUND Surgical clamping and cutting instruments, such as, for example, surgical stapling instruments, may include an end effector having opposing jaws that clamp tissue and a knife that cuts the clamped tissue. It is often advantageous for an end effector of a surgical stapling instrument to be reusable. To that end, staple cartridges can be fitted into one jaw of the end effector prior to each use of the surgical stapling instrument. It is desirable to prevent firing of a surgical stapling instrument while a spent cartridge remains in place on the jaw. Thus, a need exists for effective mechanisms to prevent firing of a surgical stapling instrument while a spent staple cartridge is in place in the end effector of the surgical stapling instrument. EP 1479348 relates to a surgical instrument for laparoscopic and endoscopic clinical procedures that simultaneously severs and staples tissue clamped in an end effector comprising an elongate channel, which holds a staple cartridge, and a pivotally attached anvil. An E-beam firing bar engages the channel and selectively engages the anvil during distal firing movements, wherein the tissue is severed and staples driven upward from the staple cartridge to form against the anvil. In particular, a wedge integral to the staple cartridge is driven distally by a middle pin of the firing bar to effect stapling. A single lockout of the elongate channel responds to the presence of the wedge sled in its unfired position to allow the firing bar to fire. Otherwise, the single lockout prevents firing when the staple cartridge is missing or spent. SUMMARY The present invention provides a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with the independent claim. Optional features are defined in the dependent claims. The following presents a simplified summary of the claimed subject matter in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview of the claimed subject matter. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the claimed subject matter nor delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the claimed subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. The present disclosure relates to surgical stapling instruments having a locking mechanism. Surgical stapling instruments described herein employ a locking mechanism to prevent actuation of a knife when there is a spent or previously fired cartridge in place. In one aspect, a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with this disclosure includes an anvil jaw assembly and a staple jaw assembly. The staple jaw assembly includes a channel configured to receive a staple cartridge, the staple cartridge including a shuttle. The channel includes two side walls, a bottom wall, and a cam surface adjacent the bottom wall. The surgical stapling instrument further includes a drive member configured to releasably engage and translate the shuttle in a distal direction through a staple firing stroke. The locking member is pivotable between a first position permitting distal translation of the drive member, and a second position preventing distal translation of the drive member. The drive member further includes a footer configured to engage the cam surface and simultaneously pivot the channel, the shuttle, and the locking member towards the anvil assembly. In another aspect, a surgical stapling instrument in accordance with this disclosure includes an anvil jaw assembly, a drive member configured to translate in a distal direction through a staple firing stroke, and a locking member pivotable between a first position permitting distal translation of the drive member, and a second position preventing distal translation of the drive member. The staple jaw assembly further includes a channel configured to receive a staple cartridge, the staple cartridge including a shuttle. The channel includes two sidewalls, each sidewall having a guide structure configured to direct a proximal ramped surface of the shuttle into contact with a distal ramped surface of the locking member to urge a portion of the locking member onto a shelf of the shuttle to maintain the locking member in the first position. A surgical stapling instrument in accordance with the invention and as defined in claim 1 includes an anvil jaw assembly and a staple jaw assembly. The staple j aw assembly includes a channel configured to receive a staple cartridge, the staple cartridge including a shuttle. The channel includes two side walls and a bottom wall having a pair of openings. The surgical stapling instrument further includes a drive member configured to releasably engage and translate