Patent ID: 7163551

Claim:
A surgical stapling device, comprising: an elongate housing having a free forward end; a surgical staple slidable longitudinally within the housing towards the forward end thereof, the staple having a back and two forwardly pointing legs; a staple-firing mechanism for driving the staple towards the forward end of the housing, bending the staple to bring the free ends of the legs towards one another to close the staple, and releasing the closed staple; and an elongated locator member slidable longitudinally within the housing between an initial extended position wherein a forward end of the locator member projects beyond the forward end of the housing to enter a puncture site in a liquid-carrying vessel in a human or animal, thereby to locate the forward end of the housing at the puncture site, and a retracted position wherein the locator member is retracted into the housing in coordination with the closure of the staple, wherein the locator member has a longitudinal slot extending rearwardly from its forward end partially along the length of the locator member, and wherein the back of the staple is accommodated transversely in the slot with its forwardly pointing legs disposed externally of and respectively on opposite sides of the locator member.