Patent Publication Number: US-10758235-B2

Title: Adapter for powered surgical devices

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/002,489, filed on Jan. 21, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,004,504, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/621,859, filed on Sep. 18, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,282,963, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/216,330, filed Aug. 24, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,292,150, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/409,132 filed on Nov. 2, 2010. The entire contents of each of the foregoing applications are incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a surgical device and, more particularly, to an adapter assembly for selectively interconnecting a surgical end effector and a powered actuator device. 
     2. Background of Related Art 
     A number of proprietary drive systems for operating surgical devices that clamp tissue between opposing jaw structures and then join tissue by surgical fasteners have been developed by various surgical device manufacturers. Many of the existing surgical end effectors used in performing, for example, endo-gastrointestinal anastomosis procedures, end-to-end anastomosis procedures and transverse anastomosis procedures, typically require linear driving force in order to be operated. 
     Generally, the stapling operation is effected by cam bars that travel longitudinally through the staple cartridge and act upon staple pushers to sequentially eject the staples from the staple cartridge. Such cam bars are typically actuated by a trigger squeezed by an operator or a powered actuator device that provides rotary motion to deliver driving force. In the case of a powered actuator device that uses rotary motion to deliver driving force the rotary motion is not compatible with surgical end effectors that require linear driving force. 
     As such, in order to make the linear driven surgical end effectors compatible with the powered actuator devices that use rotary motion to deliver driving force, adapter assemblies that convert the output features of the powered actuator devices to match the work input requirements of end effectors are required. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an adapter assembly for selectively interconnecting a surgical end effector and a powered actuator device. The adapter assembly includes a first drive converter assembly configured to convert a rotation of a first drive shaft of the powered actuator device into an axial translation of a first drive member of the surgical end effector and a second drive converter assembly configured to convert a rotation of a second drive shaft of the powered actuator device into an axial translation of a second drive member of the surgical end effector. The first drive converter assembly is at least partially disposed within the second drive converter assembly, wherein the first drive converter assembly and the second drive converter assembly are configured to rotate and translate independent of each other. 
     The adapter assembly may further include first and second drive rods configured to be coupled with the rotatable first and second drive shafts of the powered actuator device, respectively. The first drive rod engages the first drive converter assembly and the second drive rod engages the second drive converter assembly. 
     The first and second drive rods may each include a pinion gear portion. The first drive converter assembly may include an actuation shaft defining a worm gear portion. The first drive rod supports a pinion gear portion, wherein the worm gear portion of the actuation shaft engages the pinion gear portion of the first drive rod, whereby rotation of the first drive shaft of the powered actuator device rotates the pinion gear portion of the first drive rod to effectuate axial translation of the actuation shaft which in turn axially translates the first drive member of the surgical end effector. 
     Similarly, the second drive converter assembly may include an elongate tube defining a worm gear portion. The second drive rod supports a pinion gear portion, wherein the worm gear portion of the elongate tube engages the pinion gear portion of the second drive rod, whereby rotation of the second drive shaft of the powered actuator device rotates the pinion gear portion of the second drive rod to effectuate axial translation of the elongate tube which in turn axially translates the second drive member of the surgical end effector. 
     The first and second drive rods may be flexible and capable of transmitting rotational forces. In addition, a distal end of the adapter assembly may be configured for a selective, detachable fitting with the surgical end effector. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a surgical device including a powered actuator device including at least two rotatable drive shafts, a surgical end effector including at least two axially translatable drive members and an adapter assembly including a first drive converter assembly and a second drive converter assembly. The first drive converter assembly is configured to convert rotation of a first drive shaft of the powered actuator device into an axial translation of a first drive member of the surgical end effector. The second drive converter assembly is configured to convert rotation of a second drive shaft of the powered actuator device into an axial translation of a second drive member of the surgical end effector, wherein the first drive converter assembly is at least partially disposed within the second drive converter assembly. 
     The adapter assembly may further include first and second drive rods configured to be operatively coupled with the rotatable first and second drive shafts of the powered actuator device, respectively. The first drive rod engages the first drive converter assembly and the second drive rod engages second drive converter assembly. 
     The first and second drive rods may each include a pinion gear portion. Moreover, the first drive converter assembly may include an actuation shaft defining a worm gear portion, wherein the first drive rod supports a pinion gear portion. The worm gear portion of the actuation shaft engages the pinion gear portion of the first drive rod, whereby rotation of the first drive shaft of the powered actuator device rotates the pinion gear portion of the first drive rod to effectuate axial translation of the actuation shaft which in turn axially translates the first drive member of the surgical end effector. 
     Similarly, the second drive converter assembly may include an elongate tube defining a worm gear portion, wherein the second drive rod supports a pinion gear portion. The worm gear portion of the elongate tube engages the pinion gear portion of the second drive rod, whereby rotation of the second drive shaft of the powered actuator device rotates the pinion gear portion of the second drive rod to effectuate axial translation of the elongate tube which in turn axially translates the second drive member of the surgical end effector. 
     The first and second drive rods may be flexible and capable of transmitting rotational forces. In addition, a distal end of the adapter assembly may be configured for a selective, detachable fitting with the surgical end effector. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing objects, features and advantages of the disclosure will become more apparent from a reading of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a surgical device including an adapter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the surgical device of  FIG. 1 , illustrating the potential use with various surgical end effectors; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a right angled linear cutter/stapler end effector for use with an adapter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an adapter assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure having a surgical end effector connected thereto; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of the adapter assembly of  FIG. 4  shown with an outer tube removed therefrom; and 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of the adapter assembly of  FIG. 5  illustrating an independent axial translation of an actuation shaft and an inner tube thereof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments of the presently disclosed adapter assemblies for surgical devices are described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views. In the drawings and in the description that follows, the term “proximal,” as is traditional, will refer to the end of the stapling apparatus which is closest to the operator, while the term “distal” will refer to the end of the apparatus which is farthest from the operator. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is disclosed a powered surgical instrument generally referred to as  10 . In the interest of brevity, this disclosure will focus primarily on a mechanical adapter assembly  100  for selectively interconnecting a surgical end effector and a powered actuator device  20 . For a detailed description of the construction and operation of exemplary powered surgical instrument  10  for use with adapter assembly  100 , reference may be made to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0023477, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , powered surgical instrument  10  generally includes a powered actuator device  20  and mechanical adapter assembly  100  selectively interconnecting any one of surgical end effectors  40 ,  50 ,  60 ,  70  and powered actuator device  20 . Any one of end effectors  40 ,  50 ,  60 ,  70  may be releasably secured to a distal end of adapter assembly  100 . Each end effector  40 ,  50 ,  60 ,  70  includes a cartridge assembly housing a plurality of surgical fasteners or staples and an anvil assembly movably secured in relation to the cartridge assembly. Powered actuator device  20  includes a housing, at least one drive motor, at least one energy source for powering the at least one drive motor, and at least one rotatable drive shaft connected to the at least one drive motor. In use, the actuation of the drive motor results in an actuation of an end effector  40 ,  50 ,  60 ,  70  attached thereto, to apply staples to tissue and to optionally cut tissue. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 , an adapter assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown generally as  100 . As shown in  FIGS. 4-6 , adapter assembly  100  is operatively connected to a distal end of powered actuator device  20 , and surgical end effector  50  is selectively coupled to a distal end of adapter assembly  100 . However, adapter assembly  100  is configured to operatively interconnect any one of a number of surgical end effectors to powered actuator device  20 , as seen in  FIG. 2 . For example, adapter assembly  100  may operatively interconnect and couple powered actuator device  20  to an endo-gastrointestinal anastomosis end effector  40  or a transverse anastomosis end effector  60 , both of which require linear driving force. 
     Each of end effectors  40 ,  50 ,  60  includes an axially translatable drive member to fire end effectors  40 ,  50 ,  60  to expel staples contained in the cartridge assembly for formation against the anvil assembly and/or to actuate a knife blade along the staple line. End effectors  40 ,  50 ,  60  may include an additional axially translatable drive member that is configured to open and close the jaw assemblies by approximating at least one of the anvil assembly and the cartridge assembly to and away from one another. The additional axially translatable drive member may also be configured to cause articulation of end effectors  40 ,  50 ,  60 . 
     Adapter assembly  100  may be configured to operatively interconnect with a surgical end effector requiring a linear driving force, but may also be adaptable to be operatively coupled to an end effector requiring a rotational driving force for an operation thereof, such as, for example, a right angled linear cutter/stapler end effector  70 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Right angled linear cutter/stapler end effector  70  includes a rotatable drive member for firing end effector  70  to expel staples contained in the cartridge assembly for formation against the anvil assembly. End effector  70  may include additional rotatable drive members to actuate a knife blade along the staple line and/or to open and close the jaw assemblies by approximating at least one of the anvil assembly and the cartridge assembly to and away from one another. 
     With reference still to  FIGS. 4-6 , a detailed description of the construction and operation of adapter assembly  100  is provided. Adapter assembly  100  includes a tube housing  110  configured to house the components of adapter assembly  100  and dimensioned such that tube housing  110  may pass through a typical trocar port, cannula or the like. Tube housing  110  includes a distal end portion  110   a  that is operatively coupled to end effector  50  and a proximal end portion  110   b  that is coupled to powered actuator device  20 . 
     In particular, as seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , adapter assembly  100  further includes a drive coupling assembly  112  at a proximal end portion thereof, which operatively couples adapter assembly  100  to powered actuator device  20 . Drive coupling assembly  112  includes rotatably supported and distally extending first and second proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118 , respectively. Proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118  may be made flexible to act as shock absorbers allowing for reduced peak loads, yet sufficiently rigid to transmit rotational forces. First and second proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118  each include at a proximal portion thereof a tapered neck portion (not shown) having a non-circular cross-sectional profile, e.g., square shaped. Each of first and second proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118  is provided with a biasing means (not shown) disposed about the respective neck portion and a sleeve (not shown) disposed proximal of the biasing means. The sleeves each define a bore having a cross-sectional profile that corresponds to that of the neck portion of proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118 . The distal ends of the first and second drive shafts of powered actuator device  20  include coupling cuffs  120 ,  122 , each defining a recess  120   a ,  122   a  corresponding to the non-circular cross-sectional profile of the neck portion of proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118 . Coupling cuffs  120 ,  122  of actuator device  20  engage the proximal end portions (not shown) of proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118  (wherein each proximal end portion of the proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118  has a non-circular cross-sectional profile for engaging respective recess  120   a ,  122   a  of coupling cuffs  120 ,  122 ), whereby rotation of drive shafts (not shown) of powered actuator device  20  results in concomitant rotation of coupling cuffs  120 ,  122  and concomitant rotation of first and second proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118 . 
     With continued reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , adapter assembly  100  further includes first and second drive converter assemblies  130 ,  140 . Each drive converter assembly  130 ,  140  is configured to convert rotation of respective first and second drive shafts of powered actuator device  20  and concomitant rotation of respective first and second proximal drive shafts  116 ,  118  into axial translation of respective drive members of end effector  50 . 
     The first drive converter assembly  130  includes an actuation shaft  132  translatably supported for axial reciprocation within an inner tube  142  of drive converter assembly  140  by any number of appropriately positioned and sized bearings and/or bushings (not shown). The coaxial relationship of actuation shaft  132  and inner tube  142  allows for axially rotational displacement thereof without adverse end effector  50  actuation or spatial conflict therebetween. Actuation shaft  132  includes a worm-gear portion  132   a  at a proximal end region of actuation shaft  132  and a distal end portion  132   b  defining a connection member  136  configured for selective engagement with an axially translatable drive member of end effector  50 . First drive converter assembly  130  further includes a pinion or worm gear portion  134  provided at a distal end portion of first proximal drive shaft  116 . Pinion gear portion  134  engages worm gear portion  132   a  at a proximal end region of actuation shaft  132 . 
     In operation, as seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the activation/rotation of a first drive shaft (not shown) of powered surgical device  20  results in concomitant rotation of first proximal drive shaft  116  of adapter assembly  100 . As first proximal drive shaft  116  is rotated, first proximal drive shaft  116  causes rotation of pinion gear portion  134 . Since pinion gear portion  134 , at a distal end portion of first proximal drive shaft  116 , engages worm gear portion  132   a  of actuation shaft  132 , rotation of pinion gear portion  134  causes axial translation of actuation shaft  132 . It is contemplated that the actuation shaft  132  is supported by any number of appropriately positioned and sized bearings and bushings (not shown) that enable axial translation in the direction of “A” as shown in  FIG. 6 . Accordingly, with connection member  136  of actuation shaft  132  connected to a first drive member of end effector  50 , axial translation of actuation shaft  132  causes concomitant axial translation of the first drive member of end effector  50  to effectuate an operation and/or function thereof, such as, for example, firing of the end effector  50 . 
     Upon completion of the operation and/or function of the first drive member of end effector  50 , e.g., firing of end effector  50 , actuation shaft  132  may be retracted to its initial position for subsequent operation thereof. The first drive shaft (not shown) of powered surgical device  20  is reactivated causing rotation thereof in the direction opposite to that when actuation shaft  132  was axially translated in the distal direction. The concomitant rotation of first proximal drive shaft  116  of adapter assembly  100  causes rotation of pinion gear portion  134 . Pinion gear portion  134  engages worm gear portion  132   a  of actuation shaft  132  and causes axial translation of actuation shaft  132  in a proximal direction until actuation shaft  132  reaches the initial position. 
     With continued reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , second drive converter assembly  140  includes an inner tube  142  rotatably supported by rotary plates  144  or by any number of appropriately positioned and sized bearings or bushings (not shown) for axial reciprocation of inner tube  142  within tube housing  110 . Inner tube  142  includes a worm-gear portion  142   a  at a proximal end region of inner tube  142  and a distal end portion  142   b  disposed at a distal end of tube housing  110 . Second drive converter assembly  140  further includes a pinion or worm gear  138  provided at a distal end portion of second proximal drive shaft  118 . Worm-gear portion  142   a  of inner tube  142  engages pinion gear  138  for axial reciprocation of inner tube  142  within tube housing  110 . 
     In operation, as seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the activation/rotation of a second drive shaft (not shown) of powered surgical device  20  results in concomitant rotation of second proximal drive shaft  118  of adapter assembly  100 . As second proximal drive shaft  118  is rotated due to rotation of the second drive shaft of powered actuator device  20 , pinion gear  138  of second drive converter assembly  150  is caused to be rotated. Since pinion gear  138 , at a distal end portion of second proximal drive shaft  118 , engages worm gear portion  142   a  of inner tube  142 , rotation of pinion gear portion  138  causes axial translation of inner tube  142  independently of actuation shaft  132 , in the direction of arrow “A” as shown in  FIG. 6 . Accordingly, as inner tube  142  is translated axially, with the distal end of inner tube  142  connected to a second drive member of end effector  50 , inner tube  142  causes concomitant axial translation of the second drive member of end effector  50  to effectuate an additional operation thereof, such as, for example, articulation of the end effector and/or approximation of the pair of jaws, independent of the operation effected by actuation shaft  132 . 
     Upon completion of the operation and/or function of the second drive member of end effector  50 , e.g., articulation of end effector  50  and/or approximation of the pair of jaws, inner tube  142  may be retracted to its initial position for subsequent operation thereof. The second drive shaft (not shown) of powered surgical device  20  is reactivated causing rotation thereof in the direction opposite to that when inner tube  142  was axially translated in the distal direction. The concomitant rotation of second proximal drive shaft  118  of adapter assembly  100  causes rotation of pinion gear portion  138 . Pinion gear portion  138  engages worm gear portion  142   a  of inner tube  142  and causes axial translation of inner tube  142  in a proximal direction until inner tube  142  reaches the initial position. 
     Actuation shaft  132  is dimensioned to be concentrically arranged within inner tube  142  which allows for a compact design of adapter assembly  100  and independent coaxial translation of actuation shaft  132  with respect to inner tube  142 . Actuation shaft  132  may further include a pair of flanges (not shown) extending radially, so that the pair of flanges restrict the range of axial translation of actuation shaft  132  in conjunction with an inwardly extending flange (not shown) formed within inner tube  142 , whereby a proximal end of actuation shaft  132  is prevented from being driven into drive coupling assembly  112  and/or from distally disengaging pinion gear  134  of first proximal drive shaft  116 . Moreover, the placement of the flanges may be tailored to meet the needs of a particular end effector to take into account, e.g., the required travel distance of the particular axially translatable drive member of the surgical end effector. 
     Similarly, inner tube  142  may further include radially extending flanges (not shown) such that inner tube  142  reciprocates axially inside tube housing  110  within a predetermined ranged. Under such design, inner tube  142  is prevented from being driven distally into pinion gear  134  on first proximal drive shaft  116  and from distally disengaging pinion gear  138  on second proximal drive shaft  122 . Moreover, such design allows inner tube  142  to translate only the distance required to effectuate an operation of the drive member of end effector  50 . 
     In accordance with the present disclosure, it is contemplated that the adapter assembly  100  may incorporate a transmission or gearing portion to optimize the rotational speed and torque or the linear speed and force to control and manipulate specific end effectors. Furthermore, the pitch and helix angle of the worm gear can be configured to provide additional speed and/or force refinements as needed. 
     It is further contemplated that the proximal and distal ends of adapter assembly  100  may be operatively coupled to powered actuator device  20  and any one of end effectors  40 ,  50 ,  60 ,  70 , respectively, using a variety of attachment features, such as, for example, a bayonet coupling, latch, detent or snap-fit. In addition, adapter assembly  100  may include a lock mechanism (not shown) configured to fix the axial position and radial orientation of actuation shaft  132  for the connection and disconnection of end effectors  40 ,  50 ,  60 ,  70  thereto. Still further, axial rotation of the entire tube housing  110  can be accomplished by engaging rotary power from the power actuator (if available) or by manually turning the tube housing. 
     It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended thereto.