Abstract:
An exemplary surgical staple may include a staple holder including an upper surface with two substantially-planar angled surfaces positioned lateral to and angled relative to each other; staple channels within the staple holder, each opening to a corresponding angled surface; at least one feeder belt extending into the staple holder; and staples frangibly affixed to at least one feeder belt, wherein at least one staple is held within a corresponding staple channel.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/781,746, filed on May 17, 2010, which claimed priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/182,528, filed on May 29, 2009, each and every one of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention generally relates to surgical staplers and stapling. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Surgical staplers for use in minimally invasive surgery may be designed to be generally cylindrical in shape in order to fit through a corresponding trocar port placed in a patient, where that trocar port has a generally circular orifice defined therethrough. Such a surgical stapler typically includes a staple holder and an anvil pivotally connected to the staple holder. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a staple holder  2  viewed in cross-section may be generally shaped as a segment of a circle defined by a chord, which is the upper surface  4  of the staple holder  2  through which staples are ejected. Staples are held in individual bays or channels  6  within the staple holder  2 . The bays or channels  6  are oriented perpendicular to the upper surface  4  of the staple holder  2 . Consequently, the bays or channels  6  are oriented parallel to one another. Similarly, a knife slot  8  is typically defined in the staple holder  2 , where that knife slot  8  is also oriented perpendicular to the upper surface  4  of the staple holder  2 . The perpendicularity of the bays or channels  6  to the upper surface  4  limits the size of staples that can be deployed from the staple holder  2 , because as the bays or channels  6  increase in size, they must move inward laterally such that they can still fit inside the staple holder  2 . Further, by moving the bays or channels  6  laterally inward, space within the staple holder  2  laterally outward from those bays or channels  6  is wasted. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a cross-section end view of a prior art staple holder. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a cross-section end view of an exemplary staple holder with angled staple bays. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a cross-section end view of another exemplary staple holder with angled staple bays. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an exemplary feeder belt with staples frangibly affixed thereto. 
       
    
    
       [0008]    The use of the same reference symbols in different figures indicates similar or identical items. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a staple holder  2  may have an upper surface  4  that includes two angled surfaces  10 . Each angled surface  10  is positioned lateral to the other. Each angled surface  10  may lie substantially in a different plane than the other, such that the two planes intersect. The upper surface  4  also may include a plateau surface  12  that connects the two angled surfaces  10 . The angled surfaces  10  each may form an angle with the plateau surface  12 . Alternately, the plateau surface  12  may be omitted, and the two angled surfaces  10  may directly intersect one another. At least one staple bay or channel  6  may be positioned relative to a corresponding angled surface  10  such that the upper end of that bay or channel  6  opens to that angled surface  10 . Such a staple bay or channel  6  may be oriented substantially perpendicular to the angled surface  10 , or may be oriented differently relative to the corresponding angled surface  10 . Optionally, at least one staple bay or channel  6  may be oriented differently than at least one other staple bay or channel  6 ; the staple bays or channels  6  need not all have the same orientation relative to the angled surfaces  10  or each other. This angled orientation allows deeper staple bays or channels  6  to be defined in the staple holder  2  than in a staple holder  2  of the prior art of the same diameter. Further, the use of angled surfaces  10  increases the surface area of the upper surface  4  of the staple holder  2  as compared to the planar upper surface  4  of the prior art staple holder  2 . In addition, by providing one or more bays or channels  6  in an angled configuration, those bays or channels  6  may be placed within the staple holder  2  in such a way that they can eject staples at a lateral distance further from the longitudinal center line of the staple holder  2  than the staple holders  2  of the prior art. Alternately, the staple holder  2  may have a substantially planar upper surface  4  such as shown in  FIG. 1 , and one or more staple bays or channels  6  may be oriented at an angle relative to that upper surface  4 . At least one of the staple bays or channels  6  may form substantially a V-shape with regard to at least one other staple bay or channel  6  as viewed from the end. Optionally, a knife slot  8  may be defined in the staple holder  2 , and may be located between staple bays or channels  6  as seen from the end. 
         [0010]    Referring also to  FIG. 3 , where staple bays  6  are used, the staple bays  6  may overlap one another as viewed from the end. Longitudinally, those staple bays  6  may be staggered to prevent interference between them. By overlapping two or more staple bays  6 , even more efficiency may be obtained in the internal layout of the staple holder  2 . In such a configuration, the knife slot  8  may be omitted, or if utilized, may be positioned above the staple bays  6  to prevent interference. 
         [0011]    Referring also to  FIG. 4 , any suitable staples , clips, or fasteners  22  may be ejected from the bays or channels  6 . As one example, standard U-shaped or B-shaped staples or clips may be used. As another example, at least one feeder belt  20  with staples  22  fixed to and frangibly separable therefrom may be utilized; such a feeder belt  20  may be as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0065552, published on Mar. 12, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,988,026, issued on Aug. 2, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. One or more rows  24  of staples  22  may be connected to the feeder belt  20 , and each row  24  of staples  22  may be oriented generally longitudinally. Where a staple bay or channel  6  is oriented substantially perpendicular to the angled surface  10 , as described above, the staples  22  are necessarily oriented substantially perpendicular to the angled surface  10 . Where the staples  22  are oriented substantially perpendicular to the feeder belt  20 , as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,988,026, the feeder belt  20  is thus substantially parallel to the corresponding angled surface  10 . 
         [0012]    While the invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made and equivalents employed, without departing from the present invention. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction, the arrangements of components, and/or the steps of performing anastomosis set forth in the above description or illustrated in the drawings. Therefore, the invention is not to be restricted or limited except in accordance with the following claims and their legal equivalents.