Surgical instrument assembly and associated technique

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As illustrated in FIG.
1, a laparoscopic type surgical instrument clamp 10 comprises an elongate tubular member 12 provided at a distal end with a clamping member 14.
Clamping member 14 has a pair of opposed jaws 16a and 16b each including an elongate substantially linear clamping arm extending parallel to a longitudinal axis 20 of elongate tubular member 12.
An actuator 22 is mounted to elongate tubular member 12 and is operatively connected to jaws 16a and 16b for alternately opening and closing the jaws 16a and 16b so that the arms move alternately away and towards one another in a direction perpendicular to axis 20.
Instrument assembly 10 also comprises a pair of balloons or bladders 24a and 24b attached to jaws 16a and 16b along inwardly facing sides thereof so as to cushion the jaws with respect to an organ which is being clamped.
As illustrated in general in FIG.
3, balloons 24a and 24b communicate with a source 26 of pressurized gas (e.
g.
, CO2) or saline solution via a valve mechanism 28 and a port 30 at the proximal end of tubular member 12.
As illustrated in FIG.
1, balloons 24a and 24b are in a collapsed or deflated configuration when jaws 16a and 16b are inserted into a patient at the onset of a laparoscopic surgical procedure.
FIG.
2 shows balloons 24a and 24b remaining in the collapsed configuration upon an opening of jaws 16a and 16b by a rotation of actuator knob 22.
In FIG.
3, balloons 24a and 24b are still in the collapsed configuration upon a manipulation of instrument assembly 10 so that a tubular internal organ 10 is disposed between opened jaws 16a and 16b.
Clamping member 14 is pivotably attached to the distal end of tubular member 12 for limited rotation about a pivot pin 32 extending perpendicularly to longitudinal instrument axis 20.
A rotary actuator knob 34 is mounted to tubular member 12 at the proximal end thereof for enabling controlled rotation of clamping member 14 about pin 32 upon insertion of the distal end of instrument assembly into a patient's abdominal cavity through a laparoscopic trocar sleeve (see FIG