Patent Issued for Surgical Fastener

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Journal of Engineering -- According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by VerticalNews journalists, a patent by the inventor Blier, Kenneth M. (Meriden, CT), filed on February 7, 2012, was cleared and issued on December 4, 2012.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 8323314, is Covidien LP (Mansfield, MA).

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: "The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and, more particularly, to biomechanical fasteners for use with mechanical surgical instruments, electro-mechanical surgical instruments and energy-based surgical instruments and systems.

"Surgical instruments used in open and minimally invasive surgery are limited in their ability to sense and/or control conditions and/or parameters and factors critical to effective operation. For example, conventional surgical instruments cannot measurably detect the amount or degree of formation of the fastener(s) deployed therefrom in order to ascertain whether said fastener(s) are under-formed, over-formed or properly formed.

"Proper formation of the fasteners is an important factor in tissue stapling. For example, if the fasteners are under-formed, the tissue secured thereby may not be compressed sufficiently in order to heal efficiently and properly. If the fasteners are over-formed, the tissue secured thereby may be over compressed and result in inefficient healing of the same.

"Additionally, the determination of proper fastener formation is dependen.sub.t upon the particular characteristics of the tissue being fastened. For example, if relatively thinner tissue or relatively highly vascular tissue is being fastened, then it may be desirable for the fasteners to be formed by a relatively greater degree. Likewise, if relatively thicker tissue or relatively less vascular tissue is being fastened, then it may be desirable for the fasteners to be formed by a relatively lesser degree.

"Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide surgical instruments and/or systems that employ biomechanical fasteners and the like which provide an indication of proper fastener formation for particular surgical procedures and/or for particular tissues which are to be fastened."

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, VerticalNews editors also obtained the inventor's summary information for this patent: "According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical instrument for operating on tissue is provided. The surgical instrument includes an indicating circuit which is preferably activated upon the proper formation of the surgical staples fired therefrom.

"According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical fastener is provided and includes a backspan defining an upper surface, a lower surface and a pair of side surfaces; at least a pair of legs on the backspan; and a contact pad. At least one of the pair of legs is configured to contact the contact pad to provide an indication of formation thereof.

"In one embodiment, the contact pad extends from the lower surface to the upper surface of the backspan, preferably by extending along a side surface. In another embodiment, the contact pad extends through the backspan so as to be exposed at the upper surface and the lower surface of the backspan. The fastener may further include a pair of contact pads supported on the backspan wherein each contact pad may be operatively associated with a respective leg such that in use, the legs may contact a respective contact pad upon formation thereof The at least one leg and the respective contact pad may be fabricated from an electrically conductive material.

"In one embodiment, at least a portion of the backspan is non-conductive. A layer of non-conductive material in one embodiment is interposed between the backspan and the contact pad(s).

"It is contemplated that each contact pad may be electrically isolated from one another.

"According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a biomechanical fastener is provided and includes a backspan defining an upper surface and a lower surface, the backspan defining at least one aperture therein that extends completely from the upper surface through the lower surface; and at least a pair of legs depending from the backspan, wherein a free end of each leg extends through the at least one aperture formed in the backspan upon a formation of the fastener.

"In another aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical fastener is provided comprising first and second fastener legs extending from a backspan and the backspan has an electrical contact surface, wherein contact of at least one of the fastener legs with the electrical contact surface completes a circuit to provide an indication of staple formation. In one embodiment, completion of the circuit provides an indication of proper formation of the fastener. In another embodiment, completion of the circuit provides an indication of improper formation of the fastener.

"According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an electrosurgical system is provided and includes a fastening device including a cartridge and an anvil, wherein the anvil is in juxtaposed relation relative to the cartridge, and the cartridge and the anvil have a spaced apart position and an approximated position. The cartridge has a plurality of fasteners therein and the anvil is configured to form the plurality of fasteners upon advancement of the fasteners from the cartridge. At least one of the fasteners includes a backspan, a pair of legs depending from the backspan, and at least one contact pad on the backspan, wherein at least one of the pair of legs is configured to contact the at least one contact pad upon a formation thereof. The electrosurgical system further includes an indicating circuit associated with the plurality of fasteners, the indicating circuit including an electrical conduit in electrical contact with a first contact pad of each fastener and an electrical conduit in electrical contact with a second contact pad of each fastener.

"Upon formation of the fasteners, the legs are formed to either contact a respective contact pad or not contact a respective contact pad, wherein in one embodiment when the respective legs of each fastener properly contact the contact pad a circuit loop of the indicating circuit is established, and when the respective legs of each fastener do not properly contact the contact pads the circuit loop of the indicating circuit is not established.

"The circuit loop may be established when the electrical conduit associated with the first contact pad and the electrical conduit associated with the second contact pad are electrically connected to one another when the legs of the fastener properly contact the respective first and second contact pads.

"The indicating circuit may include an energy source and an indicator, wherein the indicator activates upon one of a proper formation of the fasteners and an improper formation of the fasteners. The indicator may activate upon a proper formation of a predetermined number of proper formations of the fasteners.

"In one embodiment, at least a portion of the backspan of each fastener may be non-conductive.

"Each contact pad of each fastener may be electrically isolated from the backspan.

"In one embodiment, at least one contact pad of each fastener extends from the lower surface to the upper surface of the backspan along at least one side surface of the backspan. In another embodiment, at least one contact pad of each fastener may extend through the backspan so as to be exposed at the upper surface and the lower surface of the backspan."

For more information, see this patent: Blier, Kenneth M.. Surgical Fastener. U.S. Patent Number 8323314, filed February 7, 2012, and issued December 4, 2012. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=92&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=4555&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=20121204.PD.&OS=ISD/20121204&RS=ISD/20121204

Keywords for this news article include: Surgery, Medical Devices.

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