Adjunct material for delivery to colon tissue
Adjunct materials for delivery to colon tissue are provided. In general, the adjunct materials can be configured to be delivered to colon tissue by deployment of staples from a cartridge body of a surgical stapler to form at least one line of deployed staples. The adjunct material can be formed of a fiber matrix and include an effective amount of one or more medicants for delivery to the colon tissue. The medicant is disposed within and releasable from the adjunct material, and effective to encourage a desired effect on blood vessels, such as angiogenesis and/or vasodilation, along the at least one line of deployed staples. Methods of using a staple cartridge assembly or an end effector to apply such adjunct materials to colon tissue are also provided.
1. A surgical device, comprising:
a staple cartridge assembly for use with a surgical stapler, comprising:
a cartridge body having a plurality of staple cavities, each staple cavity having a surgical staple disposed therein;
a biocompatible adjunct material formed of a fiber matrix and releasably retained on the cartridge body and configured to be delivered to colon tissue by deployment of the staples in the cartridge body to form at least one line of deployed staples, the fiber matrix including a first plurality of longitudinal fibers and a second plurality of longitudinal fibers, the second plurality of longitudinal fibers extending transversely to the first plurality of longitudinal fibers and configured to detach from the first plurality of longitudinal fibers following the deployment of the staples; and
at least one medicant, the at least one medicant being releasable from the adjunct material, and the at least one medicant being effective to encourage a healing of blood vessels along the at least one line of deployed staples.
2. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the healing includes angiogenesis.
3. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the healing includes vasodilation.
4. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the adjunct material is releasably retained on the cartridge body such that the staples, when deployed from the cartridge body, extend substantially parallel to the first plurality of longitudinal fibers.
5. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of longitudinal fibers are formed of a material having a higher molecular weight than a material that forms the second plurality of longitudinal fibers.
6. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the adjunct material has a plurality of reservoirs formed therein, each of the reservoirs sealed with at least one coating on the adjunct material, each of the reservoirs having at least some of the at least one medicant disposed therein, the at least one coating being configured to disintegrate to allow release of the at least one medicant from the reservoirs.
7. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of longitudinal fibers include an absorbable material;
the at least one medicant is contained within at least the first plurality of longitudinal fibers; and
the first plurality of longitudinal fibers are configured to unravel after the detachment of the second plurality of the longitudinal fibers and thereby release the at least one medic ant therefrom.
8. The surgical device of claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of longitudinal fibers form a degradable material; and
the at least one medicant is contained within at least the second plurality of longitudinal fibers and is releasable therefrom in response to the degradation of the degradable material.
9. An end effector for a surgical instrument, comprising:
a first jaw having a cartridge body removably attached thereto, the cartridge body having on a tissue-facing surface thereof a plurality of staple cavities configured to seat staples therein;
a second jaw having an anvil with a plurality of staple forming cavities formed on a tissue-facing surface thereof, wherein at least one of the first and second jaws is movable relative to the other;
a biocompatible adjunct material formed of a fiber matrix and releasably retained on at least one of the tissue-facing surfaces of the first and second jaws and configured to be delivered to tissue by deployment of the staples in the cartridge body to form at least one line of deployed staples, the fiber matrix including a first plurality of longitudinal fibers and a second plurality of longitudinal fibers, the second plurality of longitudinal fibers extending transversely to the first plurality of longitudinal fibers and configured to detach from the first plurality of longitudinal fibers following the deployment of the staples; and
at least one medicant, the at least one medicant being releasable from the adjunct material, and the at least one medicant being effective to encourage healing of blood vessels along the at least one line of deployed staples.
10. The end effector of claim 9 , wherein the healing includes angiogenesis.
11. The end effector of claim 9 , wherein the healing includes vasodilation.
12. The end effector of claim 9 , wherein the adjunct material is releasably retained on the cartridge body such that the staples, when deployed from the cartridge body, extend substantially parallel to the first plurality of longitudinal fibers.
13. The end effector of claim 9 , wherein the first plurality of longitudinal fibers formed of a material having a higher molecular weight than a material that forms the second plurality of longitudinal fibers.
14. The end effector of claim 9 , wherein the adjunct material has a plurality of reservoirs formed therein, each of the reservoirs sealed with at least one coating on the adjunct material, each of the reservoirs having at least some of the at least one medicant disposed therein, the at least one coating being configured to disintegrate to allow release of the at least one medicant from the reservoirs.
15. The end effector of claim 9 , wherein the second plurality of longitudinal fibers include an absorbable material;
the at least one medicant is contained within at least the first plurality of longitudinal fibers; and
the first plurality of longitudinal fibers are configured to unravel after the detachment of the second plurality of the longitudinal fibers and thereby release the at least one medicant therefrom.
16. The end effector of claim 9 , wherein the second plurality of longitudinal fibers form a degradable material; and
the at least one medicant is contained within at least the second plurality of longitudinal fibers and is releasable therefrom in response to the degradation of the degradable material.