Patent ID: 11918231
Assignee: COVIDIEN LP
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An apparatus for application of surgical clips to body tissue, the apparatus comprising:
a shaft assembly including:
an articulating neck assembly;
an end effector assembly supported on a distal end of the articulating neck assembly, the end effector assembly being configured to form a surgical clip in place on the body tissue, the end effector assembly including:
a drive sled slidably axially translatable within the end effector assembly, the drive sled defining a helical lumen;
an advancer plate slidably disposed within the end effector assembly;
at least one clip disposed in the end effector assembly;
jaws configured to receive and form the at least one clip;
a pusher bar configured to load the at least one clip into the jaws, wherein the pusher bar is detachably connected to the advancer plate; and
a drive bar configured to selectively engage the pusher bar to effectuate a closure of the jaws; and

a rotatable drive member operatively connected to the end effector assembly, wherein a rotation of the drive member results in a loading of the at least one clip into the jaws and in a closing of the jaws,
wherein the rotatable drive member includes an end effector drive screw threadably engaged with the helical lumen of the drive sled,
wherein the rotation of the rotatable drive member results in a rotation of the end effector drive screw and an axial translation of the drive sled, and
wherein during a distal advancement of the pusher bar, the pusher bar engages the advancer plate to distally move the advancer plate.