Patent ID: 8409228

Claim:
A method of managing tissue for creation of an anastomosis, the method comprising: inserting an anvil and a clamp foot through a wall of the vessel while the anvil and the clamp foot are in an approximated state, wherein a clamp assembly comprises the anvil and the clamp, and wherein the clamp foot defines a diameter; separating the anvil and the clamp foot to an open state after the anvil and the clamp foot have been inserted through the wall of the vessel to create or expand a gap between the anvil and the clamp foot, wherein the anvil and the clamp foot are closer to each other when in the approximated state than they are when in the open state, and wherein a diameter of the clamp assembly within the gap is smaller than the diameter of the clamp foot; removing the clamp foot from the vessel after the anvil and the clamp foot have been moved from the approximated state to the open state; permitting the vessel wall to resiliently close around at least a portion of the clamp assembly that is within the gap upon removal of the clamp foot from the vessel; and approximating the anvil and the clamp foot to each other after the vessel wall has resiliently closed around the at least a portion of the clamp assembly to hold the vessel wall between the anvil and the clamp foot.