U.S. Patent 8353439 was awarded to Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. on 2013-01-15 and describes a “Circular stapler introducer with radially-openable distal end portion.” This patent has been cited 267 times by other U.S. patents which places it in the top 500 cited patents since 2010 according to our law firm research, and makes it of the most innovative medical technology patents in the field of instruments. The abstract states:

Introducers for introducing a surgical circular stapler into a patient. Various embodiments comprise a hollow flexible sheath that has a distal end and an open proximal end that is sized to receive a stapling head portion of the circular stapler therein. A radially-openable barrel member is attached to a distal end of the hollow flexible sheath to define an opening for receiving the stapling head therein. A rigid cap member is hingably attached to the radially-openable barrel member and is movable between a closed position wherein the rigid cap member covers a distal end of the opening in the barrel member and open position wherein the rigid cap member is movable to a position wherein the distal end of the opening is exposed. A releasable latch member is provided to engage and release opposed ends of the radially-openable barrel member. Link: U.S. Patent 8353439

This patent was originally filed on 2009-11-19 which gives it a processing time of 1153 days, compared to an average processing time of 1080 in the field. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. has 2128 total patents. The first named inventor is Jeffrey P. Wiley of Milford Charter Twp, MI. The primary examiner was Lindsay Low.

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