FIELD: medicine.
SUBSTANCE: surgical cartridge contains a cartridge body and an alignment element. The cartridge body forms a path for functional reception of the actuating element of the surgical instrument. The alignment element is functionally supported in the cartridge body and is arranged to move the actuating element from a non-functional configuration in which the actuating element is not aligned with the path, into a functional configuration in which the actuating element is aligned with the path when the actuating element is brought into contact with it. The alignment element comprises a wedge-shaped slide unit configured to move and eject surgical fasteners held in the cartridge body when the slide is moved from the initial to the end position within the cartridge body. The wedge-shaped slide unit is configured to grip the drive shaft of the instrument and engage the actuating element. The wedge-shaped slide unit comprises a slide body, a flange and wedges. The slide body contains a surface that bends over and/or around the instrument drive shaft. The flange passes between the slide body and each of the wedges. The end effector for the surgical instrument comprises a support element including a groove blocking the slot adjacent to the groove. The end effector further comprises an actuating element configured to move between a non-functional configuration and a functional configuration. The actuating element is aligned with the groove and is designed for translational movement in the groove in the functional configuration. The actuating element engages with the blocking slot and is removed from alignment with the groove in the non-functional configuration. At that, the support elememt comprises the first jaw and the second jaw. The first jaw comprises the above groove and the above blocking slot. The second jaw prevents the progressive movement of the actuating element in the aforementioned groove when the actuating element is in the non-functional configuration. The surgical instrument comprises a rotatable shaft and an elongated channel configured to detachably support a cartridge including a cartridge body and an alignment element. The alignment element is supported to move within the cartridge body from the first position to the second position. The surgical instrument further comprises an actuating element, functionally supported with respect to the elongated channel for moving between the initial position and the end position when the starting motions are communicated from the pivot rod. The actuating element can not move from its initial position to the end position until the actuating element is in operative engagement with the alignment element in the cartridge body. The actuating element is rotatable to an aligned orientation, with functional engagement with the alignment element. In the second version, the end effector for the surgical instrument comprises an elongated channel, a actuating element, a rotatable drive shaft, and an alignment element. The elongated channel is designed to removably support the cartridge. The actuating element is functionally supported with respect to the elongated channel to move between the initial and final positions. The rotary drive shaft of the instrument is operatively engaged with the actuating element to move the actuating element between the initial and final positions when the starting motions from the drive configuration are communicated to it. The rotary drive shaft of the instrument is movable from a non-functional position in which the rotary drive shaft of the instrument is outside the functional engagement with the drive configuration to a functional position in which the rotary drive shaft of the instrument is operatively engaged with the drive configuration. The alignment element is movably supported to contact the rotary drive shaft of the instrument and to move the instrument drive rod from the non-functional position to the functional position when the cartridge is inserted into the elongated channel. In the second version, the surgical instrument comprises a rotary drive shaft of the instrument operatively engaged with the above actuating element to move the actuating element between the initial and final positions when the starting motions from the drive configuration are communicated to it.
EFFECT: application of the group of inventions will significantly improve the possibilities of end effector positioning relative to the target tissue.
17 cl, 178 dwg
