Patent ID: 6702820
Filing Date: 2004-03-09
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A surgical instrument comprising:a pair of opposed jaws extending from a pivot and constructed to open and close relative to one another about the pivot, each jaw having a proximal end connected to part of the surgical instrument, an opposite free jaw tip end wall, a pair of spaced apart and opposed side walls extending from the end wall, a recessed confronting surface arranged facing the opposite jaw and bounded by the end wall and the opposed side walls, and a respective longitudinal axis; a concave hollow defined by the end wall, the side walls, and the recessed confronting surface of each jaw, each hollow arranged facing the hollow of the opposite jaw and together defining a cavity enclosed by the respective confronting surfaces, end walls, and side walls when the opposed jaws close; and at least a first cutting edge portion provided on the end wall of each jaw, wherein each first cutting edge portion is oriented extending toward the corresponding first cutting edge portion of the opposite jaw, and is curved concavely inward toward the proximal end of the respective jaw, wherein an arc of each of the first cutting edge portions is arranged symmetrically relative to a bisecting line of the arc and the bisecting line is oriented at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the respective jaw, and wherein each first cutting edge portion is fixed relative to the respective jaw and positioned such that the respective longitudinal axis of each jaw bisects the corresponding first cutting edge portion.