Ethicon, Gmbh

William P McVay

Donald M Golden

Glen C Dorband

Szabolcs M Vigh

Robert J Cerwin

James J Bedi

John DiGiovanni

John Di Giovanni

Anthony S Miksza, Jr

A sterile internal organ fastening device comprising a staple and a receiver. The legs of the staple have a tapered portion terminating in a sharp point with the taper having a specific configuration to minimize penetration forces and reduce trauma and with the receiver protecting the surrounding tissue from the sharp point.

Two piece internal organ fastener

A device is provided for applying flexible fasteners to tissue to close a wound or incision. The device has a front housing mounted for rotation relative to a rear housing. A needle projects laterally from the front housing. The needle is curved, hollow, and slotted for receiving a portion of a fastener. The device has a flexible pusher member and means for moving the flexible pusher member into the hollow needle to eject a fastener from the needle and into the tissue.

Surgical fastener applier with rotatable front housing and laterally

A pair of parallel, hollow needles are provided for receiving a tissue fastener of the type having at least a fastening member with a pair of legs joined by a link. Each needle has an internal passage extending from a fastening member receiving end to a discharge end. Each needle also has a slot extending along its length in communication with the passage and facing the slot of the other needle. A leg of the fastening member is placed in each needle with the fastening member link extending through the needle slots between the needles. The instrument has an anvil for being located on one side of the tissues opposite the needles. The needles are inserted through the tissues towards the anvil. Then the fastening member is pushed through the needles by a drive member so that at least a portion of the fastening member link lies against one side of the tissues and so that at least a portion of each of the fastening member legs is located and secured on the other side of the tissues.

Method of applying a fastener to tissue with a pair of hollow needles

A fastener is provided to hold together separated portions of mammalian tissue and includes an open loop fastening member and a receiver adapted to receive the legs of the fastening member. The legs of the fastening member are then deformed to effect engagement of the fastening member and receiver. An instrument is provided for holding the receiver on one side of the tissue portions and for inserting the fastening member through the tissue portions and into the receiver. The instrument also (1) deforms the legs of the fastening member to effect the engagement of the fastening member with the receiver and (2) severs the protruding portions of the legs.

Two-piece tissue fastener with coinable leg staple and retaining

A fastener is provided to hold together portions of mammalian tissue and includes an open loop fastening member and a receiver adapted to receive the legs of the fastening member. Each fastening member leg has two oppositely facing rows of resilient, hemispherical, convex members to cooperate with a bore in the receiver to effect engagement of the fastening member and receiver.

Two-piece tissue fastener with compressible leg staple and retaining

A structure is provided for accommodating the rotation of a front housing of an instrument to a selected position relative to the rear housing of the instrument to permit an operating member in the front housing to be located in a desired orientation. The front housing has an annular portion in which a cylindrical portion of the rear housing is received to permit the two housings to be rotated relative to each other about a common longitudinal axis. The front housing annular portion defines a plurality of bores arranged at selected azimuthal locations about the axis of rotation and the rear housing carries a reciprocative engaging member adapted to be moved partially into one of the bores to lock the two housings in a selected relative orientation.

Surgical instrument with rotatable front housing and latch mechanism

An actuating mechanism is provided for a hand-operated surgical instrument having at least one operating member. The operating member is engaged by or extends from a flexible pusher member wound at least partially around the circumference of a drum and secured thereto. A pinion is connected to the drum for rotation therewith and is driven by a gear segment on a handle that is pivotally monted to the instrument. A full stroke compelling mechanism is associated with the drum for preventing return of the handle to the unactuated position unless and until the operating member has been moved through the full design range of movement.

Full stroke compelling mechanism for surgical instrument with drum drive

A one-piece, self-locking, molded plastic staple useful as a tissue fixation device in surgical procedures. The staple has opposed, pointed, L-shaped legs secured to a horizontal bridging member. Each leg has an extension which is engaged by a locking bar extending between the extensions when the staple is closed by forcing the legs through a 90.degree. arc. The staples may be extruded or molded of absorbable or nonabsorbable polymeric materials.

Growing community of inventors

Clearwater, FL, United States of America

William P McVay