Patent ID: 8011553

Claim:
A surgical stapling apparatus comprising: a) a housing; b) a movable handle supported by the housing; c) an elongated body extending distally from the housing and defining a longitudinal axis; d) an anvil and a staple cartridge having a plurality of surgical staples at the distal end of the elongated body; e) an actuation shaft and a driving pawl, the actuation shaft having a plurality of teeth and being supported at least in part within the housing, the driving pawl being operatively associated with the movable handle and pivotable into engagement with the rack, wherein during the actuation stroke, the driving pawl effects advancement of the actuation shaft; and f) a retraction mechanism including a release member operatively associated with the actuation shaft, the release member being movable into operative engagement with the driving pawl so that the actuation shaft can be retracted.