Knife deployment mechanisms for surgical forceps

摘要

A surgical instrument includes an end effector assembly having jaw members movable between spaced-apart, first approximated, and second approximated positions. A knife is selectively movable relative to the end effector assembly between a retracted position, a first extended position, and a second extended position. A trigger is selectively actuatable between a un-actuated position, a first actuated position, and a second actuated position for moving the knife between its respective positions. A control member prevents movement of the trigger when the jaw members are disposed in the spaced-apart position, permits movement of the trigger to the first actuated position but prevents movement beyond the first actuated position when the jaw members are disposed in the first approximated position, and permits movement of the trigger to the second actuated position but prevents movement beyond the second actuated position when the jaw members are disposed in the second approximated position.

主权项

1. A surgical instrument, comprising:
an end effector assembly having first and second jaw members, at least one of the jaw members movable relative to the other between a spaced-apart position and a plurality of approximated positions, wherein a different gap distance is defined between the jaw members in each of the approximated positions; a knife selectively movable between a retracted position and a plurality of extended positions, wherein the knife extends a different distance between the jaw members in each of the extended positions, each of the extended positions of the knife corresponding to one of the approximated positions of the jaw members; and at least one control member operably coupled with the end effector assembly and the knife, the at least one control member configured to limit a range of motion of the knife between the retracted position and the extended position corresponding to the position of the at least one jaw member.