Apparatus for forming variable height surgical fasteners

Abstract

A surgical device for applying a plurality of surgical staples is provided. The device includes a staple fastening assembly attached to a surgical instrument. The staple fastening assembly includes a pair of cooperating jaws, a jaw operating mechanism, and a gap sensor. A staple magazine having a plurality of staples and an anvil member having a plurality of staple pockets are attached to the jaws. The staple magazine includes a staple crimping cam and a staple dimpling cam that are operatively coupled to the surgical instrument. The jaw operating mechanism is operatively connected to a drive assembly in the surgical instrument for moving the jaws for automatically setting a tissue gap between the cooperating jaws. The gap sensor cooperates with the jaw operating mechanism for controlling staple formation.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A surgical apparatus comprising:
 a first jaw including retention slots;   a second jaw including pockets, each pocket having a first groove and a second groove; and   a fastener disposed in each of the retention slots, each of the fasteners including first and second legs interconnected by a backspan, the first and second legs each having undeformed portions that are parallel to one another, each of the first grooves configured to direct the first leg of a respective one of the fasteners towards the unformed portion of the second leg and towards the backspan such that a first formed portion of the first leg is positioned alongside and parallel to the unformed portion of the second leg, each of the second grooves configured to direct the second leg of the respective one of the fasteners towards the unformed portion of the first leg and towards the backspan such that a first formed portion of the second leg is positioned alongside and parallel to the unformed portion of the first leg.   
     
     
         17 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the first and second legs include second formed portions and the first and second grooves are configured to direct the first and second legs of the respective fastener towards each other while maintaining lateral separation of the second formed portions of the first and second legs. 
     
     
         18 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism, the first driving mechanism configured to urge each of the fasteners towards a respective pocket and including a first sled and an ejector, and wherein distal longitudinal movement of the first sled through the first jaw causes movement of the ejector towards the second jaw to urge each of the fasteners towards the respective pocket of the second jaw, the second driving mechanism including a second sled and a movable member, wherein distal longitudinal movement of the second sled through the first jaw causes movement of the movable member towards the second jaw, the movable member configured to deform the backspan of each of the fasteners. 
     
     
         19 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the moveable member of the second driving mechanism is operable to deform the backspan of each of the fasteners when a distance between the first and second jaws is less than a predetermined value. 
     
     
         20 . A surgical apparatus comprising:
 a first jaw including a plurality of retention slots;   a second jaw including a plurality of pockets, each of the pockets having a first groove and a second groove; and   a fastener disposed in each of the plurality of retention slots, each of the fasteners including first and second legs, the first groove configured to direct the first leg towards the second leg and the second groove configured to direct the second leg towards the first leg resulting in formed and unformed portions in each of the first and second legs, the formed portion of the first leg positioned alongside and parallel with the unformed portion of the second leg.   
     
     
         21 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the first and second grooves are parallel to each other. 
     
     
         22 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the first and second grooves are symmetrical about an intermediate point. 
     
     
         23 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the first and second grooves each have a sloped end portion. 
     
     
         24 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein the sloped end portion of the first groove is longitudinally opposed to the sloped end portion of the second groove. 
     
     
         25 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein the second jaw includes a tissue contacting surface defining a plane and each of the pockets includes a channeling surface around a perimeter of the pocket, the channeling surface forming a first angle with respect to the plane of the tissue contacting surface. 
     
     
         26 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein first angle is between 0° and 90°. 
     
     
         27 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the sloped end portion of the first groove defines a second angle with respect to the plane of the tissue contacting surface and the sloped end portion of the second groove defines a third angle with respect to the plane of the tissue contacting surface, each of the second and third angles being different than the first angle. 
     
     
         28 . A surgical apparatus comprising:
 a first jaw including a plurality of retention slots;   a second jaw including a plurality of grooves; and   a plurality of fasteners disposed in the plurality of retention slots, each fastener of the plurality of fasteners including first and second legs interconnected by a backspan, the first and second legs each having undeformed portions that are parallel to each other, wherein each groove of the plurality of grooves is configured to direct the first and second legs of one of the plurality of fasteners towards each other such that each of the first and second legs includes a formed portion, the formed portion of the first leg being parallel to and at least partially overlapping the unformed portion of the second leg.   
     
     
         29 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein each groove of the plurality of grooves is configured to direct the first leg and the second leg of the fastener towards each other while maintaining lateral separation of the legs. 
     
     
         30 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein the formed portion of the second leg at least partially overlaps the unformed portion of the first leg. 
     
     
         31 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the formed portion of the second leg includes a section parallel to the unformed portion of the first leg. 
     
     
         32 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 28 , further including a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism, the first driving mechanism configured to urge each fastener of the plurality of fasteners towards a respective groove of the plurality of grooves and including a first sled and an ejector, and wherein distal longitudinal movement of the first sled through the first jaw causes movement of the ejector towards the second jaw and urges each fastener of the plurality of fasteners towards a respective groove of the plurality of grooves and the second driving mechanism includes a second sled and a movable member, wherein distal longitudinal movement of the second sled through the first jaw causes movement of the movable member towards the second jaw, the movable member configured to deform the backspan of each fastener of the plurality of fasteners. 
     
     
         33 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein the formed portion of the first leg is alongside the unformed portion of the second leg. 
     
     
         34 . The surgical apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein the formed portion of the second leg is alongside the unformed portion of the first leg.