Patent ID: 7678125

Claim:
A surgical ligation clip for ligating a fluid carrying structure, said clip comprising: a mid-longitudinal axis, a distal end, a proximal end opposite said distal end, a maximum clip length between said distal and proximal ends, a maximum clip height perpendicular to said maximum clip length, and a maximum clip width perpendicular to said maximum clip length and said maximum clip height, said maximum clip length being greater than twice said maximum clip height; an upper support member oriented generally along the mid-longitudinal axis of said clip, said upper support member having a maximum width adjacent said distal end perpendicular to the mid-longitudinal axis in a first plane generally parallel to the mid-longitudinal axis, and having a width less than said maximum width thereof in the first plane over a majority of the length of said clip between said distal and proximal ends; a lower support member oriented generally along the mid-longitudinal axis of said clip, said lower support member having a maximum width adjacent said distal end perpendicular to the mid-longitudinal axis in a second plane generally parallel to the mid-longitudinal axis, and having a width less than said maximum width thereof in the second plane over a majority of the length of said clip between said distal and proximal ends; and a connector at said proximal end of said clip joining said upper and lower support members, said connector having a maximum width perpendicular to the mid-longitudinal axis in a third plane generally parallel to the mid-longitudinal axis, and a maximum connector height in a fourth plane perpendicular to the mid-longitudinal axis and the third plane, said maximum connector height being equal equal to said maximum clip height, wherein said clip is formed of a single piece of wire having a substantially uniform thickness, said connector is formed of multiple coil windings of said single piece of wire, said coil windings of said connector have an interior and are unwound when moving said clip from a closed position to an open position, and said clip has a first free end and a second free end, each of said first and second free ends terminating proximate said proximal end, the first plane, the second plane, and the third plane are parallel to one another, at least one of said maximum width of said upper support member and said maximum width of said lower support member is greater than said maximum width of said connector, said distal end has a distal height parallel to said maximum clip height and said proximal end has a proximal width parallel to said maximum clip width, and each of said distal height and said proximal width is twice the thickness of said wire wherein said first end and said second end each terminates inside said interior of said coil.