Patent AU-2009210410-A1 (AU)
Title: Endoscopic surgical clip applier with connector plate
Inventor: WHITFIELD KENNETH H
IPC: A61B17/128
Filed: 2009-08-21
Abstract: A method of operating a surgical clip applier, the method comprising: 
providing a surgical clip applier including: 
a handle assembly (102) supporting a trigger (108); 
a drive bar (140) actuatable by the trigger (108) and connected to a connector plate (174); 
a shaft assembly (104) extending distally from the handle assembly (102) and defining a longitudinal axis, the shaft assembly (104) including: 
a plurality of surgical clips disposed within the shaft assembly (104); and 
a jaw (106) mounted adjacent a distal end portion of the shaft assembly (104); 
a connector plate (174) reciprocally disposed within the shaft assembly (104); 
a pusher bar (156) reciprocally disposed within the shaft assembly (104), the pusher bar (156) including: 
a first spring clip (157a) supported thereon for selectively engaging a feature of the shaft assembly (104); and 
a second spring clip (157b) supported thereon for selectively engaging a first feature of the connector plate (174); 
an advancer plate (162) reciprocally disposed within the shaft assembly (104), the advancer plate (162) being engaged by the pusher bar (156); and 
a wedge plate (172) reciprocally disposed within the shaft assembly (104), the wedge plate (172) including a third spring clip (157c) supported thereon for selectively engaging a second feature of the connector plate; 
selectively engaging the second spring clip (157b) with the first feature of the connector plate (174); selectively engaging the third spring clip (157c) to the second feature of the connector plate (174); manipulating the handle assembly (102) to actuate the drive bar (140), wherein actuation of the drive bar (140) effects movement upon the connector plate (174); 
advancing the drive bar (140) and connector plate (174) in a distal direction during the manipulation of the handle assembly, wherein advancing the drive bar (140) and connector plate (174) effects distal movement of the pusher bar (156) and wedge plate (172); 
engaging a backspan of a distal-most surgical clip of the plurality of surgical clip via a distal end of the pusher bar (156) as the drive bar (140), connector plate (174), pusher bar (156), and wedge plate (172) are distally advanced; 
selectively disengaging the third spring clip (157c) of the wedge plate (172) from the second feature of the pusher bar (156) as the pusher bar (156) loads a distal-most surgical clip into the jaw (106) while the jaw (106) is in an open condition, wherein the pusher bar (156) is in contact with a backspan of the distal-most surgical clip; 
advancing the advancer plate (162) with continued manipulation of the handle assembly (102); 
selectively engaging the first spring clip (157a) to the feature of the shaft assembly (104) when the pusher bar (156) is in an advanced position, thereby maintaining the pusher bar (156) in the advanced position; 
further advancing the drive bar (140), connector plate (174), and pusher bar (156) such that the second spring clip (157b) of the pusher bar (156) is selectively disengaged from the first feature of the connector plate (174); and 
forming the distal-most surgical clip while the pusher bar maintains contact with the backspan of the distal-most surgical clip.