Surgical stapling device with floating staple cartridge

Abstract

A surgical stapling device includes tool assembly having an anvil assembly and a cartridge assembly including a cartridge channel and a staple cartridge supported within the cartridge channel. The cartridge channel has a pair of spaced sidewalls and a bottom wall. The cartridge assembly includes compression strips that are supported on upper edges of the side walls and are positioned to support the staple cartridge. In embodiments, each of the compression strips includes a connecting portion and the upper edge of each of the side walls defines a slot that is configured to receive the connecting portion of a respective compression strip to secure the compression strip to the side wall of the cartridge channel. In some embodiments, the tool assembly also includes a compressible pad that is supported on the bottom wall of the cartridge channel between the bottom of the cartridge channel and the staple cartridge.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A tool assembly comprising:
 an anvil assembly having a first tissue contacting surface;   a cartridge assembly coupled to the anvil assembly to facilitate movement of the tool assembly between open and clamped positions, the cartridge assembly including a cartridge channel and a staple cartridge, the staple cartridge including a cartridge body, staples, pushers, and an actuation sled, the cartridge body having a second tissue contacting surface and defining a cartridge knife slot and a plurality of staple slots positioned on opposite sides of the knife slot, the staples received in the staple slots, the cartridge channel having a bottom wall and spaced side walls that define a recess, the bottom wall defining a channel knife slot that is longitudinally aligned with the cartridge knife slot, the staple cartridge received within the recess, the first tissue contacting surface being in juxtaposed spaced relation to the second tissue contacting surface when the tool assembly is in the clamped position; and   compression pads positioned on the bottom wall of the cartridge channel, the compression pads being formed of a compressible material and supporting the staple cartridge within the recess of the cartridge channel to facilitate movement of the staple cartridge within the recess of cartridge channel, one of the compression pads positioned on each side of the channel knife slot.   
     
     
         3 . The tool assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the staple cartridge includes a staple cartridge support plate secured to a lower end of the cartridge body, the compression pads positioned between the staple cartridge support plate and the bottom wall of the cartridge channel. 
     
     
         4 . The tool assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the actuation sled is movable through the cartridge body of the staple cartridge into sequential engagement with the pushers to eject the staples from the staple retention slots. 
     
     
         5 . The tool assembly of  claim 2 , further including compression strips supported on each of the side walls of the cartridge channel, the compression strips positioned to engage and support the staple cartridge. 
     
     
         6 . The tool assembly of  claim 5 , wherein each of the side walls of the cartridge channel defines a retention slot, each of the retention slots receiving a portion of one of the compression strips. 
     
     
         7 . The tool assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the retention slots and the compression strips have interlocking configurations to fasten the compression strips within the retention slots. 
     
     
         8 . The tool assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the interlocking configurations are doe-tail configurations. 
     
     
         9 . The tool assembly of  claim 2 , wherein each of the compression strips has a supporting portion with a flat surface for supporting the staple cartridge. 
     
     
         10 . The tool assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the cartridge channel defines notches that provide access to the retention slots, each of the notches communicating with at least one of the retention slots. 
     
     
         11 . The tool assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the staple cartridge defines shoulders, and the flat surface of the compression strips support the shoulders of the staple cartridge. 
     
     
         12 . A surgical stapling device comprising:
 a handle assembly;   an elongate body portion having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the proximal portion secured to the handle assembly; and   a tool assembly supported on the distal portion of the elongate body portion, the tool assembly including:
 an anvil assembly having a first tissue contacting surface; 
 a cartridge assembly coupled to the anvil assembly to facilitate movement of the tool assembly between open and clamped positions, the cartridge assembly including a cartridge channel and a staple cartridge, the staple cartridge including a cartridge body, staples, pushers, and an actuation sled, the cartridge body having a second tissue contacting surface and defining a cartridge knife slot and a plurality of staple slots positioned on opposite sides of the knife slot, the staples received in the staple slots, the cartridge channel having a bottom wall and spaced side walls that define a recess, the bottom wall defining a channel knife slot that is longitudinally aligned with the cartridge knife slot, the staple cartridge received within the recess, the first tissue contacting surface being in juxtaposed relation to the second tissue contacting surface when the tool assembly is in the clamped position; and 
 compression pads positioned on the bottom wall of the cartridge channel, the compression pads being formed of a compressible material and supporting the staple cartridge within the recess of the cartridge channel to facilitate movement of the staple cartridge within the recess of cartridge channel, one of the compression pads positioned on each side of the channel knife slot. 
   
     
     
         13 . The surgical stapling device of  claim 12 , wherein the staple cartridge includes a staple cartridge support plate secured to a lower end of the cartridge body, the compression pads positioned between the staple cartridge support plate and the bottom wall of the cartridge channel. 
     
     
         14 . The surgical stapling device of  claim 12 , wherein the actuation sled is movable through the cartridge body of the staple cartridge into sequential engagement with the pushers to eject the staples from the staple retention slots. 
     
     
         15 . The surgical stapling device of  claim 12 , further including compression strips supported on each of the side walls of the cartridge channel, the compression strips positioned to engage and support the staple cartridge. 
     
     
         16 . The surgical stapling device of  claim 15 , wherein each of the side walls of the cartridge channel defines a retention slot, each of the retention slots receiving a portion of one of the compression strips. 
     
     
         17 . The surgical stapling device of  claim 16 , wherein the retention slots have dove-tail configurations, and the compression strips have dove-tail configurations, the dove-tail configurations of the compression strips received within the retention slots of the cartridge channel to fasten the compression strips within the retention slots. 
     
     
         18 . The surgical stapling device of  claim 12 , wherein each of the compression strips has a supporting portion with a flat surface that supports the staple cartridge. 
     
     
         19 . The surgical stapling device of  claim 18 , wherein the cartridge channel defines notches that provide access to the retention slots, each of the notches communicating with at least one of the retention slots. 
     
     
         20 . The surgical stapling device of  claim 18 , wherein the staple cartridge defines shoulders, and the flat surface of the compression strips support the shoulders of the staple cartridge. 
     
     
         21 . The surgical stapling device of  claim 12 , wherein the handle assembly is in the form of mechanical handle assembly or a powered handle assembly.