Patent ID: 9498211
Filing Date: 2016-11-22
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A method of securing a prosthetic device to tissue comprising: providing an applicator instrument including a housing, an elongated shaft extending from the housing, a plurality of surgical fasteners disposed within said elongated shaft, a firing rod disposed within said elongated shaft that is moveable proximally and distally for dispensing said surgical fasteners from the distal end of said elongated shaft, a trigger for operating said applicator instrument, and an energy storing element disposed between said trigger and said firing rod; positioning a prosthetic device over tissue; juxtaposing a distal end of said elongated shaft with said prosthetic device; compressing said trigger for piloting said firing rod toward the distal end of said elongated shaft at a first rate of speed; after the piloting step, preventing said firing rod from moving distally while further compressing said trigger for building up energy in said energy storing element; after building up energy in said energy storing element, further compressing said trigger for releasing said firing rod for distal movement and transferring the built up energy stored in said energy storing element to said firing rod for moving said firing rod toward the distal end of said elongated shaft at a second rate of speed that is greater than the first rate of speed.