Surgical instrument with curvilinear tissue-contacting surfaces
A surgical stapling instrument including a handle assembly, an elongated body portion, a shell assembly and an anvil assembly. The elongated body portion extends distally from the handle assembly and defines a longitudinal axis. The shell assembly is disposed adjacent a distal end of the elongated body portion and includes a non-planar, tissue-contacting surface oriented obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis. The anvil assembly includes a non-planar, tissue-contacting surface oriented obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis. The tissue-contacting surface of the anvil assembly is configured to align with the tissue-contacting surface of the shell assembly when the anvil assembly and shell assembly are in the approximated position.
1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
a handle assembly;
an elongated body portion extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis;
a first jaw member disposed adjacent a distal end of the elongated body portion, the first jaw member including a non-planar tissue-contacting surface; and
a second jaw member having a non-planar tissue-contacting surface, and the entirety of, the non-planar tissue-contacting surface of the second jaw member divided into exactly two curvilinear segments, each curvilinear segment including exactly one concave portion and exactly one convex portion,
wherein the tissue-contacting surface of the second jaw member is configured to align with the tissue-contacting surface of the first jaw member when the second jaw member and the first jaw member are in an approximated position.
2. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the non-planar tissue-contacting surface of the first jaw member is divided into exactly two curvilinear segments, and wherein the curvilinear segments of the tissue-contacting surface of the first jaw member are separated by a concave point and a convex point.
3. The surgical instrument of claim 2 , wherein the curvilinear segments of the tissue-contacting surface of the second jaw member are separated by a concave point and a convex point.
4. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein elongated body portion includes a longitudinally curved portion.
5. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the tissue-contacting surface of the first jaw member is curvilinear along at least a majority of its length.
6. The surgical instrument of claim 5 , wherein the tissue-contacting surface of the second jaw member is curvilinear along at least a majority of its length.
7. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the second jaw member includes first and second arrays of pockets to receive fasteners fired from the first jaw member, the first array lying in multiple non-parallel planes.
8. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the first jaw member includes first and second arrays of fasteners at least partially therein, each array lying in multiple non-parallel planes.
9. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the second jaw member includes a rod detachably mountable to the surgical instrument.
10. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the two curvilinear segments of the tissue-contacting surface of the second jaw member are substantially mirror images of each other.
11. The surgical instrument of claim 10 , wherein the non-planar tissue-contacting surface of the first jaw member is divided into exactly two curvilinear segments, and wherein the two curvilinear segments of the tissue-contacting surface of the first jaw member are substantially mirror images of each other.
12. The surgical instrument of claim 1 , wherein the tissue-contacting surface of the first jaw member is oriented obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis.
13. The surgical instrument of claim 12 , wherein the tissue-contacting surface of the second jaw member is oriented obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis.