Patent ID: 7666198

Claim:
An applicator for use in a system including joining elements for making an anastomosis between hollow structures, said applicator comprising: a head provided with a plurality of arms connected thereto, each said arm having a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein each said arm is movable from a first position at which the distal ends of the arms are separated by a first distance, to a second position, at which the distal ends of said arms are separated by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance; and a shank-like element comprising a part located proximal to a distal end of said shank-like element for causing movement of the arms from the first position toward the second position, said shank-like element being associated with said head such that movement of one of said shank-like element and said bead relative to the other of said shank-like element and said head, causes said arms to move from said first position toward said second position, and wherein the distal ends of the arms are adapted to support at least a portion of said hollow structures and hold said joining elements while positioning at least one said hollow structure relative to said joining elements for making an anastomosis between the hollow structures, and said positioning of said hollow structures is accomplished by moving said arms from said first position to said second position.