Powered articulatable surgical cutting and fastening instrument with flexible drive member
View Patent ↗A surgical cutting and fastening instrument is disclosed. According to various embodiments, the instrument may include a handle assembly that has an elongate shaft attached thereto. An end effector that is configured to support a staple cartridge may be pivotally coupled to the elongate shaft. The handle assembly may support a generator of rotary motion that interfaces with a rotary drive system that may include a flexible drive shaft. The flexible drive shaft may be configured to impart a driving motion to a knife supporting assembly supported within the end effector. Such arrangement enables the end effector to be fired while being articulated relative to the elongate shaft.
1. A surgical cutting and fastening instrument comprising:
a handle assembly;
a generator of rotary motion supported by said handle assembly;
an elongate shaft assembly operably coupled to said handle assembly and defining an elongate axis;
an elongate channel coupled to said elongate shaft for selective pivotal travel about a pivot axis that is substantially transverse to said elongate axis, said elongate channel sized to operably support a staple cartridge therein; and
a rotary drive system comprising:
a main drive shaft assembly operably interfacing with said generator of rotary motion;
a gear train in meshing engagement with said main drive shaft for receiving said rotary motion therefrom; and
a flexible drive shaft in meshing engagement with said gear train, said flexible drive shaft further having a distal end non-threadably coupled to a knife supporting assembly in said elongate channel such that said flexible drive shaft can rotate relative thereto to drive said knife supporting assembly in a distal direction upon receipt of a rotary motion in a first direction from said gear drive train and wherein upon receipt of another rotary motion in a second direction from said gear drive train, said flexible drive shaft pulls said knife supporting assembly in a proximal direction.
2. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 1 , wherein said distal end of said flexible drive shaft is coupled to said knife supporting assembly by a bearing.
3. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 1 , wherein said gear train comprises:
a first gear coupled to said main drive shaft;
a second gear in meshing engagement with said first gear; and
a third gear coupled to a secondary drive shaft and in meshing engagement with said second gear.
4. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 3 , wherein said secondary drive shaft has a secondary drive gear thereon in meshing engagement with a tertiary gear in meshing engagement with said flexible drive shaft.
5. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 4 , wherein said tertiary gear is in meshing engagement with said flexible drive shaft and is rotatably retained within a distal spine tube assembly supported within said elongate shaft assembly.
6. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 5 , wherein said second gear rotates about said pivot axis.
7. A method for processing a device for surgery, the method comprising:
obtaining the surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 1 ;
sterilizing the surgical cutting and fastening instrument; and
storing the surgical cutting and fastening instrument in a sterile container.
8. A surgical cutting and fastening instrument comprising:
a handle assembly;
a generator of rotary motion supported by said handle assembly;
an elongate shaft assembly operably coupled to said handle assembly and defining an elongate axis;
an elongate channel coupled to said elongate shaft for selective pivotal travel about a pivot axis that is substantially transverse to said elongate axis, said elongate channel sized to removably support a disposable staple cartridge therein that has a knife supporting assembly therein;
a rotary drive system comprising:
a main drive shaft assembly operably interfacing with said generator of rotary motion;
a gear train in meshing engagement with said main drive shaft for receiving said rotary motion therefrom; and
a flexible drive shaft movably supported in said elongate shaft and in meshing engagement with said gear train and oriented to extend axially into said disposable staple cartridge, said flexible drive shaft having a distal end oriented to impart an axial pushing motion to said knife supporting assembly without being attached to said knife supporting assembly to drive said knife supporting assembly in a distal direction within said disposable staple cartridge upon receipt of a rotary motion in a first direction from said gear drive train and to return into said elongate shaft upon receipt of a rotary motion in a second direction from said gear drive train.
9. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 8 wherein said gear train comprises:
a first gear coupled to said main drive shaft;
a second gear in meshing engagement with said first gear; and
a third gear coupled to a secondary drive shaft and in meshing engagement with said second gear.
10. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 9 , wherein said secondary drive shaft has a secondary drive gear thereon in meshing engagement with a tertiary gear in meshing engagement with said flexible drive shaft.
11. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 10 wherein said tertiary gear is in meshing engagement with said flexible drive shaft and is rotatably retained within a distal spine tube assembly supported within said elongate shaft assembly.
12. A surgical cutting and fastening instrument comprising:
a handle assembly;
a generator of rotary motion supported by said handle assembly;
an elongate shaft assembly operably coupled to said handle assembly and defining an elongate axis;
an elongate channel coupled to said elongate shaft for selective pivotal travel about a pivot axis that is substantially transverse to said elongate axis, said elongate channel sized to removably support a staple cartridge therein;
a reusable knife supporting assembly operably supported within said elongate channel for selective axial travel therein from a starting position to an ending position and back to said starting position; and
a rotary drive system comprising:
a main drive shaft assembly operably interfacing with said generator of rotary motion;
a gear train in meshing engagement with said main drive shaft for receiving said rotary motion therefrom; and
a flexible drive shaft having a distal end nonthreadably coupled to said reusable knife supporting assembly and movably supported in said elongate shaft such that said flexible drive shaft may be selectively rotated relative to said reusable knife supporting assembly, said flexible drive shaft in meshing engagement with said gear train and oriented to extend axially into said staple cartridge to drive said knife supporting assembly from said starting position to said ending position upon receipt of a rotary motion in a first direction from said gear drive train and to return said knife supporting assembly to said starting position upon receipt of a rotary motion in a second direction from said gear drive train.
13. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 12 wherein said gear train comprises:
a first gear coupled to said main drive shaft;
a second gear in meshing engagement with said first gear; and
a third gear coupled to a secondary drive shaft and in meshing engagement with said second gear.
14. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 13 wherein said secondary drive shaft has a secondary drive gear thereon in meshing engagement with a tertiary gear in meshing engagement with said flexible drive shaft.
15. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 14 wherein said tertiary gear is in meshing engagement with said flexible drive shaft and is rotatably retained within a distal spine tube assembly supported within said elongate shaft assembly.
16. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 13 , wherein said second gear rotates about said pivot axis.
17. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 8 wherein, upon application of said rotary motion in said first direction to said flexible drive shaft, said flexible drive shaft moves axially in a distal direction.
18. A surgical cutting and fastening instrument comprising:
a handle assembly;
a generator of rotary motion supported by said handle assembly;
an elongate shaft assembly operably coupled to said handle assembly and defining an elongate axis;
an elongate channel coupled to said elongate shaft for selective pivotal travel about a pivot axis that is substantially transverse to said elongate axis, said elongate channel sized to operably support a staple cartridge therein; and
a rotary drive system comprising:
a main drive shaft assembly operably interfacing with said generator of rotary motion;
a gear train in meshing engagement with said main drive shaft for receiving said rotary motion therefrom; and
a flexible drive shaft in meshing engagement with said gear train, said flexible drive shaft further having a distal end configured to apply an axial pushing motion to a knife supporting assembly in said elongate channel without being coupled thereto to drive said knife supporting assembly in a distal direction upon receipt of a rotary motion in a first direction from said gear drive train.
19. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 18 wherein, upon application of said rotary motion in said first direction to said flexible drive shaft, said flexible drive shaft moves axially in a distal direction.
20. The surgical cutting and fastening instrument of claim 19 wherein upon application of another rotary motion in a second direction to said flexible drive shaft, said flexible drive shaft moves axially in a proximal direction.