WO2020027837A1

WO2020027837A1 - Surgical stapler assembly and surgical stapler using the same

Info

Publication number: WO2020027837A1
Application number: PCT/US2018/044900
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kun-Hsi Tsai; Tzu-Chih Lin; Yu-Cheng Huang; Yi-Chia Ho
Original assignee: Vitalchains Corporation
Priority date: 2018-08-02
Filing date: 2018-08-02
Publication date: 2020-02-06
Also published as: TWM593236U; TW202007366A

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a surgical stapler assembly. The surgical stapler assembly comprises a cartridge module and a shooting module. The cartridge module includes a cartridge holder and a staple presser. The cartridge holder has a horizontal plane for receiving at least one staple, and has a shooting port. The staple presser is disposed in the cartridge holder for pushing the staple towards the shooting port. The shooting module is engaged with the cartridge module for ejecting the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port. The shooting module includes a shooting plate, a lever, and a lever spring. The shooting plate is movably disposed on the cartridge holder. The lever is engaged with the shooting plate for moving the shooting plate between a first position and a second position.

Description

SURGICAL STAPLER ASSEMBLY AND SURGICAL STAPLER USING THE SAME

FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a surgical stapler assembly. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a surgical stapler assembly having an effective ejection mechanism and a surgical stapler using the surgical stapler assembly.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Surgical skin or fascia staplers are well known in the medical industry. Their purpose is to join dislocated skin or fascia by inserting surgical staples along the rupture to hold the adjacent portions of the skin together until the patient's natural healing processes enable the separated portions to rejoin. Over the years, surgeons have adopted surgical staples more frequently than conventional thread sutures for closing incisions or wounds in the skin of a patient. A surgical stapler typically includes a cartridge for receiving staples, a shooting module, and a gripping pair for causing the shooting module to provide a mechanical impact to the staples. During surgical procedures, staples are ejected from the cartridge by the shooting module to cause the ends of the staples to pass through the skin so as to fasten an array of finished staples on the skin. Improper operation of the surgical staplers (such as failure ejection of staples) may cause longer time required for the surgical procedure and thus increase the length of time the patient being maintained under anesthesia. When the gripping pair of the surgical stapler is not fully gripped, the staples may not be ejected or may be ejected at a lower speed that has insufficient penetration force to properly close the incisions. The improperly ejected staples must be removed from the cartridge or the patient’s skin to allow for the next operation.

[0003] Accordingly, there remains a need to provide surgical staplers that overcome the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] In view of above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a surgical stapler assembly and surgical stapler using the same. The surgical stapler assembly and the surgical stapler of the embodiments of the present disclosure have an effective ejection mechanism to prevent improper operation of the surgical stapler.

[0005] To achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a surgical stapler assembly. The surgical stapler assembly comprises a cartridge module and a shooting module. The cartridge module comprises a cartridge holder and a staple presser. The cartridge holder has a horizontal plane for receiving at least one staple, and has a shooting port. The staple presser is disposed in the cartridge holder for pushing the staple towards the shooting port. The shooting module is engaged with the cartridge module for ejecting the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port. The shooting module comprises a shooting plate, a lever, and a lever spring. The shooting plate is movably disposed on the cartridge holder. The lever is engaged with the shooting plate for moving the shooting plate between a first position and a second position. The lever spring is connected to the lever and the cartridge holder. The lever is rotatably disposed in the cartridge holder. When the lever is rotated with respect to the horizontal plane of the cartridge holder for a lever angle and the lever angle reaches a predetermined value, the shooting plate is moved to the second position, causing the lever spring to provide a resilience force to the lever for pushing the shooting plate to move towards the first position, and thereby causing the shooting plate to provide a mechanical impact to the staple for ejecting the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port.

[0006] To achieve the above object, another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a surgical stapler assembly. The surgical stapler assembly comprises a cartridge module, a shooting module, and an actuator handle. The cartridge module comprises a cartridge holder and a staple presser. The cartridge holder has a horizontal plane for receiving at least one staple, and has a shooting port. The staple presser is disposed in the cartridge holder for pushing the staple towards the shooting port. The shooting module is engaged with the cartridge module and for ejecting the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port. The shooting module comprises a shooting plate, a lever, and a lever spring. The shooting plate is movably disposed on the cartridge holder. The lever is engaged with the shooting plate to move the shooting plate between a first position and a second position. The lever spring is connected to the lever and the cartridge holder. The lever is rotatably disposed in the cartridge holder. When the lever is rotated with respect to the horizontal plane of the cartridge holder for a lever angle and the lever angle reaches a predetermined value, the shooting plate is moved to the second position, causing the lever spring to provide a resilience force to the lever for pushing the shooting plate to move towards the first position, and thereby causing the shooting plate to provide a mechanical impact to the staple to eject the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port. The actuator handle is connected to the cartridge holder to selectively engage with the lever.

[0007] To achieve the above object, yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a surgical stapler module. The surgical stapler module comprises an actuator handle and a surgical stapler assembly. The actuator handle has an actuator. The surgical stapler assembly comprises a shooting module and a lever. The lever has a first arm and a second arm. The first arm is coupled to the actuator, and the second arm is coupled to the shooting module.

[0008] As described above, the surgical stapler assembly of the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a lever connected to a shooting plate. When the lever is rotated by an actuator for a predetermined angle, staples can be ejected from a shooting port of the surgical stapler assembly. Therefore, the surgical stapler assembly of the embodiments of the present disclosure have an effective ejection mechanism that prevents improper operation of the surgical stapler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures.

[0010] FIG 1A and 1B are perspective views of a surgical stapler in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG 1C is an exploded view of the surgical stapler in FIG 1A.

[0012] FIG 2A is an exploded view of a surgical stapler assembly of the surgical stapler in FIG 1C.

[0013] FIG 2B is an enlarged perspective view of the surgical stapler assembly in FIG 1 A.

[0014] FIG 2C is a cross-sectional view of the surgical stapler assembly in FIG 2B along a plane I-I.

[0015] FIG 3 A is an exploded view showing a holder plate, a shooting plate, and a stop plate of the surgical stapler assembly in FIG 2B.

[0016] FIG 3B is an enlarged perspective view of the holder plate, the shooting plate, and the stop plate of the surgical stapler assembly in FIG 2B.

[0017] FIGs. 3C to 3E are respectively a top view, a side, and a bottom view of the holder plate, the shooting plate, and the stop plate in FIG 3B.

[0018] FIG 4A is a perspective view of an actuator handle of the surgical stapler in FIG 1 A.

[0019] FIG 4B is a cross-sectional view of the actuator handle in FIG 4A along a plane II-II.

[0020] FIG 5 A is a perspective view of the surgical stapler in FIG 1 A.

[0021] FIGs. 5B to 5E are partially enlarged cross-sectional views of the surgical stapler in FIG 5 A along a plane III-III through an ejection cycle.

[0022] FIGs. 6A to 6D are partially enlarged views of FIGs. 5B to 5E.

[0023] FIG 7 is a flow chart of an ejection cycle of a surgical stapler in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are shown. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0025] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms“a”,“an” and“the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or“comprising,” or“includes” and/or“including” or“has” and/or“having” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[0026] It will be understood that the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, third etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, parts and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, parts and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, part or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, part or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0028] The description will be made as to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in FIGs. 1 A to 7. Reference will be made to the drawing figures to describe the present disclosure in detail, wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by same or similar reference numeral through the several views and same or similar terminology.

[0029] The present disclosure will be further described hereafter in combination with the accompanying figures.

[0030] Referring to FIGs. 1A, 1B, and 1C, a surgical stapler 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. The surgical stapler 10 of the embodiment receives at least one staple 1101 for closing wounds. The surgical stapler 10 includes a surgical stapler assembly 100, an actuator handle 300, and a grip housing 200. The at least one staple 1101 is received in the surgical stapler assembly 100. The actuator handle 300 connects to the surgical stapler assembly 100. The grip housing 200 houses the surgical stapler assembly 100. The grip housing 200 and the actuator handle 300 form a grip pair. When a gripping force is applied to the grip housing 200 and actuator handle 300, the staple 1101 is ejected from the surgical stapler assembly 100. In FIG 1A, the surgical stapler 10 is at an initial state, in which no gripping force is applied to the grip housing 200 and the actuator handle 300. In FIG 1B, the surgical stapler 10 is at a triggered state, in which the gripping force is applied to the grip housing 200 and actuator handle 300, and the staple 1101 is ejected from the surgical stapler assembly 100. FIG 1C is an exploded view of the surgical stapler 10 in FIG 1 A.

[0031] Referring to FIGs. 2A to 2C, an exploded view, an enlarged perspective view, and a cross-sectional view of the surgical stapler assembly 100 are illustrated. As shown in FIGs. 2A to 2C, the surgical stapler assembly 100 includes a cartridge module 110 and a shooting module 120. The cartridge module 110 includes a cartridge holder 111 and a staple presser 112. The cartridge holder 111 has a horizontal plane for receiving the at least one staple 1101. The cartridge holder 111 further includes a shooting port 11 la through which the staple 1101 can be ejected. The staple presser 112 is disposed in the cartridge holder 111 for pushing the staple 1101 towards the shooting port 11 la. The shooting module 120 is engaged with the cartridge module 110 for ejecting the staple 1101 from the cartridge holder 111 through the shooting port 11 la. The shooting module 120 includes a shooting plate 122, a lever 124, and a lever spring 125. The shooting plate 122 is movably disposed on the cartridge holder 111. The lever 124 is engaged with the shooting plate 122 to move the shooting plate 122 between a first position and a second position. The lever spring 125 is connected to the lever 124 and the cartridge holder 111. The lever 124 is rotatably disposed in the cartridge holder 111. When the lever 124 is rotated with respect to the horizontal plane H-H of the cartridge holder 111 for a lever angle Q and the lever angle Q reaches a predetermined value, the shooting plate

122 is moved to the second position by the lever 124, causing the lever spring 125 to provide a resilience force to the lever 124 to push the shooting plate 122 to move towards the first position, and thereby causing the shooting plate 122 to provide a mechanical impact to the staple 1101 to eject the staple 1101 from the cartridge holder 111 through the shooting port ll la.

[0032] The cartridge module 110 further includes a staple spring 113 connected to the staple presser 112 for pushing the staple 1101 towards the shooting port l lla. The staple spring 113 has two ends. One end of the staple spring 113 is connected to the staple presser 112. The other end of the staple spring 113 is connected to the cartridge holder 111. The cartridge module 110 further includes a bottom plate 114 disposed in the cartridge holder 111. The at least one staple 1101 is disposed along a longitudinal axis of the bottom plate 114. The shooting module 120 further includes a holder plate 121 disposed on the shooting plate 122, and a stop plate 123 engaged with the shooting plate 122. The holder plate 121 stops the staple 1101 from being ejected until the lever angle Q reaches the predetermined value. The stop plate 123 provides a lift force to the holder plate 121.

[0033] As shown in FIGs. 2A to 2C, the lever 124 comprises a first arm l24a, a second arm l24b, and a lever shaft l24c. The lever spring 125 has two ends. One end of the lever spring 125 is connected to the cartridge holder 111. The other end of the lever spring 125 is connected to the second arm l24b of the lever 124. The lever 124 is rotatably disposed on the cartridge holder 111 by the lever shaft l24c. The lever angle Q is formed between the first arm l24a of the lever 124 and the horizontal plane H-H of the cartridge holder 111.

[0034] Referring to FIGs. 3 A to 3E, various views of the holder plate 121, the shooting plate 122, and the stop plate 123 of the surgical stapler assembly 100 are illustrated. The shooting plate 122 includes two shooting teeth l22a, a groove l22b, a latch structure l22c, and an L-shaped structure. The shooting teeth l22a are configured for ejecting the staple 1101. The groove l22b is formed between the two shooting teeth l22a. The latch structure l22c is engaged with the holder plate 121. The L-shaped structure l22d is engaged with the stop plate 123. The holder plate 121 includes a holder structure 121 a, a holder hole l2lb, and a slide structure l2lc. In a preferred embodiment, the slide structure l2lc is an elastic plate. One end of the slide structure 121 c is elastically and upwardly curved; and the other end of the slide structure l2lc is fixed on the holder plate 121. The latch structure l22c is a protrusion, corresponding to the holder hole 121 b and contacting with the slide structure l2lc.

The holder structure l2la is disposed above the shooting teeth l22a of the shooting plate 122. The holder structure l2la stops the staple 1101 from being ejected when the lever angel Q has not reached the predetermined value. When the surgical stapler 10 is at the initial state, in which the shooting plate 122 is at the first position, the latch structure l22c of the shooting plate 122 is disposed in the holder hole l2lb of the holder plate 121. When the surgical stapler 10 is at a transition state, in which the shooting plate 122 moves from the first position to the second position, the latch structure l22c disengages from the holder hole l2lb and slides along the slide structure l2lc of the holder plate 121. The stop plate 123 includes two tooth structures l23a, a lift structure l23b, and a stop hole l23c. The two tooth structures l23a are disposed under the two shooting teeth l22a of the shooting plate 122. In a preferred embodiment, the lift structure l23b is an elastic plate, which is elastically and upwardly curved to contact with the hold structure 121 a of the holder plate 121 by passing through the groove l22b of the shooting plate 122. The lift structure l23b is disposed in the groove l22b of the shooting plate 122 to provide the lift force to the holder structure l2la of the holder plate 121. The L-shaped structure l22d of the shooting plate 122 is disposed in the stop hole l23c. FIGs. 3B to 3E are different views of the holder plate 121, the shooting plate 122, and the stop plate 123 when the surgical stapler 10 is at the initial state. The transition state and other states of the surgical stapler 10 will be described hereafter.

[0035] Referring to FIGs. 4A and 4B, a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the actuator handle 300 of the surgical stapler 10 are illustrated. Referring to FIGs. 5 A and 5B, a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the surgical stapler 10 showing the connection between the surgical stapler assembly 100 and the actuator handle 300 are illustrated. The actuator handle 300 is connected to the surgical stapler assembly 100 to selectively engage with the lever 124. When the gripping force is applied to the grip housing 200 and the actuator handle 300, the actuator handle 300 engages with the lever 124 to rotate the lever 124 until the lever angle Q reaches the predetermined value. The actuator handle 300 includes a handle body 310 and an actuator 320. The handle body 310 has a handle shaft 330. The actuator handle 300 is rotatably engaged with the surgical stapler assembly 100 by the handle shaft 330. The actuator 320 is selectively engaged with the first arm l24a of the lever 124 to rotate the lever 124. As the handle body 310 rotates about the handle shaft 330 and with respect to the surgical stapler assembly 100, the actuator 320 pushes the lever 124 to rotate in the surgical stapler assembly 100. When the lever angle Q of the lever 124 reaches the predetermined value, the lever 124 is disengaged from the actuator 320, causing the lever spring 125 to provide the resilience force to the lever 124 to push the shooting plate 122 to move towards the first position. The actuator handle 300 further includes an actuator spring

340 and a handle spring 350. The actuator spring 340 has two ends. One end of the actuator spring 340 is connected to the actuator 320. The other end of the actuator spring 340 is connected to the handle body 310. In a preferred embodiment, the actuator 320 is a movable protrusion due to the actuator spring 40. Therefore, actuator spring 340 provides a resilience force to the actuator 320 when surgical stapler assembly 100 is turning back to the initial state from the triggered state or the critical state. The handle spring 350 has two ends. One end of the handle spring 350 is connected to the surgical stapler assembly 100. The other end of the handle spring 350 is connected to the handle body 310. When the surgical stapler assembly 100 is at the triggered state or the critical state, the handle spring 350 is stretched. When surgical stapler assembly 100 is turning back to the initial state from the triggered state or the critical state, the handle spring 350 provides a compressing force to the surgical stapler assembly 100.

[0036] Referring to FIGs. 5B to 5E, partially enlarged cross-sectional views of the surgical stapler 10 in FIG 5 A through an ejection cycle are illustrated. Referring to FIGs. 6A to 6D, partially enlarged views of FIGs. 5B to 5E are illustrated, showing the details of the holder plate 121, the shooting plate 122, and the stop plate 123. In FIGs. 5B and 6A, the surgical stapler 10 is at the initial state, in which no gripping force is applied to the actuator handle 300 and the grip housing 200, and the shooting plate 122 is at the first position. The actuator 320 is engaged with lever 124 and is above the first arm l24a of the lever 124. The lever angle Q is greater than the predetermined value. When the surgical stapler 10 is at the initial state, the latch structure l22c of the shooting plate 122 is disposed in the holder hole l2lb of the holder plate 121. The lift structure l23b of the stop plate 123 contacts with the holder structure 121 a of the holder plate 121 to provide the lift force to the holder structure l2la via the groove l22b of the shooting plate 122.

[0037] In FIGs. 5C and 6B, the surgical stapler 10 is at the transition state. From the view angle of FIG 5C, when the gripping force is applied to the actuator handle 300 and the grip housing 200, the handle body 310 rotates counter-clockwise with respect to the cartridge holder 111 and about the handle shaft 330, and the handle spring 350 is stretched. The actuator 320 moves downward to push the first arm l24a of the lever 124 to rotate clockwise. The lever angle Q is smaller than that of the initial state in FIG 5B, but has yet reach the predetermined value. The second arm l24b of the lever compresses the lever spring 125 and moves the shooting plate 122 to a transition position between the first position and the second position. When the surgical stapler 10 is at the transition state, the latch structure l22c is disengaged from the holder hole l2lb and begins to slide along the slide structure 121 c. The lift structure 123 b of the stop plate 123 is suppressed by the shooting plate 122 so that the lift force to the holder structure l2la is reduced, and the holder structure 121 a of the holder plate 121 lowers to block the shooting port 11 la. Also, the shooting plate 122 is disposed between the shooting port 11 la and the staple 1101, therefore the staple 1101 is not positioned at the shooting port 11 la. If the grip housing 200 and the actuator handle 300 are released from the gripping force when the surgical stapler 10 is at the transition state, the handle spring 350 provides a constraint force to rotate the handle body 310 clockwise, from the view angle of

FIG 5C, with respect to the cartridge holder 111 by the handle shaft 330. The lever spring 125 provides the resilience force to push the lever 124 to rotate counter-clockwise. The actuator 320 keeps engaging with the first arm l24a of the lever 124 when the lever 124 rotates counter-clockwise, and the surgical stapler 10 is at a retreat state that retreats from the transition state to the initial state. When the surgical stapler 10 is at the retreat state, since the shooting plate 122 is disposed between the shooting port 11 la and the staple 1101, the staple 1101 is not positioned at the shooting port 11 la. Therefore, the staple 1101 cannot be ejected.

[0038] In FIGs. 5D and 6C, the surgical stapler 10 is at a critical state. If the gripping force is continuously applied to grip housing 200 and the actuator 320, the actuator 320 keep pushing the first arm l24a of the lever 124 to rotate clockwise, from the viewing angle of FIG 5D, with respect to the cartridge holder 111 and about the lever shaft l24c. When the lever angle Q reaches the predetermined value, the shooting plate 122 is at the second position, and the surgical stapler 10 is at the critical state as shown in FIG 5D. The first arm l24a of the lever 124 is about to be disengaged from the actuator 320, and the actuator spring 340 is compressed by the first arm l24a of the lever 124. One end of the first arm l24a engaging with the actuator 320 has a round surface, and one end of the actuator 320 engaging with the first arm l24a has a sloped surface. The round surface of the first arm l24a and the sloped surface of the actuator 320 allow the first arm l24a of the lever 124 to be smoothly disengaged from the actuator 320, and furthermore, the combined contribution between the round surface of the first arm l24a and the sloped surface of the actuator 320 is configured to help the actuator 320 be pull upwardly via resilience force from actuator spring 340, eventually back to initial state. It is to be noted that before the lever angle Q reaches the predetermined value, the shooting plate 122 is at the transition position before reaching the second position, and the first arm l24a of the lever 124 cannot be disengaged from the actuator 320. When the surgical stapler 10 is at the critical state, the shooting plate 122 is at the second position, and the shooting teeth l22a of the shooting plate 122 is disengaged from the staple 1101 so that the staple 1101 is pushed to the shooting port 11 la by the staple presser 112. Therefore, the staple 1101 is ready to be ejected.

[0039] In FIGs. 5E and 6D, the surgical stapler 10 is at the triggered state. The first arm l24a of the lever 124 is disengaged from the actuator 320. The lever spring 125 provides the resilience force to rotate the second arm l24b of the lever 124 counter-clockwise, from the viewing angle of FIG 5E, and the shooting plate 122 is moved by the second arm l24b of the lever 124 from the second position towards the first position. Therefore, the shooting plate 122 provides a mechanical impact to the staple 1101 that is at the shooting port 11 la, and then the staple 1101 is ejected from the cartridge holder 111 through the shooting port 11 la. When the surgical stapler 10 is at the triggered state, the latch structure l22c moves from the slide structure l2lc to the holder hole l2lb, and the holder structure l2la is lifted by the lift structure l23b. Therefore, the holder structure l2la of the holder plate 121 opens the shooting port 11 la to allow the staple 1101 to be ejected from the cartridge holder 111.

When the surgical stapler 10 is at the triggered state, the gripping force is still applied to the grip housing 200 and the actuator 320.

[0040] After the staple 1101 is ejected, the grip housing 200 and the actuator 320 is released from the gripping force, and the surgical stapler 10 is at a recovering state after the triggered state. When the surgical stapler 10 is at the recovering state, the handle spring 350 provides a constraint force to rotate the handle body 310 clockwise, from the viewing angle of FIGs. 5B-5E, with respect the cartridge holder 111 and about the handle shaft 330. The actuator 320 moves upward to re-engage with the first arm l24a of the lever 124, and the surgical stapler 10 returns back to the initial state as shown in FIG 5B.

[0041] Referring to FIG 7, a flow chart of an ejection cycle of a surgical stapler according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. The surgical stapler comprises a surgical stapler assembly, an actuator handle, and a grip housing. The surgical stapler assembly comprises a cartridge module, a shooting module, and an actuator handle. The cartridge module comprises a cartridge holder and a staple presser. The cartridge holder has a horizontal plane for receiving at least one staple, and has a shooting port. The staple presser is disposed in the cartridge holder for pushing the staple towards the shooting port. The shooting module is engaged with the cartridge module for ejecting the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port. The shooting module comprises a shooting plate, a lever, and a lever spring. The shooting plate is movably disposed on the cartridge holder.

The lever is engaged with the shooting plate to move the shooting plate between a first position and a second position. The lever spring is connected to the lever and the cartridge holder. The lever is rotatably disposed in the cartridge holder. When the lever is rotated with respect to the horizontal plane of the cartridge holder for a lever angle and the lever angle reaches a predetermined value, the shooting plate is moved to the second position, causing the lever spring to provide a resilience force to the lever to push the shooting plate to move towards the first position, and thereby causing the shooting plate provides a mechanical impact to the staple to eject the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port. The actuator handle is connected to the cartridge holder to selectively engage with the lever. The grip housing receives the surgical stapler assembly. The grip housing and the actuator handle form a grip pair. When a gripping force is applied to the grip housing and the actuator handle, the actuator handle engages with the lever to rotate the lever until the lever angle reaches the predetermined value. The shooting module further comprises a holder disposed on the shooting plate, and a stop plate engaged with the shooting plate. The surgical stapler is illustrated as the surgical stapler 10 described hereinabove.

[0042] As shown in FIG 7, the ejection cycle S400 includes steps S401 to S406. In step S401, the surgical stapler is at an initial state, in which no gripping force is applied on the grip housing and the actuator handle of the surgical stapler. The initial state of the surgical stapler is illustrated in FIG 5B. In step S402, the surgical stapler is at a transition state, in which a gripping force is applied to the grip housing and the actuator handle of the surgical stapler. When the surgical stapler is at the transition state, the actuator handle engages with the lever and pushes lever to rotate clockwise with respect to the cartridge holder, from the viewing angle of FIGs. 5B-5E, and the lever angel is greater than the predetermined value. The transition state of the surgical stapler is illustrated in FIG 5C. In step S406, if the grip housing and the actuator handle are released from the gripping force at the transition state, the surgical stapler is at a retreat state. When the surgical stapler is at the retreat state, the lever rotates counter-clockwise with respect to the cartridge holder, from the viewing angle of FIGs. 5B-5E, by the resilience force of the lever spring, and the actuator handle keeps engaging with the lever as the lever rotates. The shooting plate is stopped from moving to the first position by the holder plate, and no mechanical impact is applied to the staple. Therefore, the surgical stapler returns back to the initial state in step S401 without ejecting the staple.

[0043] In step S403, if the gripping force is continuously applied to the grip housing and the actuator handle, the actuator handle keeps pushing the lever to rotate the lever clockwise until the lever angel reaches the predetermined value, and the surgical stapler is at a critical state as illustrated in FIG 5D. When the surgical stapler is at the critical state, the lever is about to be disengaged from the actuator handle. In step S404, the surgical stapler is at a triggered state as illustrated in FIG 5E. When the surgical stapler is at the triggered state, the lever is disengaged from the actuator handle. The lever spring provides a resilience force to the lever and the shooting plate. The lever rotates counter-clockwise with respect to the cartridge holder, from the viewing angle of FIGs. 5B-5E, and the shooting plate provides a mechanical impact to the staple to eject the staple from the cartridge holder. The gripping force is still applied on the grip housing and the actuator handle. In step S405, the surgical stapler is at a recovering state referring to FIG 5E. The grip housing and the actuator handle are released from the gripping force. The handle spring provides a compressing force to the surgical stapler assembly when surgical stapler assembly is turning back to the initial state from the triggered state or the critical state. Thus, the actuator handle rotates clockwise with respect to the surgical stapler assembly, from the viewing angle of FIGs. 5B-5E, and re-engages with the lever to allow the surgical stapler to return to the initial state.

[0044] In another embodiment, the present disclosure discloses a surgical stapler module including an actuator handle and a surgical stapler assembly. The actuator handle and the surgical stapler can be referred to FIGs. 1A to 6D as described hereinabove. As shown in FIGs. 1A to 6D, the actuator handle 300 includes an actuator 320. The surgical stapler assembly 100 includes a shooting module 120 and a lever 124. The lever 124 has a first arm l24a and a second arm l24b. The first arm l24a is coupled to the actuator 320, and the second arm l24b is coupled to the shooting module 120. The shooting module 120 includes a holder plate 121, a stop plate 123 and a shooting plate 122 movably engaged between the holder plate 121 and the stop plate 123. The holder plate 121 includes a holder structure

121 a, a slide structure 121 c, and a holder hole 121 b. The holder structure 121 a is formed at one end of the holder plate 121. The slide structure l2lc is formed at the other end of the holder plate 121. In a preferred embodiment, the slide structure 121 c is an elastic plate. One end of the slide structure 121 c is elastically and upwardly curved; and the other end of the slide structure 121 c is fixed on the holder plate 121. The latch structure l22c is a protrusion, corresponding to the holder hole 121 b and contacting with the slide structure 121 c. The holder hole l2lb is formed on the slide structure 121 c. The shooting plate 122 includes at least one shooting structure l22a, a groove l22b, a latch structure l22c, and an L-shaped structure l22d. The at least one shooting structure l22a can be two shooting teeth formed at one end of the shooting plate. The groove l22b is formed on the shooting structure l22a (between the two shooting teeth). The latch structure l22c is corresponding to the holder hole l2lb of the holder plate 121. The L-shaped structure l22d is extended from the other end of the shooting plate 122. The stop plate 123 includes at least one tooth structure l23a, a lift structure l23b, and a stop hole l23c. The at least one tooth structure l23a is disposed at one end of the stop plate 123. The lift structure l23b is disposed in the groove l22b of the shooting plate 122. In a preferred embodiment, the lift structure l23b is an elastic plate, which is elastically and upwardly curved to contact with the hold structure 121 a. The stop hole l23c is configured to accommodate the L-shaped structure l22d of the shooting plate 122. The surgical staple assembly 100 further includes a cartridge module 110 and a lever spring

125. The cartridge module 110 is coupled to the shooting module 120. The cartridge module 110 includes a cartridge holder 111 and a staple presser 112. The cartridge holder 111 has a horizontal plane H-H for receiving at least one staple 1101 and a shooting port 11 la. The staple presser 112 is disposed in the cartridge holder 111 for pushing the staple 1101 towards the shooting port 11 la. The lever spring 125 is coupled between the cartridge holder 111 and the L-shaped structure l22d of the shooting plate 122.

[0045] The actuator handle 300 further includes a handle body 310, a handle spring 350, a handle shaft 330, and an actuator spring 340. The handle spring 350 is coupled between the surgical stapler assembly 100 and the handle body 310. The handle shaft 330 is coupled to the cartridge holder 111 of the surgical stapler assembly 100. The actuator spring 340 is coupled between the actuator 320 and the handle body 310. A lever angle Q is formed between the first arm l24a of the lever 124 and the horizontal plane H-H. The actuator 320 is configured to push the first arm l24a of the lever 124. The lever spring 125 is compressed until the lever angle Q reaches a predetermined angle.

[0046] As described above, the surgical stapler assembly of the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a lever connected to a shooting plate. When the lever is rotated by an actuator for a predetermined angle, staples can be ejected from a shooting port of the surgical stapler assembly. Therefore, the surgical stapler assembly of the embodiments of the present disclosure have an effective ejection mechanism to prevent improper operation of the surgical stapler.

[0047] The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Many details are often found in the art such as the other features of a surgical stapler assembly and surgical stapler thereof. Therefore, many such details are neither shown nor described. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure, up to and including the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims. It will therefore be appreciated that the embodiments described above may be modified within the scope of the claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A surgical stapler assembly comprising:

a cartridge module comprising:

a cartridge holder having a horizontal plane for receiving at least one staple and having a shooting port; and

a staple presser disposed in the cartridge holder for pushing the staple towards the shooting port; and

a shooting module engaged with the cartridge module and for ejecting the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port, comprising:

a shooting plate movably disposed on the cartridge holder;

a lever engaged with the shooting plate and for moving the shooting plate between a first position and a second position, wherein the lever is rotatably disposed in the cartridge holder; and

a lever spring connected to the lever and the cartridge holder.

2. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 1, wherein when the lever is rotated with respect to the horizontal plane of the cartridge holder for a lever angle and the lever angle reaches a predetermined value, the shooting plate is moved to the second position, causing the lever spring to provide a resilience force to the lever for pushing the shooting plate to move towards the first position, and thereby causing the shooting plate to provide a mechanical impact to the staple for ejecting the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port.

3. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 2, wherein the cartridge module further comprises a staple spring connected to the staple presser for pushing the staple towards the shooting port.

4. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 2, wherein the cartridge module further comprises a bottom plate disposed in the cartridge holder, and the at least one staple is disposed along a longitudinal axis of the bottom plate.

5. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 2, wherein the shooting module further comprises a holder plate disposed on the shooting plate, and a stop plate engaged with the shooting plate.

6. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 5, wherein the holder plate stops the staple from being ejected until the lever angle reaches the predetermined value, and the stop plate provides a lift force to the holder plate.

7. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 6, wherein the shooting plate comprises:

two shooting teeth for ejecting the staple;

a groove formed between the two shooting teeth;

a latch structure engaged with the holder plate; and

an L-shaped structure engaged with the stop plate.

8. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 7, wherein the holder plate comprises:

a holder structure for stopping the staple from being ejected until the lever angle reaches the predetermined value;

a holder hole; and

a slide structure,

when the shooting plate is at the first position, the latch structure of the shooting plate is disposed in the holder hole of the holder plate, and when the shooting plate moves from the first position to the second position, the latch structure disengages from the holder hole and slides along the slide structure of the holder plate.

9. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 8, wherein the stop plate comprises:

two tooth structures disposed under the two shooting teeth of the shooting plate;

a lift structure disposed in the groove of the shooting plate and for providing the lift force to the holder structure of the holder plate; and

a stop hole,

the L-shaped structure of the shooting plate is disposed in the stop hole.

10. A surgical stapler assembly comprising:

a cartridge module comprising:

a staple presser disposed in the cartridge holder for pushing the staple towards the shooting port; a shooting module engaged with the cartridge module and for ejecting the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port, comprising:

a shooting plate movably disposed on the cartridge holder;

a lever engaged with the shooting plate for moving the shooting plate between a first position and a second position; and

a lever spring connected to the lever and the cartridge holder, wherein the lever is rotatably disposed on the cartridge holder; and

an actuator handle connected to the cartridge holder and for selectively engaging with the lever.

11. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 10, wherein when the lever is rotated with respect to the horizontal plane of the cartridge holder for a lever angle and the lever angle reaches a predetermined value, the shooting plate is moved to the second position, causing the lever spring to provide a resilience force to the lever for pushing the shooting plate to move towards the first position, and thereby causing the shooting plate to provide a mechanical impact to the staple for ejecting the staple from the cartridge holder through the shooting port.

12. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 10, wherein the actuator handle comprises a handle body and an actuator, the handle body has a handle shaft, the actuator handle is rotatably engaged with the cartridge holder by the handle shaft, the actuator is selectively engaged with the lever for rotating the lever, as the handle body rotates about the handle shaft and with respect to the cartridge holder, the actuator pushes the lever to rotate in the cartridge holder, and when the lever angle of the lever reaches the predetermined value, the lever is disengaged from the actuator, causing the lever spring to provide the resilience force to the lever to push the shooting plate to move towards the first position.

13. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 12, wherein the actuator handle further comprises an actuator spring and a handle spring, the actuator spring has two ends, one end of the actuator spring is connected to the actuator, the other end of the actuator spring is connected to the handle body, the handle spring has two ends, one end of the handle spring is connected to the cartridge holder, and the other end of the handle spring is connected to the handle body.

14. The surgical stapler assembly of claim 11, further comprising a grip housing for receiving the surgical stapler assembly, wherein the grip housing and the actuator handle forming a grip pair, when a gripping force is applied to the grip housing and the actuator handle, the actuator handle engages with the lever to rotate the lever until the lever angle reaches the predetermined value.

15. A surgical stapler module comprising:

an actuator handle having an actuator; and

a surgical stapler assembly comprising: a shooting module; and

a lever having a first arm and a second arm, wherein the first arm is coupled to the actuator, and the second arm is coupled to the shooting module.

16. The surgical stapler module of claim 15, wherein the shooting module further comprises a holder plate, a stop plate and a shooting plate movably engaged between the holder plate and the stop plate, wherein

the holder plate comprises:

a holder structure formed at one end of the holder plate;

a slide structure formed at the other end of the holder plate; and

a holder hole formed on the slide structure,

the shooting plate comprises:

at least one shooting structure formed at one end of the shooting plate;

a groove is formed on the shooting structure;

a latch structure corresponding to the holder hole of the holder plate; and

an L-shaped structure extended from the other end of the shooting plate,

the stop plate comprises:

at least one tooth structure disposed at one end of the stop plate;

a lift structure formed between the tooth structure and moved in the groove of the shooting plate; and a stop hole formed at the other end of the stop plate and configured to accommodate the L-shaped structure of the shooting plate.

17. The surgical stapler module of claim 16, wherein the surgical staple assembly further comprises:

a cartridge module coupled to the shooting module, and comprising:

a cartridge holder having a horizontal plane for receiving at least one staple and a shooting port; and

a lever spring coupled between the cartridge holder and the L-shaped structure of the shooting plate.

18. The surgical stapler module of claim 15, wherein the actuator handle further comprises: a handle body;

a handle spring coupled between the surgical stapler assembly and the handle body; a handle shaft coupled to the surgical stapler assembly; and

an actuator spring coupled between the actuator and the handle body.

19. The surgical stapler module of claim 17, wherein a lever angle is formed between the first arm and the horizontal plane.

20. The surgical stapler module of claim 19, wherein the actuator is configured to push the first arm of the lever, and the lever spring is compressed until the lever angle reaches a predetermined angle.