An endocutter is a surgical tool that staples and cuts tissue to transect that tissue while leaving the cut ends hemostatic. An endocutter is small enough in diameter for use in minimally invasive surgery, where access to a surgical site is obtained through a trocar, port, or small incision in the body. A linear cutter is a larger version of an endocutter, and is used to transect portions of the gastrointestinal tract. A typical endocutter receives at its distal end a disposable single-use cartridge with several rows of staples, and includes an anvil opposed to the cartridge. The surgeon inserts the endocutter through a trocar or other port or incision in the body, orients the end of the endocutter around the tissue to be transected, and compresses the anvil and cartridge together to clamp the tissue. Then, a row or rows of staples are deployed on either side of the transection line, and a blade is advanced along the transection line to divide the tissue.
An endocutter, or other surgical stapler, is sometimes utilized to treat tissue that is friable, diseased, or otherwise in a weakened condition. A buttress is known to be used in conjunction with a surgical stapler in order to distribute the force exerted by contact between the staple back and tissue across a greater amount of tissue, thereby decreasing the load on fragile tissue. However, no buttress delivery system is known for a true multi-fire surgical instrument that is capable of firing multiple groups of staples into tissue without the need to exchange cartridges or remove the staple holder from the patient.
The use of the same reference symbols in different figures indicates similar or identical items.