Covidien LP

Scott N Lacosta

Kenneth E Netzel

Weng-Kai K Lee

Keir Hart

Jeffrey R Townsend

Geneva Ladtkow

Kelley D Goodman

Duane E Kerr

Robert M Sharp

Peixiong Yi

Jessica E C Olson

John A Hammerland, Iii

Stephen John Stamm

Purvishkumar H Soni

Alyssa M Sawyer

Benjamin R Arts

Terry M Duffin

Amir Roomi

Raghavendra L Bhandari

Mark E Renner

Michelle Esponda

Arlen James Reschke

Jason L Craig

Prakash Manley

James R Fagan

Diana Gunnarson

Susan Hiebert

Clifford D Owens

Grant T Sims

Jason T Sanders

A surgical instrument includes a housing and a trigger assembly. The trigger assembly includes a trigger including a drive portion and a manipulation portion, a rocker, a linkage, and a slider. The trigger is pivotably coupled to the housing such that the drive and manipulation portions are moved in different directions in response to actuation of the trigger. The drive portion of the trigger is pivotably coupled to the rocker. The linkage is pivotably coupled to the rocker and the housing at opposing end portions thereof. The slider is pivotably coupled to the rocker and operably coupled to the deployable component. Actuation of the manipulation portion of the trigger moves the drive portion of the trigger distally to thereby urge the rocker distally, pivot the linkage about the second end portion thereof, and slide the slider distally to deploy the deployable component distally.

Energy-based surgical instrument for grasping, treating, and/or dividing tissue

A surgical instrument includes a housing, a shaft extending distally from the housing, an end effector assembly at a distal end portion of the shaft, and a drive assembly. The drive assembly includes a movable handle, a carriage operably coupled to the movable handle, an inner drive operably coupled to the end effector assembly, and a spring assembly operably coupling the carriage and the inner drive. The spring assembly includes inner and outer coil springs arranged in a nested configuration. Initial actuation of the movable handle slides the carriage such that the spring assembly transfers the sliding of the carriage into translation of the inner drive to apply a jaw force by the end effector assembly. Subsequent actuation of the movable handle slides the carriage to compress the spring assembly to substantially maintain a position of the inner drive, thereby controlling the jaw force.

A bipolar forceps includes a mechanical forceps including first and second shafts each having a jaw member extending from a distal end thereof and a handle disposed at a proximal end thereof for effecting movement of the jaw members relative to one another about a pivot. A disposable housing is configured to releasably couple to at least one of the shafts and an electrode assembly is associated with the disposable housing. The electrode assembly includes electrodes releasably coupleable to the jaw members. At least one of the electrodes includes a knife channel configured to receive a knife blade therethrough to cut tissue grasped between the jaw members. A switch is configured to initiate delivery of electrosurgical energy from the source of electrosurgical energy to the electrodes. An actuation mechanism is configured to selectively advance the knife blade through the knife channel to cut tissue.

Bipolar surgical instrument

A surgical instrument includes a movable handle movable relative a housing to manipulate an end effector assembly, and a latch assembly. The latch assembly includes a latch arm including a latch post, and a latch track defining an entry path, a latching path, a saddle, an un-latching path, and a return path. The latch post moves through the entry path, the latching path, and into the saddle upon movement of the movable handle from an un-actuated position to an over-actuated position and back to an actuated position to lock the movable handle. The latch post moves from the saddle through the un-latching path and the return path upon movement of the movable handle from actuated position to the over-actuated position and back to the un-actuated position. The return path includes a ramped surface configured to inhibit reverse travel of the latch post into the return path.

A removable component configured for insertion into an internal compartment of a surgical instrument is provided including a housing defining first and second ends, a grasping member, and a biasing member. The grasping member is operably coupled to the housing at the second end thereof and is movable relative to the housing between a presented position, wherein at least a portion of the grasping member is spaced-apart from the second end of the housing, and a stored position, wherein the grasping member is approximated relative to the second end of the housing. The biasing member is disposed between the grasping member and the second end of the housing and is configured to bias the grasping member towards the presented position. Systems including a surgical instrument and such a removable component and methods of assembling a surgical instrument using the same are also provided.

Devices, systems, and methods facilitating insertion and removal of components from surgical instruments

A method of assembling an electrosurgical instrument includes coupling first and second shafts to each other about a pivot. Each of the shafts has an interior side facing the other shaft and an exterior side opposite the interior side. The method also includes disposing a knife blade at least partially through a passageway defined through the pivot from the exterior side of the first shaft and coupling a knife actuation mechanism to the first shaft from the exterior side of the first shaft. The knife actuation mechanism is configured to move the knife blade through the passageway.

Method of assembling an electrosurgical instrument

A system includes an energy source and a surgical device. The energy source has a receptacle configured to delivery energy to the surgical device through a receptacle. The surgical device is configured to deliver the energy to tissue. The surgical device includes a plug selectively engagable to the receptacle to couple the surgical device to the energy source. The plug includes a prong configured to mechanically transition from a condition permitting engagement of the plug and the receptacle to another condition inhibiting engagement of the plug with the receptacle upon reaching a predetermined usage threshold.

Limited-use surgical devices

Disposable housing for open vessel sealer with mechanical cutter

An electrosurgical forceps includes a housing having a shaft affixed thereto, the shaft including jaw members at a distal end thereof. The forceps also includes a switch assembly that includes a supporting member, a flexible membrane circuit having snap dome switch contacts operably fixed thereto, and ergonomically-contoured keytops. The switch assembly provides at least one monopolar activation switch, and a bipolar activation switch. The forceps also include a drive mechanism which causes the jaw members to move relative to one another for manipulating tissue. A monopolar safety switch is incorporated into the switch assembly which cooperates with the drive mechanism to inhibit the monopolar activation switch when the jaw members are in an open position.

Switch assembly for electrosurgical instrument

Open vessel sealer with mechanical cutter

Growing community of inventors

Lafayette, CO, United States of America

Scott N Lacosta