Electrosurgical sealing and transecting devices and methods with improved application of compressive force

摘要

Devices and methods for sealing and cutting tissue are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a surgical device includes a pair of opposed, pivoting jaws, a cutting blade assembly slidably coupled to the jaws, and a biasing member disposed in a portion of the cutting blade assembly and configured to be received by a track formed between proximal ends of the jaws. The cutting blade assembly can be operative to open and close the jaws, and the biasing member can be configured to be disposed at a location in the track that applies a spring bias to a proximal end of at least one of the jaws. The spring bias in turn increases a compressive force applied by distal ends of the jaws, which in turn can maintain or increase a force applied to tissue disposed between the jaws. Other devices and methods for sealing and cutting tissue are also provided.

主权项

1. A surgical device, comprising:
a jaw assembly having a first jaw and a second jaw pivotally coupled thereto, the first and second jaws being configured to engage tissue therebetween; a cutting blade assembly slidably coupled to the first and second jaws and configured such that distal advancement of the cutting blade assembly along the first and second jaws moves the second jaw toward the first jaw into a closed position, and proximal retraction of the cutting blade assembly along the first and second jaws allows the second jaw to pivot away from the first jaw into an open position; and a biasing member coupled to the cutting blade assembly, the biasing member being configured to advance distally along a track to apply a compressive force to the second jaw during initial distal advancement of the cutting blade assembly along a proximal portion of the first and second jaws, and the biasing member further being configured to apply no compressive force to the second jaw during further distal advancement of the cutting blade assembly along a distal portion of the first and second jaws, wherein a size of the track is configured to change as the first and second jaws move towards the closed position, and wherein a width of the pin path is smaller at a point at which the biasing member applies the compressive force to the second jaw than a width of the pin path at a point at which the biasing member applies no compressive force to the second jaw when the jaws are in the closed position.