SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH RECONFIGURED SHAFT SEGMENTS Russian patent published in 2016 - IPC A61B17/68 A61B17/64 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions refers to medical equipment, namely to surgical instruments, and particularly to surgical suturing instruments. A surgical instrument comprises a handle assembly, a flexible centre unit connected to the above handle assembly and projecting from it, an elongated shaft assembly mounted on the flexible centre unit, and an end effector. The elongated shaft assembly has a reconfigured shaft segment, which is selectively reconfigured between a linear configuration, wherein all segment sections of the above shaft segment are substantially coaxially aligned with each other, and configurations, wherein at least one segment section of the shaft segment is nonlinearly oriented in relation to at least another segment section of the reconfigured shaft segment. The ready-mounted elongated shaft assembly has a closing tubular segment, which is rotationally secured on the flexible centre unit and axially movable in relation to the shaft segment in response to start-up motions performed by means of a start-up system functionally maintained in the handle assembly. The end effector is coupled with the flexible centre unit which has first and second branches; the first and second branches are movable in relation to each other from an open position into a closed position in response to an axial motion of the closing tubular segment. According to the second version of the embodiment of the surgical instrument, the reconfigured shaft segment comprises a set of mutually connected movable tubular joints and locking members on each of the tubular joints to lock the adjacent tubular joints in a preferential orientation in relation to each other. Each of the tubular joints has a tubular case with a spherical connection elements formed at the end thereof, and a passage through it extending into a hollow spherical pocket formed at the other end and being big enough to take the spherical shape of the other tubular joint therein with the rotatable connection element. The above surgical instrument additionally comprises the start-up system functionally maintained by the handle assembly and interacting with the closing tubular segment to make it selectively move in distal and proximal directions on a respective section of the centre unit. The first branch of the end effector is able to carry a staple cartridge inside. According to the third embodiment of the surgical instrument, the reconfigured shaft segment comprises at least one selectively expandable blocking balloon extending through the set of the mutually connected movable tubular joints so that when each blocking balloon is inflated, the above tubular joints are immovable in relation to each other.

EFFECT: inventions enable the effective penetration into narrow and difficult-to-reach body cavities.

19 cl, 243 dwg