SURGICAL STAPLER WITH REDUCED CLAMP GAP FOR INSERTION
A surgical apparatus may include a staple holder, an anvil connected to and movable relative to the staple holder, and at least one axle extending outward from the anvil; and an overtube slidable relative to the end effector, the overtube including at least one slot defined therein; where each slot receives a corresponding axle. A surgical method for treating tissue of a patient may include providing an end effector that includes a staple holder and an anvil connected to and movable relative to the staple holder, and an overtube slidable relative to said end effector, making an incision in the patient; inserting the end effector and at least part of the overtube through the incision in a first, insertion configuration in which substantially no gap exists between the anvil and staple holder, and moving the overtube relative to the end effector to open the end effector to a second, unclamped position where at least part of the anvil is spaced apart from the staple holder.
1 . A surgical stapling apparatus, comprising:
a staple holder;
an anvil pivotally coupled to said staple holder;
a bias member deposed between said staple holder and said anvil, wherein said bias member allows said staple holder and said anvil to be pivotally biased open or to be pivotally biased close; and
an overtube slidably engages with at least a portion of said staple holder and said anvil, wherein:
the overtube slidably engages with said staple holder and said anvil in a first position causing no gap or substantially no space between the staple holder and the anvil,
the overtube slidably engages with said staple holder and said anvil in a second position allowing a first gap or a first space between the staple holder and the anvil, and
the overtube slidably engages with said staple holder and said anvil in a third position allowing a second gap or a second space between the staple holder and the anvil.
2 . The surgical stapling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first gap or the first space is larger than the second gap or the second space.
3 . The surgical stapling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the overtube include a pair of through-slots and an axle-pin deposed through said pair of through-slots, the axle-pin engages at least a portion of the anvil.
4 . The surgical stapling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a proximal portion of the anvil includes a ramp feature, wherein the ramp feature engages with said overtube as the overtube slidably engages with the staple holder and the anvil.
5 . The surgical stapling apparatus of claim 4 , wherein engagement of said overtube with said ramp feature changes a gap distance or a gap space between said staple holder and said anvil.
6 . The surgical stapling apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the axle-pin is positioned in a substantially bottom-most position in the pair of through-slots of the overtube when the overtube in is the first position and no gap or substantially no space is between the staple holder and the anvil.
7 . The surgical stapling apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the axle-pin is positioned in a substantially top-most position or a position substantially between the top-most and the bottom-most position in the pair of through-slots of the overtube when the overtube in is the second position and the first gap or the first space is between the staple holder and the anvil.
8 . The surgical stapling apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the axle-pin is positioned in a substantially top-most position or a position substantially between the top-most and the bottom-most position in the pair of through-slots of the overtube when the overtube in is the third position and the second gap or the second space is between the staple holder and the anvil.
9 . The surgical stapling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an outer-perimeter of a portion of the staple holder and the anvil combination fits within an inner-perimeter of the overtube.