Patent ID: 11944336
Assignee: CILAG GMBH INTERNATIONAL
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  B | IPC A

Claim 17:
18. A shaft guide for a surgical instrument including a shaft assembly that defines an elongate shaft axis and a surgical end effector that is operably coupled to the shaft assembly by an articulation joint that facilitates articulation of the surgical end effector through a plurality of articulation planes relative to the elongate shaft axis, wherein said shaft guide comprises:
a shaft guide body sized to span across the articulation joint, wherein said shaft guide body comprises a shaft guide proximal end coupled to said shaft assembly and a shaft guide distal end coupled to said surgical end effector to facilitate rotation of said shaft guide body about the elongate shaft axis relative to said shaft assembly and said surgical end effector;
a first passage extending through said shaft guide body from said shaft guide proximal end to said shaft guide distal end and configured to operably support a portion of a first drive shaft therethrough, wherein said first passage opens through said shaft guide proximal end on a first side of a reference plane extending through said elongate shaft axis, wherein said first passage opens through said shaft guide distal end on the first side of the reference plane, and wherein a first central portion of said first passage passes through the reference plane at at least two locations; and
a second passage extending through said shaft guide body from said shaft guide proximal end to said shaft guide distal end and configured to operably support a portion of a second drive shaft therethrough, wherein said second passage opens through said shaft guide proximal end on a second side of the reference plane, wherein said second passage opens through said shaft guide distal end on the second side of the reference plane, and wherein a second central portion of said second passage passes through the reference plane at at least two other locations.