Patent ID: 7470275

Claim:
A surgical instrument for implanting an anastomotic ring device at an anastomosis site, comprising: (i) a handle; (ii) a closed elongate shaft comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion, the proximal portion being connected to the handle, wherein the elongate shaft further comprises a tip on the distal portion of the elongate shaft, wherein the tip comprises a mirrored proximal portion, wherein the tip is moveable from a retracted position to an extended position, wherein the tip distally terminates into a tip point, wherein the tip comprises an interior cavity between the mirrored proximal portion and the tip point; (iii) a ring deployment mechanism on the distal portion of the shaft, the ring deployment mechanism being configured to receive and deploy an anastomotic ring, wherein the ring deployment mechanism is configured to receive and deploy the anastomotic ring independently from movement of the tip between a retracted position and an extended position; and (iv) one or more imaging elements positioned on or in the elongate shaft, wherein at least one of the one or more imaging elements is operable to capture a forward image when the tip is in the retracted position, and wherein at least one of the one or more imaging elements is operable to capture a retrograde image from the mirrored proximal portion of the tip when the tip is in the extended position, wherein at least one of the one or more imaging elements extends distally beyond the mirrored proximal portion of the tip into the interior cavity of the tip when the tip is in the retracted position.