Filing Information

Inventor(s)	William B. Weisenburgh, II · Christopher J. Hess · James W. Voegele · Robert P. Gill · Muta M. Issa ·
Assignee(s)	Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. ·  View assignee updates
Attorney/Agent(s)	Frost Brown Todd LLC ·
Primary Examiner	Darwin P Erezo ·
Assistant Examiner	Gregory Anderson ·
Application Number	US11268153
Filing date	11/07/2005
Issue date	05/04/2010
Prior Publication Data	US20060224168 - 10/05/2006
Predicted expiration date	07/02/2027
Patent term adjustment	824
U.S. Classifications	606/153  ·
International Classifications	A61B1708  ·
Kind Code	B2
Related U.S. Application Data	RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of, and where permissible, claims the benefit of the effective filing date of, and incorporates by reference in its entirety, for any and all purposes, the following non-provisional application, and having inventors in common with the instant application: METHOD AND INSTRUMENT FOR EFFECTING ANASTOMOSIS OF RESPECTIVE TISSUES DEFINING TWO BODY LUMENS, Ser. No. 11/094,606, filed Mar. 30, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No 7,500,980.

Patent Family

Abstract

Disclosed is an instrument for use in a procedure to effect anastomosis of a patient's bladder and urethra following a prostatectomy having a tube assembly, and an end effector assembly operably supported by the tube assembly. The end effector assembly includes a positioner assembly and an anchor driver assembly in operable mechanical communication with first and second rods of the tube assembly, so as to be actuable by movement of the first and the second rods with respect to a spine member.

Independent Claims | See all claims (6)

1. 1. An instrument for use in a procedure to effect anastomosis of a patient's bladder and urethra following a prostatectomy, comprising: a tube assembly, comprising a spine member, a first rod, and a second rod, wherein said rods are movable with respect to each other and to said spine member, wherein the tube assembly has a proximal portion and a distal portion; and an end effector assembly operably supported by the distal portion of said tube assembly, further comprising: a positioner assembly in operable mechanical communication with said first rod so as to be actuable by movement of said first rod with respect to said spine member, an anchor driver assembly in operable mechanical communication with said second rod so as to be actuable by movement of said second rod with respect to said spine member, an anchor releasably held by said anchor driver assembly, and an anchor guide held by said end effector assembly through which said anchor moves when said anchor is driven proximally by actuation of said anchor driver assembly, wherein the anchor guide is configured to guide a distal end of the anchor into tissue as the anchor is initially being driven into tissue wherein the anchor guide is proximal to the anchor driver such that the anchor guide is longitudinally positioned between the anchor driver and the proximal portion of the tube assembly.