Staple with Multiple Cross Sectional Shapes
Surgical staples having at least two different cross-sectional shapes are useful for fastening and securing tissue. The staples disclosed have portions with different cross-sectional shapes.
1 . A stapler comprising:
an anvil assembly;
a cartridge assembly including a plurality of staples comprising:
a first leg, a second leg, and a backspan extending therebetween;
the first leg and the second leg each having:
a deformable first portion adjacent to the backspan and a deformable second portion adjacent a penetrating end with a sharp tip to facilitate penetrating tissue, wherein the first portion has a first cross-sectional shape and the second portion has a second cross-sectional shape;
the second cross-sectional shape being substantially curvilinear and the first cross-sectional shape being different than the second cross-sectional shape to reduce twisting of the first portion relative to the second portion during formation of the staple into tissue and against the anvil assembly.
2 . The stapler according to claim 1 , wherein the sharp tip defines a shape selected from the group consisting of a pyramid, wedge, cone, and tetrahedron.
3 . The stapler according to claim 1 , wherein the first cross-sectional shape comprises an oval.
4 . The stapler according to claim 1 , wherein the first cross-sectional shape comprises a circle.
5 . The stapler according to claim 1 , wherein the second cross-sectional shape is polygonal.
6 . The stapler according to claim 5 , wherein the second cross-sectional shape is square.
7 . The stapler according to claim 5 , wherein the second cross-sectional shape is rectangular.
8 . The stapler according to claim 1 , wherein the sharp tip comprises a sharp edge.
9 . The stapler according to claim 1 , wherein the sharp tip comprises a sharp point.
10 . The stapler according to claim 1 , wherein the sharp tip defines an apex.