Patent ID: 7195142
Filing Date: 2007-03-27
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A surgical instrument for performing an end-to-end anastomosis of first and second luminal structures, comprising: a housing having at least one actuator attached thereto and a selectively removable loading unit engageable at a distal end of the housing, the at least one actuator including a cam member having and at least one cam follower which rides along a corresponding at least one cam slot defined within the cam member; a plurality of surgical fasteners releasably supportable in an array-like fashion in a distal end of the selectively removable loading unit, the plurality of surgical fasteners being simultaneously deformable upon activation of the actuator such that a distal end of each of the plurality of surgical fasteners secures a distal end of each luminal structure to complete the end-to-end anastomosis wherein the resulting eversion is exterior to the luminal structures; wherein the at least one cam slot includes two cam stages, a first stage for retracting a first retracting sleeve of the selectively removable loading unit to simultaneously deform the plurality of surgical fasteners and a second stage for retracting the first retracting sleeve relative to a second retracting sleeve of the selectively removable loading unit to unlock the selectively removable loading unit after anastomosis for removal of the first and second luminal structures.