Patent ID: 7763039

Claim:
A single handed articulating blunt dissector/gastric band application device, comprising: a support shaft connecting a handle at a first end of the device to an articulating assembly at a second end of the device; the handle includes an actuation mechanism linked to the articulating assembly for controlling movement thereof wherein the actuation mechanism includes a flexing finger which one may hold and move to cause articulation of the articulating assembly, and the handle is formed with a central opening in which the flexing finger is positioned, the central opening including a first end and a second end with a first end of the flexing finger being coupled to the handle at the first end of the central opening and a remainder of the flexing finger is spaced from the handle allowing the flexing finger to bend about the first end thereof as pressure is applied along the second end of the flexing finger resulting in controlled movement of the articulating assembly; the second end includes a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the distal end includes a blunt distal tip, and the second end also includes a suture grasping notch shaped and dimensioned for engaging and pulling a gastric band, the suture grasping notch being formed in the blunt distal tip wherein the suture grasping notch is obliquely oriented relative to a longitudinal axis of the application device when the application device is in a straight configuration.